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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Impulsively generated fast coronal pulsations

Rapid oscillations in the corona are discussed from a theoretical standpoint, developing some previous work on ducted, fast magnetoacoustic waves in an inhomogeneous medium. In the theory, impulsively (e.g., flare) generated mhd (magnetohydrodynamic) waves are ducted by regions of low Alfven speed (high density) such as coronal loops. Wave propagation in such ducts is strongly dispersive and closely akin to the behavior of Love waves in seismology, Pekeris waves in oceanography and guided waves in fiber optics. Such flare-generated magnetoacoustic waves possess distinctive temporal signatures consisting of periodic, quasi-periodic and decay phases. The quasi-periodic phase possesses the strongest amplitudes and the shortest time scales. Time scales are typically of the order of a second for inhomogeneities (coronal loop width) of 1000 km and Alfven speeds of 1000/kms, and pulse duration times are of tens of seconds. Quasi-periodic signatures have been observed in radio wavelengths for over a decade and more recently by SMM. It is hoped that the theoretical ideas outlined may be successfully related to these observations and thus aid the interpretation of oscillatory signatures recorded by SMM. Such signatures may also provide a diagnostic of coronal conditions. New aspects of the ducted mhd waves, for example their behavior in smoothly varying as opposed to tube-like inhomogeneities, are currently under investigation. The theory is not restricted to loops but applied equally to open field regions.

Edwin, P. M.↗
DOE OSTI2015

EVOLUTION OF FAST MAGNETOACOUSTIC PULSES IN RANDOMLY STRUCTURED CORONAL PLASMAS

We investigate the evolution of fast magnetoacoustic pulses in randomly structured plasmas, in the context of large-scale propagating waves in the solar atmosphere. We perform one-dimensional numerical simulations of fast wave pulses propagating perpendicular to a constant magnetic field in a low-β plasma with a random density profile across the field. Both linear and nonlinear regimes are considered. We study how the evolution of the pulse amplitude and width depends on their initial values and the parameters of the random structuring. Acting as a dispersive medium, a randomly structured plasma causes amplitude attenuation and width broadening of the fast wave pulses. After the passage of the main pulse, secondary propagating and standing fast waves appear. Width evolution of both linear and nonlinear pulses can be well approximated by linear functions; however, narrow pulses may have zero or negative broadening. This arises because narrow pulses are prone to splitting, while broad pulses usually deviate less from their initial Gaussian shape and form ripple structures on top of the main pulse. Linear pulses decay at an almost constant rate, while nonlinear pulses decay exponentially. A pulse interacts most efficiently with a random medium with a correlation length of about half of the initial pulse width. This detailed model of fast wave pulses propagating in highly structured media substantiates the interpretation of EIT waves as fast magnetoacoustic waves. Evolution of a fast pulse provides us with a novel method to diagnose the sub-resolution filamentation of the solar atmosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

FIRST EVIDENCE OF COEXISTING EIT WAVE AND CORONAL MORETON WAVE FROM SDO/AIA OBSERVATIONS

'EIT waves' are a globally propagating wavelike phenomenon. They were often interpreted as fast-mode magnetoacoustic waves in the corona, despite various discrepancies between the fast-mode wave model and observations. To reconcile these discrepancies, we suggested that 'EIT waves' are the apparent propagation of the plasma compression due to successive stretching of the magnetic field lines pushed by the erupting flux rope. According to this model, an EIT wave should be preceded by a fast-mode wave, which, however, had rarely been observed. With the unprecedented high cadence and sensitivity of the Solar Dynamics Observatory observations, we discern a fast-moving wave front with a speed of 560 km s{sup -1} ahead of an EIT wave, which had a velocity of {approx}190 km s{sup -1}, in the 'EIT wave' event on 2010 July 27. The results, suggesting that 'EIT waves' are not fast-mode waves, confirm the prediction of our field-line stretching model for an EIT wave. In particular, it is found that the coronal Moreton wave was {approx}3 times faster than the EIT wave, as predicted.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

