ERNE observations of energetic particles associated with Earth-directed coronal mass ejections in April and May, 1997

Two Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which were most effective in energetic (1–50 MeV) particle acceleration during the first 18 months since the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) launch, occurred on April 7 and May 12, 1997. In the analysis of these events we have deconvoluted the injection spectrum of energetic protons by using the method described by Anttila et al. In order to apply the method developed earlier for data of a rotating satellite (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites, GOES), we first had to develop a method to calculate the omnidirectional energetic particle intensities from the observations of Energetic and Relativistic Nuclei and Electrons (ERNE), which is an energetic particle detector onboard the three-axis stabilized SOHO spacecraft. The omnidirectional intensities are calculated by fitting an exponential pitch angle distribution from directional information of energetic protons observed by ERNE. The results of the analysis show that, compared to a much faster and more intensive CMEs observed during the previous solar maximum, the acceleration efficiency decreases fast when the shock propagates outward from the Sun. The particles injected at distances <0.5 AU from the Sun dominate the particle flux during the whole period, when the shock propagates to the site of the spacecraft. The main portion of particles injected by the shock during its propagation further outward from the Sun are trapped around the shock, and are seen as an intensity increase at the time of the shock passage.     

Powerful nonstationary processes on the sun: Spatio-temporal structure and efficient particle acceleration

Data on high-energy processes on the Sun are summarized. We refine the classification of flares and substantiate the view that a coronal mass ejection and a flare proper are manifestations of the same common process, at least for the most powerful events. Next, we analyze data on the acceleration of electrons (RHESSI, Mars Odyssey) and protons. The existence of two peaks of hard X-ray emission spaced 10–20 min apart and the evolution of its spectra are shown to be indicative of two acceleration episodes. We have analyzed the spectra of 172 proton increases identified with the ratio of the proton fluxes at energies above 10 and 100 MeV near the Earth. These spectra turn out to be virtually the same for most of the large flares under favorable conditions for the escape of particles from the corona and their propagation in the interplanetary space. This is an argument for the invariance of the main features of efficient particle acceleration in powerful events. This process takes place at the explosive phase of a flare and its source is located low, immediately above the chromosphere, in the region adjacent to sunspots. There is a reason to believe that, in this case, a rapid simultaneous acceleration of electrons and protons takes place with the capture of some fraction of the particles into magnetic traps. However, there exist a few events in which an additional number of protons with energies as high as 10–30 MeV escape from the corona at the post-eruptive phase of flare development. Analysis of these cases with softer particle spectra more likely suggests an additional particle acceleration at coronal heights (about 30 000 km) than the facilitation of particle escape from magnetic traps. We estimate the contribution from the proton flux at an energy above 10 MeV arising at the post-eruptive phase of a flare to the total particle flux at the maximum of a proton increase and discuss possible particle acceleration mechanisms at significant coronal heights.     

Long-duration high-energy proton events observed by GOES in October 1989

We consider the prolonged injection of the high-energy (> 10 MeV) protons during the three successive events observed by GOES in October 1989. We apply a solar-rotation-stereoscopy approach to study the injection of the accelerated particles from the CME-driven interplanetary shock waves in order to find out how the effectiveness of the particle acceleration and/or escape depends on the angular distance from the shock axis. We use an empirical model for the proton injection at the shock and a standard model of the interplanetary transport. The model can reproduce rather well the observed intensity-time profiles of the October 1989 events. The deduced proton injection rate is highest at the nose of the shock; the injection spectrum is always harder near the Sun. The results seem to be consistent with the scheme that the CME-driven interplanetary shock waves accelerate a seed particle population of coronal origin.     

