Features of solar wind streams on June 21–28, 2015 as a result of interactions between coronal mass ejections and recurrent streams from coronal holes

Coronal sources and parameters of solar wind streams during a strong and prolonged geomagnetic disturbance in June 2015 have been considered. Сorrespondence between coronal sources and solar wind streams at 1 AU has been determined using an analysis of solar images, catalogs of flares and coronal mass ejections, solar wind parameters including the ionic composition. The sources of disturbances in the considered period were a sequence of five coronal mass ejections that propagated along the recurrent solar wind streams from coronal holes. The observed differences from typical in magnetic and kinetic parameters of solar wind streams have been associated with the interactions of different types of solar wind. The ionic composition has proved to be a good additional marker for highlighting components in a mixture of solar wind streams, which can be associated with different coronal sources.     

High-speed streams of the solar wind near the earths’s orbit and their sources on the sun according to stereoscopic observations in the minimum of the 23rd cycle

Based on the results of plasma and magnetic measurements at three different points of the heliosphere and telescopic observations of the Sun from these points we study simultaneously high-speed streams (HSS) of the solar wind (SW) near the Earths’s orbit and coronal holes (CH) that have generated them. The data from spacecraft STEREO-A, STEREO-B, ACE, and SOHO are used together with ground-based observations from March 2007 to May 2008. In this period there existed HSS whose sources represented CH of various polarity, geometry, and location relative to the heliographic and heliomagnetic equators. Dependence of SW parameters on mutual positions of spacecraft with respect to CH and heliospheric current sheet, and also on heliolatitude and geometry of the CH is revealed. A difference of more than 5° in locations of spacecraft with respect to the heliospheric current sheet in November 2007 allowed us to discover a heliolatitude velocity gradient of the SW streams between the STEREO-A and STEREO-B spacecraft. On the average this gradient at that time was equal to 20 km/s per degree. Substantial variations in SW streams associated with variations of the HSS SW sources during a few hours or days were also observed. This variability makes it difficult to use the data of spacecraft STEREO-B for sufficiently accurate prediction of SW properties in the near-Earth space by the method of simple advanced ti me shift due to heliolongitude difference between a spacecraft and the Earth even in solar activity minimum.     

The heliospheric magnetic field and its relation to the temperature,density, and velocity of solar plasma: Experimental evidence

Using daily and hourly data on solar plasma parameters at the Ulysses spacecraft orbit and at 1 AU it is demonstrated that there is a simple relationship between plasma temperature and density with the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF). A mathematical expression connecting HMF with plasma temperature and density is suggested. Correlation coefficients and regression equations for measured and calculated magnetic fields are presented for the 1990–2009 period according to Ulysses spacecraft data and for 2003–2010 at 1 AU (OMNI database). The roles played by density, temperature, and high-speed solar wind streams in forming the magnetic-field peaks are demonstrated using hourly data of OMNI2 and Ulysses.     

Sporadic plasma streams and their sources in the period of extraordinary solar activity from October 26 to November 6, 2003

Based on the results of investigations made by various authors applying different semiempirical models, we have formulated the principles of a complex method that allows one to associate sporadic streams of the solar wind (SW) at the Earths orbit with coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are their sources on the Sun. This method is applied to an analysis of the events in the interval from October 26 to November 6, 2003. It is shown that, in the period under consideration, which is close to the maximum of solar activity, the majority of CMEs (up to 80% of their total number) turn out to be at the base of a chain of streamers. It is also shown that the component of the interplanetary magnetic field is the main factor of geoeffectiveness for six sporadic SW streams. At the same time, an unusually low value of the index minD_st< -300 nT for two streams with the velocities V_max > 1000 km/s is a consequence of the fact that they are not isolated; i.e., the subsequent stream moves through the medium disturbed by the preceding stream.Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 42, No. 6, 2004, pp. 595–607.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by M. Eselevich, V. Eselevich.     

