Injection mechanism for cosmic ray acceleration

The quasilinear theory of MHD waves excitation by cosmic rays accelerated at a front of supernova shock has been constructed. It is shown that the energetic particles excite the waves propagating from the shock front, the intensity and the spectrum of these waves is obtained. The role of nonlinear Landau damping in the formation of such spectrum has been analysed. The diffusive scattering length of the high energy particles in the preshock region has been calculated and it is shown with the help of these formulae that the effective Fermi acceleration at the shock front is possible upto the values of the relativistic factor = 10⁴ - 10⁵. The injection mechanism for cosmic rays acceleration has been proposed. It is based on stochastic Fermi acceleration of the thermal plasma by MHD waves excited in the preshock region. Different possibilities for wave phase velocity dispersion needed for stochastic Fermi acceleration are analysed, those are the excitation of the oblique magnetosonic waves as well as the excitation of parallel Alfven waves propagating in opposite directions. The distribution function of the suprathermal particles accelerated by MHD waves is obtained, the cosmic rays density as well as the lower boundary of their energy spectrum realised in the proposed mechanism are also calculated.     

Excitation of flare-induced waves in coronal loops and the effects of radiative cooling

EUV imaging observations from several space missions (SOHO/EIT, TRACE, and SDO/AIA) have revealed a presence of propagating intensity disturbances in solar coronal loops. These disturbances are typically interpreted as slow magnetoacoustic waves. However, recent spectroscopic observations with Hinode/EIS of active region loops revealed that the propagating intensity disturbances are associated with intermittent plasma upflows (or jets) at the footpoints which are presumably generated by magnetic reconnection. For this reason, whether these disturbances are waves or periodic flows is still being studied. This study is aimed at understanding the physical properties of observed disturbances by investigating the excitation of waves by hot plasma injections from below and the evolution of flows and wave propagation along the loop. We expand our previous studies based on isothermal 3D MHD models of an active region to a more realistic model that includes full energy equation accounting for the effects of radiative losses. Computations are initialized with an equilibrium state of a model active region using potential (dipole) magnetic field, gravitationally stratified density and temperature obtained from the polytropic equation of state. We model an impulsive injection of hot plasma into the steady plasma outflow along the loops of different temperatures, warm (～1 MK) and hot (～6 MK). The simulations show that hot jets launched at the coronal base excite slow magnetoacoustic waves that propagate to high altitudes along the loops, while the injected hot flows decelerate rapidly with heights. Our results support that propagating disturbances observed in EUV are mainly the wave features. We also find that the effect of radiative cooling on the damping of slow-mode waves in 1–6 MK coronal loops is small, in agreement with the previous conclusion based on 1D MHD models.     

Superlow-Frequency MHD-Eigenoscillations With a Discrete Spectrum in Parabolic Model of Magnetosphere

A new concept of the global magnetospheric resonator is suggested for fast magnetosonic waves in which the role of the resonator is played by the near part of the plasma sheet. It is shown that the magnetosonic wave is confined in this region of the magnetosphere throughout its boundaries. The representative value of the resonator's eigenfrequency estimated at f ≈ 1 mHz is in good agreement with observational data on ultraThe theory explains the ground-based localization of the oscillations observed in the midnight-morning sector of the high-latitude magnetosphere.      

行星际激波导致的磁尾等离子片中ULF波动事件

磁层中的超低频（ULF）波动在太阳风和磁层之间的能量输运过程中具有重要作用.ULF波动主要发生在内磁层,且内磁层中ULF波动影响粒子的加速及沉降,而在夜侧磁层尤其是磁尾等离子片中观测到的ULF波动比较少.基于中国自主磁层探测卫星TC-1的观测数据,发现了两例行星际激波导致的磁尾中心等离子片中ULF波动事件,并发现这两例ULF事例都包含很强的环向模驻波分量,与以往THEMIS卫星报道的同类事件观测特征相符.根据ULF波的观测特征,分析了这两例ULF波动的可能触发机制.研究结果有助于深入理解磁层对行星际激波的全球响应.      

