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At least 109 records · Page 6

An experimental study of slot injection into a supersonic stream

An experimental investigation of two-dimensional tangential-slot injection into a turbulent boundary layer at a freestream Mach number of 2.4 has been conducted. Nearly adiabatic surface temperatures were maintained during all tests. Static and pitot pressure profiles at four stations downstream of the slot were obtained. Skin friction was measured at the last three stations with a self-nulling balance. Schlieren photographs of the flow field were also obtained. Most of the data were obtained with slot Mach numbers of 0.31 and 0.66 corresponding to slot pressure less than and equal to stream static pressure, respectively. For the latter matched-pressure case, tangential slot injection reduced the surface shear at the three measuring stations by about 60 to 20 percent for increasing downstream distances from the slot of 12 to 28 slot heights. However, for the other case where slot pressure was less than stream static pressure, the effect of injection was to increase the shear by about 90 percent at the last downstream station of 28 slot heights. This increase in shear is attributed to the rapid acceleration of the low speed injectant stream by the high speed main stream and the increasing pressure through the recompression zone which is absent for the matched pressure case.

Kenworthy, M.↗

The relationship between interplanetary discontinuities and Alfven waves: Ulysses observations

The rate of occurrence of interplanetary discontinuities (ROID) is examined using Ulysses magnetic field and plasma data from 1 to 5 AU radial distance from the Sun and at high heliographic latitudes. We find two regions where the ROID is high: in stream-stream interaction regions and in Alfven wave trains. This latter feature is particularly obvious at high latitudes when Ulysses enters a high speed stream associated with a polar coronal hole. These streams are characterized by the presence of continuous, large-amplitude (Delta (vector 13)/absolute value of B is about 1-2 Alfven waves and an extraordinarily high ROID value (approximately 150 discontinuities/day). In a number of intervals examined, it is found that (rotational) discontinuities are an integral part of the Alfven waves. The nonlinear Alfven waves are spherically polarized, i.e., the tip of the perturbation vector resides on the surface of a sphere (a consequence of constant absolute value of B). The slowly rotating part of the wave rotates approximately 270 deg in phase. There is a slight arc in the B(sub 1) - B(sub 2) hodogram, suggesting an almost linear polarization. The phase rotation associated with the discontinuity is about 90 deg, lies in the same plane as the slowly rotaing part of the Alfven wave, and therefore completes the 360 deg phase rotation. The best description of the overall Alfven wave plus discontinuity is a spherical, arc-polarized, phase-steepened wave.

Tsurutani, B. T.↗

Studies of the interplanetary magnetic field: IMP's to Voyager

During the last two decades, spacecraft projects and individual experiments for which Frank McDonald was a leader have contributed very significantly to the current understanding of the structure of interplanetary space and the correlation between solar and interplanetary disturbances. Studies on the IMP, HELIOS, and Pioneer spin-stabilized spacecraft and the larger attitude-stabilized Voyager spacecraft have provided data sets from which the modern view of the heliosphere has evolved. That concept in which the inner solar system is shown to be dominated by individual streams associated with specific source regions on the Sun is illustrated. As these high-speed streams overtake the preexisting solar plasma, they coalesce and modify the characteristics so that at larger heliocentric distances, these disturbances appear as radially propagating concentric shells of compressed magnetic fields and enhanced fluctuations

Ness, Norman F.↗

Impacts of Non-Simultaneous Global Photospheric Magnetic Measurements on Coronal and Solar Wind Modeling

The intensity and arrival time of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can be significantly influenced by the background solar wind encountered as they propagate outward from the Sun into the interplanetary medium. In addition, solar energetic particles (SEPs) race ahead of CME shock fronts and flare regions along magnetic field lines largely determined by the background solar wind. Predicting the solar wind accurately is therefore critical for improving forecasts of CMEs, SEPs, and high-speed streams. Modeling of the corona and solar wind is challenging in general, as it is highly dependent on global photospheric magnetic field maps, which serve as the boundary conditions to all coronal models that drive solar wind models. Unfortunately, less than half of the Sun’s photospheric magnetic field is reliably measured from any given vantage point and thus it is common for the maps to have highly dated and unreliable measurements in them. While Solar Obiter (SolO) now provides for the first time the opportunity to have simultaneous measurements of nearly the entire surface magnetic field of Sun (e.g., when SolO/PHI measurements are combined with those from SDO/HMI), the required alignment to accomplish this occurs only occasionally. Further, coronal models are extremely sensitive to the strengths of the polar magnetic fields of the Sun, which remain poorly observed. Recently, efforts to mitigate this problem include using flux transport models such as the Air Force Data Assimilative Photospheric Flux Transport (ADAPT) model, which evolves the field forward in time using well known transport processes occurring on the Sun. However, it cannot account for the emergence of new magnetic flux without direct observations. The ESA VIGIL mission will eventually provide continuous observations from the L5, and the proposed SunCHASER mission will likewise do this at the L4 vantage point should it be funded. Ultimately, what is needed is a constellation of spacecraft distributed around the Sun with magnetographs that continuously measure the global surface magnetic field. In this talk, we discuss how the lack of simultaneous global measurements of the photospheric magnetic field adversely impacts the predictive performance of coronal and solar wind models.

