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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2001

Preliminary Results from Coordinated UVCS-CDS-Ulysses Observations

The June 2000 quadrature between the Sun, Earth, and Ulysses took place with Ulysses at a distance of 3.35 AU from the Sun and at heliocentric latitude 58.2 deg south, in the southeast quadrant. This provided an opportunity to observe the corona close to the Sun with Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) and Ultraviolet Coronograph Spectrometer (UVCS) and, subsequently, to sample the same plasma when it reached Ulysses. Here we focus on simultaneous observations of UVCS and CDS made on June 12, 13, 16 and 17. The UVCS data were acquired at heliocentric altitudes ranging from 1.6 to 2.2 solar radii, using different grating positions, in order to get a wide wavelength range. CDS data consisted of Normal Incidence Spectrometer (NIS) full wavelength rasters of 120" x 150" centered at altitudes up to 1.18 solar radii, together with Grazing Incidence Spectrometer (GIS) 4" x 4" rasters within the same field of view, out to 1.2 solar radii. The radial direction to Ulysses passed through a high latitude streamer, throughout the 4 days of observations, Analysis of the spectra taken by UVCS shows a variation of the element abundances in the streamer over our observing interval: however, because the observations were in slightly different parts of the streamer on different days, the variation could be ascribed either to a temporal or spatial effect. The oxygen abundance, however, seems to increase at the edge of the streamer, as indicated by previous analyses. This suggests the variation may be a function of position within the streamer, rather than a temporal effect. Oxygen abundances measured by SWICS on Ulysses are compared with the CDS and UVCS results to see whether changes measured in situ follow the same pattern.

Parenti, S.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Geometric Model of a Coronal Cavity

We observed a coronal cavity from August 8-18 2007 during a multi-instrument observing campaign organized under the auspices of the International Heliophysical Year (IHY). Here we present initial efforts to model the cavity with a geometrical streamer-cavity model. The model is based the white-light streamer mode] of Gibson et a]. (2003 ), which has been enhanced by the addition of a cavity and the capability to model EUV and X-ray emission. The cavity is modeled with an elliptical cross-section and Gaussian fall-off in length and width inside the streamer. Density and temperature can be varied in the streamer and cavity and constrained via comparison with data. Although this model is purely morphological, it allows for three-dimensional, multi-temperature analysis and characterization of the data, which can then provide constraints for future physical modeling. Initial comparisons to STEREO/EUVI images of the cavity and streamer show that the model can provide a good fit to the data. This work is part of the effort of the International Space Science Institute International Team on Prominence Cavities

Kucera, Therese A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Global Network of Slow Solar Wind

The streamer belt region surrounding the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) is generally treated as the primary or sole source of the slow solar wind. Synoptic maps of solar wind speed predicted by the Wang-Sheeley-Arge model during selected periods of solar cycle 23, however, show many areas of slow wind displaced from the streamer belt. These areas commonly have the form of an arc that is connected to the streamer belt at both ends. The arcs mark the boundaries between fields emanating from different coronal holes of the same polarity and thus trace the paths of belts of pseudostreamers, i.e., unipolar streamers that form over double arcades and lack current sheets. The arc pattern is consistent with the predicted topological mapping of the narrow open corridor or singular separator line that must connect the holes and, thus, consistent with the separatrix-web model of the slow solar wind. Near solar maximum, pseudostreamer belts stray far from the HCS-associated streamer belt and, together with it, form a global-wide web of slow wind. Recognition of pseudostreamer belts as prominent sources of slow wind provides a new template for understanding solar wind stream structure, especially near solar maximum.

solar wind↗
DOE OSTI2026

Enhancing photoionization rate calculations in low-temperature plasmas using spectral methods

