The geomagnetic solar flare effect identified by SIIG as an indicator of a solar flare observed by GOES satellites

This paper studies the efficiency of geomagnetic solar flare effects (gsfe) in X solar flare detection; so during the period 1999–2007 a comparison between solar flare (sf) observed by satellites of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) programme and gsfe published by the Service International des Indices Geomagnetiques (SIIG) is made.     

Results from the study of an M7.6 flare and its associated CME

An M7.6 flare was well observed on October 24, 2003 in active region 10486 by a few instruments and satellites, including GOES, TRACE, SOHO, RHESSI and NoRH. Multi-wavelength study shows that this flare underwent two episodes. During the first episode, only a looptop source of <40 keV was observed in reconstructed RHESSI images, which showed shrinkage with a velocity of 12–14 km s⁻¹ in a period of about 12 min. During the second process, in addition to the looptop source, two footpoint sources were observed in energy channel of as high as ∼200 keV. One of them showed fast propagation along one of the two TRACE 1600 Å flare ribbons and the 195 Å loop footpoints, which could be explained by successive magnetic reconnection. The associated CME showed a mass pickup process with decreasing center-of-mass velocity. The decrease of the CME kinetic energy and the increase of its potential energy lead to an almost constant total energy during the CME propagation. Our results reveal that the flare and its associated CME have comparable energy content, and the flare is of non-thermal property.     

On high-altitude electric fields in the auroral downward current region and their coupling to ionospheric electric fields

The downward field-aligned current region plays an active role in magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling processes associated with aurora. A quasi-static electric field structure with a downward parallel electric field forms at altitudes between 800 km and 5000 km, accelerating ionospheric electrons upward, away from the auroral ionosphere. Other phenomena including energetic ion conics, electron solitary waves, low-frequency wave activity, and plasma density cavities occur in this region, which also acts as a source region for VLF saucers. Results are presented from high-altitude Cluster observations with particular emphasis on the characteristics and dynamics of quasi-static electric field structures. These, extending up to altitudes of at least 4–5 Earth radii, appear commonly as monopolar or bipolar electric fields. The former occur at sharp boundaries, such as the polar cap boundary whereas the bipolar fields occur at softer boundaries within the plasma sheet. The temporal evolution of quasi-static electric field structures, as captured by the pearls-on-a-string configuration of the Cluster spacecraft, indicates that the formation of electric field structures and of ionospheric plasma density cavities are closely coupled processes. A related feature of the downward current is a broadening of the current sheet with time, possibly related to the depletion process. Preliminary studies of the coupling of electric fields in the downward current region, show that small-scale structures are typically decoupled from the ionosphere, similar to what has been found for the upward current region. However, exceptions are also found where small-scale electric fields couple perfectly between the ionosphere and Cluster altitudes. Recent FAST results indicate that the degree of coupling differs between sheet-like and curved structures, and that it is typically partial. The electric field coupling further depends on the current–voltage relationship, which is highly non-linear in the downward current region, and still unrevealed, as to its specific form.     

Diagnosis of coronal magnetic field and nonthermal electrons from Nobeyama observations of a simple flare

Coronal magnetic field and nonthermal electrons are very important parameters for understanding of the global heliophysical processes. A flare on November 1, 2004 is selected for self-consistent calculations of coronal magnetic field parallel and perpendicular to the line-of-sight, and density of nonthermal electrons from Nobeyama observations. Both of the diagnosis methods and results are discussed in this paper.     

Calculating the simultaneous effect of ion dynamics and oscillating electric fields on Stark profiles

We calculate hydrogen line shapes resulting from the simultaneous Stark effect of the plasma microfield and an oscillating electric field. Like laboratory plasmas, many kinds of space plasmas are affected by oscillating electric fields with a magnitude similar to that of the microfield. Here we focus on conditions where we expect that the effect of ion dynamics and oscillating electric are both significant. The combined effect of their dynamics on the quantum emitter is retained by a computer simulation coupled to a numerical integration of the Schrödinger equation. Our calculations are applied for conditions and transitions where significant changes in the line shape allow for a diagnostic of the plasma and oscillating field.     

Anomalous enhancement of electric field derived from ionosonde data before the great Wenchuan earthquake

The seismo-ionospheric coupling is a hot topic of modern scientific research. One of the most reasonable mechanisms is the hypothesis of quasistatic electric field. With a preliminary analytical method, electric field in F2-region before Wenchuan earthquake was derived from the five lower latitude ground-based ionosondes: Lhasa (29.63°N, 91.17°E), Chongqing (29.50°N, 106.40°E), Kunming (25.00°N, 102.70°E), Guangzhou (23.15°N, 113.35°E) and Haikou (23.15°N, 110.35°E). The results show that there was an anomalous enhancement of electric field in F2-region close to the epicenter with maximal amplitude ∼2 mV/m (about 10 times of the background) at 15:00 LT on 9 May, which is in line with the amplitudes of anomalous electric field related to some previous earthquakes observed by satellites.     

