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At least 109 records · Page 6

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NASA NTRS1974

Interplanetary MeV electrons of Jovian origin

Observations of low energy electron increases observed in interplanetary space on Pioneer 10 are reported as it approached Jupiter. These discrete bursts were several hundred times the normal quiet-time electron flux, and became more frequent as one approached Jupiter resulting in the quasi-continuous presence of large fluxes of these electrons in interplanetary space. It is noted that the integrated flux from quiet-time electrons is comparable to the integrated ambient electron flux itself. In addition, the spectrum of electrons observed in Jupiter's magnetosphere, on Pioneer 10 in interplanetary space near Jupiter, for the quiet-time increases near the earth, and for the ambient electron spectrum are all remarkably similar. These two lines of evidence suggest the possibility that Jupiter could be the source of most of the ambient electrons at low energies.

Teegarden, B. J.↗

NASA NTRS1974

High latitude ionospheric winds related to solar-interplanetary conditions

Two recent results imply that the distribution of winds in the polar ionosphere should change as a function of the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field. From the motions of chemically released ion and neutral clouds, it is apparent that neutral winds in the high latitude ionosphere are driven principally by ion drag forces. OGO-6 electric field measurements have demonstrated that there are definite relationships between the time latitude distribution of ionospheric plasma convection and interplanetary magnetic field parameters, and also that the distribution is most sensitive to the azimuthal angle of the interplanetary field. The lower altitude, meteorological effects of these externally driven ionospheric winds are not known. However, observations of infrasonic waves following sudden ionization enhancements indicate the existence of momentum transfer.

Heppner, J. P.↗

NASA NTRS1973

High latitude electric fields and the modulations related to interplanetary magnetic field parameters

The meaning and characteristics of basic and average convection (i.e., electric field) patterns are described. The continuous existence of the basic convection pattern argues against treating magnetic field merging mechanisms as the fundamental cause of magnetospheric convection. However, whether related to merging or to some other mechanism, interplanetary magnetic field conditions significantly modulate the distribution, magnitudes, and boundaries of the convection pattern. A previous correlation between azimuthal angles of the interplanetary magnetic field and asymmetries in polar cap electric field distributions as seen by OGO-6 is reviewed. A new approach is taken to reveal correlations with the north-south angle and magnitude of the interplanetary field as well as additional features which correlate with the azimuthal angle. Both significant correlations and conditions which show a lack of correlation are found. Several aspects of the correlations appear to be particularly important.

Heppner, J. P.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Motion of the sources for type II and type IV radio bursts and flare-associated interplanetary disturbances

Shock waves are indirectly observed as the source of type II radio bursts, whereas magnetic bottles are identified as the source of moving metric type IV radio bursts. The difference between the expansion speeds of these waves and bottles is examined during their generation and propagation near the flare regions. It is shown that, although generated in the explosive phase of flares, the bottles behave quite differently from the waves and that the bottles are generally much slower than the waves. It has been suggested that the waves are related to flare-associated interplanetary disturbances which produce SSC geomagnetic storms. These disturbances may, therefore, be identified as interplanetary shock waves. The relationship among magnetic bottles, shock waves near the sun, and flare-associated disturbances in interplanetary space is briefly discussed.

Sakurai, K.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Cosmic ray scintillations. II - General theory of interplanetary scintillations

The motion of charged particles in a stochastic magnetic field with nonzero mean is considered via a generalized quasi-linear expansion of Liouville's equation. The general result is an equation relating cosmic ray scintillations to magnetic fluctuations and to cosmic ray gradients. The resonant interaction between particles and the random magnetic field is considered in detail, and the effect of nonlinear terms in the equations is considered. The nonlinear terms are important in damping out initial conditions and in determining conditions near cyclotron resonances. The application of the theory to the propagation of cosmic rays during quiet times in interplanetary space is considered. It is concluded that cosmic ray scintillations in interplanetary space may provide useful information about interplanetary particles and fields and also about nonlinear plasma interactions.

Owens, A. J.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Interplanetary magnetic field direction and the configuration of the day side magnetosphere

The direction of the interplanetary magnetic field appears to have a significant effect on the equilibrium size of the day side magnetosphere. The qualitative features of this effect are illustrated here by means of a simple vacuum model that ignores solar wind and ionospheric plasma densities as a first approximation. This idealized model produces earthward displacements of the subsolar magnetopause and equatorward displacements of the polar cusp associated with southward-turning interplanetary fields that are about a factor of 2 greater than observed displacements. The nonzero solar wind plasma pressure and ionospheric conductivity produce large deviations from the simple vacuum configurations but do not change the qualitative conclusions regarding magnetopause and cusp displacements associated with the north-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field.

