Orientation of Middle-Scale Structures in the Solar Wind Plasma

An estimation of the value and orientation of the inclination of middle-scale structures in the solar wind plasma is obtained on the basis of time lags of simultaneous correlated measurements on three spacecraft: INTERBALL-1, IMP-8, and WIND. It is shown that middle-scale plasma structures, in the majority of cases, are not perpendicular to the Sun–Earth line, but inclined to it (presumably, in the ecliptic plane), on average, at an angle of approximately 63° (or 27° to the Y _SE axis). However, this inclination is significantly less than the inclination of the Parker spiral for the interplanetary magnetic field (45° at the Earth's orbit).     

Bursts of geomagnetic pulsations in the frequency range 0.2-5 Hz excited by large changes of the solar wind pressure

We present the results of studying the magnetospheres’s response to sharp changes of the solar wind flow (pressure) based on observations of variations of the ions flux of the solar wind onboard the Inreball-1 satellite and of geomagnetic pulsations (the data of two mid-latitude observatories and one auroral observatory are used). It is demonstrated that, when changes of flow runs into the magnetosphere, in some cases short (duration ~ < 5 min) bursts of geomagnetic pulsations are excited in the frequency range Δf~ 0.2–5 Hz. The bursts of two types are observed: noise bursts without frequency changes and wide-band ones with changing frequency during the burst. A comparison is made of various properties of these bursts generated by pressure changes at constant velocity of the solar wind and by pressure changes on the fronts of interplanetary shock waves at different directions of the vertical component of the interplanetary magnetic field.     

Influence of Solar Wind Parameters on the Level of Geomagnetic Field Fluctuations

We investigated the dependence of the geomagnetic activity index K _p on the velocity and density of the solar wind and the intensity of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). A three-layer neural network was used to create the model. The degree of the influence of input parameters on K _p was determined by the value of the mean and root-mean square deviations of the model index values from the real indices. It was found that the largest contribution to the K _p index is provided by the Z component of the IMF, the velocity and density of the solar wind measured with a delay from 0 to 3 h relative to the studied value of K _p, and the previous value of the index itself. For the model with such a set of input parameters, the correlation coefficient between model and real series is ±0.89. The analysis of deviations from the real values of K _p showed that high indices are simulated worse than low indices. In order to solve this problem the data distribution was reduced to a uniform distribution over K _p, and this considerably decreased the standard deviations for large values of K _p.     

Fine structure of the interplanetary shock front according to measurements of the ion flux of the solar wind with high time resolution

According to the data of the BMSW/SPEKTR-R instrument, which measured the density and velocity of solar wind plasma with a record time resolution, up to ~3 ×10^–2 s, the structure of the front of interplanetary shocks has been investigated. The results of these first investigations were compared with the results of studying the structure of the bow shocks obtained in previous years. A comparison has shown that the quasi-stationary (averaged over the rapid oscillations) distribution of plasma behind the interplanetary shock front was significantly more inhomogeneous than that behind the bow-shock front, i.e., in the magnetosheath. It has also been shown that, to determine the size of internal structures of the fronts of quasi-perpendicular (θ_BN > 45°) shocks, one could use the magnetic field magnitude, the proton density, and the proton flux of the solar wind on almost equal terms. A comparison of low Mach (М _А < 2), low beta (β₁ < 1) fronts of interplanetary and bow shocks has shown that the dispersion of oblique magnetosonic waves plays an essential role in their formation.     