Photoionization plays a central role in the development of streamer discharges and other non-equilibrium plasma phenomena. It creates seed electrons, which are essential for positive streamer propagation, allowing the ionization front to move forward. Because of this, accurate modeling of photoionization is very important for predicting streamer behavior and plasma evolution. The photoionization process in air (N 2 – O 2 mixture) is often described by the Zheleznyak model (1982). This model is usually solved through Helmholtz-type equations that approximate the Zheleznyak photoionization model (Zheleznyak et al. 1982) as Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). Conventional numerical methods, such as the Finite Difference Method (FDM) or Finite Volume Method (FVM), are widely used to solve these equations. Although they are prevalent, the computational cost of these methods due to their need for matrix operations and iterative solver is demanding. To address this challenge, this work develops a spectral solver based on the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) combined with Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and Discrete Sine Transform (DST) to calculate the photoionization rate efficiently in an axisymmetric cylindrical domain. This method naturally satisfies the boundary conditions used in the model and converts the PDE into algebraic ones in spectral space. Thus, avoids the need for iterative matrix solvers. When compared with FDM results, it is demonstrated that the new solver not only maintains accuracy, but also reduces the computational cost, showing a performance increase of approximately 100 compared to FDM over a wide range of problem sizes. The method is parallelized using Message Passing Interface (MPI) and has been integrated into a fluid plasma model for streamer simulation. Here, this FFT-based approach provides a fast and reliable alternative for calculating photoionization in fluid models, helping large-scale plasma simulations run faster and efficiently, and allows higher-resolution simulation without extra computational cost.

Axisymmetric system↗
NASA NTRS1987

Radio studies of large scale structures of the Sun's corona and transient activity

The use of meter-decimeter wavelength imaging observations for four different kinds of studies of solar coronal activity is discussed. (1) Large scale structure of the upper corona; daily imaging observations permit comparison of radio images with white light images from space and ground observation, generation of synoptic charts similar to white light coronagraph synoptic charts, and comparison of radio brightness enhancements and deficiencies with bright coronal streamers and coronal holes. (2) Relative positions of type III burst sources and coronal streamers as observed by Solwind experiment on the P-78-1 satellite and by the HAO C/P experiment aboard the SMM; infer the paths of type III emitting electrons in dense coronal streamers, and from multifrequency observations derive electron density distributions above active regions near the limb. (3) Non-flare associated type II/type IV bursts associated with coronal streamer disruption events; such type IV sources have a rather slow velocity (approx = to or less than 100 km/s) CMEs. (4) Meter-decimeter microbursts; these are short duration (2-10 sec) weak-type III-like bursts, produced at the fundamental plasma frequency by plasma radiation processes which have important differences from the standard mechanisms used to explain the strong type III bursts.

Kundu, Mukul R.↗
NASA NTRS1994

A coronal magnetic field model with horizontal volume and sheet currents

When globally mapping the observed photospheric magnetic field into the corona, the interaction of the solar wind and magnetic field has been treated either by imposing source surface boundary conditions that tacitly require volume currents outside the source surface or by limiting the interaction to thin current sheets between oppositely directed field regions. Yet observations and numerical Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) calculations suggest the presence of non-force-free volume currents throughout the corona as well as thin current sheets in the neighborhoods of the interfaces between closed and open field lines or between oppositely directed open field lines surrounding coronal helmet-streamer structures. This work presents a model including both horizontal volume currents and streamer sheet currents. The present model builds on the magnetostatic equilibria developed by Bogdan and Low and the current-sheet modeling technique developed by Schatten. The calculation uses synoptic charts of the line-of-sight component of the photospheric magnetic field measured at the Wilcox Solar Observatory. Comparison of an MHD model with the calculated model results for the case of a dipole field and comparison of eclipse observations with calculations for CR 1647 (near solar minimum) show that this horizontal current-current-sheet model reproduces polar plumes and axes of corona streamers better than the source-surface model and reproduces polar plumes and axes of corona streamers better than the source-surface model and reproduces coro nal helmet structures better than the current-sheet model.

Zhao, Xuepu↗
NASA NTRS1995

Nonlinear MHD interactions in some solar coronal structures

The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) interactions of solar coronal fast shock waves of flare and/or nonflare origin with the boundaries of such structures like the streamer and the coronal hole are considered. These boundaries are treated as MHD tangential discontinuities (TD). Different parameters of the observed corona are used. The general case of oblique interaction is studied. It is shown that a fast shock wave is usually refracted as a fast shock wave inside the coronal streamer. But for a special case of the velocity shear across a TD a slow shock wave may be generated. On the contrary the shock wave is refracted inside the coronal hole, indeed as a slow shock wave. The significance of different effects due to the interaction of fast and slow shock waves with the coronal magnetic field is noticed, especially at the time of coronal mass ejection (CME). Thus slow shock waves may help to 'open' the coronal magnetic field, and fast shock waves - to 'close' it. It is also shown, that an oblique fast MHD coronal shock wave may trigger an instability at the boundary of a streamer considered as a TD. It might have a relation with the observed abrupt process of disappearance of the streamer's boundary in the solar corona.