Hill, T. W.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Propagation of solar disturbances in interplanetary space

Time-dependent solutions of a one-fluid model of the interplanetary medium are investigated. This set of unsteady hydrodynamic equations has been written in conservation form in order to apply the Lax-Wendroff method for the solution of this problem. The initial condition is specified by a pulse at 1 solar radius. The equilibrium condition is chosen to be the steady solution of a quiet solar wind. The specified solar disturbances in this calculation are allowed to be both sub- and supersonic by the present theoretical formulation. The results are presented in terms of density, velocity, and temperature profiles of the interplanetary gas flow at heliocentric distances up to about 10 AU at any particular time. The trajectories of disturbances for various initial pulses are shown. Some 1972 solar-flare observational data are compared with these theoretical calculations. From these calculations, the effects on the interplanetary environment, due to the propagation of solar disturbances, can be determined.

Wu, S. T.↗

NASA NTRS1975

High-latitude ionospheric winds related to solar-interplanetary conditions

Treated jointly, two recent results imply that the distribution of winds in the polar ionosphere should change as a function of the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field. From the motions of chemically released ion and neutral clouds, it is apparent that neutral winds in the high-latitude ionosphere are driven principally by ion drag forces. OGO 6 electric field measurements demonstrate that there are definite relationships between the time/latitude distribution of ionospheric plasma convection and interplanetary magnetic field parameters, and also that the distribution is most sensitive to the azimuthal angle of the inter planetary field. Although direct neutral wind to interplanetary magnetic field comparisons are not available, logic clearly implies a close relationship. Observations of infrasonic waves following sudden ionization enhancements indicate the existence of momentum transfer.

Heppner, J. P.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Proceedings of the Symposium on the Study of the Sun and Interplanetary Medium in Three Dimensions

A series of papers are presented from a symposium attended by over 200 European and American scientists to examine the importance of exploring the interplanetary medium and the sun by out-of-the-ecliptic space missions. The likely scientific returns of these missions in the areas of solar, interplanetary, and cosmic ray physics is examined. Theoretical models of the solar wind and its interaction with interplanetary magnetic fields are given.

Fisk, L. A.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Three dimensional aspects of interplanetary shock waves

Most of the interplanetary shock waves observed with 1 AU of the sun originate from some short lived solar event, such as a solar flare, and then propagate out as a more-or-less spherical shock wave until they leave the solar system. Beyond 1 AU another class of interplanetary shock wave becomes common--the corotating shock pair formed by the interaction of long lived solar wind streams. The three dimensional geometry of these two classes of interplanetary shocks is discussed. Also discussed are how these geometries can be statistically studied with an out-of-the-ecliptic mission. Diagrams of shock wave propagation are shown. Also given are numerical examples of shock wave propagation.

Siscoe, G. L.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Fluctuations and the radial variation of the interplanetary magnetic field

Correlations between fluctuations in the solar wind velocity and interplanetary magnetic field can influence the observed average interplanetary magnetic field and its variation with heliocentric radius. The average radial magnetic field still varies as inversely with the square of the radius, but, depending on the radial variation of the correlations, the average azimuthal field could depart from the 1/r dependence expected for an Archimedian spiral. This effect could account in part for those observations which indicate a steeper than 1/r dependence for the average azimuthal interplanetary magnetic field.

Jokipii, J. R.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Multifrequency techniques for studying interplanetary scintillations

Rytov's approximation, or the method of smooth perturbations, is utilized to derive the temporal frequency spectra of the amplitude and phase fluctuations of multifrequency plane and spherical waves propagating in the interplanetary medium and solar corona. It is shown that multifrequency observations of interplanetary scintillations using either compact radio stars of spacecraft radio signals are desirable because the correlation of the multifrequency waves yields additional independent measurements of the solar wind and turbulence. Measurements of phase fluctuations are also desirable because, unlike amplitude fluctuations, they provide information on the full range of scale sizes for the electron-density fluctuations. It is also shown that a coherent dual-frequency radio system is particularly useful in making such measurements. In addition to providing a means for interpreting observations of multifrequency interplanetary scintillations, the present analysis is essential for estimating the effects of solar corona turbulence on the communications and navigation of a spacecraft whose line-of-sight path passes close to the sun.

