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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

A DETERMINATION OF THE NORTH–SOUTH HELIOSPHERIC MAGNETIC FIELD COMPONENT FROM INNER CORONA CLOSED-LOOP PROPAGATION

A component of the magnetic field measured in situ near the Earth in the solar wind is present from north–south fields from the low solar corona. Using the Current-sheet Source Surface model, these fields can be extrapolated upward from near the solar surface to 1 AU. Global velocities inferred from a combination of interplanetary scintillation observations matched to in situ velocities and densities provide the extrapolation to 1 AU assuming mass and mass flux conservation. The north–south field component is compared with the same ACE in situ magnetic field component—the Normal (Radial Tangential Normal) Bn coordinate—for three years throughout the solar minimum of the current solar cycle. We find a significant positive correlation throughout this period between this method of determining the Bn field compared with in situ measurements. Given this result from a study during the latest solar minimum, this indicates that a small fraction of the low-coronal Bn component flux regularly escapes from closed field regions. The prospects for Space Weather, where the knowledge of a Bz field at Earth is important for its geomagnetic field effects, is also now enhanced. This is because the Bn field provides the major portion of the Geocentric Solar Magnetospheric Bz field coordinate that couples most closely to the Earth’s geomagnetic field.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

SHIELDS Predicting Hazards that Results from Solar Storms

Extreme weather happens worldwide and it takes place in the magnetosphere. The magnetosphere is the place where the majority of earth’s satellites reside. These satellites provide weather forecasting and serve as national defense. When solar storms take place, they can damage satellites.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Neutral Atom Imaging of the Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Exosphere Interaction Near the Subsolar Magnetopause

Energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) created by charge-exchange of ions with the Earth's hydrogen exosphere near the subsolar magnetopause yield information on the distribution of plasma in the outer magnetosphere and magnetosheath. ENA observations from the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) are used to image magnetosheath plasma and, for the first time, low-energy magnetospheric plasma near the magnetopause. These images show that magnetosheath plasma is distributed fairly evenly near the subsolar magnetopause; however, low-energy magnetospheric plasma is not distributed evenly in the outer magnetosphere. Simultaneous images and in situ observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft from November 2015 (during the solar cycle declining phase) are used to derive the exospheric density. The ~11–17 cm –3 density at 10 R E is similar to that obtained previously for solar minimum. Thus, these combined results indicate that the exospheric density 10 R E from the Earth may have a weak dependence on solar cycle.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Structure of Disturbed Magnetosphere and Auroral Oval

A brief description of the structure of the magnetosphere—that is, permanent and temporary radiation belts, plasmasphere, and plasma layers—is presented. It is shown that the results of measurements of properties of energetic particles and plasma are sufficient for such a description. The outer night slope of the electron radiation belt is singled out as an individual domain where energetic particles do not complete a closedmagnetic drift and where substorm processes develop. This region, which is referred to as an auroralmagnetosphere, is often erroneously treated as only part of the radiation belt. In different domains of the magnetosphere, different mechanisms of the precipitation of particles causing Earth’s airglow in the form of auroras act independently. The properties and origin of these precipitated particles are different, and it is unreasonable to consider them as a unified formation—a ring or an auroral oval. It is equally erroneous to treat the oval as a kind of formation, a structure, or a domain of the magnetosphere and not as a manifestation of processes that proceed in domains.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Long-Term Science Goals with In Situ Observations at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L4

The Korean heliospheric community, led by the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), is currently assessing the viability of deploying a spacecraft at the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L4 in collaboration with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The aim of this mission is to utilize a combination of remote sensing and in situ instruments for comprehensive observations, complementing the capabilities of the L1 and L5 observatories. The paper outlines long-term scientific objectives, underscoring the significance of multi-point in-situ observations to better understand critical heliospheric phenomena. These include coronal mass ejections, magnetic flux ropes, heliospheric current sheets, kinetic waves and instabilities, suprathermal electrons and solar energetic particle events, as well as remote detection of solar radiation phenomena. Furthermore, the mission’s significance in advancing space weather prediction and space radiation exposure assessment models through the integration of L4 observations is discussed. This article is concluded with an emphasis on the potential of L4 observations to propel advancements in heliospheric science.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Los Alamos Space Weather Summer School: Institutional Computing 2016

During the summer school, students carry out independent research projects on a range of topics related to space weather. In 2016, one student used the LANL Institutional Computing resources. Results of this project were the first to demonstrate that the magnitude of radial diffusion is found to agree well with the early observations of the Earth's radiation belts, indicating this effect should be included in community models of the radiation belts.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Corotating Magnetic Reconnection Site in Saturn’s Magnetosphere

