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At least 199 records · Page 11

Radial evolution of the solar wind from IMP 8 to Voyager 2

Voyager 2 and Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (IMP) 8 data from 1977 through 1994 are presented and compared. Radial velocity and temperature structures remain intact over the distance from 1 to 43 AU, but density structures do not. Temperature and velocity changes are correlated and nearly in phase at 1 AU, but in the outer heliosphere temperature changes lead velocity changes by tens of days. Solar cycle variations are detected by both spacecraft, with minima in flux density and dynamic pressure near solar maxima. Differences between Voyager 2 and IMP 8 observations near the solar minimum in 1986-1987 are attributed to latitudinal gradients in solar wind properties. Solar rotation variations are often present even at 40 AU. The Voyager 2 temperature profile is best fit with a R(exp -0.49 +/- 0.01) decrease, much less steep than an adiabatic profile.

Richardson, John D.↗

Charge state of anomalous cosmic-ray nitrogen, oxygen, and neon: SAMPEX observations

We report observations of the ionization state of anomalous cosmic-ray (ACR) nitrogen, oxygen, and neon during the period 1992 October to 1993 May, carried out with instrumentation on the Solar, Anomalous & Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) spacecraft. The low-altitude (510 x 675 km) and high-inclination (82 deg) orbit enables SAMPEX to sample the interplanetary ACR fluxes on each polar pass and then to observe the cutoff of these fluxes by the geomagnetic field at lower latitudes. The arrival time and direction of each ion is recorded by the instruments, allowing detailed calculations of the particle's trajectory through the Earth's magnetic field and thereby placing upper limits on the ionization state of the particles. We find (a) that ACR nitrogen, oxygen, and neon each contain singly ionized particles and (b) that ACR oxygen is predominantly singly ionized with an upper limit of 10% for higher ionization states. These ionization states confirm theories of ACR origin as neutral interstellar material that is singly ionized near the Sun by UV or charge exchange with the solar wind, and is subsequently accelerated in the outer heliosphere.

Klecker, B.↗

Galactic cosmic-ray mediation of a spherical solar wind flow. 1: The steady state cold gas hydrodynamical approximation

Realistic models of the outer heliosphere should consider that the interstellar cosmic-ray pressure becomes comparable to pressures in the solar wind at distances more than 100 AU from the Sun. The cosmic-ray pressure dynamically affects solar wind flow through deceleration. This effect, which occurs over a scale length of the order of the effective diffusion length at large radial distances, has important implications for cosmic-ray modulation and acceleration. As a first step toward solution of this nonlinear problem, a steady state numerical model was developed for a relatively cold spherical solar wind flow which encounters the confining isotropic pressure of the surrounding Galactic medium. This pressure is assumed to be dominated by energetic particles (Galactic cosmic rays). The system of equations, which are solved self-consistently, includes the relevant hydrodynamical equations for the solar wind flow and the spherical cosmic-ray transport equation. To avoid the closure parameter problem of the two-fluid model, the latter equation is solved for the energy-dependent cosmic-ray distribution function.

Le Roux, J. A.↗

Three-dimensional magnetic reconnection and the magnetic topology of coronal mass ejection events

Measurements of superthermal electron fluxes in the solar wind indicate that field lines within coronal mass ejections, CMEs, near and beyond 1 AU are normally connected to the Sun at both ends. However, on occasion some field lines embedded deep within CMEs appear to be connected to the Sun at only one end. Here we propose an explanation for how such field lines arise in terms of 3-dimensional reconnection close to the Sun. Such reconnection also provides a natural explanation for the flux rope topology characteristic of many CMEs as well as the coronal loops formed during long-duration, solar X-ray events. Our consideration of the field topologies resulting from 3-dimensional reconnection indicates that field lines within and near CMEs may on occasion be connected to the outer heliosphere at both ends.