C. Nick Arge↗

Observational constraints on solar wind acceleration mechanisms

A complete theoretical understanding of the acceleration of the solar wind must account for at least three types of solar wind flow: high-speed streams associated with coronal holes, low-speed boundary layer flows associated with sector boundaries, and both high- and low-speed flows associated with impulsive ejections from the Sun. The properties of each type of flow are summarized.

Neugebauer, M.↗

Solar Wind Features Responsible for Magnetic Storms and Substorms During the Declining Phase of the Solar Cycle: 197

We examine interplanetary data and geomagnetic activity indices during 1974 when two long-lasting solar wind corotating streams existed. We find that only 3 major storms occurred during 1974, and all were associated with coronal mass ejections. Each high speed stream was led by a shock, so the three storms had sudden commencements. Two of the 1974 major storms were associated with shock compression of preexisting southward fields and one was caused by southward fields within a magnetic cloud. Corotating streams were responsible for recurring moderate to weak magnetic storms.

magnetospheric corotating streams solar wind↗

An overview of STIP interval 18: September 1985, the G-Z encounter

The primary period of interest during September 1985 is the few days surrounding the ICE encounter with comet Giacobini-Zinner(G-Z) which occurred at 1102 UT on 11 September. To place into perspective the actual in situ observations measured during the comet encounter it is necessary to understand the prevailing solar and interplanetary conditions. Starting two solar rotations prior to and extending through the rotation after the encounter the interplanetary stream structure was very uniform, similar to the 1973-4 long-lived structure. Prior to the arrival of the corotating high-speed stream at 5 UT on 11 September, ICE was already measuring the effects of G-Z on the surrounding interplanetary medium. An overview of available solar, interplanetary, and ICE data for the cometary interval is presented.

Zwickl, R. D.↗

Toward the Probabilistic Forecasting of High-latitude GPS Phase Scintillation

The phase scintillation index was obtained from L1 GPS data collected with the Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN) during years of extended solar minimum 2008-2010. Phase scintillation occurs predominantly on the dayside in the cusp and in the nightside auroral oval. We set forth a probabilistic forecast method of phase scintillation in the cusp based on the arrival time of either solar wind corotating interaction regions (CIRs) or interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). CIRs on the leading edge of high-speed streams (HSS) from coronal holes are known to cause recurrent geomagnetic and ionospheric disturbances that can be forecast one or several solar rotations in advance. Superposed epoch analysis of phase scintillation occurrence showed a sharp increase in scintillation occurrence just after the arrival of high-speed solar wind and a peak associated with weak to moderate CMEs during the solar minimum. Cumulative probability distribution functions for the phase scintillation occurrence in the cusp are obtained from statistical data for days before and after CIR and ICME arrivals. The probability curves are also specified for low and high (below and above median) values of various solar wind plasma parameters. The initial results are used to demonstrate a forecasting technique on two example periods of CIRs and ICMEs.

scintillation↗

Spatial variation of iron abundance in the high speed solar wind, 1972 to 1976

The Fe/H ratios in the peaks of high speed streams (HSS) during the decline of Solar Cycle 20 and the following minimum (October 1972-December 1976) were analyzed. The response of the 50-200 keV ion channel of the APL/JHU energetic particle experiment (EPE) on IMP-7 and 8 to solar wind iron ions at high solar wind speeds and Fe measurements were compared with solar wind H and He parameters from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) instruments on the same spacecraft. In general, the Fe distribution parameters (bulk velocity, flow direction, temperature) are found to be similar to the LANL He parameters. Although the average Fe/H ratio in many steady HSS peaks agrees within observational uncertainties with the nominal coronal ratio of 4.7 x 10(-5), abundance variations of a factor of up to 6 are obtained across a given coronal-hole associated HSS. Over the period 1973-1976, a steady decrease in the average quiet-time Fe/H ratio by a factor of about 4 is measured on both IMP-7 and 8.

Mitchell, D. G.↗

Solar wind stream interfaces

Results are presented for a superposed epoch analysis of discontinuous solar wind interfaces. The average time-space profiles of stream interfaces are discussed with reference to fluid properties (flow speed, pressure ridge, density, electron and proton temperatures) and kinetic properties (electron core and halo, flow speed fluctuations, electron heat flux, alpha particles). Other aspects of stream interfaces are described, such as the persistence of individual interfaces, shock associations, the sector boundaries of the interplanetary magnetic field, and sudden impulses in the geomagnetic field. Interface position is considered in terms of the observed temperature jump. A conceptual model of high-speed stream evolution is proposed.