Some characteristics of propagation of flare- or CME-associated interplanetary shock waves

Many interplanetary shock waves have a fast mode MHD wave Mach number between one and two and the ambient solar wind plasma and magnetic field are known to fluctuate. Therefore a weak, fast, MHD interplanetary shock wave propagating into a fluctuating solar wind region or into a solar wind stream will be expected to vary its strength.It is possible that an interplanetary shock wave, upon entering such a region will weaken its strength and degenerate into a fast-mode MHD wave. It is even possible that the shock may dissipate and disappear.A model for the propagation of a solar flare - or CME (Coronal Mass Ejections) - associated interplanetary shock wave is given. A physical mechanism is described to calculate the probability that a weak shock which enters a turbulent solar wind region will degenerate into a MHD wave. That is, the shock would disappear as an entropy-generate entity. This model also suggests that most interplanetary shock waves cannot propagate continuously with a smooth shock surface. It is suggested that the surface of an interplanetary shock will be highly distorted and that parts of the shock surface can degenerate into MHD waves or even disappear during its global propagation through interplanetary space. A few observations to support this model will be briefly described.Finally, this model of shock propagation also applies to corotating shocks. As corotating shocks propagate into fluctuating ambient solar wind regions, shocks may degenerate into waves or disappear.     

Lessons from laboratory experiments on reconnection

Magnetic reconnection has been studied in a laboratory experiment designed to model the basic two-dimensional neutral sheet configuration. However, the focus has been put on the inner region of the neutral sheet where the ions are effectively unmagnetized and MHD concepts are violated. In this parameter regime driven reconnection is governed by the fast dynamics of electrons. In true neutral sheets (B_z ⋍ 0) the current is carried by electrons. Thin current sheets (Δz ≳ c/ω_pe) rapidly form multiple X and 0 points due to the onset of the collisionless electron tearing mode. Magnetic energy is transported along the separator at the speed of whistler waves rather than Alfvén waves. Due to space charge separation the reconnection electric field E_y is, in general, not constant along the separator but localized near boundaries, nonuniformities in density and magnetic fields which limit the current I_y. This leads to localized particle acceleration, formation of anisotropic velocity distributions and instabilities. Reconnection and energization can be spatially separated which shows the importance of investigating both the global current system as well as critical local plasma properties. Experiments of current sheet disruptions are performed which demonstrate the processes of magnetic energy storage, transport, conversion and dissipation. Double layers and shock waves can be produced by current disruptions. The laboratory experiments show new dynamic features of reconnection processes not considered in MHD models yet relevant to narrow current sheets or the center of thick sheets.     

无碰撞电流片哨声波不稳定性

通过数值求解文献[4]中物理模型A得到的一般形式的色散关系,讨论了无碰撞电流片低频波不稳定性问题.结果表明,哨声波能被无碰撞电流片直接激发.在中性片上(z/di=0),在较宽的波数范围内,斜哨声波是可以传播的,但它基本上是稳定的.在离子惯性区内(z/di<1,电子惯性区外),斜传播的哨声波是不稳定的.在离子惯性区边缘(z/di=1),斜传播的哨声波仍然是不稳定的,增长率更大,不稳定的波频率范围更高.此外,朝向中性片方向传播(kzdi<0)的哨声波比离开中性片方向传播(kzdi>0)的哨声波有更大的增长率.     

Magnetopause poleward of the cusp: Comparison of plasma and magnetic signature of the boundary for southward and northward directed interplanetary magnetic field