Gosling, J. T.↗

Acceleration of interstellar pickup ions in the disturbed solar wind observed on Ulysses

Acceleration of interstellar pickup H(+) and He(+) as well as of solar wind protons and alpha particles has been observed on Ulysses during the passage of a corotating interaction region (CIR) at approximately 4.5 AU. Injection efficiencies for both the high thermal speed interstellar pickup ions (H(+) and He(+)) and the low thermal speed solar wind ions (H(+) and He(++) are derived using velocity distribution functions of protons, pickup He(+) and alpha particles from less than 1 to 60 keV/e and of ions (principally protons) above approximately 60 keV. The observed spatial variations of the few keV and the few hundred keV accelerated pickup protons across the forward shock of CIR indicate a two stage acceleration mechanism. Thermal ions are first accelerated to speeds of 3 to 4 times the solar wind speed inside the CIR, presumably by some statistical mechanism, before reaching higher energies by a shock acceleration process. Our results also indicate that (1) the injection efficiencies for pickup ions are almost 100 times higher than they are for solar wind ions, (2) pickup H(+) and He(+) are the two most abundant suprathermal ion species and they carry a large fraction of the particle thermal pressure, (3) the injection efficiency is highest for protons, lowest for He(+), and intermediate for alpha particles, (4) both H(+) and He(+) have identical spectral shapes above the cutoff speed for pickup ions, and (5) the solar wind frame velocity distribution function of protons has the form F(w) = F(sub o)w(sup -4) for 1 is less than w is less than approximately 5, where w is the ion speed divided by the solar wind speed. Above w approximately 5-10 the proton spectrum becomes steeper. These results have important implications concerning acceleration of ions by shocks and CIRs, acceleration of anomalous cosmic rays, and particle dynamics in the outer heliosphere.

Gloeckler, G.↗

Flow properties along field lines in a 3-D tilted-dipole geometry

A 3-D MHD simulation of a global, tilted-dipole solar wind flow pattern is analyzed to determine flow properties along individual magnetic field lines. In the model, flow conditions near the Sun are chosen to provide a reasonable match to the interplanetary configuration prevailing during the recent south polar passage by Ulysses, i.e., a streamer belt inclined approximately 30 deg to the solar equator and speeds ranging from 325-800 km/s. Field lines all across the stream pattern are traced from 1 to 10 AU by following the motion of marker particles embedded in the flow. It is found that those field lines threading the core of the interaction region are subject to significant latitudinal and relative longitudinal displacement over this range of heliocentric distance. Thus, observations taken at a fixed latitude in the inner solar system sample, over the course of a solar rotation, field lines which connect to a range of latitudes in the outer heliosphere. Maps of the field line displacements are presented to help visualize these connections. In addition, it is found that depending upon the location relative to the CIR structure, the radial evolution of fluid elements frozen to different field lines can deviate considerably from that of the canonical solar wind. That is, for selected subsets of field lines, large speed changes (not just at shocks) can be experienced; the density variation can be far from 1/r(exp 2), and the magnetic field intensity need not decay monotonically with distance.

Pizzo, V. J.↗

Open and disconnected magnetic field lines within coronal mass ejections in the solar wind: Evidence for 3-dimensional reconnection

Measurements of suprathermal electron fluxes in the solar wind at energies greater than approximatley 80 eV indicate that magnetic field lines within coronal mass ejections. CMEs, near and beyond 1 AU are normally connected to the Sun at both ends. However, a preliminary reexamination of events previously identified as CMEs in the ISEE 3 data reveals that about 1/4 of all such events contain limited regions where field lines appear to be either connected to the Sun at only one end or connected to the outer heliosphere at both ends. Similar intervals of open and disconnected field lines within CMEs have been identified in the Ulysses observations. We believe that these anomalous field topologies within CMEs are most naturally interpreted in terms of 3-dimensional reconnection behind CMEs close to the Sun. Such reconnection also provides a natural explanation both for the flux rope topology of many CMEs as well as the coronal loops formed during long-duration solar soft X ray events. Although detailed numerical simulations of 3-dimensional reconnection behind CMEs are not yet available, such simulations have been done for the qualitatively similar geometry that prevails within the geomagnetic tail. Those simulations of plasmoid formation in the geomagnetic tail do produce the mixture of field topologies within plasmoids discussed here for CMEs.

