A Complete Catalogue of High-Speed Solar Wind Streams during Solar Cycle 23

High-speed solar wind streams (HSSWSs) are ejected from the Sun and travel into the interplanetary space. Because of their high speed, they carry out energetic particles such as protons and heavy ions, which leads to an increase in the mean interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Since the Earth is in the path of those streams, Earth’s magnetosphere interacts with the disturbed magnetic field, leading to a significant radiation-induced degradation of technological systems. These interactions provide an enhanced energy transfer from the solar wind/IMF system into the Earth’s magnetosphere and initiate geomagnetic disturbances that may have a possible impact on human health. Solar cycle 23 was a particularly unusual cycle with many energetic phenomena during its descending phase and also had an extended minimum. We have identified and catalogued the HSSWSs of this cycle and determined their characteristics, such as their maximum velocity, beginning and ending time, duration, and possible sources. We identified 710 HSSWSs and compared them with the corresponding characteristics of the streams of previous solar cycles. For first time, we used the CME data to study the stream sources, which led to useful results for the monitoring and forecasting of space weather effects.     

The role of the magnetic barrier in the Solar wind-magnetosphere interaction

The magnetized solar wind carries a large amount of energy but only a small fraction of it enters the magnetosphere and powers its dynamics. Numerous observations show that the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is a key parameter regulating the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. The main factor determining the amount of energy extracted from the solar wind flow by the magnetosphere is the plasma flow structure in the region adjacent to the sunward side of the magnetopause. While compared to the energy of the solar wind flow the IMF magnetic energy is relatively weak, it is considerably enhanced in a thin layer next to the dayside magnetopause variously called the plasma depletion layer or magnetic barrier. Important features of this barrier/layer are (i) a pile-up of the magnetic field with (ii) a concurrent decrease of density, (iii) enhancement of proton temperature anisotropy, (iv) asymmetry of plasma flow caused by magnetic field tension, and (v) characteristic wave emissions (ion cyclotron waves). Importantly, the magnetic barrier can be considered as an energy source for magnetic reconnection. While the steady-state magnetic barrier has been extensively examined, non-steady processes therein have only been addressed by a few authors. We discuss here two non-steady aspects related to variations of the magnetic barrier caused by (i) a north-to-south rotation of the IMF, and (ii) by pulses of magnetic field reconnection at the magnetopause. When the IMF rotates smoothly from north-to-south, a transition layer is shown to appear in the magnetosheath which evolves into a thin layer bounded by sharp gradients in the magnetic field and plasma quantities. For a given reconnection rate and calculated parameters of the magnetic barrier, we estimate the duration and length scale of a reconnection pulse as a function of the solar wind parameters. Considering a sudden decrease of the magnetic field near the magnetopause caused by the reconnection pulse, we study the relaxation process of the magnetic barrier. We find that the relaxation time is longer than the duration of the reconnection pulse for large Alfvén-Mach numbers.     

High-Resolution Studies of the Solar Polar Magnetic Fields

We present high-resolution studies of the solar polar magnetic fields near sunspot maximum in 1989 and towards sunspot minimum in 1995. We show that, in 1989, the polar latitudes were covered by several unipolar regions of both polarities. In 1995, however, after the polar field reversal was complete, each pole exhibited only one dominant polarity region.Each unipolar region contains magnetic knots of both polarities but the number count of the knots of the dominant polarity exceeds that of the opposite polarity by a ratio of order 4:1, and it is rare to find opposite polarity pairs, i.e., magnetic bipoles.These knots have lifetimes greater than 7 hours but less than 24 hours. We interpret the longitudinal displacement of the knots over a 7-hour period as a measure of the local rotation rate. This rotation rate is found to be generally consistent with Snodgrass' (1983) magnetic rotation law.In an attempt to obtain some insight into the operation of the solar dynamo, sketches of postulated subsurface field configurations corresponding to the observed surface fields at these two epochs of the solar cycle are presented.     

