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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1974

Studies of solar magnetic fields. II - The magnetic fluxes

Magnetic flux data from the Mount Wilson magnetograph are examined over the interval 1967-1973. The total flux in the north is greater than that in the south by about 7% over this interval, reflecting a higher level of activity in the northern hemisphere. Close to 95% of the total flux is confined to latitudes equatorward of 40 degrees, which means that close to 95% of the flux cancels with flux of opposite polarity before it can migrate poleward of 40 degrees. It is pointed out that a consequence of this flux distribution is that ephemeral regions must make a negligible contribution to the long-term large-scale magnetic flux distribution. A broad peak in the total flux may be seen centered about one year after activity maximum in the north below 40 degrees. In the south there is a very sharp increase in flux about the same time. In the north, several poleward migrations of flux may be seen.

Howard, R.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Magnetic flux in modeled magnetic clouds at 1 AU and some specific comparisons to associated photospheric flux

In order to better understand the solar origins of magnetic clouds, statistical distributions of the estimated axial magnetic flux of 30 magnetic clouds at 1 AU, separated according to their occurrence during the solar cycle, were obtained and a comparison was made of the magnetic flux of a magnetic cloud to the aggregate flux of apparently associated photospheric magnetic flux tubes, for some specific cases. The 30 magnetic clouds comprise 12 cases from WIND, and the remainder from IMP-8, earlier IMPs, the International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE) 3 and HELIOS. The total magnetic flux along the cloud axis was estimated using a constant alpha, cylindrical, force-free flux rope model to determine cloud diameter and axial magentic field strength. The distribution of magentic fluxes for the 30 clouds is shown to be in the form of a skewed Gaussian.

Lepping, R. P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Emerging flux, magnetic reconnection, plasma turbulence and waves in the transition zone of the solar atmosphere

Ultraviolet spectroscopy of the solar transition zone, especially Spacelab 2 results, is reviewed. Emerging magnetic flux is considered as the energy source of the solar corona and the solar wind. The conversion of magnetic into kinetic energy is facilitated in the transition zone because of unique conditions. Radiation losses are sufficient to create fast instabilities. Observed nonthermal velocities in spectra of the transition zone indicate the existence of strong plasma oscillations and turbulence. The small filling factor of the transition zone indicates a highly filamentary structure of density, magnetic field strength, and currents, which results in rapid reconnection time scales. Particle acceleration and the heating of the corona are placed in the areas of strong plasma oscillations of the transition zone.

Brueckner, G. E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Evolution of magnetic flux ropes associated with flux transfer events and interplanetary magnetic clouds

Spacecraft observations suggest that flux transfer events and interplanetary magnetic clouds may be associated with magnetic flux ropes which are magnetic flux tubes containing helical magnetic field lines. In the magnetic flux ropes, the azimuthal magnetic field is superposed on the axial field. The time evolution of a localized magnetic flux rope is studied. A two-dimensional compressible MHD simulation code with a cylindrical symmetry is developed to study the wave modes associated with the evolution of flux ropes. It is found that in the initial phase both the fast magnetosonic wave and the Alfven wave are developed in the flux rope. After this initial phase, the Alfven wave becomes the dominant wave mode for the evolution of the magnetic flux rope and the radial expansion velocity of the flux rope is found to be negligible. Numerical results further show that even for a large initial azimuthal component of the magnetic field, the propagation velocity along the axial direction of the flux rope remains the Alfven velocity. It is also found that the localized magnetic flux rope tends to evolve into two separate magnetic ropes propagating in opposite directions. The simulation results are used to study the evolution of magnetic flux ropes associated with flux transfer events observed at the earth's dayside magnetopause and magnetic clouds in the interplanetary space.

Wei, C. Q.↗
NASA NTRS1966

Magnetic-flux pump

A magnetic flux pump is described for increasing the intensity of a magnetic field by transferring flux from one location to the magnetic field. The device includes a pair of communicating cavities formed in a block of superconducting material, and a piston for displacing the trapped magnetic flux into the secondary cavity producing a field having an intense flux density.

Hildebrandt, A. F.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Magnetic Flux Circulation During Dawn-Dusk Oriented Interplanetary Magnetic Field

Magnetic flux circulation is a primary mode of energy transfer from the solar wind into the ionosphere and inner magnetosphere. For southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), magnetic flux circulation is described by the Dungey cycle (dayside merging, night side reconnection, and magnetospheric convection), and both the ionosphere and inner magnetosphere receive energy. For dawn-dusk oriented IMF, magnetic flux circulation is not well understood, and the inner magnetosphere does not receive energy. Several models have been suggested for possible reconnection patterns; the general pattern is: dayside merging; reconnection on the dayside or along the dawn/dusk regions; and, return flow on dayside only. These models are consistent with the lack of energy in the inner magnetosphere. We will present evidence that the Dungey cycle does not explain the energy transfer during dawn-dusk oriented IMF. We will also present evidence of how magnetic flux does circulate during dawn-dusk oriented IMF, specifically how the magnetic flux reconnects and circulates back.