Coupling of the interstellar and interplanetary magnetic fields at the heliospheric interface: The effect of neutral hydrogen atoms

We present numerical results showing the effect of neutral hydrogen atoms on the solar wind (SW) interaction with the local interstellar medium (LISM), where the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) is coupled to the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) at the surface of the heliopause. The IMF on the inner boundary surrounding the Sun is specified in the form of a Parker spiral and self-consistently develops in accordance with the SW motion inside the heliopause. The model of the SW–LISM interaction involves both plasma and neutral components which are treated as fluids. The configuration is chosen where the ISMF is orthogonal to the LISM velocity and tilted 60° to the ecliptic plane. This orientation of the magnetic field is a possible explanation of the 2–3 kHz emission data which is believed to originate ahead of the heliopause. It is shown that the topology of the heliospheric current sheet is substantially affected by the ISMF. The interaction pattern dependence on the neutral hydrogen density is analyzed.     

Velocity shear Kelvin-Helmholtz instability with inhomogeneous DC electric field in the magnetosphere of Saturn

In this paper parallel flow velocity shear Kelvin-Helmholtz instability has been studied in two different extended regions of the inner magnetosphere of Saturn. The method of the characteristic solution and kinetic approach has been used in the mathematical calculation of dispersion relation and growth rate of K-H waves. Effect of magnetic field (B), inhomogeneity (P/a), velocity shear scale length ($A_i$), temperature anisotropy ($T_{\perp }/T_{||}$), electric field (E), ratio of electron to ion temperature ($T_e/T_i$), density gradient (${\epsilon }_n{\rho }_i$) and angle of propagation ($\theta$) on the dimensionless growth rate of K-H waves in the inner magnetosphere of Saturn has been observed with respect to $k_{\perp }{\rho }_i$. Calculations of this theoretical analysis have been done taking the data from the Cassini in the inner magnetosphere of Saturn in the two extended regions of Rs ～4.60–4.01 and Rs ～4.82–5.0. In our study velocity shear, temperature anisotropy and magnitude of the electric field are observed to be the major sources of free energy for the K-H instability in both the regions considered. The inhomogeneity of electric field, electron-ion temperature ratio, and density gradient have been observed playing stabilizing effect on K-H instability. This study also indicates the effect of the vicinity of icy moon Enceladus on the growth of K-H instability.     

Physics of ion acceleration in the solar flare on 2005 September 7 determines γ-ray and neutron production

Relativistic neutrons were observed by the neutron monitors at Mt. Chacaltaya and Mexico City and by the solar neutron telescopes at Chacaltaya and Mt. Sierra Negra in association with an X17.0 flare on 2005 September 7. The neutron signal continued for more than 20 min with high statistical significance. Intense emissions of γ-rays were also registered by INTEGRAL, and during the decay phase by RHESSI. We analyzed these data using the solar-flare magnetic-loop transport and interaction model of Hua et al. [Hua, X.-M., Kozlovsky, B., Lingenfelter, R.E. et al. Angular and energy-dependent neutron emission from solar flare magnetic loops, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 140, 563–579, 2002], and found that the model could successfully fit the data with intermediate values of loop magnetic convergence and pitch-angle scattering parameters. These results indicate that solar neutrons were produced at the same time as the γ-ray line emission and that ions were continuously accelerated at the emission site.     

Global characteristics of ionospheric electric fields and disturbances during the first hours of magnetic storms

The ionospheric plasma density can be significantly disturbed during magnetic storms. In the conventional scenario of ionospheric storms, the negative storm phases with plasma density decreases are caused by neutral composition changes, and the positive storm phases with plasma density increases are often related to atmospheric gravity waves. However, recent studies show that the global redistribution of the ionospheric plasma is dominated primarily by electric fields during the first hours of magnetic storms. In this paper, we present the measurements of ionospheric disturbances by the DMSP satellites and GPS network during the magnetic storm on 6 April 2000. The DMSP measurements include the F region ion velocity and density at the altitude of ∼840 km, and the GPS receiver network provides total electron content (TEC) measurements. The storm-time ionospheric disturbances show the following characteristics. The plasma density is deeply depleted in a latitudinal range of ∼20° over the equatorial region in the evening sector, and the depletions represent plasma bubbles. The ionospheric plasma density at middle latitudes (20°–40° magnetic latitudes) is significantly increased. The dayside TEC is increased simultaneously over a large latitudinal range. An enhanced TEC band forms in the afternoon sector, goes through the cusp region, and enters the polar cap. All the observed ionospheric disturbances occur within 1–5 h from the storm sudden commencement. The observations suggest that penetration electric fields play a major role in the rapid generation of equatorial plasma bubbles and the simultaneous increases of the dayside TEC within the first 2 h during the storm main phase. The ionospheric disturbances at later times may be caused by the combination of penetration electric fields and neutral wind dynamo process.     

