Study of magnetic flux emergence and related activity in active region NOAA 10314

We study the extremely complex active region (AR) NOAA 10314, that was observed from March 13–19, 2003. This AR was the source of several energetic events, among them two major (X class) flares, along a few days. We follow the evolution of this AR since the very first stages of its emergence. From the photospheric evolution of the magnetic polarities observed with SOHO/MDI we infer the morphology of the flux tube that originates the AR. Using a computation technique that combines Local Correlation Tracking with magnetic induction constrains, we compute the rate of magnetic helicity injection at the photosphere during the observed evolution. From our results we conclude that the AR originated by the emergence of a severely deformed magnetic flux tube having a dominantly positive magnetic helicity.     

太阳风中小尺度磁通量管边界重联的统计研究

通过对WIND卫星1995—2005年的数据,利用程序筛选及人工识别两种不同方法确定的小尺度磁通量管进行比较,发现程序筛选法中41%的小尺度磁通量管有边界重联现象,与人工识别法确定的小尺度磁通量管的统计结果接近;通过人工识别和程序筛选两种方法确定的小尺度磁通量管的边界重联特征,包括磁场剪切角、磁场强度以及重联耗散区的持续时间等,也具有相同的统计趋势.结果表明,两种方法确定的小尺度磁通量管在重联特性上没有本质区别,因此采用这两种方法得到的数据作为样本来统计小尺度磁通量管前后边界重联事件.本文共确定了71个重联事件,统计结果显示有50个(70%)重联耗散区磁场的减小超过20%,47个(66%)磁场剪切角大于90°;多数重联事件的磁场剪切角大于90°,表明小尺度磁通量管边界中主要发生的是反平行重联.将小尺度磁通量管的前后边界重联分开进行统计,结果显示其前后边界重联的特征是相似的,与磁云前后边界存在差异的性质不同,这意味着太阳风中的小尺度磁通量管并不具有磁云这种大尺度磁通量管的膨胀特征.     

Recent space shuttle observations of the South Atlantic Anomaly and the radiation belt models.

Active instruments consisting of a tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) and a proton and heavy ion detector (PHIDE) have been carried on a number of Space Shuttle flights. These instruments have allowed us to map out parts of the South Atlantic Particle Anomaly (SAA) and to compare some of its features with predictions of the AP-8 energetic proton flux models. We have observed that consistent with the generally observed westward drift of the surface features of the terrestrial magnetic field the SAA has moved west by about 6.9 degrees longitude between the epoch year 1970 of the AP-8 solar maximum model and the Space Shuttle observations made twenty years later. However, calculations indicate that except for relatively brief periods following very large magnetic storms the SAA seems to occupy the same position in L-space as in 1970. After the great storm of 24 March 1991 reconfiguration of the inner radiation belt and/or proton injection into the inner belt, a second energetic proton belt was observed to form at L approximately = 2. As confirmed by a subsequent flight observations, this belt was shown to persist at least for six months. Our measurements also indicate an upward shift in the L location of the primary belt from L = 1.4 to L = 1.5. In addition we confirm through direct real time observations the existence and the approximate magnitude of the East-West effect.     

磁场强度对日冕定态结构的影响

以二维ＭＨＤ模型及时变方法为基础,内外边界完整的设影特征线边界条件,考察了太阳日冕大气的定态结构随偶极场强度的变化情况。模拟结果表明：随着偶极场强度的增加,磁场对太阳风的约束增强,低纬闭磁场打开程度减少,高纬与低纬区速度差增加,并且在阿尔文马赫数为１的点附近达到最大,速度过度区变陡;随着日心距离增加,低纬区宽度减小,速度过渡区变陡,可定性解释Ｕｌｙｓｓｅｓ飞船的新观测事实。     

Magnetic Field Fluctuations in the Solar Wind, Foreshock and Magnetosheath： Cluster Data Analysis

46 magnetosheath crossing events from the two years (2001.2-2003.1) of Cluster magnetic field measurements are identified and used to investigate the characters of the magnetic field fluctuations in the regions of undisturbed solar wind, foreshock, magnetosheath. The preliminary results indicate the properties of the plasma turbulence in the magnetosheath are strongly controlled by IMF orientation with respect to the bow shock normal. The amplitude of the magnetic field magnitude and direction variations behind quasi-parallel bow shock are larger than those behind quasi-perpendicular bow shock. Almost purely compressional waves are found in quasi-perpendicular magnetosheath.     