Mitchell, E. J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

On the Solar Open Magnetic Flux Problem

The solar magnetic fields emerging from the photosphere into the chromosphere and corona are comprised of a combination of “closed” (field lines with both ends rooted at the Sun) and “open” (field lines with only one end at the Sun) fields. Since the early 2000’s, the magnitude of total unsigned open magnetic flux estimated by coronal models has been in significant disagreement with in situ spacecraft observations, especially during solar maximum. Estimates of total open unsigned magnetic flux using coronal hole observations (e.g., using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) or Helium (He) are in general agreement with the coronal model results and thus show similar disagreements with in situ observations. This paper provides a brief overview of the problem, summarizes the proposed explanations for the discrepancies, and presents results that strongly support the explanation that the discrepancy is due to dynamics at the open-closed boundary. These results are derived from determination of the total unsigned open magnetic flux, utilizing the Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA) model at a particular spatial resolution and different field-line tracing methods. One of these methods produces excellent agreement with in situ observations. Our results imply that active regions residing near the boundaries of mid-latitude coronal holes are the primary source of the missing open flux. Furthermore, they resolve many of the seemingly contradictory facts that have made resolving the open-flux problem so difficult.

Charles Arge↗
NASA NTRS1984

Evolution of Solar Magnetic Flux

The appearance of solar magnetic flux is discussed; both the mechanisms and phenomena associated with flux emergence are considered. The dynamics of solar surface magnetic flux are addressed, including both the transport and structure of magnetic-flux-carrying elements as seen in the chromosphere and corona. The disappearance of magnetic flux from the surface of the Sun is also discussed. Standard solar models representing generally accepted views are considered along with observations which seem to fall outside the scope of these models.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1991

Plasmoids as magnetic flux ropes

A magnetic flux rope model is developed and used to determine whether the principal axis analysis (PAA) of magnetometer signatures from a single satellite pass is sufficient to obtain the magnetic topology of plasmoids. The model is also used to determine if plasmoid observations are best explained by the flux rope, closed loop, or large-amplitude wave picture. It was found that the principal axis directions is highly dependent on the satellite trajectory through the structure and, therefore, the PAA of magnetometer data from a single satellite pass is insufficient to differentiate between magnetic closed loop and flux rope models. Results also indicate that the flux rope model of plasmoid formation is well suited to unify the observations of various magnetic structures observed by ISEE 3.

Moldwin, Mark B.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Magnetic flux rope versus the spheromak as models for interplanetary magnetic clouds

Magnetic clouds form a subset of interplanetary ejecta with well-defined magnetic and thermodynamic properties. Observationally, it is well established that magnetic clouds expand as they propagate antisunward. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast two models which have been proposed for the global magnetic field line topology of magnetic clouds: a magnetic flux tube geometry, on the one hand, and a spheromak geometry (including possible higher multiples), on the other. Traditionally, the magnetic structure of magnetic clouds has been modeled by force-free configurations. In a first step, we therefore analyze the ability of static force-free models to account for the asymmetries observed in the magnetic field profiles of magnetic clouds. For a cylindrical flux tube the magnetic field remains symmetric about closest approach to the magnetic axis on all spacecraft orbits intersecting it, whereas in a spheromak geometry one can have asymmetries in the magnetic field signatures along some spacecraft trajectories. The duration of typical magnetic cloud encounters at 1 AU (1 to 2 days) is comparable to their travel time from the Sun to 1 AU and thus magnetic clouds should be treated as strongly nonstationary objects. In a second step, therefore, we abandon the static approach and model magnetic clouds as self-similarly evolving MHD configurations. In our theory, the interaction of the expanding magnetic cloud with the ambient plasma is taken into account by a drag force proportional to the density and the velocity of expansion. Solving rigorously the full set of MHD equations, we demonstrate that the asymmetry in the magnetic signature may arise solely as a result of expansion. Using asymptotic solutions of the MHD equations, we least squares fit both theoretical models to interplanetary data. We find that while the central part of the magnetic cloud is adequately described by both models, the 'edges' of the cloud data are modeled better by the magnetic flux tube. Further comparisons of the two models necessarily involve thermodynamic properties, since real magnetic configurations are never exactly force-free and gas pressure plays an essential role. We consider a polytropic gas. Our theoretical analysis shows that the self-similar expansion of a magnetic flux tube requires the polytropic index gamma to be less than unity. For the spheromak, however, self-similar, radially expanding solutions are known only for gamma equal to 4/3. This difference, therefore, yields a good way of distinguishing between the two geometries. It has been shown recently that the polytropic relationship is applicable to magnetic clouds and that the corresponding polytropic index is approximately 0.5. This observational result is consistent with the self-similar model of the magnetic flux rope but is in conflict with the self-similar spheromak model.