Physical mechanism of the vertical electric field generation over active tectonic faults

The concept of the Global Electric Circuit (GEC) provides an explanation of the existence of a vertical atmospheric electric field and coupling between the ground and ionosphere. Presently, ionospheric physics pays more attention to electric fields and coupling processes in the polar and auroral regions, whereas in other areas the potential difference between the ground and ionosphere usually is not taken into account. Regional processes exist, however, that are able to significantly affect the GEC parameters and through modification of the ionospheric potential to create plasma density irregularities of different scales within the ionosphere. One such source of ionosphere modification is air ionization in the vicinity of active tectonic faults, which takes place due to increased radon emanation. This paper considers the process of local modification of the GEC and corresponding ionospheric variability due to tectonic activity.     

A simulation study on the mode conversion process from slow Z-mode to LO mode by the tunneling effect and variations of beaming angle

For a particular angle of incidence wave, it is possible for a slow Z-mode wave incident on an inhomogeneous plasma slab to be converted into an LO mode wave. But for another wave normal angle of the incident wave, it has been considered impossible, since an evanescence region exists between two mode branches. In this case we expect that the mode conversion takes place through the tunneling effect. We investigate the effect of the spatial scale of the density gradient on the mode conversion efficiency in an inhomogeneous plasma where the mode conversion can occur only by the tunneling effect. We use the computer simulation solving Maxwell’s equations and the motion of a cold electron fluid. By considering the steepness of the density gradient, the simulation results show the efficient mode conversion could be expected even in the case that the mismatch of the refractive indexes prevents the close coupling of plasma waves. Also, we show for these cases the beaming angle does not correspond to Jones’ formula. This effect leads to the angles larger and smaller than the angle estimated by the formula. This type of mode conversion process becomes important in a case where the different plasmas form a discontinuity at their contact boundary.     

Heliospheric asymmetries due to the action of the interstellar magnetic field

We discuss the asymmetry of the heliospheric discontinuities obtained from the analysis of 3D modeling of the solar wind (SW) interaction with local interstellar medium (LISM). The flow of charged particles is governed by the ideal MHD equations and the flow of neutral particles is described by the Boltzmann equation. The emphasis is made on the asymmetries of the termination shock (TS) and the heliopause under the combined action of the interstellar and interplanetary magnetic fields (ISMF and IMF) in the presence of neutral hydrogen atoms whose transport through the heliosphere is modeled kinetically, using a Monte Carlo approach. We show that the deflection of neutral hydrogen flow from its original direction in the unperturbed LISM is highly anisotropic and evaluate a possible angle between the hydrogen deflection plane measured in the SOHO SWAN experiment and the plane containing the ISMF and LISM velocity vectors for different ISMF strengths. It is shown that the ISMF of a strength greater than 4 μG can account for the 10 AU difference in the TS heliocentric difference observed during its crossing by the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft, which however results in a larger discrepancy between the calculated and observed velocity distributions. The effect of a strong ISMF on the distribution of plasma quantities in the inner heliosheath and on 2–3 kHz radio emission is discussed.     

Characteristics of recent dust storms over the Indian region using real time multi-satellite observations from the direct broadcast receiving system at IMD

In this study, observations from microwave satellites, visible and infrared instruments have been analyzed to detect dust storm over north and north–west part of India during 18–23 March 2012. This study investigated the approach to utilize the multi satellite data of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on-board the Terra and Aqua satellite and the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) on-board NOAA satellite to study the characteristics of dust storms from real time direct broadcast (DB) receiving system installed at three places of India Meteorological Department (IMD). The dust storm detection is based on the infrared brightness temperature (BT) difference between channels at 11 and 12 μm and polarized BT difference between two channels of 89 and 23.8 GHz. It is found that the significant differences between the BT of channel 89 and 23.8 can be used as a discriminator of identifying dust storm. The Total Ozone Mapping Spectroradiometer (TOMS) Aerosol Index (AI) and AMSU-A 23 GHz channel BT from NOAA satellite over the north and north-west part of India have also been analyzed. The result indicated the characteristic behavior between BT and AI during the different phases of the dust storm. Finally, the occurrence of dust outbreaks has also been validated with sky radiometer of IMD, which confirms the presence of a dust storm over the Indian region. Further, the findings of the study and its approaches apply to the other dust storm cases which occurred during the months of April and June 2012. The integrated approach suggested the potential to use high resolution data of microwave as well as thermal–infrared using multi-satellite observations from real time direct broadcast system for the detection of severe, moderate or weak dust storms very well. The approach is found to be promising for operational application.     