Grib, S. A.↗
NASA NTRS1998

SOHO Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS) Mission Operations and Data Analysis

The scientific goal of UVCS is to obtain detailed empirical descriptions of the extended solar corona as it evolves from a period of minimum activity to maximum and to use these descriptions to identify and understand the physical processes responsible for coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, coronal mass ejections (CME's), and the phenomena that establish the plasma properties of the solar wind as measured by the CELIAS/SOHO experiment. We must observe a wide range of conditions (e.g., heating rate, impulsive mass ejections, magnetic field opening) in order to choose among competing theoretical explanations of the observed coronal structures and dynamics. During the first year of scientific observations (1 April 1996 through 31 March 1997), the LTVCS made the first extensive ultraviolet spectroscopic observations above the base of the solar corona. Those observations revealed extremely high most probable speeds along the line of sight for O(5+) in polar coronal holes above 2 solar radii from sun center and smaller such speeds for H(0) and protons. Doppler dimming and pumping diagnostics indicated that O(5+) and H(0) I reached supersonic outflow velocities within 2 solar radii. The observations appeared to be consistent with O95+) heating and direct momentum transfer by high frequency MHD waves through ion cyclotron resonance. Equatorial streamers were found to appear much different when observed in O VI, Fe XII and Mg X than when observed in H I Lyman-alpha or visible light. This led G. Noci to suggest that the elemental abundance of O, Fe, and Mg are lower in the dark center region of the O VI streamer image than it is in the brighter outer legs of the streamer. The O VI line ratio indicated a much smaller outflow speed in streamers than in the surrounding coronal holes. Spectroscopic observations of CME's in June and December 1996 showed large Doppler shifts indicating macroscopic flows of up to 200 km/s transverse to the apparent motion of the CME. The December event displayed factor of 500 intensity increases in H I Lyman lines and bright emissions in cool ion lines like C III 977 A indicating that the origin of some of the gas was a prominence. UVCS also observed two comets, several stars and interplanetary hydrogen. In the current reporting period, the initial results were published and detailed analyses including self consistent empirical models were developed. The research results were reported, published or submitted/accepted for publication. New observations were made to uncover additional information about the surprising results of the first year and other new observations revealed more surprises. A UVCS Tutorial was developed to familiarize potential users of UVCS data with the data products, analysis techniques and coronal models needed to analyze the data.

Kohl, John L.↗
NASA NTRS2007

SOHO-Ulysses Coordinated Studies During the Two Extended Quadratures and the Alignment of 2007-2008

During SOHO-Sun-Ulysses quadratures the geometry of the configuration makes it possible to sample "in situ" the plasma parcels that are remotely observed in the corona. Although the quadrature position occurs at a well defined instant in time, we typically take data while Ulysses is within +/- 5 degrees of the limb, with the understanding that plasma sampled by Ulysses over this time interval can all be traced to its source in the corona. The relative positions of SOHO and Ulysses in winter 2007 (19 Dec 2006-28 May 2007) are unusual: the SOHO-Sun-Ulysses included angle is always between 85 and 95 degrees - the quadrature lasts for 5 months! This provides an opportunity for extended observations of specific observing objectives. In addition, in summer 2007, Ulysses (at 1.34 AU) is in near-radial alignment with Earth/ACE/Wind and SOHO, allowing us to analyze radial gradients and propagation in the solar wind and inner heliosphere. Our own quadrature campaigns rely heavily on LASCO and UVCS coronal observations: LASCO giving the overall context above 2 solar radii while the UVCS spectrograph acquired data from - 1.5 to, typically, 4-5 solar radii. In the past, coronal parameters have been derived from data acquired by these two experiments and compared with "in situ" data of Ulysses' SWOOPS and SWICS. Data from other experiments like EIT, CDS, SUMER, Sac Peak Fe XIV maps, magnetic field maps from the Wilcox solar magnetograph, MLSO, from MDI, and from the Ulysses magnetograph experiment have been, and will be, used to complement LASCO/UVCS/SWOOPS and SWICS data. We anticipate that observations by ACE/WIND/STEREO/Hinode and other missions will be relevant as well. During the IHY campaigns, Ulysses will be 52-80 degrees south in winter 2007, near sunspot minimum. Hence, our own scientific objective will be to sample high speed wind or regions of transition between slow and fast wind. This might be a very interesting situation - not met in previous quadratures - allowing us to study the variation of element abundances across streamer borders in the corona and,correspondingly, "in situ". Also, observing plasma over prolonged time intervals and at different latitudes, we may examine the latitude variation of the fractionation effect (e.g. Yon Steiger, 2002) and its dependence on time (e.g. Woo, 2004). For instance, if the FIP bias is dictated by the duration of plasma confinement in solar loops, its value in streamers should depend on the streamer age. Analogous variations should be found in the abundances of "in situ" plasma released by the streamer. All Ulysses and SOHO data is in the public domain and accessible so different objectives could be addressed by others. The winter 2008 quadrature will be well into the next sunspot cycle and there might be significant high mid-latitude activity. Ulysses will be up to 80 degrees in the northern hemisphere at this time and able to detect the resulting ICMEs and ejecta, allowing us to study the physical parameters of the propagating CME bubble/core/front, and/or to study the coronal and "in situ" characteristics of the current sheet associated with the event (e.g. Bemporad et al. 2005), so far still vaguely defined.