Farrugia, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

A magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the formation of magnetic flux tubes at the earth's dayside magnetopause

Dayside magnetic reconnection was studied by using a three-dimensional global magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere. Two different mechanisms were found for the formation of magnetic flux tubes at the dayside magnetopause, which depend on the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The dayside magnetic flux tubes occur only when the IMF has a southward component. A strongly twisted and localized magnetic flux tube similar to magnetic flux ropes appears at the subsolar magnetopause when the IMF has a large B(y) component. When the B(y) component is small, twin flux tubes appear at the dayside magnetopause. Both types of magnetic flux tube are consistent with several observational features of flux transfer events and are generated by antiparallel magnetic reconnection.

Ogino, Tatsuki↗
NASA NTRS1991

Magnetic flux transport of decaying active regions and enhanced magnetic network

Several series of coordinated observations on decaying active regions and enhanced magnetic network regions on the sun were carried out jointly at Big Bear Solar Observatory and at the Huairou Solar Observing Station of the Bejing Astronomical Observatory in China. The magnetic field evolution in several regions was followed closely for three to seven days. The magnetic flux transport from the remnants of decayed active regions was studied, along with the evolution and lifetime of the magnetic network which defines the boundaries of supergranules. The magnetic flux transport in an enhanced network region was studied in detail and found to be negative. Also briefly described are some properties of moving magnetic features around a sunspot. Results of all of the above studies are presented.

Wang, Haimin↗
NASA NTRS2005

Magnetic-Flux-Compensated Voltage Divider

A magnetic-flux-compensated voltage-divider circuit has been proposed for use in measuring the true potential across a component that is exposed to large, rapidly varying electric currents like those produced by lightning strikes. An example of such a component is a lightning arrester, which is typically exposed to currents of the order of tens of kiloamperes, having rise times of the order of hundreds of nanoseconds. Traditional voltage-divider circuits are not designed for magnetic-flux-compensation: They contain uncompensated loops having areas large enough that the transient magnetic fluxes associated with large transient currents induce spurious voltages large enough to distort voltage-divider outputs significantly. A drawing of the proposed circuit was not available at the time of receipt of information for this article. What is known from a summary textual description is that the proposed circuit would contain a total of four voltage dividers: There would be two mixed dividers in parallel with each other and with the component of interest (e.g., a lightning arrester), plus two mixed dividers in parallel with each other and in series with the component of interest in the same plane. The electrical and geometric configuration would provide compensation for induced voltages, including those attributable to asymmetry in the volumetric density of the lightning or other transient current, canceling out the spurious voltages and measuring the true voltage across the component.

Mata, Carlos T.↗
NASA NTRS2010

The Evolution of Open Magnetic Flux Driven by Photospheric Dynamics

The coronal magnetic field is of paramount importance in solar and heliospheric physics. Two profoundly different views of the coronal magnetic field have emerged. In quasi-steady models, the predominant source of open magnetic field is in coronal holes. In contrast, in the interchange model, the open magnetic flux is conserved, and the coronal magnetic field can only respond to the photospheric evolution via interchange reconnection. In this view the open magnetic flux diffuses through the closed, streamer belt fields, and substantial open flux is present in the streamer belt during solar minimum. However, Antiochos and co-workers, in the form of a conjecture, argued that truly isolated open flux cannot exist in a configuration with one heliospheric current sheet (HCS) - it will connect via narrow corridors to the polar coronal hole of the same polarity. This contradicts the requirements of the interchange model. We have performed an MHD simulation of the solar corona up to 20R solar to test both the interchange model and the Antiochos conjecture. We use a synoptic map for Carrington Rotation 1913 as the boundary condition for the model, with two small bipoles introduced into the region where a positive polarity extended coronal hole forms. We introduce flows at the photospheric boundary surface to see if open flux associated with the bipoles can be moved into the closed-field region. Interchange reconnection does occur in response to these motions. However, we find that the open magnetic flux cannot be simply injected into closed-field regions - the flux eventually closes down and disconnected flux is created. Flux either opens or closes, as required, to maintain topologically distinct open and closed field regions, with no indiscriminate mixing of the two. The early evolution conforms to the Antiochos conjecture in that a narrow corridor of open flux connects the portion of the coronal hole that is nearly detached by one of the bipoles. In the later evolution, a detached coronal hole forms, in apparent violation of the Antiochos conjecture. Further investigation reveals that this detached coronal hole is actually linked to the extended coronal hole by a separatrix footprint on the photosphere of zero width. Therefore, the essential idea of the conjecture is preserved, if we modify it to state that coronal holes in the same polarity region are always linked, either by finite width corridors or separatrix footprints. The implications of these results for interchange reconnection and the sources of the slow solar wind are briefly discussed.