Particle acceleration and transport in the inner heliosphere

In the solar system, our Sun is Nature’s most efficient particle accelerator. In large solar flares and fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs), protons and heavy ions can be accelerated to over ~GeV/nucleon. Large flares and fast CMEs often occur together. However there are clues that different acceleration mechanisms exist in these two processes. In solar flares, particles are accelerated at magnetic reconnection sites and stochastic acceleration likely dominates. In comparison, at CME-driven shocks, diffusive shock acceleration dominates. Besides solar flares and CMEs, which are transient events, acceleration of particles has also been observed in other places in the solar system, including the solar wind termination shock, planetary bow shocks, and shocks bounding the Corotation Interaction Regions (CIRs). Understanding how particles are accelerated in these places has been a central topic of space physics. However, because observations of energetic particles are often made at spacecraft near the Earth, propagation of energetic particles in the solar wind smears out many distinct features of the acceleration process. The propagation of a charged particle in the solar wind closely relates to the turbulent electric field and magnetic field of the solar wind through particle-wave interaction. A correct interpretation of the observations therefore requires a thorough understanding of the solar wind turbulence. Conversely, one can deduce properties of the solar wind turbulence from energetic particle observations. In this article I briefly review some of the current state of knowledge of particle acceleration and transport in the inner heliosphere and discuss a few topics which may bear the key features to further understand the problem of particle acceleration and transport.     

垂直无碰撞激波的离子加速机制

利用一维全粒子模拟得到的垂直无碰撞激波的位形,通过试验粒子方法研究了不同初始能量粒子的激波加速机制.将与激波相互作用的离子分成反射和直接穿过两类,发现只有被激波反射的离子可被激波明显加速,其中初始能量较小的反射离子通过激波冲浪机制加速,而初始能量较大的离子通过激波漂移加速机制加速.同时激波厚度还对离子被加速过程有重要影响.     

Recurrent variations of anomalous oxygen in association with a corotating interaction region

The fluxes of anomalous oxygen (E ranging from 3.5-6.8 MeV/amu), as measured by the EPAC instrument on ULYSSES, show a recurrent variation with the solar rotation period, which is anticorrelated with the fluxes of particles accelerated at the shocks of a corotating interaction region (CIR), and correlated with the fluxes of galactic cosmic rays known to be modulated by the CIR. The amplitude of this variation is much higher than expected for galactic cosmic rays of the same rigidity.     

Effect of acceleration and loss rates on time variations in energetic electron fluxes during geomagnetic disturbances

The general properties of the effect of the acceleration and loss rate on the time variations in relativistic electron fluxes have been studied based on the analytical solutions to the nonstationary equation for the particle distribution function, taking into account diffusion in the momentum space (stochastic acceleration) and loss (due to particle escape from the acceleration region). The results of calculating the time variations in the fluxes of electrons with energies of 1 MeV are presented for different ratios of the loss-to-acceleration rates. The cases of instantaneous and prolonged injection of low-energy particles are considered. It has been proposed to estimate the acceleration and loss rate effectiveness based on the observed electron flux decrease rate at the end of the magnetic storm recovery phase.     

Arrival of the first relativistic solar protons and conditions in the solar corona

When solar cosmic rays (SCRs) can be observed with ground-based equipment (ground-level enhancements, GLEs), events are often characterized by a rapid increase in the relativistic proton intensity during the initial phase, which makes it possible to estimate the time of particle escape from the solar corona. This phase attracts attention of researchers owing to its closeness in time to the instant of particle acceleration. It is known that the observed SCR characteristics bear traces of many physical processes, including different acceleration mechanisms the relative role of which is still unclear. Flare processes and acceleration by a shock, related to coronal mass ejection (CME), are the main pretenders to the role of SCR accelerator. Several powerful solar proton events during cycle 23 are considered in the work, and the release time of the first particles from the corona and the dynamics of CMEs have been estimated. The time series of the X-ray and radio bursts, close in time to particle escape, are analyzed. The conclusion have been drawn that the first relativistic particles were most probably accelerated during flare processes.     

Dependence of the relativistic electron energy spectra during the magnetic storm recovery phase on the acceleration and loss rates

The dependence of the particle energy spectra on the acceleration and loss rates is studied based on the analytical solutions to the equation for the particle distribution function, taking into account diffusion in the momentum space (stochastic acceleration) and loss (due to particle escape from the acceleration region). The energy spectra and time dynamics of the MeV electron fluxes, observed based on the geostationary satellite data during the prolonged recovery phases of the known magnetic storms of June 11, 1980 and November 3–4, 1993, have been analytically described. The acceleration and loss rates have been estimated for these storms. A comparison is performed with the preciously studied energy spectra of MeV electrons and with the acceleration and loss rates during the recovery phases of the magnetic storms of January 10, 1997, and April 6, 2000.     