Suess, S. T.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Development of Solar Wind Model Driven by Empirical Heat Flux and Pressure Terms

We are developing a time stationary self-consistent 2D MHD model of the solar corona and solar wind as suggested by Sittler et al. (2003). Sittler & Guhathakurta (1999) developed a semiempirical steady state model (SG model) of the solar wind in a multipole 3-streamer structure, with the model constrained by Skylab observations. Guhathakurta et al. (2006) presented a more recent version of their initial work. Sittler et al. (2003) modified the SG model by investigating time dependent MHD, ad hoc heating term with heat conduction and empirical heating solutions. Next step of development of 2D MHD models was performed by Sittler & Ofman (2006). They derived effective temperature and effective heat flux from the data-driven SG model and fit smooth analytical functions to be used in MHD calculations. Improvements of the Sittler & Ofman (2006) results now show a convergence of the 3-streamer topology into a single equatorial streamer at altitudes > 2 R(sub S). This is a new result and shows we are now able to reproduce observations of an equatorially confined streamer belt. In order to allow our solutions to be applied to more general applications, we extend that model by using magnetogram data and PFSS model as a boundary condition. Initial results were presented by Selwa et al. (2008). We choose solar minimum magnetogram data since during solar maximum the boundary conditions are more complex and the coronal magnetic field may not be described correctly by PFSS model. As the first step we studied the simplest 2D MHD case with variable heat conduction, and with empirical heat input combined with empirical momentum addition for the fast solar wind. We use realistic magnetic field data based on NSO/GONG data, and plan to extend the study to 3D. This study represents the first attempt of fully self-consistent realistic model based on real data and including semi-empirical heat flux and semi-empirical effective pressure terms.

Sittler, Edward C., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Temperature Structure of a Coronal Cavity

we analyze the temperature structure of a coronal cavity observed in Aug. 2007. coronal cavities are long, low-density structures located over filament neutral lines and are often seen as dark elliptical features at the solar limb in white light, EUV and x-rays. when these structures erupt they form the cavity portions of CMEs. It is important to establish the temperature structure of cavities in order to understand the thermodynamics of cavities in relation to their three-dimensional magnetic structure. To analyze the temperature we compare temperature ratios of a series of iron lines observed by the Hinode/EUv Imaging spectrometer (EIS). We also use those lines to constrain a forward model of the emission from the cavity and streamer. The model assumes a coronal streamer with a tunnel-like cavity with elliptical cross-section and a Gaussian variation of height along the tunnel len~th. Temperature and density can be varied as a function of altitude both in the cavity and streamer. The general cavity morphology and the cavity and streamer density have already been modeled using data from STEREO's SECCHI/EUVI and Hinode/EIS (Gibson et al 2010 and Schmit & Gibson 2011).

