Energy coupling between the solar wind and the magnetosphere

This paper describes in detail how we are led to the first approximation expression for the solar wind-magnetosphere energy coupling function , which correlates well with the total energy consumption rate U _T of the magnetosphere. It is shown that is the primary factor which controls the time development of magnetospheric substorms and storms. The finding of this particular expression indicates how the solar wind couples its energy to the magnetosphere; the solar wind and the magnetosphere constitute a dynamo. In fact, the power P generated by the dynamo can be identified as by using a dimensional analysis. Furthermore, the finding of indicates that the magnetosphere is closer to a directly driven system than to an unloading system which stores the generated energy before converting it to substorm and storm energies. Therefore, the finding of and its implications have considerably advanced and improved our understanding of magnetospheric processes. The finding of has also led us to a few specific future problems in understanding relationships between solar activity and magnetospheric disturbances, such as a study of distortion of the solar current disk and the accompanying changes of . It is also pointed out that one of the first tasks in the energy coupling study is an improvement of the total energy consumption rate U _T of the magnetosphere. Specific steps to be taken in this study are suggested.     

The roles of direct input of energy from the solar wind and unloading of stored magnetotail energy in driving magnetospheric substorms

This paper presents the consensus arrived at by the authors with respect to the contributions to the substorm expansive phase of direct energy input from the solar wind and from energy stored in the magnetotail which is released in a sometimes unpredictable manner. Two physical processes, neither of which can be ignored, are considered to be of importance in the dispensation of the energy input from the solar wind. One of these is the driven process in which energy, supplied from the solar wind, is directly dissipated in the ionosphere with the only clearly definable delay being due to the inductance of the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. The other is the loading-unloading process in which energy from the solar wind is first stored in the magnetotail and then is suddenly released to be deposited in the ionosphere as a consequence of external changes in the interplanetary medium or internal triggering processes. Although the driven process appears to be more dominant on a statistical basis in terms of solar wind-geomagnetic activity relationships, one or the other of the two above processes may dominate for any individual cases. Moreover, the two processes may operate simultaneously during a given phase of the substorm, e.g., the magnetotail may experience loading as the driven system increases in strength. Thus, in our approach, substorms are described in terms of physical processes which we infer to be operative in the magnetosphere and the terminology of the past (e.g., phases) is related to those inferred physical processes. The pattern of substorm development in response to changes in the interplanetary medium is presented for a canonical isolated substorm.Now at Max-Planck-Institut für Physik und Astrophysik, Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, D-8046 Garching, F.R.G.     

Interaction of non-perpendicular/parallel solar wind shock waves with the earth's magnetosphere

The interaction of travelling interplanetary shock waves with the bow shock-magnetosphere system is considered. We consider the general case when the interplanetary magnetic field is oblique to the Sun-planetary axis, thus, the interplanetary shock is neither parallel nor perpendicular. We find that an ensemble of shocks are produced after the interaction for a representative range of shock Mach numbers. First, we find that the system S ₊ R _– CS _– S ₊ appears after the collision of travelling fast shock waves S ₊ (Mach number M = 2 to 7) with the bow shock. Here, S _– and R _– represent the slow shock wave and slow rarefaction wave, and C represents the contact surface. It is shown that in the presence of an interplanetary field that is inclined by 45° to the radial solar wind velocity vector, the waves R _– and S _– are weak waves and, to the first degree of approximation, the situation is similar to the previously studied normal perpendicular case. The configuration, R ₊ C _m S _– S ₊ or R ₊ C _m R _– S ₊ where C _m is the magnetopause, appears as the result of the fast shock wave's collision with the magnetopause. In this case the waves S _– and R _– are weak. The fast rarefaction wave reflected from the magnetosphere is developed similar to the case for the collision of a perpendicular shock. The shock wave intensity is varied for Mach numbers from 2 to 10. Thus, in the limits of the first approximation, the validity of the one-dimensional consideration of the nonstationary interaction of travelling interplanetary shock waves with the bow shock-magnetosphere system is proved. The appearance of the fast rarefaction wave, R ₄, decreasing the pressure on the magnetosphere of the Earth after the abrupt shock-like contraction, is proved. A possible geomagnetic effect during the global perturbation of the SSC or SI⁺ type is discussed.An invited paper presented at STIP Workshop on Shock Waves in the Solar Corona and Interplanetary Space, 15–19 June, 1980, Smolenice, Czechoslovakia.     