Wavelet Analysis on Solar Wind Parameters and Geomagnetic Indices

The geomagnetic activity is the result of the solar wind–magnetosphere interaction. It varies following the basic 11-year solar cycle; yet shorter time-scale variations appear intermittently. We study the quasi-periodic behavior of the characteristics of solar wind (speed, temperature, pressure, density) and the interplanetary magnetic field (B _x , B _y , B _z , β, Alfvén Mach number) and the variations of the geomagnetic activity indices (D _ST, AE, A _p and K _p). In the analysis of the corresponding 14 time series, which span four solar cycles (1966?–?2010), we use both a wavelet expansion and the Lomb/Scargle periodograms. Our results verify intermittent periodicities in our time-series data, which correspond to already known solar activity variations on timescales shorter than the sunspot cycle; some of these are shared between the solar wind parameters and geomagnetic indices.     

Principal Components and Independent Component Analysis of Solar and Space Data

Principal components analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) are used to identify global patterns in solar and space data. PCA seeks orthogonal modes of the two-point correlation matrix constructed from a data set. It permits the identification of structures that remain coherent and correlated or that recur throughout a time series. ICA seeks for maximally independent modes and takes into account all order correlations of the data. We apply PCA to the interplanetary magnetic field polarity near 1 AU and to the 3.25R _⊙ source-surface fields in the solar corona. The rotations of the two-sector structures of these systems vary together to high accuracy during the active interval of solar cycle 23. We then use PCA and ICA to hunt for preferred longitudes in northern hemisphere Carrington maps of magnetic fields.     

Solar Rotational Periodicities and the Semiannual Variation in the Solar Wind, Radiation Belt, and Aurora

The behavior of a number of solar wind, radiation belt, auroral and geomagnetic parameters is examined during the recent extended solar minimum and previous solar cycles, covering the period from January 1972 to July 2010. This period includes most of the solar minimum between Cycles 23 and 24, which was more extended than recent solar minima, with historically low values of most of these parameters in 2009. Solar rotational periodicities from 5 to 27 days were found from daily averages over 81 days for the parameters. There were very strong 9-day periodicities in many variables in 2005?–?2008, triggered by recurring corotating high-speed streams (HSS). All rotational amplitudes were relatively large in the descending and early minimum phases of the solar cycle, when HSS are the predominant solar wind structures. There were minima in the amplitudes of all solar rotational periodicities near the end of each solar minimum, as well as at the start of the reversal of the solar magnetic field polarity at solar maximum (～?1980, ～?1990, and ～?2001) when the occurrence frequency of HSS is relatively low. Semiannual equinoctial periodicities, which were relatively strong in the 1995?–?1997 solar minimum, were found to be primarily the result of the changing amplitudes of the 13.5- and 27-day periodicities, where 13.5-day amplitudes were better correlated with heliospheric daily observations and 27-day amplitudes correlated better with Earth-based daily observations. The equinoctial rotational amplitudes of the Earth-based parameters were probably enhanced by a combination of the Russell-McPherron effect and a reduction in the solar wind-magnetosphere coupling efficiency during solstices. The rotational amplitudes were cross-correlated with each other, where the 27-day amplitudes showed some of the weakest cross-correlations. The rotational amplitudes of the >?2 MeV radiation belt electron number fluxes were progressively weaker from 27- to 5-day periods, showing that processes in the magnetosphere act as a low-pass filter between the solar wind and the radiation belt. The A _p/K _p magnetic currents observed at subauroral latitudes are sensitive to proton auroral precipitation, especially for 9-day and shorter periods, while the A _p/K _p currents are governed by electron auroral precipitation for 13.5- and 27-day periodicities.     