Monitoring of Saharan dust over the Atlantic using Meteosat-VIS-data

The optical depth of Saharan dustclouds (a component of the radiation budget), which can be clearly seen in satellite images taken over the Atlantic, can be determined from the Meteosat VIS-data. ‘Favourable angles’ between sun, observed point and satellite are chosen so that the optical depth is determined with an inaccuracy of only about 20%.We present several clouds, their change over time, and some of their other interesting features. The results are discussed.     

Solar and magnetic control on night-time enhancement in TEC near the crest of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly

The ionospheric Total Electron Content (TECs), derived by dual frequency signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS) recorded near the Indian equatorial anomaly region, Bhopal (23.2°N, 77.4°E, Geomagnetic 14.2°N) were analyzed for the period of January, 2005 to February, 2008. The work deals with monthly, diurnal, solar and magnetic activity variations on night-time enhancement in TEC. From a total of 157 night-time enhancements, 75 occur during pre-midnight and 82 post-midnight hours. The occurrence of night-time enhancement in TEC is utmost during summer months, followed by equinox and winter months. The occurrence of night-time enhancement in TEC decreases with increase in solar and magnetic activities. We observed that peak size and half amplitude duration are positively correlated, while time of occurrence of night-time enhancement in TEC and time of peak enhancement are negatively correlated with solar activity. The peak size, half amplitude duration, time of peak enhancement and time of occurrence of night-time enhancement in TEC shows negative correlation with magnetic activity. The results have been compared with the earlier ones and discussed in terms of possible source mechanism responsible for the enhancement at anomaly crest region.     

行星际电场与Dst指数

利用ACE卫星的太阳风及行星际磁场观测数据和相应时期的Dst指数,分析了行星际电场的Dst指数的相关关系,讨论了行星际电场作为研究磁层和太阳风相互作用的良好参数的物理机制。结果表明：行星际电场与Dst指数有很好的相关性,并且在强和中等地磁活动基间,存在显著的突变特征曲线;相对于V、V^2Bz、VB^2和ε,行星际电场的突变特征曲线更易识别;弱的扰动磁层背景状况和行星际磁场南向分量及电场晨昏分量的较大波动影响着磁暴的发展,使磁暴主相有多个发展阶段,从而增加磁暴的强度;对主相有多个发展阶段磁暴的研究有待进一步改善。     

Dependence of the 27-day variation of cosmic rays on the global magnetic field of the Sun

We show that the higher range of the heliolongitudinal asymmetry of the solar wind speed in the positive polarity period (A > 0) than in the negative polarity period (A < 0) is one of the important reasons of the larger amplitudes of the 27-day variation of the galactic cosmic ray (GCR) intensity in the period of 1995–1997 (A > 0) than in 1985–1987 (A < 0). Subsequently, different ranges of the heliolongitudinal asymmetry of the solar wind speed jointly with equally important corresponding drift effect are general causes of the polarity dependence of the amplitudes of the 27-day variation of the GCR intensity. At the same time, we show that the polarity dependence is feeble for the last unusual minimum epoch of solar activity 2007–2009 (A < 0); the amplitude of the 27-day variation of the GCR intensity shows only a tendency of the polarity dependence. We present a three dimensional (3-D) model of the 27-day variation of GCR based on the Parker’s transport equation. In the 3-D model is implemented a longitudinal variation of the solar wind speed reproducing in situ measurements and corresponding divergence-free interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) derived from the Maxwell’s equations. We show that results of the proposed 3-D modeling of the 27-day variation of GCR intensity for different polarities of the solar magnetic cycle are in good agreement with the neutron monitors experimental data. To reach a compatibility of the theoretical modeling with observations for the last minimum epoch of solar activity 2007–2009 (A < 0) a parallel diffusion coefficient was increased by ∼40%.     

利用Cluster卫星磁尾单事例研究具有复杂核心磁场结构的磁通量绳

2002年8月28日09：50UT-10：50UT,Cluster卫星在地球磁尾观测到一次导向场磁场重联事件.卫星观测到磁场重联扩散区附近清晰的霍尔（Hall）四极型磁结构.由于导向场的存在,该四极型结构被扭曲变形.在该磁场重联事件中,卫星观测到多个磁通量绳,大部分磁通量绳的核心场极性与导向场极性一致.但是,其中一例磁通量绳的核心场结构极性较复杂.该例磁通量绳中心区域核心场强度出现峰值,核心场极性和导向场极性一致;中心以外区域的核心场极性和导向场极性相反.这种复杂核心场结构以前未见报道.通过最小方向导数法,发现该磁通量绳的轴向是弯曲的.C1和C3卫星穿越了磁通量绳弯曲部分,探测到核心场极性变化;C2和C4卫星位于C1和C3卫星的北侧,仅穿越了磁通量绳弯曲处的一部分,故核心场具有单极性.     