Electric field measurements in the solar wind,bow shock,magnetosheath, magnetopause,and magnetosphere

Electric field measurements are reported at 11 magnetopause crossings that occurred during a single in-bound ISEE-1 satellite pass near a local time of 1030. In combination with magnetic field data, these measurements show the existence of electric field components tangential to the actual magnetopause in the frame of rest of the magnetopause on every crossing of the current carrying layers associated with the 11 magnetopause traversals. These tangential electric field components were oriented with respect to the magnetopause sheet currents such that there was an electrical power dissipation of between 30 and 110 W km^-2 on 10 of the 11 crossings. These results are in agreement with requirements of reconnection theories. Histograms of the normal electric field components and of the orientation, velocity, and thickness of the current carrying layer are presented. Suggestions of the existence of a parallel electric field in the magnetosheath near the magnetopause and of propagation of large amplitude waves along the magnetopause are also made.     

Magnetic turbulence at the magnetopause, a key problem for understanding the solar wind/ magnetosphere exchanges

According to ideal MHD, the magnetopause boundary should split the terrestrial environment in two disconnected domains: outside, the solar wind (including its shocked part, the magnetosheath), and inside, the magnetosphere. This view is at variance with the experimental data, which show that the magnetopause is not tight and that a net transfer of matter exists from the solar wind to the magnetosphere; it implies that the frozen-in condition must break down on the magnetopause, either over the whole boundary or at some points. In the absence of ordinary collisions, only short scale phenomena (temporal and/or spatial) can be invoked to explain this breakdown, and the best candidates in this respect appear to be the ULF magnetic fluctuations which show very strong amplitudes in the vicinity of the magnetopause boundary. It has been shown that these fluctuations are likely to originate in the magnetosheath, probably downstream of the quasi-parallel shock region, and that they can get amplified by a propagation effect when crossing the magnetopause. When studying the propagation across the magnetopause boundary, several effects are to be taken into account simultaneously to get reliable results: the magnetopause density gradient, the temperature effects, and the magnetic field rotation can be introduced while remaining in the framework of ideal MHD. In these conditions, the magnetopause amplification has been interpreted in term of Alfvén and slow resonances occurring in the layer. When, in addition, one takes the ion inertia effects into account, by the way of the Hall-MHD equations, the result appears drastically different: no resonance occurs, but a strong Alfvén wave can be trapped in the boundary between the point where it is converted from the incident wave and the point where it stops propagating back, i.e., the point where k _\|=0, which can exist thanks to the magnetic field rotation. This effect can bring about a new interpretation to the magnetopause transfers, since the Hall effect can allow reconnection near this particular point. The plasma transfer through the magnetopause could then be interpreted in terms of a reconnection mechanism directly driven by the magnetosheath turbulence, which is permanent, rather than due to any local instability of the boundary, for instance of the tearing type, which should be subject to an instability threshold and thus, as far as it exists, more sporadic.     

大气边界层风速竖向相干函数实验研究

采用尖劈、格栅和粗糙元组合的被动湍流发生装置在TJ-2风洞中模拟了大气边界层流场,测量了模拟流场的平均风速剖面,湍流度剖面,湍流积分尺度和脉动风速功率谱等风场特性参数,重点分析了风速的竖向空间相干曲线。针对风速竖向空间相干曲线存在低频“掉头”的现象,给出了修正的指数衰减函数来进行拟合,完善了用传统的简化指数衰减函数来进行拟合时在低频处的不足,结果表明：笔者给出的风速竖向空间相干函数拟合效果更好。     

Neutral points on the boundary of the closed magnetosphere

Theoretical studies of a field-free plasma incident upon a magnetic dipole lead to a closed magnetosphere with two neutral points in the noon magnetic meridian, at a latitude of ± 70°–75° and a geocentric distance of approximately 10 R_E. The position of the neutral points with respect to the dipole axis is not greatly affected by the angle of incidence of the solar wind. Although the field magnitude near the neutral points is only a fraction of the dipole field, the direction is seen to reverse on opposite sides of the neutral point. Near the boundary the field direction is parallel to the boundary and tends to point towards the neutral point in the Northern hemisphere.     