Kucera, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS2021

The Dynamic Formation of Pseudostreamers

Streamers and pseudostreamers structure the corona at the largest scales, as seen in both eclipse and coronagraph white-light images. Their inverted-goblet appearance encloses broad coronal loops at the Sun and tapers to a narrow radial stalk away from the star. The streamer associated with the global solar dipole magnetic field is long-lived, predominantly contains a single arcade of nested loops within it, and separates opposite-polarity interplanetary magnetic fields with the heliospheric current sheet anchored at its apex. Pseudostreamers, on the other hand, are transient, enclose double arcades of nested loops, and separate like-polarity fields with a dense plasma sheet. We use numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations to calculate, for the first time, the formation of pseudostreamers in response to photospheric magnetic-field evolution. Convective transport of a minority-polarity flux concentration, initially positioned under one side of a streamer, through the streamer boundary into the adjacent, pre-existing coronal hole forms the pseudostreamer. Interchange magnetic reconnection at the overlying coronal null point(s) governs the development of the pseudostreamer above – and of anew, satellite coronal hole behind – the moving minority polarity. The reconnection dynamics liberate coronal-loop plasma that can escape into the heliosphere along so-called separatrix-web (“S-Web”)arcs, which reach far from the heliospheric current sheet and the solar equatorial plane, and can explain the origin of high-latitude slow solar wind. We describe the implications of our results for in-situ and remote-sensing observations of the corona and heliosphere as obtained, most recently, by Parker Solar Probe and Solar OrbiteR.

Roger B. Scott↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Nature of Standing Plasma Waves Following Fast Breakdown in Thunderstorms

Narrow bipolar events (NBEs) are produced by large-scale systems of streamer corona discharges that occur inside thunderstorms and radiate intensely at very-high frequencies. Here we examine 14 high-power NBEs recorded in Florida which are followed by a lasting oscillatory signal. We isolate the dominant frequencies of the oscillations using empirical mode decomposition methods, and cross-reference this information with the radiator size inferred from broadband interferometry. We conclude that the oscillations are evidence of a standing electromagnetic wave in the plasma cavity created by the preceding streamer system, that is, the cavity's fundamental mode with wavelength equal to twice the radiator length. Contrasting the dispersive and attenuation properties of these waves across several different events allows us to conclude that the cavity is filled with ions resulting in an average conductivity of 0.01–0.1 mS/m, which are left behind after the streamers decay via electron attachment to oxygen molecules.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Effects of spatiotemporal plasma power distribution on the modeling of ignition kernel evolution in quiescent and turbulent methane/air mixtures

Abstract The present work improves a phenomenological plasma-assisted combustion model by integrating the spatiotemporal distribution of plasma power density, thereby considering the evolution of plasma streamers in the modeling, and subsequently, better predicting the ignition kernel evolution. The improved phenomenological model is validated against experiments representing the plasma discharge and post-discharge ignition kernel evolution. Specifically, the new model demonstrates a more accurate prediction of ultrafast gas heating and O 2 dissociation during the plasma discharge, compared to the original model. In addition, the new model is found to closely match the experimental pressure wave and heated channel profiles post-discharge without the need for tuning the energy deposition (unlike the original model), highlighting its accuracy of post-discharge ignition kernel dynamics. The improved phenomenological model is then employed to investigate ignition kernel evolution for a stoichiometric methane-air discharge across various discharge gap configurations. Simulations reveal a non-uniform temperature and streamer distribution progressing from the electrode tips toward the center, contrasting uniform cylindrical discharges previously described in the original model. Streamer propagation is observed to be faster for larger gaps when maintained at the same average electric field for different discharge gaps. The tendency of smaller gaps to produce detached toroidal ignition kernels is observed, while larger gaps promote cylindrical and attached ignition kernels. Interactions between successive ignition kernels from consecutive discharges varied significantly, with the smallest gap (1 mm) promoting the quenching of the preceding ignition kernel due to the initial kernel–kernel separation. The intermediate gap (2 mm) promotes detached kernel growth. In contrast, in the largest gap (4 mm), kernels consistently combine and expand attached to electrodes. The impact of homogeneous isotropic turbulence is also explored, showing the persistence of ignition kernels early on but eventually quenching due to enhanced radical and heat losses with pronounced turbulence intensity.