Using measurements from the Cassini spacecraft in Saturn’s magnetosphere, we propose a 3D physical picture of a corotating reconnection site, which can only be driven by an internally generated source. Our results demonstrate that the corotating magnetic reconnection can drive an expansion of the current sheet in Saturn’s magnetosphere and, consequently, can produce Fermi acceleration of electrons. This reconnection site lasted for longer than one of Saturn’s rotation period. The long-lasting and corotating natures of the magnetic reconnection site at Saturn suggest fundamentally different roles of magnetic reconnection in driving magnetospheric dynamics (e.g., the auroral precipitation) from the Earth. Our corotating reconnection picture could also potentially shed light on the fast rotating magnetized plasma environments in the solar system and beyond.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Prompt acceleration of magnetospheric electrons to ultrarelativistic energies by the 17 March 2015 interplanetary shock

Trapped electrons in Earth's outer Van Allen radiation belt are influenced profoundly by solar phenomena such as high-speed solar wind streams, coronal mass ejections (CME), and interplanetary (IP) shocks. In particular, strong IP shocks compress the magnetosphere suddenly and result in rapid energization of electrons within minutes. It is believed that the electric fields induced by the rapid change in the geomagnetic field are responsible for the energization. During the latter part of March 2015, a CME impact led to the most powerful geomagnetic storm (minimum Dst = -223 nT at 17 March, 23 UT) observed not only during the Van Allen Probe era but also the entire preceding decade. Magnetospheric response in the outer radiation belt eventually resulted in elevated levels of energized electrons. The CME itself was preceded by a strong IP shock whose immediate effects vis-a-vis electron energization were observed by sensors on board the Van Allen Probes. The comprehensive and high-quality data from the Van Allen Probes enable the determination of the location of the electron injection, timescales, and spectral aspects of the energized electrons. The observations clearly show that ultrarelativistic electrons with energies E > 6 MeV were injected deep into the magnetosphere at L ≈ 3 within about 2 min of the shock impact. However, electrons in the energy range of ≈250 keV to ≈900 keV showed no immediate response to the IP shock. Finally, electric and magnetic fields resulting from the shock-driven compression complete the comprehensive set of observations that provide a full description of the near-instantaneous electron energization.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Observation of a Knotted Electron Diffusion Region in Earth's Magnetotail Reconnection

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma process that alters the magnetic field topology and releases magnetic energy. Most numerical simulations and spacecraft observations assume a two‐dimensional diffusion region, with the electron diffusion region (EDR) embedded in the same plane as the ion diffusion region (IDR) and a uniform guide field throughout. Using observations from Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, we report a non‐coplanar, knotted EDR in Earth's magnetotail current sheet. The reconnection plane of the knotted EDR deviates by approximately 38° from that of the IDR, with the guide field exhibiting both a 38° directional shift and a twofold increase in amplitude. Moreover, the Hall magnetic field is bipolar in the EDR but quadrupolar in the IDR, indicating different Hall current structures at electron and ion scales. These observations highlight the importance of three‐dimensional effects and illustrate the complexity of multiscale coupling between the EDR and IDR during reconnection studies.

diffusion region↗
DOE OSTI2017

Integrating Research of the Sun-Earth System

Understanding the complex interactions between the magnetic fields of the Sun and Earth remains an important challenge to space physics research. Processes that occur near the Sun at tens of thousands of kilometers from the Earth can generate geomagnetic storms that affect the entire magnetosphere, down to the upper atmosphere. These storms also threaten the ever more sophisticated technologies that we place into the space environment to sustain us, for example, GPS, the satellites we rely on to monitor our weather, and relays that guide our radio transmissions. Increasingly, we need to develop space weather models that can provide timely and accurate predictions so that we can safeguard our society and the infrastructure we depend on.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Oxygen Ion Dynamics in the Earth's Ring Current: Van Allen Probes Observations