Identification of coronal sources of the solar wind from solar images in the EUV spectral range

Methods of localizing coronal sources of the solar wind (SW), such as coronal holes, quasi-stationary fluxes from active regions, and transient sources associated with small-scale active phenomena are considered based on vacuum-ultraviolet (EUV) images of the corona at low solar activity during the initial period of the 24th solar cycle (2010). It is shown that a SW velocity profile can be calculated from the relative areas of coronal holes (CH) at the central part of the disk based on the images in the ranges of 193 and 171 Å. The images in the 193 Å describe the geometry of large HCs that represent sources of fast SW well. The images in 171 Å are a better visualization of small CHs, based on which the profile of a slow SW component was calculated to a high accuracy (up to 65 km/s). According to Hinode/EIS data of October 15, 2010, using the Doppler spectroscopy method at the streamer base over the active region 11112, the source of the outgoing plasma flux with the mean velocity of 17 km/s was localized in the magnetic field region with an intensity of less than 200 Gauss. According to the estimate, the density of the plasma flux from this source is an order of magnitude greater than the value required for explaining the distinction between the calculated and measured profiles of a slow SW velocity. For finding the transient SW component based on small-scale flare activity, SW parameters were analyzed for the periods of flares accompanied by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and for the periods without flares, according to the data obtained in 2010 from the ACE and GOES satellites and by coronagraphs on the STEREO-A and -B spacecraft. The ion ratios C⁺⁶/C⁺⁵ and O⁺⁷/O⁺⁶ and the mean charge of Fe ions for periods with flares were shown to be shifted toward large values, suggesting the presence of a hot SW component associated with flare activity. A noticeable correlation between the maximum charge of Fe ions and the peak power of a flare, previously observed for flares of a higher class, was confirmed. The mean value of the SW flux density during the periods of flares was 30% higher than that in the periods without flares, which is possibly associated also with the growth of fluxes from other sources with an increasing solar activity level. Based on the example of a series of flares of October 13–14, 2010, it was supposed that transient SW fluxes from the weak flares at low solar activity can manifest themselves in the form of interplanetary ICME-transients.     

Solar cycle variation of “killer” electrons at geosynchronous orbit and electron flux correlation with the solar wind parameters and ULF waves intensity

To construct models for hazard prediction from radiation belt particles to satellite electronics, one should know temporal behavior of the particle fluxes. We analyzed 11-year variation in relativistic electron flux (E>2 MeV) at geosynchronous orbit using measurements made by GOES satellites during the 23rd sunspot cycle. As it is believed that electron flux enhancements are connected with the high-speed solar wind streams and ULF or/and VLF activity in the magnetosphere, we studied also solar cycle changes in rank order cross-correlation of the outer radiation belt electron flux with the solar wind speed and both interplanetary and on-ground wave intensity. Data from magnetometers and plasma sensors onboard the spacecraft ACE and WIND, as well as magnetic measurements at two mid-latitude diametrically opposite INTERMAGNET observatories were used. Results obtained show that average value of relativistic electron flux at the decay and minimum phases of solar activity is one order higher than the flux during maximum sunspot activity. Of all solar wind parameters, only solar wind speed variation has significant correlation with changes in relativistic electron flux, taking the lead over the latter by 2 days. Variations in ULF amplitude advance changes in electron flux by 3 days. Results of the above study may be of interest for model makers developing forecast algorithms.     

不同内边界条件下SEP事件实例的集合数值模拟及其在SEP事件预报中的应用

太阳高能粒子(SEP)事件的定量数值预报是空间态势感知的重要方面之一.SEP事件主要来自于日冕物质抛射(CME)所驱动的激波扩散加速(DSA).文章在三个有关模型的基础上,结合1 AU处卫星的太阳风观测参数和日冕仪的CME观测参数,建立了一套可用于预报SEP事件的数值方法.利用该方法对一次SEP实例进行数值模拟,并将模...     

