Solar connections of geoeffective magnetic structures

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and high-speed solar wind streams (HSS) are two solar phenomena that produce large-scale structures in the interplanetary (IP) medium. CMEs evolve into interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) and the HSS result in corotating interaction regions (CIRs) when they interact with preceding slow solar wind. This paper summarizes the properties of these structures and describes their geoeffectiveness. The primary focus is on the intense storms of solar cycle 23 because this is the first solar cycle during which simultaneous, extensive, and uniform data on solar, IP, and geospace phenomena exist. After presenting illustrative examples of coronal holes and CMEs, I discuss the internal structure of ICMEs, in particular the magnetic clouds (MCs). I then discuss how the magnetic field and speed correlate in the sheath and cloud portions of ICMEs. CME speed measured near the Sun also has significant correlations with the speed and magnetic field strengths measured at 1 AU. The dependence of storm intensity on MC, sheath, and CME properties is discussed pointing to the close connection between solar and IP phenomena. I compare the delay time between MC arrival at 1 AU and the peak time of storms for the cloud and sheath portions and show that the internal structure of MCs leads to the variations in the observed delay times. Finally, we examine the variation of solar-source latitudes of IP structures as a function of the solar cycle and find that they have to be very close to the disk center.     

Early life of coronal mass ejections

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large-scale magnetized plasma structures ejected from closed magnetic field regions of the Sun. White light coronagraphic observations from ground and space have provided extensive information on CMEs in the outer corona. However, our understanding of the solar origin and early life of CMEs is still in an elementary stage because of lack of adequate observations. Recent space missions such as Yohkoh and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and ground-based radioheliographs at Nobeyama and Nancay have accumulated a wealth of information on the manifestations of CMEs near the solar surface. We review some of these observations in an attempt to relate them to what we already know about CMEs. Our discussion relies heavily on non-coronagraphic data combined with coronagraphic data. Specifically, we discuss the following aspects of CMEs: (i) coronal dimming and global disk signatures, (ii) non-radial propagation during the early phase, (iii) Photospheric magnetic field changes during CMEs, and (iv) acceleration of fast CMEs. The relative positions and evolution of coronal dimming, arcade formation, prominence eruption will be discussed using specific events. The magnitude and spatial extent of CME acceleration may be an important parameter that distinguishes fast and slow CMEs.     

Solar large-scale emitting chains: some CME-associated events

Transient large-scale emitting chains and threads, associated with several coronal mass ejections (CMEs), are analyzed by the SOHO/EIT, TRACE, Yohkoh/SXT, Nobeyama Radioheliograph, and some other imaging data. It is illustrated that a pronounced evolution of the chains and threads in the EUV, soft X-ray, microwave, and other ranges can occur many hours both before and after a CME on a considerable part of the solar visible disk, especially near the place of a CME eruption. Such relations between chains and CMEs seem to be plausible due to both phenomena being the consequences of the evolution of large-scale magnetic fields and have often a global character.     

Flares,ejections, proton events

Statistical analysis is performed for the relationship of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and X-ray flares with the fluxes of solar protons with energies >10 and >100 MeV observed near the Earth. The basis for this analysis was the events that took place in 1976–2015, for which there are reliable observations of X-ray flares on GOES satellites and CME observations with SOHO/LASCO coronagraphs. A fairly good correlation has been revealed between the magnitude of proton enhancements and the power and duration of flares, as well as the initial CME speed. The statistics do not give a clear advantage either to CMEs or the flares concerning their relation with proton events, but the characteristics of the flares and ejections complement each other well and are reasonable to use together in the forecast models. Numerical dependences are obtained that allow estimation of the proton fluxes to the Earth expected from solar observations; possibilities for improving the model are discussed.     

