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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Variation of Langmuir wave polarization with electron beam speed in type III radio bursts

Observations by the twin STEREO spacecraft of in-situ electric field waveforms and radio signatures associated with type III radio bursts have demonstrated that the polarization of electron beam-driven waves near the local plasma frequency depends strongly on the speed of the driving electron beam. We expand upon a previous study by including all radio bursts with in-situ waveforms observed by STEREO in 2011. The expanded data set contains five times more radio bursts (35 up from 7) and three times as many Langmuir waves (663 up from 168). While this expanded study supports the results of the original study, that faster (slower) beam electrons drive waves with strong (weak) electric fields perpendicular to the local magnetic field, the larger data set emphasizes that the observation of strong perpendicular electric fields at high electron beam speeds is probabilistic rather than definite. This property supports the interpretation of wave polarization dependence on beam speed as Langmuir/z-mode waves shifted to small wave number through interaction with turbulent solar wind density fluctuations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

STRONG SOLAR WIND DYNAMIC PRESSURE PULSES: INTERPLANETARY SOURCES AND THEIR IMPACTS ON GEOSYNCHRONOUS MAGNETIC FIELDS

In this investigation, we first present a statistical result of the interplanetary sources of very strong solar wind dynamic pressure pulses (DPPs) detected by WIND during solar cycle 23. It is found that the vast majority of strong DPPs reside within solar wind disturbances. Although the variabilities of geosynchronous magnetic fields (GMFs) due to the impact of positive DPPs have been well established, there appears to be no systematic investigations on the response of GMFs to negative DPPs. Here, we study both the decompression effects of very strong negative DPPs and the compression from strong positive DPPs on GMFs at different magnetic local time sectors. In response to the decompression of strong negative DPPs, GMFs on the dayside near dawn and near dusk on the nightside, are generally depressed. But near the midnight region, the responses of GMF are very diverse, being either positive or negative. For part of the events when GOES is located at the midnight sector, the GMF is found to abnormally increase as the result of magnetospheric decompression caused by negative DPPs. It is known that under certain conditions magnetic depression of nightside GMFs can be caused by the impact of positive DPPs. Here, we find that a stronger pressure enhancement may have a higher probability of producing the exceptional depression of GMF at the midnight region. Statistically, both the decompression effect of strong negative DPPs and the compression effect of strong positive DPPs depend on the magnetic local time, which are stronger at the noon sector.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

ON THE ENHANCED CORONAL MASS EJECTION DETECTION RATE SINCE THE SOLAR CYCLE 23 POLAR FIELD REVERSAL

Compared to cycle 23, coronal mass ejections (CMEs) with angular widths >30° have been observed to occur at a higher rate during solar cycle 24, per sunspot number. This result is supported by data from three independent databases constructed using Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment coronagraph images, two employing automated detection techniques and one compiled manually by human observers. According to the two databases that cover a larger field of view, the enhanced CME rate actually began shortly after the cycle 23 polar field reversal, in 2004, when the polar fields returned with a 40% reduction in strength and the interplanetary radial magnetic field became ≈30% weaker. This result is consistent with the link between anomalous CME expansion and the heliospheric total pressure decrease recently reported by Gopalswamy et al.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Observations of the He{sup +} pickup ion torus velocity distribution function with SOHO/CELIAS/CTOF

Interstellar PickUp Ions (PUIs) are created from neutrals coming from the interstellar medium that get ionized inside the heliosphere. Once ionized, the freshly created ions are injected into the magnetized solar wind plasma with a highly anisotropic torus-shaped Velocity Distribution Function (VDF). It has been commonly assumed that wave-particle interactions rapidly destroy this torus by isotropizing the distribution in one hemisphere of velocity space. However, recent observations of a He{sup +} torus distribution using PLASTIC on STEREO showed that the assumption of a rapid isotropization is oversimplified. The aim of this work is to complement these studies. Using He{sup +} data from the Charge Time-Of-Flight (CTOF) sensor of the Charge, ELement, and Isotope Analysis System (CELIAS) on-board the SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and magnetic field data from the Magnetic Field Investigation (MFI) magnetometer of the WIND spacecraft, we derive the projected 1-D VDF of He{sup +} for different magnetic field configurations. Depending on the magnetic field direction, the initial torus VDF lies inside CTOF’s aperture or not. By comparing the VDFs derived under different magnetic field directions with each other we reveal an anisotropic signature of the He{sup +} VDF.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Long-term Longitudinal Recurrences of the Open Magnetic Flux Density in the Heliosphere