Gosling, J. T.↗

Phenomenology of non-Alfvenic turbulence in a uniformly expanding medium

Transport and decay of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in a weakly inhomogeneous uniformly expanding medium involves a fairly complex formalism, even for the case where no spectral information is required. Here we argue that the phenomenology for decay simplifies greatly if: (1) the cross helicity (Alfvenicity) is small, (2) the dynamical influence of the large scale magnetic field is negligible either because of spectral anisotropy or because the expansion speed is much greater than the corresponding Alfven speed, and (3) the ratio of kinetic energy to magnetic energy for the fluctuations is either unity or some other constant. These conditions are acceptable as an approximation to solar wind turbulence in the outer heliosphere. In these circumstances a reasonable MHD energy-containing phenomenology is essentially that of locally homogeneous Kolmogoroff turbulence in a uniformly expanding medium. Analytical solutions for this model are presented for both undriven and driven cases.

Matthaeus, W. H.↗

Statistical properties of the solar wind

We now have spacecraft observations spanning more than a complete 22-year solar cycle. PVO at Venus, IMP 8 at Earth, and Voyager 2 and Pioneers 10 and 11 in the outer heliosphere provide many years of data from locations scattered through the heliosphere. These large data sets enable us to look at the solar wind velocity, density, temperature and flow angles on a statistical basis. Comparison of results at the different locations will provide information on the evolution of the solar wind with radial distance and variation with latitude.

Richardson, J. D.↗

Locations of termination shock and heliopause based on Voyager plasma and magnetic field data

The locations of the termination shock and the heliopause are studied taking into account the effects of pickup protons. The study uses available plasma and magnetic field data from Voyagers over a 14-year period (1978-1991) and Voyager observation of the 1992-93 radio emission event. Outside 30 AU, pickup protons have a significant influence on dynamical structures of the outer heliosphere. The solar wind is treated as a mixture of electrons, solar wind protons, and interstellar pickup protons. If the magnitude of the interstellar magnetic field B(sub int) is given, one can quantitatively study the motion and location of the termination shock. The location is anti-correlated with the sun spot number and the shock has an average speed of approx. 24 km/s. Because B(sub int) is poorly known, additional information is needed in studying the termination shock. Cummings, et al. have used observations of anomalous cosmic rays to estimate the location of the shock. The observations of the 1991 GMIR and GMIR shock and the 1992-93 radio emission event provide another handle for the study of the termination shock and the heliopause. After its penetration through the termination shock, the GMIR shock continued to propagate in the subsonic region of the solar wind and eventually interacted with the heliopause. This interaction produces a transmitted shock propagating outward in the interstellar medium and a reflected shock propagating inward toward the sun in the subsonic solar wind. The plasma frequencies behind the reflected and the transmitted shock can be, respectively, responsible for the 2- and 3-kHz radio emissions. Taking into account the effects of pickup protons we found that the average locations of the termination shock and the heliopause in 1991-92 are at approximately 66 AU and 150 AU, respectively.

Whang, Y. C.↗

Angular Broadening: Effects of Nonzero, Spatially Varying Plasma Frequency Between the Source and Observer