Origin and structures of solar eruptions I: Magnetic flux rope

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares are the large-scale and most energetic eruptive phenomena in our solar system and able to release a large quantity of plasma and magnetic flux from the solar atmosphere into the solar wind. When these high-speed magnetized plasmas along with the energetic particles arrive at the Earth, they may interact with the magnetosphere and ionosphere, and seriously affect the safety of human high-tech activities in outer space. The travel time of a CME to 1 AU is about 1–3 days, while energetic particles from the eruptions arrive even earlier. An efficient forecast of these phenomena therefore requires a clear detection of CMEs/flares at the stage as early as possible. To estimate the possibility of an eruption leading to a CME/flare, we need to elucidate some fundamental but elusive processes including in particular the origin and structures of CMEs/flares. Understanding these processes can not only improve the prediction of the occurrence of CMEs/flares and their effects on geospace and the heliosphere but also help understand the mass ejections and flares on other solar-type stars. The main purpose of this review is to address the origin and early structures of CMEs/flares, from multi-wavelength observational perspective. First of all, we start with the ongoing debate of whether the pre-eruptive configuration, i.e., a helical magnetic flux rope (MFR), of CMEs/flares exists before the eruption and then emphatically introduce observational manifestations of the MFR. Secondly, we elaborate on the possible formation mechanisms of the MFR through distinct ways. Thirdly, we discuss the initiation of the MFR and associated dynamics during its evolution toward the CME/flare. Finally, we come to some conclusions and put forward some prospects in the future.     

太阳质子事件、双带耀斑及日冕物质抛射

本文统计了第２２ 太阳活动周期间（１９９１ ～１９９５ 年） 发生的２５ 个太阳质子事件与太阳耀斑及日冕物质抛射（ＣＭＥ） 事件的关系　　统计结果表明, 所有的太阳质子事件都与耀斑发生相关, 除２ 个质子事件（１９９４１０２０ 和１９９５１０２０ 日发生的太阳质子事件） 与ＣＭＥ发生无关, 其余质子事件也都与ＣＭＥ 相关　　值得注意的是, 与质子事件相关的耀斑有１６ 个是双带耀斑, 其中包括与ＣＭＥ无关的２ 个事件的耀斑, 占总数的６４ ％ 　　上述统计结果证实了无论是太阳耀斑, 还是物质抛射, 它们对太阳质子事件的发生同样起着非常重要的作用     

Comment on the paper “CAWSES November 7–8, 2004, Superstorm: Complex Solar and Interplanetary Features in the Post-Solar Maximum Phase,” B. T. Tsurutani,E. Echer,F. L. Guarnieri,and J. U. Kozyra,Geophys. Res. Lett. 35 (2008)

The solar sources of the magnetic storms of November 8 and 10, 2004, are analyzed. The preliminary results of such an analysis [Yermolaev et al., 2005] are critically compared with the results of the paper [Tsurutani et al., 2008], where solar flares were put in correspondence with these magnetic storms. The method for determining solar sources that cause powerful magnetospheric storms is analyzed. It has been indicated that an optimal approach consists in considering coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as storm sources and accompanying flares as additional information about the location of CME origination.     

基于多视角观测的SEP事件与twin-CME关系研究

本文联合SOHO和STEREO-A/B（三视角）日冕观测和太阳高能粒子（SEP）观测,分析了2007—2014年间169个快速（速度>900 km·s^-1）、宽角度（>60°）日冕物质抛射（CME）及其先行CME和关联SEP事件.通过相关分析,给出了SOHO/EPHIN 25~53MeV及STEREO/HET 23.8~60 MeV能量范围的大SEP事件通量判断阈值,分别为0.01和0.014（cm²·s·sr·MeV）^-1.三视角CME观测能有效地避免投影效应产生的twin-CME事件误判,统计得到单一视角确定twin-CME事件的误判率一般低于10%,最高不超过15%.基于三视角判断的twin-CME事件及SEP事件峰值强度,得到判断twin-CME事件的时间阈值最短约为9 h（9~13 h）.single-CME产生的SEP事件强度与CME速度、动能的相关性明显高于twin-CME,并且三视角下的相关性结果与单视角类似.结果表明,一个主CME可能存在多个先行CME,依据单卫星观测判断先行CME时有一定的误判几率,但少数单个先行CME的误判并不影响基于单卫星的统计规律或统计结果.     

冕洞阻碍太阳高能粒子事件形成的典型事例分析

通过对比两次快速晕状日冕物质抛射(CME)事件,分析相应的日面和行星际的观测资料,发现源区距离冕洞较远的CME引起了极强的太阳高能粒子(Solar Energetic Particle,SEP)事件,而源区非常靠近冕洞的CME则没有引起大的SEP事件.该结果表明,冕洞可能对CME形成SEP事件有阻碍作用.继而分析1997～2003年所有爆发在冕洞边缘的快速晕状CME,发现源区离冕洞距离小于02Rs(太阳半径)的CME均没有引起大的SEP事件.从而进一步证实了冕洞可能对邻近CME形成大SEP事件有影响,它阻碍SEP事件的形成.最后讨论了冕洞阻碍CME形成大SEP事件的可能原因.     