Oxygen (O + ) enhancements in the inner magnetosphere are often observed during geomagnetically active times, such as geomagnetic storms. In this study, we quantitatively examine the difference in ring current dynamics with and without a substantial O + ion population based on almost 6 years of Van Allen Probes observations. Here, our results have not only confirmed previous finding of the role of O + ions to the ring current but also found that abundant O + ions are always present during large storms when sym-H < -60 nT without exception, while having the pressure ratio ($\mathscr{R}$) between O + and proton (H + ) larger than 0.8 and occasionally even larger than 1 when L < 3. Simultaneously, the pressure anisotropy decreases with decreasing sym-H and increasing L shell. The pressure anisotropy decrease during the storm main phase is likely related to the pitch angle isotropization processes. In addition, we find that $\mathscr{R}$ increases during the storm main phase and then decreases during the storm recovery phase, suggesting faster buildup and decay of O + pressure compared to H + ions, which are probably associated with some species dependent source and/or energization as well as loss processes in the inner magnetosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Axion-photon conversion in strongly magnetised plasmas

Axion dark matter can resonantly convert to photons in the magnetosphere of neutron stars, possibly giving rise to radio signals observable on Earth. This method for the indirect detection of axion dark matter has recently received significant attention in the literature. The calculation of the radio signal is complicated by a number of effects; most importantly, the gravitational infall of the axions onto the neutron star accelerates them to semi-relativistic speed, and the neutron star magnetosphere is highly anisotropic. Both of these factors complicate the calculation of the conversion of axions to photons. In this work, we present the first fully three-dimensional calculation of the axion-photon conversion in highly magnetised anisotropic media. Depending on the axion trajectory, this calculation leads to orders-of-magnitude differences in the conversion compared to the simplified one-dimensional calculation used so far in the literature, altering the directionality of the produced photons. Our results will have important implications for the radio signal one would observe in a telescope.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Can strong substorm-associated MeV electron injections be an important cause of large radiation belt enhancements?

It has become well-established that strong outer radiation belt enhancements are due to wave-driven electron energization by whistler-mode chorus waves. However, in this study, we examine strong MeV electron injections on 10 July 2019 and find substantial evidence that such injections may be a crucial contributor to outer radiation belt enhancement events. For such an examination, it is essential to precisely separate temporal flux changes from spatial variations observed as Van Allen Probes move along their orbits. Employing a new “hourly snapshot” analysis approach, we discover unprecedented details of electron flux evolutions that suggest that for this event, the outer belt enhancement was not continuous but instead intermittent, mostly composed of 4 large discrete injection-driven flux increases. The injections appear as sharp flux increases when observed near apogee. Otherwise, by comparing hourly snapshots for different times, we infer injections and infer temporally stable fluxes between injections, despite strong and continuous chorus emission. The fast and intermittent electron flux growth successively extending earthwards implies cumulative outer belt enhancement via a series of repetitive inward transport associated with injection-induced electric fields.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Threatening Magnetic and Plasma Environment of the TRAPPIST-1 Planets

Recently, four additional Earth-mass planets were discovered orbiting the nearby ultracool M8 dwarf, TRAPPIST-1, making a remarkable total of seven planets with equilibrium temperatures compatible with the presence of liquid water on their surface. Temperate terrestrial planets around an M-dwarf orbit close to their parent star, rendering their atmospheres vulnerable to erosion by the stellar wind and energetic electromagnetic and particle radiation. Here, we use state-of-the-art 3D magnetohydrodynamic models to simulate the wind around TRAPPIST-1 and study the conditions at each planetary orbit. All planets experience a stellar wind pressure between 10{sup 3} and 10{sup 5} times the solar wind pressure on Earth. All orbits pass through wind pressure changes of an order of magnitude and most planets spend a large fraction of their orbital period in the sub-Alfvénic regime. For plausible planetary magnetic field strengths, all magnetospheres are greatly compressed and undergo much more dynamic change than that of the Earth. The planetary magnetic fields connect with the stellar radial field over much of the planetary surface, allowing the direct flow of stellar wind particles onto the planetary atmosphere. These conditions could result in strong atmospheric stripping and evaporation and should be taken into account for any realistic assessment of the evolution and habitability of the TRAPPIST-1 planets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Measurement of the Magnetic Reconnection Rate in the Earth's Magnetotail