Open magnetic flux in the heliosphere is determined from the radial component of the magnetic field vector measured onboard interplanetary space probes. Previous Ulysses research has shown remarkable independence of the flux density from heliographic latitude, explained by super-radial expansion of plasma. Here we are investigating whether any longitudinal variation exists in the 50 year long OMNI magnetic data set. The heliographic longitude of origin of the plasma package was determined by applying a correction according to the solar wind travel time. Significant recurrent enhancements of the magnetic flux density were observed throughout solar cycle 23, lasting for several years. Similar, long-lasting recurring features were observed in the solar wind velocity, temperature and the deviation angle of the solar wind velocity vector from the radial direction. Each of the recurrent features has a recurrence period slightly differing from the Carrington rotation rate, although they show a common trend in time. Examining the coronal temperature data of ACE leads to the possible explanation that these long-term structures are caused by slow–fast solar wind interaction regions. A comparison with MESSENGER data measured at 0.5 au shows that these longitudinal magnetic modulations do not exist closer to the Sun, but are the result of propagation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

The challenge in making models of fast CMEs

It has been a challenge to explain theoretically how fast CMEs (exceeding {approx} 1,000km/s) occur. Our numerical models suggest that it is not easy to release enough magnetic energy impulsively from an active region. We have been studying CME models that are constrained by observed magnetic fields, with realistic coronal plasma density and temperature profiles, as derived from thermodynamic models of the corona. We find that to get fast CMEs, the important parameters are the magnetic energy density, the magnetic field drop-off index, and the Alfven speed profile in active regions. We describe how we energize active regions, and how we subsequently initiate CMEs via flux cancellation. We contrast CMEs from idealized zero-beta models with more sophisticated models based on thermodynamic solutions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

The acceleration of electrons at a spherical coronal shock in a streamer-like coronal field

We study the effect of large-scale coronal magnetic field on the electron acceleration at a spherical coronal shock using a test-particle method. The coronal field is approximated by an analytical solution with a streamer-like magnetic field featured by partially open magnetic field and a current sheet at the equator atop the closed region. It shows that the closed field plays the role of a trapping agency of shock-accelerated electrons, allowing for repetitive reflection and acceleration, therefore can greatly enhance the shock-electron acceleration efficiency. It is found that, with an ad hoc pitch-angle scattering, electron injected in the open field at the shock flank can be accelerated to high energies as well. In addition, if the shock is faster or stronger, a relatively harder electron energy spectrum and a larger maximum energy can be achieved.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Spectral scaling laws of solar wind fluctuations at 1 AU: Part 2

In-situ measurements of solar wind fluctuations at 1 AU show that the reduced energy spectrum, equal to the sum of the reduced kinetic plus magnetic energy spectra, is characterized by a power-law scaling k{sup -{alpha}} in the inertial range with an average spectral exponent {alpha} Asymptotically-Equal-To 3/2, a result confirmed by independent analyses using data from different spacecraft. Magnetic field and electron density spectra at kinetic scales {rho}{sup -1}{sub i} < k < {rho}{sup -1}{sub e} both have a spectral index of approximately 2.7. These and other recent observations of spectral scaling laws in the solar wind using single spacecraft measurements are briefly reviewed. The first part of this review, Part 1, is contained in a separate paper in these proceedings.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Analysis and statistics of discontinuities as obtained from 3D simulation of MHD turbulence