Catalog of large-scale solar wind phenomena during 1976–2000

The main goal of this paper is to compile a catalog of large-scale phenomena in the solar wind over the observation period of 1976–2000 using the measurement data presented in the OMNI database. This work included several stages. At first the original OMNI database was supplemented by certain key parameters of the solar wind that determine the type of the solar wind stream. The following parameters belong to this group: the plasma ratio β, thermal (NkT) and kinetic (mNV ²) pressures of the solar wind, the ratio T/T _exp of measured and expected temperatures, gradients of the plasma velocity and density, and the magnetic field gradient. The results of visualization of basic plasma parameters that determine the character of the solar wind stream are presented on the website of the Space Research Institute, Moscow. Preliminary identification of basic types of the solar wind stream (FAST and SLOW streams, Heliospheric Current Sheet (HCS), Corotating Interaction Region (CIR), EJECTA (or Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections), Magnetic Cloud (MC), SHEATH (compression region before EJECTA/MC), rarified region RARE, and interplanetary shock wave IS) had been made with the help of a preliminary identification program using the preset threshold criteria for plasma and interplanetary magnetic field parameters. Final identification was done by comparison with the results of visual analysis of the solar wind data. In conclusion, histograms of distributions and statistical characteristics are presented for some parameters of various large-scale types of the solar wind.     

Relationship between the fluxes of relativistic electrons at geosynchronous orbit and the level of ULF activity on the Earth’s surface and in the solar wind during the 23rd solar activity cycle

We present the results of a cross-correlation analysis made on the basis of Spearman’s rank correlation method. The quantities to correlate are daily values of the fluence of energetic electrons at a geosynchronous orbit, intensities of ground and interplanetary ultra-low-frequency (ULF) oscillations in the Pc5 range, and parameters of the solar wind. The period under analysis is the 23rd cycle of solar activity, 1996–2006. Daily (from 6 h to 18 h of LT) magnetic data at two diametrically opposite observatories of the Intermagnet network are taken as ground-based measurements. The fluxes of electrons with energies higher than 2 MeV were measured by the geosynchronous GOES satellites. The data of magnetometers and plasma instruments installed on ACE and WIND spacecraft were used for analysis of the solar wind parameters and of the oscillations of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Some results elucidating the role played by interplanetary ULF waves in the processes of generation of magneospheric oscillations and acceleration of energetic electrons are obtained. Among them are (i) high and stable correlation of ground ULF oscillations with waves in the solar wind; (ii) closer link of mean daily amplitudes of both interplanetary and ground oscillations with ‘tomorrow’ values of the solar wind velocity than with current values; and (iii) correlation of the intensity of ULF waves in the solar wind, normalized to the IMF magnitude, with fluxes of relativistic electrons in the magnetosphere.     

Properties of Sharp and Large Changes in the Solar Wind Ion Flux (Density)

The results of a detailed study of large (by 20% and more) and sharp (faster than ten minutes) changes of the ion flux in the solar wind are presented. The data are provided by regular measurements onboard the INTERBALL-1 satellite in the period 1996–1999. Using statistical analysis, we obtained the distribution of these changes in their absolute and relative strength. It is shown that, for a considerable proportion of the events, such sharp and large changes of the ion flux (density) take place under conditions of fairly constant values of the solar wind velocity and of both the magnitude and components of the interplanetary magnetic field.     

Nonlinear Localized Electrostatic Structures and Their Experimental Diagnostics in the Magnetosphere Plasma

The theoretical models of the formation of the three-dimensional quasi-stationary structures of variations of density and electrostatic potential in a multicomponent magnetosphere plasma are considered. On the basis of the perturbation method, we have studied the domains of the parametric space, where the occurrence of nonlinear quasi-stationary ion-acoustic and electron-acoustic structures are possible. For these structures, the velocities of motion along the direction of the magnetic field are estimated, together with the longitudinal and transverse scales with respect to the direction of the Earth's magnetic field. The calculated dependences of the scales l and l _|| of the structures on the plasma parameters in the three-component plasma allow one to compare the results of the considered theoretical models with new experimental data of measuring the form of soliton structures onboard the FAST, POLAR, and GEOTAIL satellites.     

Sharp Boundaries of Solar Wind Plasma Structures and an Analysis of Their Pressure Balance

This work is devoted to studying the sharp boundaries of small-scale structures of the solar wind according to the data of measurements with high time resolution onboard the INTERBALL-1 satellite and simultaneous measurements of the WIND spacecraft. Such issues as the character of change of various plasma and magnetic field parameters on these boundaries, the duration of boundary passage and the balance of the total (thermal plus magnetic) pressure on the boundaries of the structures are considered. On the basis of the vast statistical material available, the typical conditions in the solar wind are investigated, in which such sharp boundaries are observed.__________Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2005, pp. 163–170.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Riazantseva, Khabarova, Zastenker, Richardson.     