Solar wind-magnetosphere interaction as simulated by a 3-D em particle code

We have studied the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction using a 3-D electromagnetic particle code. The results for an unmagnetized solar wind plasma streaming past a dipole magnetic field show the formation of a magnetopause and a magnetotail, the penetration of energetic particles into cusps and radiation belt and dawn-dusk asymmetries. The effects of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) have been investigated in a similar way as done by MHD simulations. The simulation results with a southward IMF show the shrunk magnetosphere with great particle entry into the cusps and nightside magnetosphere. This is a signature of a magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause. After a quasi-stable state is established with an unmagnetized solar wind we switched on a solar wind with an northward IMF. In this case the significant changes take place in the magnetotail. The waving motion was seen in the magnetotail and its length was shortened. This phenomena are consistent with the reconnections which occur at the high latitude magnetopause. In our simulations kinetic effects will determine the self-consistent anomalous resistivity in the magnetopause that causes reconnections.Deceased January 24, 1993; R. Bunemanet al. 1993.     

High-Speed Solar Wind Streams and Geomagnetic Storms During Solar Cycle 24

An updated catalog is created of 303 well-defined high-speed solar wind streams that occurred in the time period 2009?–?2016. These streams are identified from solar and interplanetary measurements obtained from the OMNIWeb database as well as from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) database. This time interval covers the deep minimum observed between the last two Solar Cycles 23 and 24, as well as the ascending, the maximum, and part of the descending phases of the current Solar Cycle 24. The main properties of solar-wind high-speed streams, such as their maximum velocity, their duration, and their possible sources are analyzed in detail. We discuss the relative importance of all those parameters of high-speed solar wind streams and especially of their sources in terms of the different phases of the current cycle. We carry out a comparison between the characteristic parameters of high-speed solar wind streams in the present solar cycle with those of previous solar cycles to understand the dependence of their long-term variation on the cycle phase. Moreover, the present study investigates the varied phenomenology related to the magnetic interactions between these streams and the Earth’s magnetosphere. These interactions can initiate geomagnetic disturbances resulting in geomagnetic storms at Earth that may have impact on technology and endanger human activity and health.     

Solar Modulation of Cosmic Rays during the Declining and Minimum Phases of Solar Cycle 23: Comparison with Past Three Solar Cycles

We study solar modulation of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) during the deep solar minimum, including the declining phase, of solar cycle 23 and compare the results of this unusual period with the results obtained during similar phases of the previous solar cycles 20, 21, and 22. These periods consist of two epochs each of negative and positive polarities of the heliospheric magnetic field from the north polar region of the Sun. In addition to cosmic-ray data, we utilize simultaneous solar and interplanetary plasma/field data including the tilt angle of the heliospheric current sheet. We study the relation between simultaneous variations in cosmic ray intensity and solar/interplanetary parameters during the declining and the minimum phases of cycle 23. We compare these relations with those obtained for the same phases in the three previous solar cycles. We observe certain peculiar features in cosmic ray modulation during the minimum of solar cycle 23 including the record high GCR intensity. We find, during this unusual minimum, that the correlation of GCR intensity is poor with sunspot number (correlation coefficient R=?0.41), better with interplanetary magnetic field (R=?0.66), still better with solar wind velocity (R=?0.80) and much better with the tilt angle of the heliospheric current sheet (R=?0.92). In our view, it is not the diffusion or the drift alone, but the solar wind convection that is the most likely additional effect responsible for the record high GCR intensity observed during the deep minimum of solar cycle 23.     

Solar activity forecast with a dynamo model

Although systematic measurements of the Sun's polar magnetic field exist only from mid-1970s, other proxies can be used to infer the polar field at earlier times. The observational data indicate a strong correlation between the polar field at a sunspot minimum and the strength of the next cycle, although the strength of the cycle is not correlated well with the polar field produced at its end. This suggests that the Babcock–Leighton mechanism of poloidal field generation from decaying sunspots involves randomness, whereas the other aspects of the dynamo process must be reasonably ordered and deterministic. Only if the magnetic diffusivity within the convection zone is assumed to be high (of order  10¹² cm² s⁻¹  ), we can explain the correlation between the polar field at a minimum and the next cycle. We give several independent arguments that the diffusivity must be of this order. In a dynamo model with diffusivity like this, the poloidal field generated at the mid-latitudes is advected toward the poles by the meridional circulation and simultaneously diffuses towards the tachocline, where the toroidal field for the next cycle is produced. To model actual solar cycles with a dynamo model having such high diffusivity, we have to feed the observational data of the poloidal field at the minimum into the theoretical model. We develop a method of doing this in a systematic way. Our model predicts that cycle 24 will be a very weak cycle. Hemispheric asymmetry of solar activity is also calculated with our model and compared with observational data.     