The turbulent solar wind abounds with MHD discontinuities, and such discontinuities are often found in close connection with turbulence intermittency, constituting a possible main contributor to the turbulence dissipation and solar wind heating. Among the discontinuities, tangential (TD) and rotational (RD) ones are two most important types. Recently, the connection between turbulence intermittency and proton thermodynamics has been being intensively investigated. Such connections are founded to be involved with MHD instablilities, but the difference of TDs an RDs in this process has not yet been covered. Herewith we define new methods for identifying TDs and RDs obtained from a three-dimensional MHD simulation with pressure anisotropy. Especially, we define the Total Variance of Increments (TVI) as a new measure of magnetic field changes. Based on the identified cases, we compare their occurrence rates and heating effects. More specifically, we find that the thermal states embedding TDs, compared with their RD counterparts, tend to be more associated with extreme plasma parameters or instabilites. Some other possible applications of TVI-like norms are also herewith discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Small solar wind transients: Stereo-A observations in 2009

Year 2009 was the last year of a long and pronounced solar activity minimum. In this year the solar wind in the inner heliosphere was for 90% of the time slow (< 450 km s{sup -1}) and with a weaker magnetic field strength compared to the previous solar minimum 1995-1996. We choose this year to present the results of a systematic search for small solar wind transients (STs) observed by the STEREO-Ahead (ST-A) probe. The data are from the PLASTIC and IMPACT instrument suites. By 'small' we mean a duration from {approx}1 to 12 hours. The parameters we search for to identify STs are (i) the total field strength, (ii) the rotation of the magnetic field vector, (iii) its smoothness, (iv) proton temperature, (v) proton beta, and (vi) Alfven Mach number. We find 45 examples. The STs have an average duration of {approx}4 hours. Ensemble averages of key quantities are: (i) maximum B = 7.01 nT; (ii) proton {beta}= 0.18; (iii) proton thermal speed = 20.8 km s{sup -1}; and (iv) Alfven Mach number = 6.13. No distinctive feature is found in the pitch angle distributions of suprathermal electrons. Our statistical results are compared with those of STs observed near Earth by Wind during 2009.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Kinetic instabilities in the solar wind: A short review

We know from in situ measurements that solar wind plasma is far from thermal equilibrium. Distribution functions of its main constituents -electrons, protons, and alpha particles-show several departures from Maxwellian, including temperature anisotropy, relative drifts and secondary populations streaming along the local magnetic field. We present a short review of recent solar wind observations of these non-thermal features and associated signatures of wave-particle interactions. Several kinetic instabilities are expected to be at work in the solar wind during its expansion, playing a role in the continuous shaping of particle distributions with distance, and regulating the macroscopic behavior of the plasma. Over the past years, modeling of these processes by means of numerical simulations has been successful in reproducing and explaining the observations; these include the evolution of the plasma due to radial expansion and the response of individual species to different kinetic instabilities. Finally, the impact of local inhomogeneities, like current sheets and turbulence, on the development of kinetic instabilities is also discussed.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2013

Magnetic helicity signature produced by cross-field 2D turbulence

Hybrid numerical simulations of freely decaying 2D turbulence are presented. The background magnetic field is perpendicular to the simulation plane, which eliminates linear kinetic Alfven waves from the system. The normalized magnetic helicity of the initial large-scale fluctuations is zero, while the normalized cross-helicity is not. As the turbulence evolves, it develops nonzero magnetic helicity at smaller scales, in the proton kinetic range. In the quasi-steady state of evolution, the magnetic helicity spectrum has a peak consistent with the solar wind observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