Statistical Relationships between Solar, Interplanetary, and Geomagnetospheric Disturbances, 1976–2000

Within the framework of the Space Weather program, 25-year data sets for solar X-ray observations, measurements of plasma and magnetic field parameters in the solar wind, and D _st index variations are analyzed to reveal the factors that have had the greatest influence on the development of magnetospheric storms. The correlation between solar flares and magnetic storms practically does not exceed a level of correlation for random processes. In particular, no relation was found between the importance of solar flares and the minimum of the D _st index for storms that could be connected with considered flares by their time delay. The coronal mass ejections (CME; data on these phenomena cover a small part of the interval) result in storms with D _st < –60 nT only in half of the cases. The most geoeffective interplanetary phenomena are the magnetic clouds (MC), which many believe to be interplanetary manifestations of CMEs, and compressions in the region of interaction of slow and fast streams in the solar wind (the so-called Corotating Interaction Region, CIR). They correspond to about two-thirds of all observed magnetic storms. For storms with –100 < D _st < –60 nT, the frequencies of storms from MC and CIR being approximately equal. For strong storms with D _st < – 100 nT, the fraction of storms from MC is considerably higher. The problems of reliable prediction of geomagnetic disturbances from observations of the Sun and conditions in interplanetary space are discussed.     

Sporadic structures and small-scale irregularity in the nighttime polar ionosphere in the period of high solar activity according to the data of radio occultation measurements on satellite-to-satellite paths

Results of the analysis of 327 sessions of radio occultation on satellite-to-satellite paths are presented. The data are taken in the nighttime polar ionosphere in the regions with latitudes of 67°–88°, and in the period of high solar activity from October 26, 2003 to November 9, 2003. Typical ionospheric changes in the amplitude and phase of decimeter radio waves on paths GPS satellites-CHAMP satellite are presented. It is demonstrated that these data make it possible to determine characteristics of the sporadic E _s structures in the lower ionosphere at heights of 75–120 km. Histograms of distribution of the lower and upper boundaries, thickness, and intensity of the E _s structures are presented. Dispersion and spectra of amplitude fluctuations of decimeter radio waves caused by small-scale irregularity of the ionospheric plasma are analyzed. The relation of the polar E _s structures and intensity of small-scale plasma irregularity to various manifestations of solar activity is discussed. The efficiency of monitoring the ionospheric disturbances caused by shock waves of the solar wind by the radio occultation method on satellite-to-satellite paths is demonstrated.     

Detection and Prediction of Absorbed Radiation Doses from Solar Proton Fluxes onboard Orbital Stations

We consider cases of simultaneous detection of the absorbed doses produced by proton fluxes of powerful solar events onboard the Mir and ISS orbital stations and the Ekspress A3 geosynchronous satellite. Experimental data are analyzed using a software package that takes into account the energy spectra of protons at the Earth's orbit depending on the time of event evolution, as well as their penetration to near-earth orbits and through the protective shields of spacecraft. Based on a comparison of the experimental data of dosimeters with the calculation of absorbed doses under the action of solar proton events, we developed a method of estimating the effective thickness of the shielding of dosimeters and made some estimates. A possibility is considered for predicting the radiation hazard onboard orbital stations upon the appearance of solar proton events using dosimeter data from a geosynchronous orbit.     