Modeling a Shallow Solar Dynamo

Photospheric ephemeral regions (EPRs) cover the Sun like a magnetic carpet. From this, we update the Babcock – Leighton solar dynamo. Rather than sunspot fields appearing in the photosphere de novo from eruptions originating in the deep interior, we consider that sunspots form directly in the photosphere by a rapid accumulation of like-sign field from EPRs. This would only occur during special circumstances: locations and times when the temperature structure is highly superadiabatic and contains a large subsurface horizontal magnetic field (only present in the Sun’s lower latitudes). When these conditions are met, superadiabatic percolation occurs, wherein an inflow and downflow of gas scours the surface of EPRs to form active regions. When these conditions are not met, magnetic elements undergo normal percolation, wherein magnetic elements move about the photosphere in Brownian-type motions. Cellular automata (CA) models are developed that allow these processes to be calculated and thereby both small-scale and large-scale models of magnetic motions can be obtained. The small-scale model is compared with active region development and Hinode observations. The large-scale CA model offers a solar dynamo, which suggests that fields from decaying bipolar magnetic regions (BMRs) drift on the photosphere driven by subsurface magnetic forces. These models are related to observations and are shown to support Waldmeier’s findings of an inverse relationship between solar cycle length and cycle size. Evidence for significant amounts of deep magnetic activity could disprove the model presented here, but recent helioseismic observations of “butterfly patterns” at depth are likely just a reflection of surface activity. Their existence seems to support the contention made here that the field and flow separate, allowing cool, relatively field-free downdrafts to descend with little field into the nether worlds of the solar interior. There they heat by compression to form a hot solar-type Santa Ana wind deep below active regions.     

Determination of the electromagnetic field produced by a magnetic oblique-rotator

The structure of the corotating region, which forms an inner portion of a stellar magnetosphere, is reconsidered in a quasi-neutral case by taking into account the inertial effects of electrons as well as that of ions up to the first order in their mass ratio (δ=m_?/m₊). It is emphasized first that the magnetosphere is not globally equipotential even in the frame rotating with a central star (i.e. ?#0, where ? is the ‘non-Backus’ potential) due at least to the inertial effects of plasma particles. However, it is shown that the condition ?=0 is asymptotically recovered in the corotating region owing to the presence of the drift current which can be taken into account only when δ is not entirely neglected. This fact suggests that the deviation of the plasma motion in the outer magnetosphere from the corotation can be attributed to the non-zero ?. A globally self-consistent solution is obtained under this condition (?=0). In contrast with the solutions in the ‘force-free’ and the ‘mass-less-electron’ approximations, this solution has a disk structure in the corotation zone in which the plasma and the current density are concentrated to a thin disk near the magnetic equator. Owing to this sheet current in the disk the lines of force of the stellar magnetic field are modified to form a very elongated shape (the magnetodisk) if the plasma β-value is fairly large. Such a disk structure seems to be a common feature in the high β inner magnetospheres of various types of stars.     