Interpretation of the energy spectrum and time dynamics of electron fluxes with energies of 0.8–6.0 MeV in geostationary orbit during the recovery phase of the magnetic storm of April 6, 2000

The electron energy spectrum in the energy range of 0.8–6.0 MeV and the time dynamics of electron fluxes during the prolonged (～10 days) recovery phase of the magnetic storm of April 6, 2000, have been analyzed using the Express-A2 geostationary satellite data. These data have been interpreted based on the analytical solution to the nonstationary equation for the particle distribution function taking into account statistical acceleration and catastrophic particle escape from the acceleration region.     

等离子体湍动对准垂直激波中粒子加速的影响

本文利用试验粒子方法研究了在考虑等离子体湍动的情况下带电粒子在准垂直激波中的加速, 在计算中, 我们采用组合模型来拟合等离子体湍动. 计算结果表明, 在存在等离子体湍动的情况下, 粒子可横越背景磁场运动, 从而被激波反射的上游粒子在到达下游后可被等离子体湍动散射回到上游, 并再次被激波反射并加速, 这样的过程可重复很多次, 因而粒子可被加速到很高的能量. 我们还研究了激波角, 粒子的初始能量和等离子体湍动的强度, 以及相干长度和两种湍动组分强度比与加速粒子的能谱之间的关系.     

FY2G卫星新一代高能带电粒子探测器观测数据分析

风云二号系列卫星是我国开展动态空间天气事件和空间环境监测及预警业务的重要观测平台,各系列星上均安装有高能带电粒子探测仪器开展卫星轨道空间带电粒子辐射环境连续实时的动态监测.FY2G卫星于2015年1月发射,星上采用了全新的高能粒子探测器,包括:一台高能电子探测器可监测200keV-4 MeV的高能电子,一台高能质子重离子探测器可监测4~300 MeV的高能质子,从而实现对带电粒子更宽、更精细能谱的监测.本文给出了FY2G高能带电粒子探测器在2015年1月至2015年10月期间几起典型的带电粒子动态观测结果,结合太阳和地磁活动相关参数,对高能带电粒子通量在亚暴、磁暴和太阳爆发等扰动影响下细节变化过程和特征作出了较为详细的分析描述,展现了FY2G卫星高能带电粒子探测器对轨道空间粒子环境动态变化的准确响应能力,表明观测数据可开展更加精细的轨道粒子环境评估.针对FY2G高能带电粒子探测结果进一步开展了与GOES系列卫星同期观测的比对分析,结果反映出在较小的扰动条件下多星观测到的带电粒子响应和通量变化可基本趋于一致或保持相对稳定的偏差,而扰动条件的显著变化会加大多星观测带电粒子响应和通量变化的差异,这些结果可为今后开展多星数据同化应用提供参考,也为发展磁层对扰动响应的更加复杂的图像提供了新的可能.     

太阳风湍流和磁层亚暴的一种机制

太阳风的动量涨落将通过磁层边界在磁尾激发磁流体力学波。快磁声波携带扰动能量传到等离子体片中,发展为激波,或者通过激波的相互作用而耗散能量,使等离子体加热。等离子体片中的随机费米加速机制,使麦克斯韦分布尾巴部分的高能量粒子被加速到更高能。在宁静态时,加热、加速与耗散过程平衡。当太阳风的动量或者其涨落较大时,整个加热和加速过程加剧,更多的高能粒子产生,并从等离子体片中逃逸,形成高速的等离子体流注入近地轨道和极区,表现为磁层亚暴过程。利用这种机制,可以解释地球磁层亚暴的定性特征。     

G7公路甘肃段爆破施工对土遗址震动影响的检测与分析

近年来土遗址受城市建设和交通施工损害的现象时有发生,对于这些人为因素对遗址的影响缺乏有效的检测与评估手段。本文基于G7高速公路的爆破振动观测,进行质点峰值加速度和峰值速度的衰减分析,开展爆破震动对附近明水军事要塞土遗址震动影响的研究。通过对竖向、水平向的振动加速度和速度的观测和数据分析,得出不同药量条件下,对应相同质点的震动峰值加速度衰减规律。提出了公路爆破附近土遗址震动控制范围和最大药量的施工建议,为爆破附近有土遗址的施工提供了数据支持,相应的结论和建议可以在同类土遗址保护中参考使用。     

Analysis of powerful local acceleration of solar wind particles

Collisionless plasma of the solar wind is considered. A number of physical processes in this plasma lead to the formation of magnetic islands that are potential traps for charged particles. The merging and contractions of magnetic islands cause a powerful acceleration of these particles to energies over 1 MeV. This work continues the study in recent years on modeling of the acceleration of charged particles of the solar wind. Our analytical solution of the transport equations allowed us to find the exact number of particles with energies exceeding given level.     