Angular broadening of radiation due to scattering by density irregularities is usually described using geometric optics (GO) or the parabolic wave equation (PWE) with the assumptions that the radiation frequency f greatly exceeds the local plasma frequency f(sub p0) or that f(sub p0)/f is constant along the path. These assumptions are inappropriate for many solar system radio phenomena. Here the PWE and GO formalisms are extended to treat angular broadening in plasmas with nonzero, spatially varying ratios, f(sub p0)(z)/f < 1. The new PWE results show that the correlation function, scattered angular spectrum, and other quantities are modified by inclusion of a denominator factor [1 - f(sup 2, sub p0)(z prime)/f prime] inside the path integral over z prime, while the mean-square scattering angle depends on both f(sub p0)(z)/f at the observer and the foregoing factor inside the path integral. The PWE and GO predictions for are identical and involve equivalent assumptions. Previous GO and PWE results are recovered in the limits that f(sub p0)(z prime)/f is constant or zero. The new PWE and GO results will permit more accurate calculation of angular broadening for solar system and astrophysical sources. Moreover and importantly, due to the PWE and GO results for being identical, previous GO analyses of in solar system contexts are essentially correct, except for the neglect of or minor deficiencies in the treatment of nonzero, spatially varying f(sub p0)/f effects. The identical GO and PWE results for and the form of the PWE equation for the correlation function raise questions as to whether diffraction is unimportant for angular broadening (under the usual PWE conditions). Future direct comparisons of the PWE predictions with angular spectra calculated using existing GO ray-tracing codes should answer these questions. Diffraction effects are probably important when the medium and turbulence are not sufficiently homogeneous transverse to the central ray path. The implications are also discussed for studies of the 2-3.5 kHz radiation observed in the outer heliosphere.

Cairns, Iver H.↗

Interstellar Propulsion Research Within NASA

NASA is actively conducting advanced propulsion research and technology development in various in-space transportation technologies with potential application to interstellar missions and precursors. Within the last few years, interest in the scientific community in interstellar missions as well as outer heliospheric missions, which could function as interstellar precursor missions, has increased. A mission definition team was charted by NASA to define such a precursor, The Interstellar Probe, which resulted in a prioritization of relatively near-term transportation technologies to support its potential implementation. In addition, the goal of finding and ultimately imaging extra solar planets has raised the issue of our complete inability to mount an expedition to such as planet, should one be found. Even contemplating such a mission with today's technology is a stretch of the imagination. However, there are several propulsion concepts, based on known physics, that have promise to enable interstellar exploration in the future. NASA is making small, incremental investments in some key advanced propulsion technologies in an effort to advance their state-of-the-art in support potential future mission needs. These technologies, and their relative maturity, are described.

Johnson, Les↗

Fisk-Gloeckler Suprathermal Proton Spectrum in the Heliosheath and the Local Interstellar Medium

Convergence of suprathermal keV-MeV proton and ion spectra approximately to the Fisk-Gloeckler (F-G) form j(E) = j(sub 0) E(sup -1.5) in Voyager land 2 heliosheath measurements is suggestive of distributed acceleration in Kolmogorov turbulence which may extend well beyond the heliopause into the local interstellar medium (LISM). Turbulence of this type is already indicated by interstellar radio scintillation measurements of electron density power spectra. Previously published extrapolations (Cooper et al., 2003, 2006) of the LISM proton spectrum from eV to GeV energies are highly consistent with the F-G power-law and further indicative of such turbulence and LISM effectiveness of the F-G cascade acceleration process. The LISM pressure computed from this spectrum well exceeds that from current estimates for the LISM magnetic field, so exchange of energy between the protons and the magnetic field would likely have a strong role in evolution of the turbulence as per the F-G theory and as long ago proposed for cosmic ray energies by Parker and others. Pressure-dependent estimates of the LISM field strength should not ignore this potentially strong and even dominant contribution from the plasma. Presence of high-beta suprathermal plasma on LISM field lines could significantly affect interactions with the heliospheric outer boundary region and might potentially account for distributed and more discrete features in ongoing measurements of energetic neutral emission from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission.