Polar Coronal Structures and the Global Magnetic Field Evolution Through the Cycle

We compare the shape and position of some plasma formations visible in the polar corona with the cyclic evolution of the global magnetic field. The first type of object is polar crown prominences. A two-fold decrease of the height of polar crown prominences was found during their poleward migration from the middle latitudes to the poles before a polar magnetic field reversal. The effect could be assigned to a decrease of the magnetic field scale. The second type of object is the polar plumes, ray like structures that follow magnetic field lines. Tangents to polar ray structures are usually crossed near some point, “a magnetic focus,” below the surface. The distance q between the focus and the center of the solar disk changes from the maximum value about 0.65 R _⊙ at solar minimum activity to the minimum value about 0.45 R _⊙ at solar maximum. At first glance this behaviour seems to be contrary to the dynamics of spherical harmonics of the global magnetic field throughout a cycle. We believe that the problem could be resolved if one takes into account not only scale changes in the global magnetic field but also the phase difference in the cyclic variations of large-scale and small-scale components of the global field.     

Effects of the Weak Polar Fields of Solar Cycle 23: Investigation Using OMNI for the STEREO Mission Period

The current solar cycle minimum seems to have unusual properties that appear to be related to weak solar polar magnetic fields. We investigate signatures of this unusual polar field in the ecliptic near-Earth interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) for the STEREO period of observations. Using 1 AU OMNI data, we find that for the current solar cycle declining phase to minimum period the peak of the distribution for the values of the ecliptic IMF magnitude is lower compared to a similar phase of the previous solar cycle. We investigate the sources of these weak fields. Our results suggest that they are related to the solar wind stream structure, which is enhanced by the weak polar fields. The direct role of the solar field is therefore complicated by this effect, which redistributes the solar magnetic flux at 1 AU nonuniformly at low to mid heliolatitudes.     

Long-Term Correlation Between the Nao and Solar Activity

We extend the correlation analysis of solar signals and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) back in time by using the aa index (since 1868) and the PC index (since 1948) as a proxy of the solar wind energy imparted to the magnetosphere. Prior to the 1940s the records of the NAO and the aa index were not closely connected, while after the 1940s their rhythms matched. We compare two distinctive periods with recent results on the long-scale reconstruction of solar activity. The shift in the NAO–aa interconnection can provide the explanation of a significant increase of solar activity after the 1940s. A strengthening of the interplanetary magnetic field leads to more intensive variations of the high-latitude ionospheric electric field that influences the atmospheric circulation.     

On the analogy between the zebra patterns in radio emission from the sun and the crab pulsar

We investigate the close analogy between the solar radio emission with a quasi-harmonic spectrum structure and one of the microwave emission components of the Crab pulsar in the form of the so-called zebra pattern. The radio emission mechanism of this component can be provided by instability at double plasma resonance and can be realized in extraordinary (for a radio pulsar) conditions, namely in a nonrelativistic plasma with a relatively weak magnetic field. We point out possible models of the emission source in the form of a magnetic trap or a neutral current sheet with a transverse magnetic field localized in the corotating region of the pulsar magnetosphere far from the neutron star surface.     

Initial Venus Express magnetic field observations of the magnetic barrier at solar minimum

Although there is no intrinsic magnetic field at Venus, the convected interplanetary magnetic field piles up to form a magnetic barrier in the dayside inner magnetosheath. In analogy to the Earth's magnetosphere, the magnetic barrier acts as an induced magnetosphere on the dayside and hence as the obstacle to the solar wind. It consists of regions near the planet and its wake for which the magnetic pressure dominates all other pressure contributions. The initial survey performed with the Venus Express magnetic field data indicates a well-defined boundary at the top of the magnetic barrier region. It is clearly identified by a sudden drop in magnetosheath wave activity, and an abrupt and pronounced field draping. It marks the outer boundary of the induced magnetosphere at Venus, and we adopt the name “magnetopause” to address it. The magnitude of the draped field in the inner magnetosheath gradually increases and the magnetopause appears to show no signature in the field strength. This is consistent with PVO observations at solar maximum. A preliminary survey of the 2006 magnetic field data confirms the early PVO radio occultation observations that the ionopause stands at ∼250 km altitude across the entire dayside at solar minimum. The altitude of the magnetopause is much lower than at solar maximum, due to the reduced altitude of the ionopause at large solar zenith angles and the magnetization of the ionosphere. The position of the magnetopause at solar minimum is coincident with the ionopause in the subsolar region. This indicates a sinking of the magnetic barrier into the ionosphere. Nevertheless, it appears that the thickness of the magnetic barrier remains the same at both solar minimum and maximum. We have found that the ionosphere is magnetized ∼95% of the time at solar minimum, compared with 15% at solar maximum. For the 5% when the ionosphere is un-magnetized at solar minimum, the ionopause occurs at a higher location typically only seen during solar maximum conditions. These have all occurred during extreme solar conditions.     