Extrasolar solar-sail trajectories and dark matter

Hyper-thin, high-speed solar-photon sail space probes exploring the Sun?s Oort comet cloud could also be used to set an upper bound to the concentration of WIMPS (weakly interacting massive particles), one of the suggested (but unconfirmed) forms of dark matter within the vicinity of the solar system. Newton?s Shell Theorem would be applied to determine variations in apparent solar mass as the probe moves further out from the Sun. Application of this technique to the trajectories of Pioneer 10/11 reveals that the upper limit to WIMP concentration within ~60 AU of the Sun is ~0.2 Earth masses, as revealed in studies of the Pioneer Anomaly. If the published accuracy of the Pioneer acceleration measurements can be increased by an order of magnitude, probe trajectory measurements out to ~10,000 AU may confirm or falsify the hypothesis that WIMP mass within the solar vicinity is ~3X star mass. It is shown that a space-manufactured ~40-nm thick beryllium hollow-body solar sail deployed from a ~0.07 AU perihelion is a candidate spacecraft for such a mission. Possible science-team organization strategy for a ~100-year mission to ~10,000 AU is discussed.     

Magnetospheric signatures of auroral disturbances during the passage of the solar wind’s CIR and sheath regions

Based on Polar satellite data, the authors have studied the auroral disturbances that arose during the passage by the Earth of compressed plasma regions formed in front of high-speed solar wind streams (the CIR region) and in front of magnetic clouds (the Sheath region). The aurorae observed by the Polar satellite possessed basic signatures of a substorm: a localized onset and expansion toward the pole and westward and eastward. However, in these cases they had a very large size in longitude and latitude and occupied a very large area. All disturbances observed by the Polar satellite during the Sheath and CIR regions of the solar wind in December of 1996, in 1997–1998, and in 2000 were analyzed. Eight events during disturbance development in the ionosphere, when the Geotail satellite was located in the plasma sheet of the magnetospheric tail, were selected. It is shown that in all selected cases some typical signatures of substorm development in the magnetospheric tail were observed, namely: (1) fast plasma flows (flow reversal, i.e., from tailwards to Earthwards) and (2) a sharp decrease of the total pressure, which followed an interval of total pressure increase. One can draw the conclusion that in the CIR and Sheath regions with a high solar wind density, substorm disturbances of a specific type are observed, with large latitudinal and longitudinal size (sometimes occupying the entire polar cap).     

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.     

Solar wind inhomogeneity front inclination effect on properties of front-caused long-period geomagnetic pulsations

On the basis of data of two networks of Canadian stations and also of extra- and intra-magnetospheric satellites, daytime long-period geomagnetic pulsations related to sudden impulses of the dynamic pressure of the solar wind (SW) are studied. The influence of SW parameters, interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and geomagnetic activity on the propagation direction, polarization, and amplitude of pulsations is discussed. It is shown that at arrival front of the solar wind inhomogeneity at the place of its tangency, surface oscillations within the range of Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations are excited on the magnetopause, and they run away from the tangency point to the nighttime side with increasing amplitude and opposite polarization. The pulsation properties and the position of the running-away point are explained by the mechanism of their excitation on the magnetopause by the inclined front of the inhomogeneity and also by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. Increases in SW density observed ahead of the shock front were able to cause pulsation excitation onsets prior to the sudden storms commencement (SSC) front arrival. The observed increase in geomagnetic activity after SSC could change the direction of pulsation propagation from anti-sunward to sunward. The analysis of oscillation spectra made it possible to assume that pulsations with a frequency of the order of 2.5 mHz are of a global character, they are not related to oscillations in SW and are excited by sharp SSC fronts.     