Vla and Spacecraft Observations of Solar Activity

We describe the world's largest synthesis radio telescope, the Very Large Array (VLA), and how it can be used to complement observations with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Yohkoh solar spacecraft. The VLA provides images with high spatial and temporal resolution, often across the visible solar disk. The VLA also detects nonthermal radiation that is not observed with SOHO and Yohkoh, and provides estimates for the coronal magnetic field strengths that are not directly measured by these spacecraft. The VLA data can be combined with SOHO CDS, SOHO EIT, or Yohkoh SXT observations to provide new insights to the compact, variable sources, called blinkers and bright points, in the solar transition region or low corona. A new 400 cm VLA system provides images of nonthermal burst activity associated with Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), and may detect thermal emission from CMEs, that can be compared with SOHO's LASCO and EIT instruments to obtain new information about the origin and evolution of CMEs.     

日冕物质抛射—空间天气的扰动源

日冕物质抛射是引起空间天气扰动的重要起因＿本文对日冕物质抛射的一般参量和形态、它与其它太阳活动现象的关系、它在行星际空间的表现以及它导致的地球空间环境扰动的研究进展作了介绍和讨论     

Sigmoid CME source regions at the Sun: some recent results

Identifying coronal mass ejection (CME) precursors in the solar corona would be an important step in space weather forecasting, as well as a vital key to understanding the physics of CMEs. Twisted magnetic field structures are suspected of being the source of at least some CMEs. These features can appear sigmoid (S or inverse-S) shaped in soft X-ray (SXR) images. We review recent observations of these structures and their relation to CMEs, using SXR data from the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) on the Yohkoh satellite, and EUV data from the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) on the SOHO satellite. These observations indicate that the pre-eruption sigmoid patterns are more prominent in SXRs than in EUV, and that sigmoid precursors are present in over 50% of CMEs. These findings are important for CME research, and may potentially be a major component to space weather forecasting. So far, however, the studies have been subject to restrictions that will have to be relaxed before sigmoid morphology can be used as a reliable predictive tool. Moreover, some CMEs do not display a SXR sigmoid structure prior to eruption, and some others show no prominent SXR signature of any kind before or during eruption.     

太阳活动区磁场与CMEs和太阳质子事件

文中选了５ 个典型活动区, 分析了这些活动区的磁场, 与活动区相应的ＣＭＥｓ, 太阳爆发事件和太阳质子事件我们发现, 对于Ｅ ≥１０ｍｅＶ 的太阳质子事件有相应的源活动区, 源耀斑和ＣＭＥ; 活动区矢量磁场有剪切, 磁场剪切越强质子事件越强; 多数在质子耀斑发生前出现磁流浮现; 太阳１０ｃｍ 射电爆发持续时间长文中结果还佐证了Ｓｈｅａｌｙ 等的结果： Ｘ 射线耀斑的长持续时间与ＣＭＥ 的发生正相关另外,在５ 个活动区中, 有三个大耀斑发生前没有明显的磁剪切作为它们的先兆, 它们是非质子源耀斑这是Ｍｏｏｒｅ, Ｈａｇｙａｒｄ 和Ｄａｖｉｓ 的磁场强剪切是耀斑产生的必要条件的反例     

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.     

Analysis of the events that occurred on July 30, 2005, according to ground-based observations in the Ca II 8498 ? line and on board spacecraft

The observations of active region (AR) NOAA 10792 in the Ca II 8498 ? line with an ATB-1 solar telescope at the Sternberg State Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University (SSAI MSU) on July 30, 2005, are illustrated, and the events are analyzed using the data obtained on spacecraft. Three flares and accompanying coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are considered. It has been indicated that the beginning of the first compact CME lagged behind the flare onset by 3 min. Plasma ascended with acceleration that reached 0.4 km/s² at the flare maximum. The matter was also apparently accelerated after the flare maximum, since an ejection could only appear at the edge of the occulting C 2 LASCO coronograph disk at 0557 UT when acceleration is about 0.5 km/s². The second CME (of the halo type) leaded the beginning of the corresponding flare.     