Statistical properties of the IMF clock angle in the solar wind with northward and southward interplanetary magnetic field based on ACE observation from 1998 to 2009: Dependence on the temporal scale of the solar wind

Utilizing ACE satellite observations from 1998 to 2009, we performed the elaborate study on the properties of the clock angle θ_CA (arctan(By/Bz) (?90° to 90°) of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) in the solar wind at 1?AU. The solar wind with northward IMF (NW-IMF) and southward IMF (SW-IMF) are analyzed, independently. Statistical analysis shows that the solar wind with SW-IMF and NW-IMF has similar properties in general, including their durations, the IMF Bz and By components, and the IMF θ_CA. Then, the solar wind with NW-IMF (SW-IMF) is classified into five different temporal scales according to the duration of the NW-IMF (SW-IMF), i.e., very-short wind of 10–30?min, short-scale wind of 0.5–1?h, moderate-scale wind of 1–3?h, long-scale wind of 3–5?h, and super-long wind >5?h. Our analysis reveals that the IMF θ_CA has a distinct decrease with increase of the temporal scale of the solar wind. Next, the solar wind is classified into two groups, i.e., the high-speed solar wind (>450?km/s) and the low-speed solar wind (<450?km/s). Our analysis indicates that the IMF θ_CA depends highly on the solar wind speed. Statistically, high-speed solar wind tends to have larger IMF θ_CA than low-speed solar wind. The evolutions of the solar wind and IMF with the solar activity are further studied, revealing no clear solar variation of the IMF θ_CA. Finally, we analyze the monthly variation of the IMF θ_CA. Superposed epoch result strongly suggests the seasonal variation of the IMF θ_CA.     

Variation of ionospheric total electron content in Taiwan region of the equatorial anomaly from 1994 to 2003

The ionospheric total electron content (TEC) in the northern hemispheric equatorial ionospheric anomaly (EIA) region is studied by analyzing dual-frequency signals of the Global Position System (GPS) acquired from a chain of nine observational sites clustered around Taiwan (21.9–26.2°N, 118.4–112.6°E). In this study, we present results from a statistical study of seasonal and geomagnetic effects on the EIA during solar cycle 23: 1994–2003. It is found that TEC at equatorial anomaly crests yield their maximum values during the vernal and autumnal months and their minimum values during the summer (except 1998). Using monthly averaged I_c (magnitude of TEC at the northern anomaly crest), semi-annual variations is seen clearly with two maxima occurring in both spring and autumn. In addition, I_c is found to be greater in winter than in summer. Statistically monthly values of I_c were poorly correlated with the monthly Dst index (r = −0.22) but were well correlated with the solar emission F_10.7 index (r = 0.87) for the entire database for the period during 1994–2003. In contrast, monthly values of I_c were correlated better with Dst (r ? 0.72) than with F_10.7 (r ? 0.56) in every year during the low solar activity period (1994–1997). It suggests that the effect of solar activity on I_c is a longer term (years), whereas the effect of geomagnetic activity on I_c is a shorter term (months).     

Present-day crustal movement of the Chinese mainland based on Global Navigation Satellite System data from 1998 to 2018

A total of more than 260 continuous stations and 2000 campaign stations from the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC) project, covering the Chinese mainland and its surrounding areas during the period of 1998–2018, are processed using the Bernese Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) software via a state-of-the-art method. We obtain the coordinate time series of all the stations given in the reference frame ITRF2014, estimate the coseismic deformation, and remove outliers. Lastly, we present the latest, most complete, and most accurate contemporary horizontal velocity field with respect to the stable Eurasian plate, irrespective of the postseismic deformations. This study shows that the signal of tectonic movement in Western China is stronger than that in Eastern China particularly in the Tibetan Plateau, with a rate of 18–32?mm/a. Moreover, the signal decays sharply from south to north. However, North China and South China move coherently to the ESE direction mostly at a rate of 4–10?mm/a and have not experienced any abrupt velocity gradients in their interiors. Meanwhile, Northeast China has the lowest velocity of only 2–4?mm/a in addition to the coastal areas that have slightly larger velocities. The densified and continuous observation of GNSS stations are of great significance to the study of the present-day crustal movement and tectonic deformation characteristics of the Chinese mainland. This would help to provide better constraints on the kinematics and dynamics of the region.