TIME DEPENDENCE OF THE PROTON FLUX MEASURED BY PAMELA DURING THE 2006 JULY-2009 DECEMBER SOLAR MINIMUM

The energy spectra of galactic cosmic rays carry fundamental information regarding their origin and propagation. These spectra, when measured near Earth, are significantly affected by the solar magnetic field. A comprehensive description of the cosmic radiation must therefore include the transport and modulation of cosmic rays inside the heliosphere. During the end of the last decade, the Sun underwent a peculiarly long quiet phase well suited to study modulation processes. In this paper we present proton spectra measured from 2006 July to 2009 December by PAMELA. The large collected statistics of protons allowed the time variation to be followed on a nearly monthly basis down to 400 MV. Data are compared with a state-of-the-art three-dimensional model of solar modulation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Magnetized jets driven by the Sun: The structure of the heliosphere revisited—Updates

As the solar system moves through the interstellar medium, the solar wind is deflected forming the heliosphere. The standard picture of the heliosphere is a comet-shape like structure with the tail extending for 1000s of astronomical units. This standard picture stems from a view where magnetic forces are negligible and the solar magnetic field is convected passively down the tail. Recently, we showed that the magnetic tension of the solar magnetic field plays a crucial role on organizing the solar wind in the heliosheath into two jet-like structures. The two jets are separated by the interstellar medium that flows between them. The heliosphere then has a “croissant”-like shape where the distance to the heliopause downtail is almost the same as towards the nose. This new view of the heliosphere is in agreement with the energetic neutral atoms maps taken by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer and INCA/CASSINI. We developed as well an analytic model of the heliosheath in the axisymmetric limit that shows how the magnetic tension force is the driver for the north and south jets. We confirmed that the formation of these jets with magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The main reason why previous global MHD simulations did not see these jets is due to spurious magnetic dissipation that was present at the heliospheric current sheet. We instead kept the same polarity for the interplanetary (solar) magnetic field in both the northern and southern hemispheres, eliminating spurious magnetic dissipation effects at the heliospheric current sheet. In this paper, we extend these previous results to include additional cases where we used: (a) weaker solar magnetic field; (b) solar magnetic field that reverses polarity at the solar equator in the axisymmetric limit; and (c) slower motion through the interstellar system. We discuss as well future challenges regarding the structure of the heliosphere.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Radial evolution of a magnetic cloud: messenger, STEREO, AND Venus Express observations

The Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus missions will provide observations of magnetic clouds closer to the Sun than ever before, and it will be good preparation for these missions to make full use of the most recent in situ data sets from the inner heliosphere—namely, those provided by MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) and Venus Express—for magnetic cloud studies. We present observations of the same magnetic cloud made by MESSENGER at Mercury and later by Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory-B (STEREO-B), while the spacecraft were radially aligned in 2011 November. Few such radial observations of magnetic clouds have been previously reported. Estimates of the solar wind speed at MESSENGER are also presented, calculated through the application of a previously established technique. The cloudʼs flux rope has been analyzed using force-free fitting; the rope diameter increased from 0.18 to 0.41 AU (corresponding to an r{sub H}{sup 0.94} dependence on heliocentric distance, r{sub H}), and the axial magnetic field strength dropped from 46.0 to 8.7 nT (an r{sub H}{sup −1.84} dependence) between the spacecraft, clear indications of an expanding structure. The axial magnetic flux was ∼0.50 nT AU{sup 2} at both spacecraft, suggesting that the rope underwent no significant erosion through magnetic reconnection between MESSENGER and STEREO-B. Further, we estimate the change in the cloudʼs angular width by assuming helicity conservation. It has also been found that the rope axis rotated by 30° between the spacecraft to lie close to the solar equatorial plane at STEREO-B. Such a rotation, if it is a common feature of coronal mass ejection propagation, would have important implications for space weather forecasting.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH FLUCTUATIONS AND THE q-TRIPLET IN THE HELIOSHEATH: VOYAGER 2 OBSERVATIONS FROM 91.0 TO 94.2 AU AT LATITUDE 30 Degree-Sign S