Johnson, Praise Noah↗
NASA NTRS1973

Detailed comparison of type III radio bursts with H alpha activity. II

Isolated type III radio bursts activity was observed at Clark Lake Radio Observatory in March and the first part of April 1971 to occur in discrete regions of the corona above certain active regions. When these regions were examined under high resolution in H alpha all the type III events appeared to have associated activity in H alpha. The potential coronal magnetic field in these regions appeared to be either open or diverging, whereas the field over a rather active region which did not have radio burst activity was closed in a magnetic arcade. The latter feature has been associated with streamers. Streamers have also been associated with dark filaments. The occurrence of a stable dark filament in an active region appeared to have an inhibiting effect on type III activity. It is suggested that a streamer field configuration is not favorable to the escape of isolated type III exciters.

Kuiper, T. B. H.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Electrochemical deposition of silver crystals aboard Skylab 4

Silver crystals were grown aboard Skylab 4 by an electro-chemical reaction and subsequently returned to earth for comparison with crystals grown at 1- and 5-g. Both the Skylab and earth-grown crystals show a variety of structures. Certain tendencies in structure dependency on gravity level, however, can be discerned. In addition, downward growing dendrite streamers; upward growing chunky crystal streamers; growth along an air/liquid interface; and ribbon, film, and fiber crystal habits were observed in experiments conducted on the ground with solutions of varying concentrations. It was also observed that the crystal structures of space and ground electro-deposited silver crystals were very similar to the structures of germanium selenide and germanium telluride crystals grown in space and on the ground by a vapor transport technique. Consideration of the data leads to the conclusions that: (1) the rate of electrochemical displacement of silver ions from a 5 percent aqueous solution by copper is predominantly diffussion controlled in space and kinetically controlled in 1- and higher-g because of augmentation of mass transport by convection; (2) downward and upward crystal streamers are the result of gravity-driven convection, the flow patterns of which can be delineated. Lateral growths along an air/liquid interface are the result of surface-tension-driven convection, the pattern of which also can be delineated; (3) electrolysis in space or low-g environments can produce either dendritic crystals with more perfect microcrystalline structures or massive, single crystals with fewer defects than those grown on ground or at higher g-levels. Ribbons or films of space-grown silicon crystals would find a ready market for electronic substrate and photocell applications. Space-grown dendritic, metal crystals present the possibility of unique catalysts. Large perfect crystals of various materials are desired for a number of electronic and optical applications; and (4) vapor transport growth of germanium selenide and germanium telluride is affected by convection mechanisms similar to the mechanisms hypothesized for the electrochemical deposition of silver crystals. Evidence and considerations leading to the preceding summaries and conclusions are presented. The implications of the findings and conclusions for technological applications are discussed, and recommendations for further experiments are presented.

Grodzka, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Initial results from the High Altitude Observatory white light coronagraph on Skylab - A progress report

Frequent periodic observations by the white-light coronagraph allow an examination of coronal variations over a broad range of temporal scales. Examples of the slowest and most rapid variations are presented. An example of extremely slow coronal variations is the gradual evolution - to a large equatorial streamer - in association with a marked decrease in solar activity, as the total magnetic flux in one hemisphere decreased. Another example is given of a long-lived quasi-stable coronal streamer, apparently associated with a stable filament channel; comparison of this streamer with coronal potential-magnetic-field computations show little correlation. Some results on coronal transients - the most rapid variations observed - are summarized. Characteristic masses and energies involved in mass-ejection transients, their temporal and spatial distributions, their associations with surface phenomena and possible interplanetary signatures, and their role in coronal evolution are briefly noted.

Macqueen, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Turbulence in transient solar phenomena

If theta dependence is kept in the Navier-Stokes equations for the solar wind, than a density enhancement will grow. This growth is followed in the nonlinear equations until a streamer is formed. Viscosity stops the streamer's growth when there is a large difference in speeds inside and outside of the streamer. Using classical fluid mechanics and a latitude dependent hydrodynamical model, it is shown that unmagnetized perturbed flow evolves into high and low density regions. The growth mechanisms for density enrichments are discussed along with a nonlinear solution for their large amplitude development. It was found that a higher Reynolds number is needed to start turbulence in the presence of a magnetic field because energy is required to bend the field lines attached to the fluid. If cosmological gas was turbulent shortly after the big bang, then galaxies could have been formed by turbulent eddies.

Cross, M.↗