Linker, Jon A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Forced three-dimensional magnetic reconnection due to linkage of magnetic flux tubes

During periods of southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation the magnetic field geometry at the dayside magnetopause is susceptible to magnetic reconnection. It has been suggested that reconnection may occur in a localized manner at several patches on the magnetopause. A major problem with this picture is the interaction of magnetic flux ropes which are generated by different reconnection processes. An individual flux rope is bent elbowlike where it intersects the magnetopause and the magnetic field changes from magnetospheric to interplanetary magnetic field orientation. Multiple patches of reconnection can lead to the formation of interlinked magnetic flux tubes. Although the corresponding flux is connected to the IMF the northward and southward connected branches are hooked into each other and cannot develop independently. We have studied this problem in the framework of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations. The results indicate that a singular current sheet forms at the interface of two interlinked flux tubes if no resistivity is present in the simulation. This current sheet is strongly tilted compared to the original current sheet. In the presence of resistivity the interaction of the two flux tubes forces a fast reconnection process which generates helically twisted closed magnetospheric flux. This linkage induced reconnection generates a boundary layer with layers of open and closed magnetospheric flux and may account for the brightening of auroral arcs poleward of the boundary between open and closed magnetic flux.

Otto, A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

A correlative study of magnetic flux transfer in the magnetosphere

The applied magnetic flux of the southward component of the IMF in GSM coordinates (Bz-) which impinges upon the sunward magnetopause is compared to the time integral of the auroral AL index during 56 intervals within a 3-month period in 1969 when interplanetary records from Heos 1 and Explorer 35 were available. The periods of magnetic activity were those for which Bz was greater than 0 and AL was less than 20gamma at the beginning and end of the interval. It was found that for these intervals, the time integral of the AL index was proportional to the applied magnetic flux with a correlation coefficient of 0.94. In addition, the empirical relationships between magnetic flux transfer, applied southward flux, and the time integral of AL arrived at by Holzer and Slavin (1978) on the basis of expansion and contractions of the forward magnetosphere observed with OGO 5 are reexamined and improved.

Holzer, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Coronal Heating and the Increase of Coronal Luminosity with Magnetic Flux

We present the observed scaling of coronal luminosity with magnetic flux in a set of quiet regions. Comparison of this with the observed scaling found for active regions suggests an underlying difference between coronal heating in active regions and quiet regions. From SOHO/EIT coronal images and SOHO/MDI magnetograms of four similar large quiet regions, we measure L(sub corona) and Phi(sub total) in random subregions ranging in area from about four supergranules [(70,000 km)(exp 2)] to about 100 supergranules [(0.5 R(sub sun))(exp 2)], where L(sub corona) is the luminosity of the corona in a subregion and Phi(sub total) is the flux content of the magnetic network in the subregion. This sampling of our quiet regions yields a correlation plot of Log L(sub corona) vs Log Phi(sub total) appropriate for comparison with the corresponding plot for active regions. For our quiet regions, the mean values of L(sub corona) and Phi(sub total) both increase linearly with area (simply because each set of subregions of the same area has very nearly the same mean coronal luminosity per unit area and mean magnetic flux per unit area), and in each constant-area set the values of L(sub corona) and Phi(sub total) 'scatter' about their means for that area. This results in the linear least-squares fit to the Log ((L (sub corona)), vs Log ((Phi (sub total)) plot having a slope somewhat less than one. If active regions mimicked our quiet regions in that all large sets of same-area active regions had the same mean coronal luminosity per unit area and same mean magnetic flux per unit area, then the least-squares fit to their Log((L (sub corona)) vs Log((Phi (sub total)) plot would also have a slope of less than one. Instead, the slope for active regions is 1.2. Given the observed factor of three scatter about the least-squares linear fit, this slope is consistent with Phi(sub total) on average increasing linearly with area (A) as in quiet regions, but L(sub corona) on average increasing as the volume (A(exp 1.5)) of the active region instead of as the area. This possibility is reasonable if the heating in active regions is a burning down of previously-stored coronal magnetic energy rather than a steady dissipation of energy flux from below as expected in quiet regions.

Moore, R. L.↗