Force-free magnetic field in a cylindrical flux rope without a constant alpha

It is generally assumed that magnetic fields inside interplanetary magnetic clouds and flux ropes in the solar photosphere are force-free. In order to model such fields, the solution of rot B = B is commonly used where  = const. But comparisons of this solutions with observations show significant difference. To treat this problem,we examine the solutions with .     

Fundamental (f) oscillations in a magnetically coupled solar interior-atmosphere system – An analytical approach

Solar fundamental (f) acoustic mode oscillations are investigated analytically in a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model. The model consists of three layers in planar geometry, representing the solar interior, the magnetic atmosphere, and a transitional layer sandwiched between them. Since we focus on the fundamental mode here, we assume the plasma is incompressible. A horizontal, canopy-like, magnetic field is introduced to the atmosphere, in which degenerated slow MHD waves can exist. The global (f-mode) oscillations can couple to local atmospheric Alfvén waves, resulting, e.g., in a frequency shift of the oscillations. The dispersion relation of the global oscillation mode is derived, and is solved analytically for the thin-transitional layer approximation and for the weak-field approximation. Analytical formulae are also provided for the frequency shifts due to the presence of a thin transitional layer and a weak atmospheric magnetic field. The analytical results generally indicate that, compared to the fundamental value (), the mode frequency is reduced by the presence of an atmosphere by a few per cent. A thin transitional layer reduces the eigen-frequencies further by about an additional hundred microhertz. Finally, a weak atmospheric magnetic field can slightly, by a few percent, increase the frequency of the eigen-mode. Stronger magnetic fields, however, can increase the f-mode frequency by even up to ten per cent, which cannot be seen in observed data. The presence of a magnetic atmosphere in the three-layer model also introduces non-permitted propagation windows in the frequency spectrum; here, f-mode oscillations cannot exist with certain values of the harmonic degree. The eigen-frequencies can be sensitive to the background physical parameters, such as an atmospheric density scale-height or the rate of the plasma density drop at the photosphere. Such information, if ever observed with high-resolution instrumentation and inverted, could help to gain further insight into solar magnetic structures by means of solar magneto-seismology, and could provide further insight into the role of magnetism in solar oscillations.     

GNSS Satellite Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (SAIM) using inter-satellite measurements

Integrity is the ability of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to detect faults in measurements and provide timely warnings to users and operators when the navigation system cannot meet the defined performance standards, which is of great importance for safety of life critical applications. Compared with both Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) and ground based GNSS Integrity Channel (GIC) methods which are widely adopted nowadays, the Satellite Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (SAIM) method can be used to monitor orbit/ephemeris and clock errors, and has advantages in monitoring orbit and clock quality and providing instantaneous responses when faults happen.     

Temporal evolution of statistical features of the sunspot cycles

Analysis of the general statistical features of the sunspot cycles in the period 1700–1996 AD, including the Gnevyshev–Ohl rule, Waldmeier rule and an amplitude–period effect, was performed for both Wolf numbers and group sunspot numbers. It was shown that for both solar indices all the statistical effects are weaker over the time interval 1700–1855 AD than over the time interval 1856–1996 AD. Possible causes of this difference are discussed.     

Hybrid modelling the Pioneer Venus Orbiter magnetic field observations

This study presents comparisons between the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) magnetometer (OMAG) observations and the HYB-Venus hybrid simulation code. The comparisons are made near periapsides of four PVO orbits using the full resolution PVO/OMAG data. Also, the statistics of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions at Venus are studied using the PVO interplanetary dataset. The statistics include the histograms and the probability density maps of the selected upstream parameters. The confidence intervals derived from the upstream statistics demonstrate the nominal simulation input parameter space. Moreover, the probability density maps give the dependencies between the upstream parameters. The comparisons between the simulation code and the data along the spacecraft trajectory show that the basic, large scale, trends seen in the magnetic field can be understood by the current simulation runs. The discrepancies between the simulation and the data were found to arise at low altitudes close to the planetary ionosphere in the region which cannot be resolved in detail by the grid size of the runs.