Net electric power of concentrating solar mirror systems for application in space as a function of the distance to the sun

The use of solar radiation by means of concentrating solar mirror systems, such as parabolic and spheric configurations, mainly is an engineering problem. A decisive characteristic for the optimisation of a complete system with turboelectric power conversion is the thermal cycle applied. Besides the Carnot process, here taken up into the study as an ideal comparative process, suitable processes for the technological realisation are the Brayton process and the Rankine process. The Brayton process is a typical gas turbine process using only the gaseous phase. The Rankine process is a steam engine process using liquid and gaseous phase.The work in hand shows how such solar systems with turboelectric conversion are optimised with respect to their specific weight (kg/kW_e) and how the distance to the sun as well as technological data enter into the analysis.As expected, the Carnot cycle as an ideal comparative process for both types of systems shows the best results for the optimum specific mass of the system. Regarding the real processes, the Rankine cycle shows more favourable characteristics than the Brayton cycle. The difference of the specific masses of the real processes mainly results from the different thermal conditions at the radiator.The influence of the distance to the sun is as expected. The nearer to the sun the solar power system operates, the better is the optimum specific mass of the system. For distances to the sun between 0.3 and 1.0 AU the spheric system shows a better behaviour than the parabolic system. For distances to the sun greater than 2.0 AU the parabolic system shows better behaviour of the specific weight. In the region between 1 and 2 AU the better optimum specific mass of the system belongs to the technological data used in the analysis.     

The Aurora project: Estimation of the optical sail parameters

The thrust model for computing a sailcraft trajectory contains thermo-optical parameters that are averages over the spectrum of the incident photons, namely, with respect to energy, intensity and polarization. These parameters are not observables and could change considerably from a sail to sail for a number of practical reasons. The mission analysis for a sailcraft is a progressive task from a simple trajectory propagator to the orbit determination. Aurora sailcraft mission analysis has advanced another step forward by processing experimental data related to aluminium. Once appropriate fitting functions have been selected, differential specular and diffused reflectance and differential absorptance have been averaged over incident solar spectrum, assumed a Planckian here. The result has been to get incident-angle-dependent optical parameters more reliable than mere literature values. The procedure has entailed the computation of grids of complicated definite integrals. They are particularly important during the trajectory optimization of the Aurora solar flyby, a very sensitive profile that would allow the sailcraft to achieve cruise speeds ranging from 12 to 20 AU/yr.     

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.     

基于深度学习的多步预测方法在太阳风速度预测上的应用

为对近地环境太阳风状况进行可靠预测,引入基于深度学习的多步预测方法来预测在太阳与地球之间的拉格朗日点1(L1)处距离输入观测数据序列未来24、48、72、96 h的太阳风速度.采用SDO的图像数据提取冕洞面积等特征信息,并从NASA OMNIWEB数据集提取其他输入特征,形成多变量的时序数据作为太阳风速度预测的输入信息...     

Survival of Deinococcus radiodurans against laboratory-simulated solar wind charged particles

In this experimental study, cells of the radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans were exposed to several different sources of radiation chosen to replicate the charged particles found in the solar wind. Naked cells or cells mixed with dust grains (basalt or sandstone) differing in elemental composition were exposed to electrons, protons, and ions to determine the probability of cell survival after irradiation. Doses necessary to reduce the viability of cell population to 10% (LD(10)) were determined under different experimental conditions. The results of this study indicate that low-energy particle radiation (2-4?keV), typically present in the slow component of the solar wind, had no effect on dehydrated cells, even if exposed at fluences only reached in more than 1000 years at Sun-Earth distance (1 AU). Higher-energy ions (200?keV) found in solar flares would inactivate 90% of exposed cells after several events in less than 1 year at 1 AU. When mixed with dust grains, LD(10) increases about 10-fold. These results show that, compared to the highly deleterious effects of UV radiation, solar wind charged particles are relatively benign, and organisms protected under grains from UV radiation would also be protected from the charged particles considered in this study.     