中低纬地区电离层对CIR和CME响应的统计分析

本文利用中低纬日本地区(131°E,35°N)GPS-TEC格点化数据,分析了2001—2009年间109个共转相互作用区(CIR)事件、45个日冕物质抛射(CME)事件引起的地磁扰动期间电离层的响应.结果表明,电离层暴的类型随太阳活动的变化而有不同的变化,CIR事件引发的电离层正相暴、正负双相暴多发生在太阳活动下降年,负相暴多发生在高年,负正双相暴多发生在低年;CME事件引发的电离层正相暴和负相暴多发生在高年.CIR和CME引发的不同类型的电离层暴的季节性差异不大,在夏季多发生正负双相暴.电离层暴发生时间相对地磁暴的时延大部分在-6~6h之间,但CIR引发的电离层暴时延范围更广,在-12~24h之间,而CME引发的电离层暴时延主要在-6~6h之间.中低纬的电离层暴多发生在主相阶段,其中CIR引发的双相暴也会发生在初相阶段.电离层负暴多发生在AE最大值为800~1200nT之间.CIR引起的电离层扰动持续时间较长,一般在1~6天左右,而CME引起的电离层扰动持续时间一般在1~4天左右.     

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.     

第23太阳活动周期太阳风参数及地磁指数的统计分析

日冕物质抛射(Coronal Mass Ejection,简称CME)和共转相互作用区(Corotating Interaction Region,简称CIR)是造成日地空间行星际扰动和地磁扰动的两个主要原因,提供了地球磁暴的主要驱动力,进而显著影响地球空间环境.为深入研究太阳风活动及受其主导影响的地磁活动的时间分布特征,本文对大量太阳风参数及地磁活动指数的数据进行了详细分析.首先,采用由NASA OMNIWeb提供的太阳风参数及地磁活动指数的公开数据,通过自主编写matlab程序对第23太阳活动周期(1996-01-01—2008-12-31)的数据包括行星际磁场Bz分量、太阳风速度、太阳风质子密度、太阳风动压等重要太阳风参数及Dst指数、AE指数、Kp指数等主要的地磁指数进行统计分析,建立了包括269个CME事件和456个CIR事件列表的数据库.采用事例分析法和时间序列叠加法分别对两类太阳活动的四个重要太阳风参数(IMF Bz、太阳风速度、太阳风质子密度、太阳风动压)和三个主要地磁指数(Dst、AE、Kp)进行统计分析,并研究了其统计特征.其次,根据Dst指数最小值确定了第23太阳活动周期内的355个孤立地磁暴事件,并以Dst指数最小值为标准将这些磁暴进一步分类为145个弱磁暴、123个中等磁暴、70个强磁暴、12个剧烈磁暴和5个巨大磁暴.最后,采用时间序列叠加法对不同强度磁暴的太阳风参数和地磁指数进行统计分析.统计分析表明,对于CME事件,Nsw/Pdyn(Nsw表示太阳风质子密度,Pdyn表示太阳风动压)线性拟合斜率一般为正;对于CIR事件,Nsw/Pdyn线性拟合斜率一般为负,这可作为辨别CME和CIR事件的一种有效方法.从平均意义上讲,相较于CIR事件,CME事件有更大的南向IMF Bz分量、太阳风动压Pdyn、AE指数、Kp指数以及更小的Dstmin.一般情况下,CME事件有更大的可能性驱动极强地磁暴.总体而言,对于不同强度的地磁暴,Dst指数的变化呈现出一定的相似性,但随着地磁暴强度的增强,Dst指数衰减的速度变快.CME和CIR事件以及其各自驱动的地磁暴事件有着很多不同,因此,需要将CME事件驱动的磁暴及CIR事件驱动的磁暴分开研究.建立CME、CIR事件及地磁暴的数据库以及获取的统计分析结果,将为深入研究地球磁层等离子体片、辐射带及环电流对太阳活动的响应特征提供有利的帮助.     

Method for determining the parameters of full halo coronal mass ejections

A method for determining the parameters of halo-type coronal mass ejections (full halo CMEs)—direction of motion, angular size, CME velocity along the Sun-Earth axis, etc.—has been proposed and tested. The method is based on the found empirical dependence between the angular sizes of CMEs located near the sky plane and angular sizes of associated eruptive prominences or post-eruptive arcades as well as on the relationships between the halo CME parameters derived in a simple geometrical CME model. Using this method and the SOHO/LASCO C3 and SOHO/EIT data, the parameters of 33 full halo CMEs have been determined. It is concluded that (1) the trajectories of all considered full halo CMEs deviate with recession of the CME front to R _F > (2–5)R ₀ toward the Sun-Earth axis; (2) the majority of full halo CMEs recorded by LASCO C3 coronagraphs have relatively large angular sizes, 2α > 60°.