ABOVE-THE-LOOP-TOP OSCILLATION AND QUASI-PERIODIC CORONAL WAVE GENERATION IN SOLAR FLARES

Observations revealed that various kinds of oscillations are excited in solar flare regions. Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) in flare emissions are commonly observed in a wide range of wavelengths. Recent observations have found that fast-mode magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves are quasi-periodically emitted from some flaring sites (quasi-periodic propagating fast-mode magnetoacoustic waves; QPFs). Both QPPs and QPFs imply a cyclic disturbance originating from the flaring sites. However, the physical mechanisms remain puzzling. By performing a set of two-dimensional MHD simulations of a solar flare, we discovered the local oscillation above the loops filled with evaporated plasma (above-the-loop-top region) and the generation of QPFs from such oscillating regions. Unlike all previous models for QPFs, our model includes essential physics for solar flares such as magnetic reconnection, heat conduction, and chromospheric evaporation. We revealed that QPFs can be spontaneously excited by the above-the-loop-top oscillation. We found that this oscillation is controlled by the backflow of the reconnection outflow. The new model revealed that flare loops and the above-the-loop-top region are full of shocks and waves, which is different from the previous expectations based on a standard flare model and previous simulations. In this paper, we show the QPF generation process based on our new picture of flare loops and will briefly discuss a possible relationship between QPFs and QPPs. Our findings will change the current view of solar flares to a new view in which they are a very dynamic phenomenon full of shocks and waves.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Interaction of fast magnetoacoustic solitons in dense plasmas

One dimensional propagation of fast magnetoacoustic solitary waves in dense plasmas with degenerate electrons is investigated in this paper in the small amplitude limit. In this regard, Korteweg deVries equation is derived and discussed using the plasma parameters that are typically found in white dwarf stars. The interaction of fast magnetoacoustic solitons is explored by using the Hirota bilinear formalism, which admits multi soliton solutions. It is observed that the values of the propagation vectors determine the interaction of solitary waves. It is further noted that the amplitude of the respective solitary waves remain unchanged after the interaction; however, they do experience a phase shift.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE WAVE PROPERTIES OF CORONAL BRIGHT FRONTS OBSERVED USING SDO/AIA

Coronal bright fronts (CBFs) are large-scale wavefronts that propagate through the solar corona at hundreds of kilometers per second. While their kinematics have been studied in detail, many questions remain regarding the temporal evolution of their amplitude and pulse width. Here, contemporaneous high cadence, multi-thermal observations of the solar corona from the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) and Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft are used to determine the kinematics and expansion rate of a CBF wavefront observed on 2010 August 14. The CBF was found to have a lower initial velocity with weaker deceleration in STEREO observations compared to SDO observations ({approx}340 km s{sup -1} and -72 m s{sup -2} as opposed to {approx}410 km s{sup -1} and -279 m s{sup -2}). The CBF kinematics from SDO were found to be highly passband-dependent, with an initial velocity ranging from 379 {+-} 12 km s{sup -1} to 460 {+-} 28 km s{sup -1} and acceleration ranging from -128 {+-} 28 m s{sup -2} to -431 {+-} 86 m s{sup -2} in the 335 A and 304 A passbands, respectively. These kinematics were used to estimate a quiet coronal magnetic field strength range of {approx}1-2 G. Significant pulse broadening was also observed, with expansion rates of {approx}130 km s{sup -1} (STEREO) and {approx}220 km s{sup -1} (SDO). By treating the CBF as a linear superposition of sinusoidal waves within a Gaussian envelope, the resulting dispersion rate of the pulse was found to be {approx}8-13 Mm{sup 2} s{sup -1}. These results are indicative of a fast-mode magnetoacoustic wave pulse propagating through an inhomogeneous medium.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

Slow EIT waves as gravity modes

The EIT waves [named after the extreme-ultraviolet imaging telescope (EIT) onboard the solar and heliospheric observatory (SOHO)] are in the literature usually described as fast magneto-acoustic (FMA) modes. However, observations show that a large percentage of these events propagate with very slow speeds that may be as low as 20 km/s. This is far below the FMA wave speed which cannot be below the sound speed, the latter being typically larger than 10{sup 2} km/s in the corona. In the present study, it is shown that, to account for such low propagation speed, a different wave model should be used, based on the theory of gravity waves, both internal (IG) and surface (SG) ones. The gravity modes are physically completely different from the FMA mode, as they are essentially dispersive and in addition the IG wave is a transverse mode. Both the IG and the SG mode separately can provide proper propagation velocities in the whole low speed range.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