In the Earth's magnetotail, magnetic reconnection releases stored magnetic energy and drives magnetospheric convection. The rate at which magnetic flux is transferred from the reconnection inflow to outflow regions is determined by the reconnection electric field E r , which is often referred to as the unnormalized reconnection rate. To better quantify the efficiency of reconnection, this electric field E r is often normalized by the characteristic Alfvén speed and the reconnecting magnetic field. This parameter is generally called the normalized or dimensionless reconnection rate R . In this paper, we employ a two–dimensional fully kinetic simulation to model a magnetotail reconnection event with weak geomagnetic activity (<200 nT of the AE index) observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission on 11 July 2017. We obtain R and E r from direct measurements in the diffusion region and indirect measurements of the rate at the separatrix using a recently proposed remote sensing technique. The measured normalized rate for this MMS event is R ~0.15–0.2, consistent with theoretical and simulation models of fast collisionless reconnection. This corresponds to an unnormalized rate of E r ~2–3 mV/m. Based on quantitative consistencies between the simulation and the MMS observations, we conclude that our estimates of the reconnection rates are reasonably accurate. Here, given that past studies have found E r of the order ~10 mV/m during strong geomagnetic substorms, these results indicate that the local E r in magnetotail reconnection may be an important parameter controlling the amplitude of geomagnetic disturbances.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

A STATISTICAL SURVEY OF DYNAMIC PRESSURE PULSES IN THE SOLAR WIND BASED ON WIND OBSERVATIONS

Solar wind dynamic pressure pulse (DPP) structures, across which the dynamic pressure changes abruptly over timescales from a few seconds to several minutes, are often observed in the near-Earth space environment. The space weather effects of DPPs on the magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling system have been widely investigated in the last two decades. In this study, we perform a statistical survey on the properties of DPPs near 1 AU based on nearly 20 years of observations from the WIND spacecraft. It is found that only a tiny fraction of DPPs (around 4.2%) can be regarded as interplanetary shocks. For most DPPs, the total pressure (the sum of the thermal pressure and magnetic pressure) remains in equilibrium, but there also exists a small fraction of DPPs that are not pressure-balanced. The overwhelming majority of DPPs are associated with solar wind disturbances, including coronal mass ejection-related flows, corotating interaction regions, as well as complex ejecta. The annual variations of the averaged occurrence rate of DPPs are roughly in phase with the solar activity during solar cycle 23, and during the rising phase of solar cycle 24.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Stellar wind impact on early atmospheres around unmagnetized Earth-like planets

ABSTRACT Stellar rotation at early ages plays a crucial role in the survival of primordial atmospheres around Earth-mass exoplanets. Earth-like planets orbiting fast-rotating stars may undergo complete photoevaporation within the first few hundred Myr driven by the enhanced stellar XUV [X-rays and extreme ultraviolet (EUV)] radiation, while planets orbiting slow-rotating stars are expected to experience difficulty in losing their primordial envelopes. Besides the action of stellar radiation, stellar winds induce additional erosion on these primordial atmospheres, altering their morphology, extent, and causing supplementary atmospheric losses. In this paper, we study the impact of activity-dependent stellar winds on primordial atmospheres to evaluate the extent to which the action of these winds can be significant in the whole planetary evolution at early evolutionary stages. We performed 3D magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations of the interaction of photoevaporating atmospheres around unmagnetized Earth-mass planets in the time span between 50 and 500 Myr, analysing the joint evolution of stellar winds and atmospheres for both fast- and slow-rotating stars. Our results reveal substantial changes in the evolution of primordial atmospheres when influenced by fast-rotating stars, with a significant reduction in extent at early ages. In contrast, atmospheres embedded in the stellar winds from slow-rotating stars remain largely unaltered. The interaction of the magnetized stellar winds with the ionized upper atmospheres of these planets allows us to evaluate the formation and evolution of different MHD structures, such as double bow shocks and induced magnetospheres. This work will shed light on the first evolutionary stages of Earth-like exoplanets, which are of crucial relevance in terms of planet habitability.

Astronomy & Astrophysics↗
DOE OSTI2023

Diffuse auroral precipitation driven by lower-band chorus second harmonics

Diffuse aurora at the Earth’s high latitude regions is mainly caused by the low-energy (0.1–30 keV) electron precipitation which carries the major energy flux into the nightside upper atmosphere. Previous studies have demonstrated that combined scattering by the upper- and lower- band chorus waves acts as the dominant cause of diffuse auroral precipitation, but that is not necessarily the case as these two types of waves do not always occur simultaneously, with the lower-band more often. Here we report that the lower-band chorus satisfying the preferred condition can generate their second harmonics so as to trigger the diffuse auroral electron precipitation. We find that the lower-band chorus alone can only cause the precipitation of electrons greater than 4 keV, while the self-consistently generated second harmonic is weak but still able to result in the electron precipitation below 4 keV. The combined effect of those modes results in the observed pancake electron distributions and the diffuse aurora. Our results clearly demonstrate an alternative but universal mechanism of chorus-driven diffuse aurora in the Earth, which may also apply to the auroral formation in other planetary magnetospheres.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