Modeling the time behavior of the D st index during the main phase of magnetic storms generated by various types of solar wind

Results of modeling the time behavior of the D _st index at the main phase of 93 geomagnetic storms (?250 < D _st ≤ ?50 nT) caused by different types of solar wind (SW) streams: magnetic clouds (MC, 10 storms), corotating interaction regions (CIR, 31 storms), the compression region before interplanetary coronal ejections (Sheath before ICME, 21 storms), and “pistons” (Ejecta, 31 storms) are presented. The “Catalog of Large-Scale Solar Wind Phenomena during 1976–2000” (ftp://ftp.iki.rssi.ru/pub/omni/) created on the basis of the OMNI database was the initial data for the analysis. The main phase of magnetic storms is approximated by a linear dependence on the main parameters of the solar wind: integral electric field sumEy, dynamic pressure P _d , and fluctuation level sB in IMF. For all types of SW, the main phase of magnetic storms is better modeled by individual values of the approximation coefficients: the correlation coefficient is high and the standard deviation between the modeled and measured values of D _st is low. The accuracy of the model in question is higher for storms from MC and is lower by a factor of ～2 for the storms from other types of SW. The version of the model with the approximation coefficients averaged over SW type describes worse variations of the measured D _st index: the correlation coefficient is the lowest for the storms caused by MC and the highest for the Sheath- and CIR-induced storms. The model accuracy is the highest for the storms caused by Ejecta and, for the storms caused by Sheath, is a factor of ～1.42 lower. Addition of corrections for the prehistory of the development of the beginning of the main phase of the magnetic storm improves modeling parameters for all types of interplanetary sources of storms: the correlation coefficient varies within the range from r = 0.81 for the storms caused by Ejecta to r = 0.85 for the storms caused by Sheath. The highest accuracy is for the storms caused by MC. It is, by a factor of ～1.5, lower for the Sheath-induced storms.     

太阳系边际探测飞行任务规划

针对太阳系边际探测任务,开展了星际多目标飞越的任务规划,采用小推力混合优化设计方法完成了基于借力飞行及电推进技术的行星际转移轨道联合优化设计,对比研究了面向日球层鼻尖和尾部探测的星际多目标探测飞行方案.研究表明,探测器在2024-2025年发射,可飞抵日球层鼻尖区域,在2027-2030年发射可飞抵日球层尾部区域,并可...     

Exploring the Kuiper Belt: An extended Pluto mission

A robotic flyby mission to the planet Pluto is being planned for launch early in the next decade. The spacecraft will continue on out of the solar system in an almost radial direction traveling at about four AU per year and begin transiting the Kuiper Belt shortly after Pluto encounter. Recent discoveries and observations of Kuiper Belt objects have generated increased interest in the characteristics of these bodies. This paper examines the opportunities and requirements for extending the Pluto mission to include the search for, and encounters with, objects in the Kuiper Disk at 40+ AU. The trajectory and ΔV requirements will be presented. An automated, on-board sky survey will be proposed to inventory the Kuiper objects in the vicinity of the flight path and to identify which objects are candidates for altering the trajectory for a close flyby. A possible Kuiper object encounter science scenario will be described.     

Radial gradient of low-energy (∼0.5–2 MeV) protons at 20–80 AU in the solar activity minima of the 22nd and 23rd cycles

The value of the radial gradient of low-energy (0.5–2 MeV) protons in the heliosphere at distances of 20–80 AU in the periods of solar activity minima in 1985–1987 and 1994–1997 was estimated using the data of the Voyager-1 and Voyager-2 spacecraft (s/c). Preliminary results on the dependence of the radial gradient on the distance were obtained for protons of these energies. The value of the radial gradient varies from –3% (AU)^–1 to –1% (AU)^–1 at distances from the Sun of 20–60 AU, reaching +0.7% (AU)^–1 at maximum considered distances (80 AU). The sign reversal of the proton radial gradient at a distance of 60–70 AU is interpreted as the appearance of a new component: up to the point of inversion there are mainly particles of the solar origin and/or accelerated in the inner heliosphere, while after the reversal of the gradients sign the fluxes of particles prevail whose source is located far from the Sun (maybe in the vicinity of the heliosphere boundary in the region of existence of the termination shock).Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 43, No. 1, 2005, pp. 3–8.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Logachev, Zeldovich, Surova.