Forecasting the velocity of quasi-stationary solar wind and the intensity of geomagnetic disturbances produced by it

A brief review is given of contemporary approaches to solving the problem of medium-term forecast of the velocity of quasi-stationary solar wind (SW) and of the intensity of geomagnetic disturbances caused by it. At the present time, two promising models of calculating the velocity of quasi-stationary SW at the Earth’s orbit are realized. One model is the semi-empirical model of Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA) which allows one to calculate the dependence V(t) of SW velocity at the Earth’s orbit using measured values of the photospheric magnetic field. This model is based on calculation of the local divergence f _S of magnetic field lines. The second model is semi-empirical model by Eselevich-Fainshtein-Rudenko (EFR). It is based on calculation in a potential approximation of the area of foot points on the solar surface of open magnetic tubes (sources of fast quasistationary SW). The new Bd-technology is used in these calculations, allowing one to calculate instantaneous distributions of the magnetic field above the entire visible surface of the Sun. Using predicted V(t) profiles, one can in EFR model calculate also the intensity of geomagnetic disturbances caused by quasi-stationary SW. This intensity is expressed through the K _p index. In this paper the EFR model is discussed in detail. Some examples of epignosis and real forecast of V(t) and K _p (t) are discussed. A comparison of the results of applying these two models for the SW velocity forecasting is presented.     

The Fields of Magnetospheric Current Systems on the Earth's Surface in an Interval of the Magnetic Storm Studied under the International Program on Solar–Terrestrial Physics

Using the magnetic storm in January 1997 as an example, we examined the possibilities to employ the magnetospheric field T96 [1, 2] and the dynamic paraboloid model PM of the magnetosphere [3] for modeling the D _st variation. We have revealed the necessity to refine the results of normalizing the free parameters of the model T96 according to the solar wind parameters. The contributions to the D _st variation of magnetic fields of basic large-scale magnetospheric current systems (the field DCF on the magnetopause, the field DR of the ring current, and the field DT in the magnetotail) are estimated for different phases of the storm from model calculations. Possible causes of a discrepancy between the results of modeling D _st using the T96 and PM models are discussed. Special emphasis is made on the ratios of contributions into the D _st variation of the fields of the magnetotail and the ring current in the main phase of magnetic storms and on the contributions to D _st of the fields of various current systems at the recovery phase.     

Reflection Model as Applied for the Analysis of Enhancements of Solar Cosmic Rays at Different Heliocentric Distances: An Example of the Event Observed in June 1991 onboard GRANAT and ULYSSES Spacecraft

In this paper we consider a large-scale enhancement of the intensity of solar protons (E = 1–20 MeV) observed in June 1991 for 26 days at different points of interplanetary space, onboard ULYSSES (in the time period under consideration it was located at a heliocentric distance of 3 AU, at an angular distance of 70° to the East of the Sun–Earth line and 3° to the South of the ecliptic plane) and GRANAT (which was orbiting around the Earth spending most of its flight time outside the Earth's magnetosphere). An approximation is made of the complex time profile of the enhancement of the solar cosmic ray (SCR) intensity on the basis of the reflection model of their propagation in the heliosphere. It has been established that, in this event, the transport of SCR particles in the interplanetary space was mainly carried out in the traps made up by the fronts of radially moving flare disturbances. The parameters of these fronts obtained when modeling this enhancement of SCR allow one to estimate the characteristic dimensions of the regions of effective capture of SCR. Comparison of the results of approximations obtained for the data from GRANAT and ULYSSES spacecraft demonstrated an increase in the regions of capture of SCR when the radial distance from the Sun increases.     

Statistical investigation of heliospheric conditions resulting in magnetic storms

Time behavior of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field parameters is investigated for 623 magnetic storms of the OMNI database for the period 1976–2000. The analysis is carried out by the superposed epoch technique (the magnetic storm onset time is taken to be the beginning of an epoch) for five various categories of storms induced by various types of solar wind: CIR (121 storms), Sheath (22 storms), MC (113 storms), and “uncertain type” (367 storms). In total, the analysis conducted for “all storms” included 623 storms. The obtained data, on one hand, confirm the results obtained earlier without selecting the intervals according to the solar wind types, and, on the other hand, they indicate the existence of distinctions in the time variation of parameters for various types of solar wind. Though the lowest values of the B _z-component of IMF are observed in the MC, the lowest values of the D _st-index are achieved in the Sheath. Thus, the strongest magnetic storms are induced, on average, during the Sheath rather than during the MC body passage, probably owing to higher pressure in the Sheath. Higher values of nkT, T/T _exp, and β parameters are observed in the CIR and Sheath and lower ones in the MC, which corresponds to the physical essence of these solar wind types.     