Cooper, John F.↗

Environmental Impact Specification for Direct Space Weathering of Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud Objects

The Direct Space Weathering Project of NASA's Outer Planets Research Program addresses specification of the plasma and energetic particle environments for irradiation and surface chemical processing of icy bodies in the outer solar system and the local interstellar medium. Knowledge of the radiation environments is being expanded by ongoing penetration of the twin Voyager spacecraft into the heliosheath boundary region of the outer heliosphere and expected emergence within the next decade into the very local interstellar medium. The Voyager measurements are being supplemented by remote sensing from Earth orbit of energetic neutral atom emission from this boundary region by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). Although the Voyagers long ago passed the region of the Classical Kuiper Belt, the New Horizons spacecraft will encounter Pluto in 2015 and thereafter explore one or more KBOs, meanwhile providing updated measurements of the heliospheric radiation environment in this region. Modeling of ion transport within the heliosphere allows specification of time-integrated irradiation effects while the combination of Voyager and IBEX data supports projection of the in-situ measurements into interstellar space beyond the heliosheath. Transformation of model ion flux distributions into surface sputtering and volume ionization profiles provides a multi-layer perspective for space weathering impact on the affected icy bodies and may account for some aspects of color and compositional diversity. Other important related factors may include surface erosion and gardening by meteoritic impacts and surface renewal by cryovolcanism. Chemical products of space weathering may contribute to energy resources for the latter.

Cooper, John F.↗

Three-Dimensional Magnetohydrodynamic Modeling of the Solar Wind Including Pickup Protons and Turbulence Transport

To study the effects of interstellar pickup protons and turbulence on the structure and dynamics of the solar wind, we have developed a fully three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic solar wind model that treats interstellar pickup protons as a separate fluid and incorporates the transport of turbulence and turbulent heating. The governing system of equations combines the mean-field equations for the solar wind plasma, magnetic field, and pickup protons and the turbulence transport equations for the turbulent energy, normalized cross-helicity, and correlation length. The model equations account for photoionization of interstellar hydrogen atoms and their charge exchange with solar wind protons, energy transfer from pickup protons to solar wind protons, and plasma heating by turbulent dissipation. Separate mass and energy equations are used for the solar wind and pickup protons, though a single momentum equation is employed under the assumption that the pickup protons are comoving with the solar wind protons.We compute the global structure of the solar wind plasma, magnetic field, and turbulence in the region from 0.3 to 100 AU for a source magnetic dipole on the Sun tilted by 0 deg - .90 deg and compare our results with Voyager 2 observations. The results computed with and without pickup protons are superposed to evaluate quantitatively the deceleration and heating effects of pickup protons, the overall compression of the magnetic field in the outer heliosphere caused by deceleration, and the weakening of corotating interaction regions by the thermal pressure of pickup protons.

Usmanov, Arcadi V.↗

Grant Proposal for the Continuation of the Voyager Interstellar Mission: LECP Investigation