Gosling, J. T.↗

Heating solar coronal holes

It has been shown that the coronal hole, and the associated high-speed stream in the solar wind, are powered by a heat input of the order of 500,000 ergs/sq cm s, with most of the heat injected in the first 1-2 solar radii, and perhaps 100,000 ergs/sq cm s introduced at distances of several solar radii to provide the high speed of the issuing solar wind. The traditional view has been that this energy is obtained from Alfven waves generated in the subphotospheric convection, which dissipate as they propagate outward, converting the wave energy into heat. This paper reviews the generation of waves and the known wave dissipation mechanisms, to show that the necessary Alfven waves are not produced under the conditions presently understood to exist in the sun, nor would such waves dissipate significantly in the first 1-2 solar radii if they existed. Wave dissipation occurs only over distances of the order of 5 solar radii or more.

Parker, E. N.↗

Solar wind iron abundance variations at solar wind speeds up to 600 km s sup -1, 1972 to 1976

The Fe/H ratios in the peaks of high speed streams (HSS) were analyzed during the decline of Solar Cycle 20 and the following minimum (October 1972 to December 1976). The response of the 50 to 200 keV ion channel of the APL/JHU energetic particle experiment (EPE) on IMP-7 and 8 was utilized to solar wind iron ions at high solar wind speeds (V or = 600 km/sec). Fe measurements with solar wind H and He parameters were compared from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) instruments on the same spacecraft. In general, the Fe distribution parameters (bulk velocity, flow direction, temperature) are found to be similar to the LANL He parameters. Although the average Fe/H ration in many steady HSS peaks agrees within observational uncertainties with the nominal coronal ratio of 4.7 x 0.00001, abundance variations of a factor of up to 6 are obtained across a given coronal-hole associated HSS.

Mitchell, D. G.↗

Origin of interplanetary southward magnetic fields responsible for major magnetic storms near solar maximum (1978-1979)

Simultaneous ISEE-3 field and plasma data were used to examine interplanetary phenomena associated with 10 major magnetic storms detected from August 16, 1978, to December 28, 1979, in a study of Gonzalez and Tsurutani (1987), and, in particular to determine the origins of the southward magnetic fields which caused the storms. In nine of the 10 cases, the responsible interplanetary events were found, as expected, to be associated with the high magnetic fields in the stream-stream interaction regions (sheaths) or driver gases, with the events following the interplanetary shocks. The tenth event was found to be associated not with a high-speed stream, but with a noncompressional density-enhancement event. The results of this study indicate the equal importance of both the sheath fields or draped fields and the driver gas fields for the generation of major geomagnetic storms.

Tsurutani, Bruce T.↗

A Search for Solar Sources of High-Speed Solar Wind Streams

This report covers technical progress during the third and fourth years of Subcontract No. 5710000474, 'A Search for Solar Sources of High-speed Solar Wind Streams,' between Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), covering the period November 2000 to December 2002. This is a subcontract originating from NASA SR&T Contract NAG5-7967 with MIT. In the following sections we summarize our progress during this reporting period.

Mikic, Zoran↗

Thermally conductive flows in coronal holes

A treatment of polytropic solar wind flows in non-radial expansion regions, developed by Kopp and Holzer (1976), is extended to include the effect of thermal conduction. Thermal conductive and polytropic flows in the lower corona under specified high-speed stream conditions at 1 AU are compared; the thermally conductive flows more closely model the observed phenomena, though predicted electron density is still too low and the predicted temperature too high. It is suggested that another mechanism (such as wave pressure), in conjunction with thermal conduction, may provide an accurate explanation for solar wind flows originating in coronal holes.

Steinolfson, R. S.↗

High-Purity Silicon Seeds for Silane Pyrolysis

Seed particles for fluidized-bed production of silicon made by new contamination-free, economical method. In new method, large particles of semiconductor-grade silicon fired at each other by high-speed streams of gas and thereby break up into particles of suitable size for fluidized bed. No foreign materials introduced, and leaching unnecessary. Method used to feed fluidized-bed reactor for continuous production of high-purity silicon.

Hsu, G. C.↗

Interplanetary Discontinuities in Corotating Streams and Their Interaction Regions

In this study, we investigate the discontinuity properties in the low altitude corotating stream regions which are encountered during Ulyssses traveling from the south to north heliographic poles in 1995. Through the occurrence rates of directional discontinuites and tangential discontinuities, we find that there are three different regions around a high speed stream.

RDs TDs coronal mass ejections↗