A coherent data set of high-latitude dayside magnetopause encounters by old (Heos 2, Hawkeye, Prognoz 7, 8) and new (Polar, Interball Tail, Cluster) spacecraft is needed to build a realistic model of the magnetopause (MP) including an indentation in the cusp. In building such a coherent data set a caution is necessary as the dayside magnetopause at high-latitudes may be less clearly defined than in the case of observations at low latitudes. It is due to expected presence of bundles of newly-reconnected magnetic field lines forming an extended boundary layer on the magnetosheath (MS) side of the magnetopause in the cusp region. Moreover, numerical magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models of the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction predict that under northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) an additional thin current sheet should form inside the magnetopause at high latitudes on the dayside (e.g., Wu, 1983; Palmroth et al., 2001). Such a thin currect sheet is absent in empirical magnetosphere models. This internal current sheet, if a real one, may be mistaken for the magnetopause if magnetic field data are only taken into account and/or plasma data are unavailable. The Interball-Tail orbit allows for a full transition of magnetopause boundary layers at high-latitudes. We compare plasma and magnetic field signatures of the magnetopause poleward of the cusp for southward and northward IMF. The distance between the magnetic signature of the magnetopause (the current layer) and a cold and laminarly antisunward flowing MS plasma (so called free-flow MS) was found to be 0.5 to 1 R_E, at least. These observations were made under nominal solar wind of v350 km/s and p_dyn=1 to 4 nPa. We also observed several transient magnetic field reversals in the cusp related to pulses of solar wind dynamic pressure and/or the IMF discontinuity arrival. These transient reversals occurred at the same distance to the model MP as well defined full MP crossing, so most probably they represent just short encounters with the magnetopause current layer. Our analysis suggests that an indentation of the magnetopause with a subtle structure dependent on the local magnetic shear would explain and allow to predict the magnetic configuration in the high-altitude cusp.     

磁流体力学激波的特征速度

根据磁流体力学间断面的守恒条件与磁流体力学单波方程的相似性,引入了一个称为磁流体力学激波特征速度的物理量,它是激波在波前后两侧介质中传播速度的几何平均值,当激波很弱时,它趋近于磁流体力学波的速度。本文导出一组以此特征速度为强度参数的激波跃变公式,形式上与单波的公式组非常相像,从而简化了激波跃变量的计算。其中密度跃变公式本身解析地证明:磁流体力学激波与磁流体力学波传播速度之间的关系是由激波是压缩波这一特性直接决定的。      

Ion dynamics associated with Alfven wave in the near-Earth magnetotail: Two-dimensional global hybrid simulation

Ion dynamics in the near-Earth magnetotail region is examined during periods of fast Earthward flow with a two-dimensional (2-D) global-scale hybrid simulation. The simulation shows that shear Alfven waves are generated at x ∼ −10R_E, where the strong earthward flow is arrested by the dipole field, and propagate along field lines from the equator to both southern and northern polar ionosphere. Non-gyrotropic ion velocity distributions occur where the large-amplitude Alfven waves are dominant. The simulation indicates that the Alfven waves are generated by interaction of the fast earthward flow with the stationary near-Earth plasma. Beam ions are found to be pitch-angle scattered and trapped in the wave field, leading to the non-gyrotropic ion distributions in the high-latitude plasma sheet boundary. In addition, significant particle heating and acceleration are found to occur behind the dipolarization front due to the effect of wave turbulence.     

Solar flare electron acceleration: Comparing theories and observations

A popular scenario for electron acceleration in solar flares is transit-time damping of low-frequency MHD waves excited by reconnection and its outflows. The scenario requires several processes in sequence to yield energetic electrons of the observed large number. Until now there was very little evidence for this scenario, as it is even not clear where the flare energy is released. RHESSI measurements of bremsstrahlung by non-thermal flare electrons yield energy estimates as well as the position where the energy is deposited. Thus quantitative measurements can be put into the frame of the global magnetic field configuration as seen in coronal EUV line observations. We present RHESSI observations combined with TRACE data that suggest primary energy inputs mostly into electron acceleration and to a minor fraction into coronal heating and primary motion. The more sensitive and lower energy X-ray observations by RHESSI have found also small events (C class) at the time of the acceleration of electron beams exciting meter wave Type III bursts. However, not all RHESSI flares involve Type III radio emissions. The association of other decimeter radio emissions, such as narrowband spikes and pulsations, with X-rays is summarized in view of electron acceleration.     