An Analysis of the Low-Frequency Component in Measurements of Angular Velocity and Microacceleration onboard the Foton-12 Satellite

We compare the results of two methods used to determine the angular velocity of the Foton-12 satellite and the low-frequency component of microaccelerations onboard it. The first method is based on reconstruction of the satellite's rotational motion using the data of onboard measurements of the strength of the Earth's magnetic field. The motion (time dependence of the orientation parameters and angular velocity) was found from the condition of best approximation of the measurement data by the functions calculated along the solutions to equations of attitude motion of the satellite. The solutions found were used to calculate the quasistatic component of microaccelerations at certain points of the satellite, in particular, at the point of location of an accelerometer of the QSAM system. Filtration of the low-frequency component of the angular velocity and microacceleration from the data of measurements by a sensor of angular velocity and by the accelerometer of this system served as a second method. The filtration was made using the discrete Fourier series. A spectral analysis of the functions representing the results of determining the angular velocity and microacceleration by both methods is performed. Comparing the frequencies and amplitudes of the harmonic component of these functions allowed us to estimate the accuracy of measurements made by the QSAM system in the low-frequency range.     

Determination of the Turbulent Diffusion Coefficient in the Plasma Sheet Using the Project INTERBALL Data

The results of an analysis of velocity fluctuations in the plasma sheet of the Earth's magnetotail measured onboard INTERBALL Tail Probe satellite are presented. The hodographs of the velocity in directions (Y, Z) and correlation functions are presented for a number of passages when the satellite was in the plasma sheet for a long time. The turbulent diffusion coefficients are calculated. A comparison of the obtained diffusion coefficients with those predicted theoretically in [1] is carried out. It is shown that the results of observations confirm theoretical predictions.     

Statistical investigation of Heliospheric conditions resulting in magnetic storms: 2

This work is a continuation of investigation [1] of the behavior of the solar wind’s and interplanetary magnetic field’s parameters near the onset of geomagnetic storms for various types of solar wind streams. The data of the OMNI base for the 1976–2000 period are used in the analysis. The types of solar wind streams were determined, and the times of beginning (onsets) of magnetic storms were distributed in solar wind types as follows: CIR (121 storms), Sheath (22 storms), MC (113 storms), and “uncertain type” (367 storms). The growth of variations (hourly standard deviations) of the density and IMF magnitude was observed 5–10 hours before the onset only in the Sheath. For the CIR-, Sheath-and MC-induced storms the dependence between the minimum of the IMF B _z-component and the minimum of the D _st -index, as well as the dependence between the electric field E _y of solar wind and the minimum of the D _st -index are steeper than those for the “uncertain” solar wind type. The steepest D _st vs. B _z dependence is observed in the Sheath, and the steepest D _st vs. E _y dependence is observed in the MC.     

Large and sharp changes of solar wind dynamic pressure and disturbances of the magnetospheric magnetic field at geosynchronous orbit caused by these variations

The large and sharp changes of solar wind dynamic pressure, found from the INTERBALL-1 satellite and WIND spacecraft data, are compared with simultaneous magnetic field disturbances in the magnetosphere measured by geosynchronous GOES-8, GOES-9, and GOES-10 satellites. For this purpose, about 200 events in the solar wind, associated with sharp changes of the dynamic pressure, were selected from the INTERBALL-1 satellite data obtained during 1996–1999. The large and sharp changes of the solar wind dynamic pressure were shown to result in rapid variations of the magnetic field strength in the outer magnetosphere, the increase (drop) of the solar wind dynamic pressure always lead to an increase (drop) of the geosynchronous magnetic field magnitude. The value of the geomagnetic field variation strongly depends on the local time of the observation point, reaching a maximum value near the noon meridian. It is shown that the direction of the B _z component of the interplanetary magnetic field has virtually no effect on the geomagnetic field variation because of a sharp jump of pressure. The time shift between an event in the solar wind and its response in the magnetosphere at a geosynchronous orbit essentially depends on the inclination of the front of a solar wind disturbance to the Sun-Earth line.