OBSERVATIONS OF MAGNETIC FLUX-ROPE OSCILLATION DURING THE PRECURSOR PHASE OF A SOLAR ERUPTION

Based on combined observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) spectrometer with the coronal emission line of Fe xxi at 1354.08 Å and SDO /AIA images in multiple passbands, we report the finding of the precursor activity manifested as the transverse oscillation of a sigmoid, which is likely a pre-existing magnetic flux rope (MFR), that led to the onset of an X class flare and a fast halo coronal mass ejection (CME) on 2014 September 10. The IRIS slit is situated at a fixed position that is almost vertical to the main axis of the sigmoid structure that has a length of about 1.8 × 10{sup 5} km. This precursor oscillation lasts for about 13 minutes in the MFR and has velocities in the range of [−9, 11] km s{sup −1} and a period of ∼280 s. Our analysis, which is based on the temperature, density, length, and magnetic field strength of the observed sigmoid, indicates that the nature of the oscillation is a standing wave of fast magnetoacoustic kink mode. We further find that the precursor oscillation is excited by the energy released through an external magnetic reconnection between the unstable MFR and the ambient magnetic field. It is proposed that this precursor activity leads to the dynamic formation of a current sheet underneath the MFR that subsequently reconnects to trigger the onset of the main phase of the flare and the CME.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1990

Conditions for vertical propagation of magnetoacoustic waves in an isothermal atmosphere

The propagation of magnetoacoustic waves in an isothermal atmosphere with constant gravity and uniform magnetic field of an arbitrary direction is considered. The conditions for the vertical propagation of these waves are determined by characteristic frequencies that arise in the MHD wave equation which is considered here in the limit of low-beta plasma. The obtained steady state solutions to the wave equation describe the behavior of fast and slow magnetoacoustic waves and allow defining the characteristic frequencies that separate domains of wave frequency where the sinusoidal and nonsinusoidal wave solutions are found. The particular problem of dependence of the characteristic frequencies on the density gradient as well as on the strength and direction of the uniform magnetic field are discussed. The obtained results may have important consequences on the behavior of magnetoacoustic waves in stellar atmospheres and may be found useful in studying stellar p-mode oscillations.

Musielak, Z. E.↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magnetoacoustic waves propagating along a dense slab and Harris current sheet and their wavelet spectra

Currently, there is a common endeavor to detect magnetoacoustic waves in solar flares. This paper contributes to this topic using an approach of numerical simulations. We studied a spatial and temporal evolution of impulsively generated fast and slow magnetoacoustic waves propagating along the dense slab and Harris current sheet using two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic numerical models. Wave signals computed in numerical models were used for computations of the temporal and spatial wavelet spectra for their possible comparison with those obtained from observations. It is shown that these wavelet spectra allow us to estimate basic parameters of waveguides and perturbations. It was found that the wavelet spectra of waves in the dense slab and current sheet differ in additional wavelet components that appear in association with the main tadpole structure. These additional components are new details in the wavelet spectrum of the signal. While in the dense slab this additional component is always delayed after the tadpole head, in the current sheet this component always precedes the tadpole head. It could help distinguish a type of the waveguide in observed data. We present a technique based on wavelets that separates wave structures according to their spatial scales. This technique shows not only how to separate the magnetoacoustic waves and waveguide structure in observed data, where the waveguide structure is not known, but also how propagating magnetoacoustic waves would appear in observations with limited spatial resolutions. The possibilities detecting these waves in observed data are mentioned.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2024

Exploring Standing and Reflected Slow-mode Waves in Flaring Coronal Loops: A Parametric Study Using 2.5D MHD Modeling

Abstract Recent observations of reflected propagating and standing slow-mode waves in hot flaring coronal loops have spurred our investigation into their underlying excitation and damping mechanisms. To understand these processes, we conduct 2.5D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations using an arcade active region model that includes a hot and dense loop. Our simulations allow for in-depth parametric investigations complementing and expanding our previous 3D MHD modeling results. We excite these waves using a large-amplitude, flow pulse applied at one footpoint of the loop in two distinct models as motivated by observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (SDO/AIA). The first model (Model 1) incorporates classical compressive viscosity coefficient, while the second model (Model 2) adopts a 10-times enhanced viscosity coefficient. We obtain the following major results: (1) Our 2.5D MHD simulations reinforce previous conclusions derived from 1D and 3D MHD models that significantly enhanced viscosity is crucial for the rapid excitation of standing slow waves with damping times consistent with observations by Wang et al. (2015). (2)We uncover that nonlinearity in Model 1 delays the conversion of a reflected propagating wave into a standing wave. In contrast, Model 2 exhibits a much weak influence of nonlinearity on the excitation time of standing waves, thanks to the suppression of these effects by enhanced viscosity. (3) Our results reveal that the transverse temperature structure holds more influence on wave behavior than the density structure. In Model 1, increased loop temperature contrast significantly enhances wave trapping within the structure, mitigating the impact of temperature-dependent viscous damping. Conversely, in Model 2, the impact of temperature structure on wave behavior weakens in comparison to the effect of viscosity. (4) Model 1 displays evident nonlinear coupling to the fast and kink magnetoacoustic waves and pronounced wave leakage into the corona. Model 2 exhibits significantly weaker effects in this regard. Analyzing three observed wave events by SDO/AIA aligns with Model 2 predictions, providing further support for the substantial viscosity increase. Our 2.5D study unravels the complex interplay of wave-flow phenomena and nonlinear processes in coronal loops, extending our previous 1D modeling results to incorporate more realistic loop geometry. This provides insights into scenarios where 3D effects may be neglected, thereby enhancing our understanding of the intricate dynamics of the solar corona.