Comparative study of plasma wave activity in the plasma sheet boundary and near Earth plasma sheet

The general structure of low frequency wave activity in the Earth's plasma sheet and its boundary layer is studied on the basis of the measurements made by ‘Prognoz-8’ satellite in the northern night and morning parts of the magnetotail. Pronounced wave activity is permanently observed in the high latitude parts of the plasma sheet boundary layer. The level of perturbations diminishes when a spacecraft moves towards tail lobes and drops rather sharply when it moves to the central plasma sheet. The peaks near the low hybrid resonance frequency (correlating with the local strength of the magnetic field) are evident in the electric field fluctuations spectra. A plasma instability of low hybrid type driven by transverse current is though to be the possible candidate for the excitation of these waves. Wave activity in tail lobes is related mainly to the isolated hot and cold plasma streams.     

The plasma sheet and boundary layers under northward IMF: A multi-point and multi-instrument perspective

During conditions of northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), the near-tail plasma sheet is known to become denser and cooler, and is described as the cold-dense plasma sheet (CDPS). While its source is likely the solar wind, the prominent penetration mechanisms are less clear. The two main candidates are solar wind direct capture via double high-latitude reconnection on the dayside and Kelvin–Helmholtz/diffusive processes at the flank magnetopause. This paper presents a case study on the formation of the CDPS utilizing a wide variety of space- and ground-based observations, but primarily from the Double Star and Polar spacecraft on December 5th, 2004. The pertinent observations can be summarized as follows: TC-1 observes quasi-periodic (∼2 min period) cold-dense boundary layer (compared to a hot-tenuous plasma sheet) signatures interspersed with magnetosheath plasma at the dusk flank magnetopause near the dawn-dusk terminator. Analysis of this region suggests the boundary to be Kelvin–Helmholtz unstable and that plasma transport is ongoing across the boundary. At the same time, IMAGE spacecraft and ground based SuperDARN measurements provide evidence of high-latitude reconnection in both hemispheres. The Polar spacecraft, located in the southern hemisphere afternoon sector, sunward of TC-1, observes a persistent boundary layer with no obvious signature of boundary waves. The plasma is of a similar appearance to that observed by TC-1 inside the boundary layer further down the dusk flank, and by TC-2 in the near-Earth magnetotail. We present comparisons of electron phase space distributions between the spacecraft. Although the dayside boundary layer at Polar is most likely formed via double high-altitude reconnection, and is somewhat comparable to the flank boundary layer at Double Star, some differences argue in favour of additional transport that augment solar wind plasma entry into the tail regions.     

ISEE-1 and 2 observations of field-aligned currents in the distant midnight magnetosphere

Magnetic field measurements obtained in the nightside magnetosphere by the co-orbiting ISEE-1 and 2 spacecraft have been examined for signatures of field-aligned currents (FAC). Such currents are found on the boundary of the plasma sheet both when the plasma sheet is expanding and when it is thinning. Plasma sheet boundary layer current structure and substorm associated dynamics can be determined using the two spacecraft, although for slow traversals of the FAC sheet the spatial/temporal ambiguity is still an issue. We often find evidence for the existence of waves on the plasma sheet boundary, leading to multiple crossings of the FAC sheet. At times the boundary layer FAC sheet orientation is nearly parallel to the X-Z GSM plane, suggesting ‘protrusions’ of plasma sheet into the lobes. The boundary layer current polarity is, as expected, into the ionosphere in the midnight to dawn local time sector, and outward near dusk. Current sheet thicknesses and velocities are essentially independent of plasma sheet expansion or thinning, having typical values of 1500 km and 20–40 km/s respectively. Characteristic boundary layer current densities are about 10 nanoamps per square meter.     

Large-scale waves in the solar corona: The continuing debate

Ten years after the first observation of large-scale wave-like coronal disturbances with the EIT instrument aboard SOHO, the most crucial questions concerning these “EIT waves” are still being debated controversially – what is their actual physical nature, and how are they launched? Possible explanations include MHD waves or shocks, launched by flares or driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), as well as models where coronal waves are not actually waves at all, but generated by successive “activation” of magnetic fieldlines in the framework of a CME. Here, we discuss recent observations that might help to discriminate between the different models. We focus on strong coronal wave events that do show chromospheric Moreton wave signatures. It is stressed that multiwavelength observations with high time cadence are particularly important, ideally when limb events with CME observations in the low corona are available. Such observations allow for a detailed comparison of the kinematics of the wave, the CME and the associated type II radio burst. For Moreton-associated coronal waves, we find strong evidence for the wave/shock scenario. Furthermore, we argue that EIT waves are actually generated by more than one physical process, which might explain some of the issues which have made the interpretation of these phenomena so controversial.     