Voyager 2 (V2) was in the heliosheath during 2010, at (91.0-94.2) AU from the Sun and at the latitudes (28. Degree-Sign 8-29. Degree-Sign 3 S) AU, observing solar wind that left the Sun during 2009, when solar activity was very low. There was no feature in B(t) associated with the changes in the plasma parameters observed near 2010.4. The CR-B relation was satisfied. The fluctuations of daily averages of B showed (1) a Gaussian distribution of B, (2) a q-Gaussian of the daily increments of B with q = 1.6, (3) a power-law correlation of B on scales from 1 to 16 days, (4) multifractal structure of B on scales from 1 to 8 days, and (5) a 1/f spectrum of B on scales from 1 to 100 days. The amplitude of the compressive microscale fluctuations of B during several hours on each day is described by the standard deviation (SD) of the 48 s averages of B during the day. Items 2, 3, and 4 determine a 'q-triplet' in the heliosheath. Large-scale fluctuations of SD show (1) a lognormal distribution of SD; (2) an average value of SD = 0.19, 20% of the average B; (3) a q-Gaussian distribution of the increments of SD with q = 1.4; (4) a power-law correlation on scales from 1 to 16 days; and (5) a 1/f spectrum on scales from 1 to 100 days. The heliosheath was in a quasi-stationary, metastable equilibrium state with well-defined structure over a wide range of scales near V2 during 2010.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Measurements of the time-dependent cosmic-ray Sun shadow with seven years of IceCube data: Comparison with the Solar cycle and magnetic field models

Observations of the time-dependent cosmic-ray Sun shadow have been proven as a valuable diagnostic for the assessment of solar magnetic field models. Here, seven years of IceCube data are compared to solar activity and solar magnetic field models. A quantitative comparison of solar magnetic field models with IceCube data on the event rate level is performed for the first time. Additionally, a first energy-dependent analysis is presented and compared to recent predictions. We use seven years of IceCube data for the moon and the Sun and compare them to simulations on data rate level. The simulations are performed for the geometrical shadow hypothesis for the moon and the Sun and for a cosmic-ray propagation model governed by the solar magnetic field for the case of the Sun. We find that a linearly decreasing relationship between Sun shadow strength and solar activity is preferred over a constant relationship at the 6.4σ level. We test two commonly used models of the coronal magnetic field, both combined with a Parker spiral, by modeling cosmic-ray propagation in the solar magnetic field. Both models predict a weakening of the shadow in times of high solar activity as it is also visible in the data. We find tensions with the data on the order of 3σ for both models, assuming only statistical uncertainties. The magnetic field model CSSS fits the data slightly better than the PFSS model. This is generally consistent with what is found previously by the Tibet AS-γ Experiment; a deviation of the data from the two models is, however, not significant at this point. Regarding the energy dependence of the Sun shadow, we find indications that the shadowing effect increases with energy during times of high solar activity, in agreement with theoretical predictions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Ion-driven instabilities in the solar wind: Wind observations of 19 March 2005

Intervals of enhanced magnetic fluctuations have been frequently observed in the solar wind. However, it remains an open question as to whether these waves are generated at the Sun and then transported outward by the solar wind or generated locally in the interplanetary medium. Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Wind spacecraft under slow solar wind conditions on 19 March 2005 demonstrate seven events of enhanced magnetic fluctuations at spacecraft-frame frequencies somewhat above the proton cyclotron frequency and propagation approximately parallel or antiparallel to the background magnetic field B o . The proton velocity distributions during these events are characterized by two components: a more dense, slower core and a less dense, faster beam. In conclusion, observed plasma parameters are used in a kinetic linear dispersion equation analysis for electromagnetic fluctuations at k x B o = 0; for two events the most unstable mode is the Alfvén-cyclotron instability driven by a proton component temperature anisotropy T ⊥ /T || > 1 (where the subscripts denote directions relative to B o ), and for three events the most unstable mode is the right-hand polarized magnetosonic instability driven primarily by ion component relative flows. Thus, both types of ion anisotropies and both types of instabilities are likely to be local sources of these enhanced fluctuation events in the solar wind.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