振动尖塔对风洞模拟大气湍流边界层的作用

针对大气边界层风洞模拟中常常出现的湍流度随高度衰减太快的问题，本文尝试了一种新的被动模拟方法——振动尖塔法。该方法主要采用了具有弹性底座的尖塔型旋涡发生器。尖塔群受风洞自由来流驱动，发生随机振动，向下游流场注入了强烈的低频扰动，致使试验区的湍流度、积分尺度和风谱惯性子区的宽度都明显增加，改善了风洞的模拟性能。     

Observations of low energy magnetospheric plasma outside the plasmasphere

After some introductory discussions about morphological concepts and limitations of various measurement techniques, existing low energy plasma data, orginating primarily from the GEOS, Dynamics Explorer, and Prognoz spacecraft, is described and discussed. The plasmasphere measurements are not included (but for some observations of plasmasphere refilling). It is finally concluded that we are very far from a complete picture of the low-energy plasma component in the magnetosphere and that this problem has to be given high priority in planning payloads of future space plasma physics missions.     

UV studies and the solar wind

The solar wind carves a cavity in the flow of interstellar H atoms through the solar system by charge-exchange ionization. The resulting Ly- sky pattern depends on the latitude distribution of the solar wind flux and velocity. We review how the solar wind characteristics (mass flux latitude distribution) can be retrieved from Ly- observations, yielding a new remote sensing method of solar wind studies, through UV optical measurements.     

The solar wind in the outer solar system

The properties of the solar wind including magnetic fields, plasma, and plasma waves are briefly reviewed with emphasis on conditions near and beyond the orbit of Jupiter. An extrapolation of the steady-state wind to large distances, evolution of disturbances and structure, modulation of cosmic rays, interactions with planetary bodies (bow shocks and magnetosheaths), and interactions with interstellar neutral helium and hydrogen are briefly discussed. Some comments on instrumentation requirements to observationally define the above phenomena are also included.This is one of the publications by the Science Advisory Group.     

An algorithm to separate wind tunnel background noise from turbulent boundary layer excitation

Wall pressure fluctuations generated by Turbulent Boundary Layers(TBL) provide a significant contribution in reducing the structural vibration and the aircraft cabin noise. However,it is difficult to evaluate these fluctuations accurately through a wind tunnel test because of the pollution caused by the background noise generated by the jet or the valve of the wind tunnel. In this study, a new technology named Subsection Approaching Method(SAM) is proposed to separate the wall pressure fluctuations from the background noise induced by the jet or the valve for a transonic wind tunnel test. The SAM demonstrates good performance on separating the background noise from the total pressure compared to the other method in this study. The investigation considers the effects of the sound intensity and the decay factor on the sound-source separation. The results show that the SAM can derive wall pressure fluctuations effectively even when the level of background noise is considerably higher than the level of the wall pressure fluctuations caused by the TBL. In addition, the computational precision is also analyzed based on the broad band noise tested in the wind tunnel. Two methods to improve the precision of the computation with the SAM are also suggested: decreasing the loop gain and increasing the sensors for the signal analysis.     

Acceleration of the solar wind

In this review, we discuss critically recent research on the acceleration of the solar wind, giving emphasis to high-speed solar wind streams emanating from solar coronal holes. We first explain why thermally driven wind models constrained by solar and interplanetary observations encounter substantial difficulties in explaining high speed streams. Then, through a general discussion of energy addition to the solar wind above the coronal base, we indicate a possible resolution of these difficulties. Finally, we consider the question of what role MHD waves might play in transporting energy through the solar atmosphere and depositing it in the solar wind, and we conclude by examining, in a simple way, the specific mechanism of solar wind acceleration by Alfvén waves and the related problem of accelerating massive stellar winds with Alfvén waves.Paper presented at the IX-th Lindau Workshop The Source Region of the Solar Wind.On leave from the Auroral Observatory, Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Tromsø, N-9001 Tromsø, Norway.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Discontinuities in the solar wind