球坐标系六片网格下三维定态行星际太阳风模拟

采用二阶MacCormack差分格式, 利用稳态的磁流体(MHD)方程组在球坐标系六片网格下模拟研究了行星际太阳风. 六片网格系统能有效避免极区奇性和网格收敛性. 迭代按径向方向推进求解, 很大程度上减少了计算量, 节约了计算时间. 内边界条件根据太阳与行星际观测确定, 比较测试了5种内边界条件, 模拟给出了1922卡林顿周的背景太阳风结构. 几种内边界条件所得模拟结果与行星际观测基本吻合. 太阳风速度采用McGregor 等的经验公式给出, 磁场由水平电流片(HCCS)模型得到, 密度和温度分别根据动量守恒和气压守恒得到, 研究表明采用这样的边界条件模拟结果最佳.      

Analytical MHD model of three-dimensional time-dependent reconnection in a compressible plasma

We describe and analyse a model of three-dimensional time-varying reconnection in which the effect of surface waves is neglected. Reconnection is assumed to be caused by a localized decrease of the plasma conductivity inside the diffusion region. The localized dissipation gives rise to an electric field E^*, which determines the reconnection rate. As a result, the current sheet decays into a system of large-amplitude MHD waves, which propagate along the current sheet and thereby induce perturbations in the surrounding medium. Our model is applied to the case of reconnection at the magnetopause, in particular to the signatures referred to as FTEs (flux transfer events).     

Study of three dimensional structure of the fast convection flow in the plasma sheet by MHD simulations on the basis of spontaneous fast reconnection model

Three dimensional structure of the fast convection flow in the plasma sheet is examined using magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations on the basis of spontaneous fast reconnection model. The fast flow observed in the near-Earth magnetotail is one of the key phenomena in order to understand the causal relationship between magnetic substorm and magnetic reconnection. In this paper, we focus on this earthward fast flow in the near-Earth magnetotail. Our previous studies have shown that the fast reconnection produces the Alfvénic fast reconnection outflow and drastic magnetic field dipolarization in the finite extent. In this paper, the results of our simulations are compared with those of the in-situ observations in the geomagnetotail. They have consistent temporal profiles of the plasma quantities. It is suggested that the fast convection flows are caused by spontaneous fast reconnection.     

Driven reconnection in the near-Earth plasma sheet

In some recent MHD simulations of the near-Earth plasma sheet we studied onset and evolution of reconnection due to non-linear resistive instabilities. In our present contribution we show that these non-linear instabilities can be amplified significantly by inflow through the plasma sheet boundary and we discuss the consequences of that driving mechanism on the global dynamics of the instabilities. For high magnetic Reynolds numbers we find thin current sheets developing.     

A 3rd Order WENO GLM-MHD Scheme for Magnetic Reconnection

A new numerical scheme of 3rd order Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO)type for 2.5D mixed GLM-MHD in Cartesian coordinates is proposed. The MHD equations are modified by combining the arguments as by Dellar and Dedner et al to couple the divergence constraint with the evolution equations using a Generalized Lagrange Multiplier (GLM). Moreover, the magnetohydrodynamic part of the GLM-MHD system is still in conservation form. Meanwhile, this method is very easy to add to an existing code since the underlying MHD solver does not have to be modified. To show the validation and capacity of its application to MHD problem modelling,interaction between a magnetosonic shock and a denser cloud and magnetic reconnection problems are used to verify this new MHD code. The numerical tests for 2D Orszag and Tang's MHD vortex,interaction between a magnetosonic shock and a denser cloud and magnetic reconnection problems show that the third order WENO MHD solvers are robust and yield reliable results by the new mixed GLM or the mixed EGLM correction here even if it can not be shown that how the divergence errors are transported as well as damped as done for one dimensional ideal MHD by Dedner et al.