Woo, R.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Jovian electron bursts - Correlation with the interplanetary field direction and hydromagnetic waves

The bursts of relativistic electrons detected on Pioneer 10 upstream from Jupiter and within 400 Jovian radii of the planet have been found to be correlated with the interplanetary magnetic field. In three examples, electrons with energies between 3 and 6 MeV escaping from Jupiter's magnetosphere were observed only when the interplanetary magnetic field was along the Jupiter-spacecraft line. Large-amplitude interplanetary waves with characteristic periods of 10 min were found to be well correlated with intervals during which the field was along the Jupiter-spacecraft line. Abrupt changes in the field away from the preferred direction caused equally abrupt terminations of the waves with an accompanying reduction in the electron flux. These results are consistent with propagation of the electrons from Jupiter to Pioneer along the magnetic field lines. Hydromagnetic wave generation by Jovian charged particles, presumably the relativistic electrons themselves, as they travel upstream, appears to be an attractive explanation for the origin of the waves. At the observed frequency, hydromagnetic waves are Doppler-shifted to the gyrofrequency of the relativistic electrons. A plasma instability that appears capable of explaining the observations is a cyclotron overstability that occurs when the velocity of runaway electrons exceeds the velocity of hydromagnetic waves.

Smith, E. J.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Interplanetary acceleration of relativistic electrons observed with IMP 7

The intensities of 0.22- to 0.5-MeV and 0.5- to 0.8-MeV electrons in interplanetary space following the Oct. 29, 1972, solar particle event have been observed by the IMP 7 satellite. Intensity variations associated with the SSC disturbance of 1655 UT on October 31 are interpreted as suggesting interplanetary acceleration. The results are consistent with an energy-dependent acceleration process which is most effective for electrons of about 0.4 MeV. This is the first reported interplanetary-shock-wave acceleration of relativistic electrons of which the authors are aware.

Armstrong, T. P.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Solar sources of the interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind

Open magnetic field lines, those which extend from the solar photosphere to interplanetary space, are traced in the current-free (potential field) approximation using measured photospheric fields as a boundary condition. It is found that (1) only a relatively small fraction of the photospheric area connects via open field lines to the interplanetary magnetic field; (2) those photospheric areas which do contribute open field lines lie beneath coronal holes and within the boundaries of the holes as projected onto the photosphere or else between loop systems of an active region; (3) the interplanetary magnetic field in the plane of the sun's equator, essentially the field in the ecliptic plane, may connect to photospheric regions of high latitude; and (4) the fastest solar wind streams are correlated with those magnetic flux tubes which expand least in cross-sectional area over the distance between the photosphere and the coronal height where the solar wind begins.

Levine, R. H.↗

NASA NTRS1977

Acceleration of nucleons in interplanetary space and modulation of Jovian electrons at distances of 1 to 10 AU by corotating regions of solar origin

Corotating interaction regions (CIRs) are formed in interplanetary space when a fast solar-plasma flow overtakes a slow solar-wind stream. This paper shows that CIRs are closely related to two unusual phenomena observed during the flights of Pioneers 10 and 11. These include corotating periodic nucleon fluxes with energies of several MeV and variations in the intensity of relativistic Jovian electrons. Observational evidence is presented in favor of the idea that the nucleons are accelerated in CIRs located in interplanetary space at heliocentric distances of 1 to at least 10 AU, and a model is analyzed in which the acceleration takes place at the leading edge of a CIR. Pioneer data are cited which demonstrate that modulation by recurrent CIRs can explain the large-scale variations in Jovian electron intensity observed in interplanetary space.

Barnes, C. W.↗

NASA NTRS1978

What is the fate of interplanetary dust

The following general picture of the interplanetary dust is presented: (1) size distribution; (2) spatial distribution; (3) composition; (4) dynamics; and (5) origin. The solar probe mission provides a unique opportunity to study the evolution of the interplanetary dust and its eventual destruction near the sun. Two destructive processes (fragmentation and vaporization) of interplanetary dust are discussed.

Hanner, M. S.↗

NASA NTRS1978

The interplanetary modulation and transport of Jovian electrons

Based on simultaneous measurements by Pioneer 11 of the 3-6 MeV Jovian electron flux, interplanetary magnetic field magnitude, and solar wind speed, the interplanetary transport of energetic particles is studied. It is found that corotating interaction regions (CIR's) greatly inhibit electron transport across the average field direction. Cross-field transport is also influenced by the degree of compression of the solar wind since CIR's are areas of compressed solar wind plasma. The propagation of Jovian electrons is studied by a model that includes the effects of CIR's. The model tests whether or not the three-dimensional convection-diffusion theory adequately describes the cross-field transport of electrons. The model is also valid for Jovian electron observations from earth-orbiting satellites. The model may be further applied to 1 AU from the sun where it is found that the cross-field diffusion of electrons explains why Jovian electrons are detected at the earth even during periods when the interplanetary magnetic field does not connect the earth directly to Jupiter.

Conlon, T. F.↗