This proposal documents the plans of the Low Energy Charged Particle (LECP) investigation team for participation in NASA's Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM) as the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft explore the outer reaches of the heliosphere and search for the termination shock and the heliopause. The proposal covers the four year period from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2000. The LECP instruments on Voyager 1 and 2 measure in situ intensities of charged particles with energies from about 30 keV to 100 MeV for ions, and about 20 keV to greater than 10 MeV for electrons. The instruments provide detailed spectral, angular, and compositional information about the particles. Composition is available for greater than 200 keV/nuc using multi-parameter measurements. Angular information is obtained by a mechanically scanned platform that rotates at various commanded rates. Measurements of low energy ion and electron intensities versus time and spatial location within the heliosphere contain an abundance of information regarding various transport and acceleration processes on both local (approx. 1 hr, approx. 0.01 AU) and global (approx. 11 yrs, approx. 100 AU) scales. The LECP instruments provide unique observations of such dynamical processes, and we anticipate that it will return critical information regarding the boundaries of the heliosphere. Several recent and exciting discoveries based on LECP measurements emphasize the important role that low energy charged particle distributions play in physical processes in the interplanetary medium. Yet, at the same time, these discoveries also underscore the fact that our understanding of processes in the outer heliosphere is, in most cases, incomplete, and in others, only rudimentary at best. Among the discoveries referred to above are the following: (1) Shocks: Examination of greater than 30 keV ion intensities have revealed: (a) a total absence of acceleration beyond only -100-200 keV at a strong transient shock in May 1991 at 35 AU, despite an enhanced level of seed particles; (b) a large transient shock in September 1991 of global scale, with intensities of shock-accelerated ions greater than or equal to 30 keV to approx. 30 MeV showing complex, highly energy-dependent spatial evolution, and small-scale (approx. few gyroradii), often anisotropic, micro-structures; (c) recurrent intensity increases in greater than or equal to 30 keV to -few MeV ions, with structures that, in some cases, show no correlation with the associated corotating shock. (2) Superthermal ion pressure: A global merged interaction region with a leading shock, downstream of which the superthermal ion (greater than or equal to 30 keV to approx. 4 MeV) pressure is comparable to that of the thermal plasma, and the total particle pressure yields a plasma beta of order unity. (3) Pickup ions: Measurements of the C/O ratio within transient structures at 35-45 AU showing the first clear evidence that transient shocks can pre-accelerate interstellar pickup ions from approx. 1 keV/nuc to at least 1 MeV/nuc. (4) Seed particles: Injection of ions for acceleration to high energies at the termination shock is unlikely to be a problem, since interplanetary transient and recurrent shocks are continually accelerating ions, of solar wind or interstellar origin, to highly superthermal energies. (5) Precursor electrons: Ambient solar electrons (greater than or equal to few tens of keV) that exist in the outer heliosphere ca form a broad precursor, several days wide, that is upstream of the termination shock and potentially observable a few months prior to the shock crossing. (6) Solar wind velocity at Voyager 1: We can use LECP ion data to obtain the solar wind velocity at Voyager 1, enabling us to provide critical measurement of the plasma flow as we approach and encounter the termination shock and other regions (necessary due to the partial failure of the Voyager 1 PLS experiment). The work of the LECP investigator team during the VIM will include: (1) Continuing operations with regard to the receipt, processing, verification, cataloging, display, and distribution of the data from the LECP instruments on Voyager 1 and 2, (2) Monitoring the health and performance of the LECP instruments, and evaluating and characterizing the response of the LECP instruments to various energetic particle and plasma environments, (3) Participating in, and supporting Voyager Project planning exercises and other coordinated activities relevant to exploration of the outer heliosphere, (4) Developing analysis techniques and operational procedures suitable for searching for and characterizing the boundaries and unique regions of the outher heliosphere, (5) Continuing the preparation of data sets appropriate for submission to the National Space Sciences Data Center (NSSDC) and, where appropriate, the Planetary Data System (PDS), (6) Maintaining direct Web access to online LECP data through the JHU/APL Voyager LECP home page, (7) Performing scientific evaluations of the Voyager 1 and 2 LECP data sets in conjunction with other data sets and other investigators, with particular focus on the outer regions of the heliosphere, and (8) Publishing the results of these evaluations in the scientific literature and presenting the results in scientific conferences.

Krimigis, Stamatios M.↗

Particle Acceleration at the Sun and in the Heliosphere

Energetic particles are accelerated in rich profusion at sites throughout the heliosphere. They come from solar flares in the low corona, from shock waves driven outward by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), from planetary magnetospheres and bow shocks. They come from corotating interaction regions (CIRs) produced by high-speed streams in the solar wind, and from the heliospheric termination shock at the outer edge of the heliospheric cavity. We sample all these populations near Earth, but can distinguish them readily by their element and isotope abundances, ionization states, energy spectra, angular distributions and time behavior. Remote spacecraft have probed the spatial distributions of the particles and examined new sources in situ. Most acceleration sources can be "seen" only by direct observation of the particles; few photons are produced at these sites. Wave-particle interactions are an essential feature in acceleration sources and, for shock acceleration, new evidence of energetic-proton-generated waves has come from abundance variations and from local cross-field scattering. Element abundances often tell us the physics the source plasma itself, prior to acceleration. By comparing different populations, we learn more about the sources, and about the physics of acceleration and transport, than we can possibly learn from one source alone.