Tongjiang Wang↗
DOE OSTI2016

OSCILLATION OF CURRENT SHEETS IN THE WAKE OF A FLUX ROPE ERUPTION OBSERVED BY THE SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY

An erupting flux rope (FR) draws its overlying coronal loops upward, causing a coronal mass ejection. The legs of the overlying loops with opposite polarities are driven together. Current sheets (CSs) form, and magnetic reconnection, producing underneath flare arcades, occurs in the CSs. Employing Solar Dynamic Observatory /Atmospheric Imaging Assembly images, we study a FR eruption on 2015 April 23, and for the first time report the oscillation of CSs underneath the erupting FR. The FR is observed in all AIA extreme-ultraviolet passbands, indicating that it has both hot and warm components. Several bright CSs, connecting the erupting FR and the underneath flare arcades, are observed only in hotter AIA channels, e.g., 131 and 94 Å. Using the differential emission measure (EM) analysis, we find that both the temperature and the EM of CSs temporally increase rapidly, reach the peaks, and then decrease slowly. A significant delay between the increases of the temperature and the EM is detected. The temperature, EM, and density spatially decrease along the CSs with increasing heights. For a well-developed CS, the temperature (EM) decreases from 9.6 MK (8 × 10{sup 28} cm{sup −5}) to 6.2 MK (5 × 10{sup 27} cm{sup −5}) in 52 Mm. Along the CSs, dark supra-arcade downflows (SADs) are observed, and one of them separates a CS into two. While flowing sunward, the speeds of the SADs decrease. The CSs oscillate with a period of 11 minutes, an amplitude of 1.5 Mm, and a phase speed of 200 ± 30 km s{sup −1}. One of the oscillations lasts for more than 2 hr. These oscillations represent fast-propagating magnetoacoustic kink waves.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

DETECTION OF FAST-MOVING WAVES PROPAGATING OUTWARD ALONG SUNSPOTS’ RADIAL DIRECTION IN THE PHOTOSPHERE

Helioseismic and magnetohydrodynamic waves are abundant in and above sunspots. Through cross-correlating oscillation signals in the photosphere observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, we reconstruct how waves propagate away from virtual wave sources located inside a sunspot. In addition to the usual helioseismic wave, a fast-moving wave is detected traveling along the sunspot’s radial direction from the umbra to about 15 Mm beyond the sunspot boundary. The wave has a frequency range of 2.5–4.0 mHz with a phase velocity of 45.3 km s{sup −1}, substantially faster than the typical speeds of Alfvén and magnetoacoustic waves in the photosphere. The observed phenomenon is consistent with a scenario of that a magnetoacoustic wave is excited at approximately 5 Mm beneath the sunspot. Its wavefront travels to and sweeps across the photosphere with a speed higher than the local magnetoacoustic speed. The fast-moving wave, if truly excited beneath the sunspot’s surface, will help open a new window for studying the internal structure and dynamics of sunspots.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Nonlinear Evolution of Short-wavelength Torsional Alfvén Waves