The nonuniform emission of the solar wind from the sun means that conditions are established which favor the development of discontinuities in the plasma parameters. Since the solar wind is in rapid proper motion with respect to the sun and the earth, examination of these discontinuities requires that the wind velocity be transformed away. Then it is found that they satisfy the conditions of magnetohydrodynamics and can be treated as shock waves and the stationary contact surfaces consisting of either tangential or contact discontinuities. The collision-free structure of the solar wind suggests that the tangential discontinuity is the more likely contact surface as it is more capable of inhibiting diffusion which is required for a lifetime sufficient for the structure to be carried to the neighborhood of the earth.Either the shock wave or the contact surface can create signals that are detectable at the surface of the earth. The simplest surface signal to detect is the sudden impulse (SI) but other signals may be found. The existence of a field of MHD discontinuities in the solar wind should make possible the generation of ensembles of shocks and contact surfaces. Various possibilities are explored and these are discussed from the standpoint of combinations of sudden impulses at the earth's surface which are both positive and negative. Some of these are recurrent with a 27-day period; the interplanetary M region shock ensemble associated with this is discussed and the development of these structures in space is reviewed.Lastly observational evidence for interplanetary shock waves is given together with the analytic technique for establishing their geometry and comparing the derived and measured jump parameters. The applicability of the geometrical construction of the general class of MHD discontinuity to their analysis is indicated and shows the way in which the structural content of the solar wind can be classified by the use of magnetometers and plasma probes. A parametric study of the jump conditions through a shock wave can be used to verify the correctness of field measurements because of the redundancy in measurements. This also allows the details of shock structure to be examined including the intrinsic partitioning of the internal energy of the shocked plasma.     

风洞试验中风剖面的模拟及近流场特性分析

首先简单介绍了日本东京工艺大学风工程研究中心新建的开环流低速边界层风洞中风剖面模拟的试验情况.基于试验结果,采用被广泛应用的三角尖劈加上布置粗糙元的方法,成功地模拟出日本建筑学会定义的四类不同场地对应的风剖面.通过对试验数据的比较分析,就所采用的立方体粗糙元及三角尖劈对最终模拟得到的风剖面特性的影响进行了比较分析.其次,对风剖面模拟及特性判定中的几个重要问题,如三角尖劈的形状优化、风速功率谱的一致性、积分尺度的分析方法等进行了分析.最后,基于以上分析,对在边界层风洞中模拟预定的风剖面提出几点参考意见.     

风力机对大气边界层近地层影响的数值模拟

为研究风力机运行对大气边界层近地层的潜在影响,采用 Gambit 软件建立风力机及风场模型,应用 UDF加载边界层速度分布函数作为流场入口边界条件,基于尾流特性及湍流理论,应用 Fluent 软件模拟单台风力机运行对大气边界层近地层的影响,通过分析风力机下游不同位置处的速度及湍动能以及其随高度的变化情况来进行分析研究。模拟结果表明风力机的运行会造成近地层内原本均匀分布的大气流场发生明显变化。与初始速度分布相比,流体流经风力机后,轮毂处风速迅速降低,随后逐渐增加,但随着向下游的延伸,速度增加的梯度逐渐降低,且在距离风力机17倍风轮直径后仍未增至来流速度;在竖直方向上速度分布呈现出逐渐增加的趋势,但在风轮位置处明显下降,随着空气继续向后流动,影响面积在扩大,但是趋势逐渐变缓。同时湍动能也发生较大变化,在近风轮处,由于轮毂区域的风速与周边的风速存在较大差异,所以造成近风轮处的湍动能迅速增大,随着流体向下游的延伸,与周边流体逐渐混合扩散,湍动能逐渐降低;湍动能在竖直高度上的分布在近尾迹区呈现出由地面至高空先减小后增大,再减小再增大的趋势;而远尾迹区域则先减后增,不过在到达一定高度后几乎都不再变化。由于大气各种通量的变化等也与风速、湍动能相关,所以风力机会对对其周边环境造成影响而不仅仅局限于近地层的风速、湍动能。     

大型低速翼型风洞侧壁边界层控制系统研制

介绍了NF-3大型低速翼型风洞多喷嘴级联吹气侧壁边界层控制系统的结构和原理。为验证本系统的功能和性能,采用侧壁吹气方案并使用增量式PID控制算法进行气源压力的控制,对具有增升装置的GAW-1翼型进行了侧壁边界层吹除试验研究。试验结果表明：（1）使用侧壁吹气系统后翼型模型中间截面最大升力系数由2．79增加到2．84,增加幅度1．8％,且模型端面截面的升力系数与中间截面的升力系数基本上相等;（2）利用增量式PID控制算法对气源压力的精确控制较好地完成了风洞侧壁吹气功能,改善了翼型表面流动,减小了侧壁边界层对翼型试验结果的影响。