Reames, Donald V.↗

Introduction: Photons and Ground-Based

A Conference on Measurement Techniques for Solar and Space Physics was held on 20-24 April 2015 in Boulder, Colorado, at the National Center for Atmospheric Research Center Green Campus. The present volume collects together the conference papers for photons and ground-based categories. This gathering of over 200 scientists and instrumentalists was born out of the desire to collect in one place the latest experiment and instrument technologies required for advancement of scientific knowledge in the disciplines of solar and space physics. The two goals for this conference and the subsequent publication of its content are (a) to describe measurement techniques and technology development needed to advance high priority science in the fields of solar and space physics; and (b) to provide a survey or reference of techniques for in situ measurement and remote sensing of space plasmas. Towards this end, our goal has always been inspired by the two 1998 Geophysical Monographs (Nos. 102 and 103) entitled, "Measurement Techniques in Space Plasmas" (particles and fields) [Pfaff et al., 1998a, 1998b], which have served as a reference and resource for advanced students, engineers, and scientists who wish to learn the fundamentals of measurement techniques and technology in this field. Those monographs were the product of an American Geophysical Union Chapman Conference that took place in Santa Fe, NM, in 1995: "Measurement Techniques in Space Plasmas-What Works, What Doesn't." Two decades later, we believe that it is appropriate to revisit this subject, in light of recent advances in technology, research platforms, and analysis techniques. Moreover, we now include direct measurements of neutral gases in the upper atmosphere, optical imaging techniques, and remote observations in space and on the ground. Accordingly, the workshop was organized among four areas of measurement techniques: particles, fields, photons, and ground-based. This two-set volume is largely composed of the content of that workshop. Special attention is given to those techniques and technologies that demonstrate promise of significant advancement in measurements that will enable the highest priority science as described in the 2012 National Research Council Decadal Survey [Baker and Zurbuchen et al., 2013]. Additionally, a broad tutorial survey of the current technologies is provided to serve as reference material and as a basis from which advanced and innovative ideas can be discussed and pursued. Included are instrumentation and techniques to observe the solar environment from its interior to its outer atmosphere, the heliosphere out to the interstellar regions, in geospace, and other planetary magnetospheres and atmospheres. To make significant progress in priority science as expressed in the National Research Council solar and space physics decadal survey and recent NASA Heliophysics roadmaps, identification of enabling new measurement techniques and technologies to be developed is required. Also, it is valuable to the community and future scientists and engineers to have a complete survey of the techniques and technologies used by the practitioners of solar and space physics. As with the 1995 conference and subsequent 1998 publication, it is incumbent on the community to identify those measurements that are particularly challenging and still require new techniques to be identified and tested to enable the necessary accuracy and resolution of certain parameters to be achieved. The following is a partial list of the measurement technique categories that are featured in these special publications: Particles; Thermal plasma to MeV energetic particles, neutral gas properties including winds, density, temperature, and composition, and enhanced neutral atom imaging; Fields; DC electric and magnetic fields, plasma waves, and electron drift instruments from which the plasma velocity information provides a measure of the DC electric field; Photons; Instruments sensitive from the near-infrared to X-rays; Contributions of techniques and technology for optical design, optical components, sensors, material selection for cameras, telescopes, and spectrographs; Ground based; Remote sensing methods for solar and geospace activity and space weather. The focus includes solar observatories, all-sky cameras, lidars, and ionosphere thermosphere mesosphere observatory systems such as radars, ionosondes, GPS receivers, magnetometers, conjugate observations, and airborne campaigns. The present volume collects together the papers for photons and ground-based categories. The companion volume collects together the papers for particles and fields categories. It is recognized that there are measurement techniques that overlap among the four categories. For example, use of microchannel plate detectors is used in photon and particle measurement techniques or the observation of visible photons and magnetic fields in space and on the ground share common technologies. Therefore, the reader should consider the entire collection of papers as they seek to understand particular applications. We hope that these volumes will be as valuable as a reference for our community as the earlier 1998 volumes have been.

Spann, James↗