We analyze nonlinear evolution of torsional Alfvén waves in a straight magnetic flux tube filled in with a low- β plasma, and surrounded with a plasma of lower density. Such magnetic tubes model, in particular, a segment of a coronal loop or a polar plume. The wavelength is taken comparable to the tube radius. We perform a numerical simulation of the wave propagation using ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We find that a torsional wave nonlinearly induces three kinds of compressive flows: the parallel flow at the Alfvén speed, which constitutes a bulk plasma motion along the magnetic field, the tube wave, and also transverse flows in the radial direction, associated with sausage fast magnetoacoustic modes. In addition, the nonlinear torsional wave steepens and its propagation speed increases. The latter effect leads to the progressive distortion of the torsional wave front, i.e., nonlinear phase mixing. Because of the intrinsic non-uniformity of the torsional wave amplitude across the tube radius, the nonlinear effects are more pronounced in regions with higher wave amplitudes. They are always absent at the axes of the flux tube. In the case of a linear radial profile of the wave amplitude, the nonlinear effects are localized in an annulus region near the tube boundary. Thus, the parallel compressive flows driven by torsional Alfvén waves in the solar and stellar coronae, are essentially non-uniform in the perpendicular direction. The presence of additional sinks for the wave energy reduces the efficiency of the nonlinear parallel cascade in torsional Alfvén waves.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Novel internal measurements of ion cyclotron frequency range fast-ion driven modes

Abstract Novel internal measurements and analysis of ion cyclotron frequency range fast-ion driven modes in DIII-D are presented. Observations, including internal density fluctuation ( n ~ ) measurements obtained via Doppler backscattering, are presented for modes at low harmonics of the ion cyclotron frequency localized in the edge. The measurements indicate that these waves, identified as coherent ion cyclotron emission (ICE), have high wave number, k ⊥ ρ fast ≳ 1, consistent with the cyclotron harmonic wave branch of the magnetoacoustic cyclotron instability, or electrostatic instability mechanisms. Measurements show extended spatial structure (at least ∼1/6 the minor radius). These edge ICE modes undergo amplitude modulation correlated with edge localized modes (ELM) that is qualitatively consistent with expectations for ELM-induced fast-ion transport.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

EXTREME-ULTRAVIOLET MULTI-WAVELENGTH OBSERVATIONS OF QUASI-PERIODIC PULSATIONS IN A SOLAR POST-FLARE CUSP-SHAPE LOOP WITH SDO/AIA

We present extreme-ultraviolet multi-wavelength observations with the SDO/AIA instruments of quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) propagating along a cusp-shaped loop formed after an M2.2 flare on the Sun. Our motivation is to detect whether there were slow-mode magnetoacoustic waves propagating along its protruding flux tube. To this end, with fast Fourier transform we extract the short (<3 minutes) and long (>3 minutes) period components of the QPPs from time-space diagrams of the tube slices. We find that velocity differences did exist among the short/long-period components of different wavelengths, but only one event in the long-period ones showed they were greater than the measurement errors (e.g., 65 km s{sup -1}), which were 330 km s{sup -1} detected in 171 A, 590 km s{sup -1} in 211 A, and 180 km s{sup -1} in 304 A. The intensity modulation in all wavelengths is found to be very large, e.g., {approx}60% of the emission trend for an event in the 171 A passband, which would be an order of magnitude higher than the perturbation of the plasma density in the slow-mode magnetoacoustic waves. Moreover, only the QPPs with upward velocities of 50-300 km s{sup -1} are found in the tube, and the downward ones of several tens of kilometers are never unambiguously detected. Therefore, most of the QPP events under study were likely the episodic outflows along the tube, and the one with a supersonic speed of 590 km s{sup -1} may be a kink wave.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Observations of oppositely directed umbral wavefronts rotating in sunspots obtained from the new solar telescope of BBSO

We study the umbral waves as observed by chromospheric imaging observations of two sunspots with the New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. We find that the wavefronts (WFs) rotate clockwise and form a one-armed spiral structure in the first sunspot, whereas two- and three-armed structures arise in the second sunspot where the WFs rotate anticlockwise and clockwise alternately. All the spiral arms display propagation outwards and become running penumbral waves once they cross the umbral boundaries, suggesting that the umbral and penumbral waves propagate along the same inclined field lines. We propose that the one-armed spiral structure may be produced by the WF reflections at the chromospheric umbral light bridge, and the multi-armed spirals may be related to the twist of the magnetic field in the umbra. Additionally, the time lag of the umbral oscillations in between the data of He i 10830 Å and Hα−0.4 Å is ∼17 s, and it is ∼60 s for that in between the data of 304 Å and Hα−0.4 Å. This indicates that these disturbances are slow magnetoacoustic waves in nature, and that they propagate upward along the inclined lines with fast radial expansions causing horizontal velocities of the running waves.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