Two-stage acceleration of solar cosmic rays

On the basis of data from the Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN), as well as the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) and the WIND spacecraft, for the period from 1989 to 2006 covering 107 flare events, we investigated the relationship between the intensity of solar cosmic rays and parameters of continuum radio bursts (25?C15400 MHz), as well as type II radio bursts in the meter and decahectometer wavelength ranges. Proton fluxes with energies E _p > 1?100 MeV were calculated with regard to a reduced heliolongitude. The maximum correlation between solar cosmic rays and solar parameters of microwave bursts was 0.80. Its value was no more than 0.40 for the drift rate of type II bursts and 0.70 for the compression rate of coronal shock waves. Based on linear regression equations, we estimated the contribution of coronal shock waves to the acceleration of protons. We found that major acceleration processes occur in the area of burst energy release and complimentary processes occur at the fronts of coronal shock waves. The contribution of the latter to the acceleration process increases significantly with proton energy.     

What causes the variations of the peak intensity of CIR accelerated energetic ion fluxes?

The variation of the peak intensity of energetic ions accelerated at CIR related shocks in the interplanetary medium as observed by instruments on board of ULYSSES during its pass towards the south polar region and from the north polar region back to its aphelium is discussed. From ULYSSES measurements alone it cannot be decided whether the observed variation is a function of latitude or of radial distance, as its orbit changes distance and latitude at the same time. Therefore ULYSSES data is compared with earlier observations by the PIONEER and VOYAGER spacecraft and concluded that the major part of the observed variation of the peak intensity seems to be due to a radial distance change, on to which, however, at higher latitudes a latitude dependent feature is superimposed.     

Energetic particle investigation using the ERNE instrument

During solar flares and coronal mass ejections, nuclei and electrons accelerated to high energies are injected into interplanetary space. These accelerated particles can be detected at the SOHO satellite by the ERNE instrument. From the data produced by the instrument, it is possible to identify the particles and to calculate their energy and direction of propagation. Depending on variable coronal/interplanetary conditions, different kinds of effects on the energetic particle transport can be predicted. The problems of interest include, for example, the effects of particle properties (mass, charge, energy, and propagation direction) on the particle transport, the particle energy changes in the transport process, and the effects the energetic particles have on the solar-wind plasma. The evolution of the distribution function of the energetic particles can be measured with ERNE to a better accuracy than ever before. This gives us the opportunity to contribute significantly to the modeling of interplanetary transport and acceleration. Once the acceleration/transport bias has been removed, the acceleration-site abundance of elements and their isotopes can be studied in detail and compared with spectroscopic observations.     

Skin-layer of the eruptive magnetic flux rope in large solar flares

The analysis of observations of large solar flares made it possible to propose a hypothesis on existence of a skin-layer in magnetic flux ropes of coronal mass ejections. On the assumption that the Bohm coefficient determines the diffusion of magnetic field, an estimate of the skin-layer thickness of ~10⁶ cm is obtained. According to the hypothesis, the electric field of ~0.01–0.1 V/cm, having the nonzero component along the magnetic field of flux rope, arises for ~5 min in the surface layer of the eruptive flux rope during its ejection into the upper corona. The particle acceleration by the electric field to the energies of ~100 MeV/nucleon in the skin-layer of the flux rope leads to their precipitation along field lines to footpoints of the flux rope. The skin-layer presence induces helical or oval chromospheric emission at the ends of flare ribbons. The emission may be accompanied by hard X-ray radiation and by the production of gamma-ray line at the energy of 2.223 MeV (neutron capture line in the photosphere). The magnetic reconnection in the corona leads to a shift of the skin-layer of flux rope across the magnetic field. The area of precipitation of accelerated particles at the flux-rope footpoints expands in this case from the inside outward. This effect is traced in the chromosphere and in the transient region as the expanding helical emission structures. If the emission extends to the spot, a certain fraction of accelerated particles may be reflected from the magnetic barrier (in the magnetic field of the spot). In the case of exit into the interplanetary space, these particles may be recorded in the Earth’s orbit as solar proton events.