Solar Proton Events and Fluctuations in the Density of Electrons Trapped Within the Earth's Magnetosphere

We present evidence for a correlation between solar proton events and fluctuations in the density of electrons trapped inside the Earth's magnetosphere. We examine 60 solar proton events and 53 solar proton enhancements, which took place between August 1989 and February 1999 (during solar cycles 22 and 23). It is found that 90% of the solar proton events and 85% of the solar proton enhancements are associated with fluctuations in the trapped electron density of the Earth's magnetosphere. Fifty percent of proton events occurred in complex regions. Ninety-six percent of the remaining events that occurred in simple solar active regions are associated with fluctuations of the electron density. We also examined 63 solar active regions with complex magnetic field configurations, which did not produce proton events. It is found that 57% of them were not associated with fluctuations in the trapped electron density during the period when their delta configurations existed on the solar disk. A total of 93 complex solar active regions occurred on the solar disk and 60% are associated with fluctuations of electron density. In this preliminary paper, we demonstrate the potential of invoking the correlation to improve the reliability of short-term predictions for proton events. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1017547923556     

Modulation of Jovian middle magnetosphere currents and auroral precipitation by solar wind-induced compressions and expansions of the magnetosphere: initial response and steady state

We present results from a theoretical model which has been used to investigate the modulation of the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling currents in the Jovian middle magnetosphere by solar wind-induced compressions and expansions of the magnetosphere. We consider an initial system in which the current sheet field lines extend to 50R_J in the equatorial plane, and where the iogenic plasma in the current sheet undergoes steady outward radial diffusion under the influence of the ionospheric torque which tends to maintain corotation with the planet. We show using typical Jovian parameters that the upward-directed field-aligned currents flowing throughout the middle magnetosphere region in this system peak at values requiring the existence of significant field-aligned voltages to drive them, resulting in large precipitating energy fluxes of accelerated electrons and bright ‘main oval’ UV auroras. We then consider the changes in these parameters which take place due to sudden expansions or compressions of the magnetosphere, resulting from changes in the solar wind dynamic pressure. Two cases are considered and compared, these being first the initial response of the system to the change, determined approximately from conservation of angular momentum of the radially displaced plasma and frozen-in field lines, and second the subsequent steady state of steady outward radial diffusion applied to the compressed or expanded system. We show that moderate inward compressions of the outer boundary of the current sheet field lines, e.g. from 50 to 40R_J, are effective in significantly reducing the coupling currents and precipitation in the initial state, the latter then recovering, but only partly so, during the evolution to the steady state. Strong inward compressions, e.g. to 30R_J cause significant super-corotation of the plasma and a reversal in sense of the current system in the initial state, such that bright auroras may then be formed poleward of the usual ‘main auroral oval’ due to the ‘return’ currents. The sense of the currents subsequently reverts back to the usual direction as steady-state conditions are restored, but they are weak, and so is the consequent electron precipitation. For outward expansions of the current sheet, however, the field-aligned currents and electron precipitation are strongly enhanced, particularly at the poleward border mapping to the outer weak field region of the current sheet. In this case there is little evolution of the parameters between the initial expansion and the subsequent steady state. Overall, the results suggest that the Jovian middle magnetosphere coupling currents and resulting ‘main oval’ auroral acceleration and precipitation will be strongly modulated by the solar wind dynamic pressure in the sense of anti-correlation, through the resulting compressions and expansions in the size of the magnetosphere.