Radial and meridional trends in solar wind thermal electron temperature and anisotropy: Ulysses

Ulysses plasma measurement from 1.15 to 5.31 AU and from S6.4° to S48.3° solar latitude are used to assess the trends in the solar wind thermal electron temperature and anisotropy. Improved spacecraft potential corrections and data products have been incorporated. The radial temperature gradient is steeper than in previous determinations, but flatter than adiabatic. When normalized to 1 AU, temperature decrease with increasing latitude. Little change in the average thermal anisotropy has been seen during the mission.     

Solar wind corotating stream interaction regions out of the ecliptic plane: Ulysses

Ulysses plasma observations reveal that the forward shocks that commonly bound the leading edges of corotating interaction regions (CIRs) beyond 2 AU from the Sun at low heliographic latitudes nearly disappeared at a latitude of S26°. On the other hand, the reverse shocks that commonly bound the trailing edges of the CIRs were observed regularly up to S41.5°, but became weaker with increasing latitude. Only three CIR shocks have been observed poleward of S41.5°; all of these were weak reverse shocks. The above effects are a result of the forward waves propagating to lower heliographic latitudes and the reverse waves to higher latitudes with increasing heliocentric distance. These observational results are in excellent agreement with the predictions of a global model of solar wind flows that originate in a simple tilted-dipole geometry back at the Sun.     

A three-dimensional plasma and energetic particle investigation for the wind spacecraft

This instrument is designed to make measurements of the full three-dimensional distribution of suprathermal electrons and ions from solar wind plasma to low energy cosmic rays, with high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, good energy and angular resolution, and high time resolution. The primary scientific goals are to explore the suprathermal particle population between the solar wind and low energy cosmic rays, to study particle accleration and transport and wave-particle interactions, and to monitor particle input to and output from the Earth's magnetosphere.Three arrays, each consisting of a pair of double-ended semi-conductor telescopes each with two or three closely sandwiched passivated ion implanted silicon detectors, measure electrons and ions above 20 keV. One side of each telescope is covered with a thin foil which absorbs ions below 400 keV, while on the other side the incoming <400 keV electrons are swept away by a magnet so electrons and ions are cleanly separated. Higher energy electrons (up to 1 MeV) and ions (up to 11 MeV) are identified by the two double-ended telescopes which have a third detector. The telescopes provide energy resolution of E/E0.3 and angular resolution of 22.5°×36°, and full 4 steradian coverage in one spin (3 s).Top-hat symmetrical spherical section electrostatic analyzers with microchannel plate detectors are used to measure ions and electrons from 3 eV to 30 keV. All these analyzers have either 180° or 360° fields of view in a plane, E/E0.2, and angular resolution varying from 5.6° (near the ecliptic) to 22.5°. Full 4 steradian coverage can be obtained in one-half or one spin. A large and a small geometric factor analyzer measure ions over the wide flux range from quiet-time suprathermal levels to intense solar wind fluxes. Similarly two analyzers are used to cover the wide range of electron fluxes. Moments of the electron and ion distributions are computed on board.In addition, a Fast Particle Correlator combines electron data from the high sensitivity electron analyzer with plasma wave data from the WAVE experiment (Bougeretet al., in this volume) to study wave-particle interactions on fast time scales. The large geometric factor electron analyzer has electrostatic deflectors to steer the field of view and follow the magnetic field to enhance the correlation measurements.     

The multifuid solar wind termination shock and its influence on the threedimensional plasma structure upstream and downstream

The solar wind termination shock is described as a multi-fluid phenomenon taking into account the magnetohydrodynamic self-interaction of a multispecies plasma consisting of solar wind ions, pick-up ions and shock-generated anomalous cosmic ray particles. The spatial diffusion of these high energy particles relative to the resulting, pressure-modified solar wind flow structure is described by a coupled system of differential equations describing mass-, momentum-, and energy-flow continuities for all plasma components. The energy loss due to escape of energetic particles (MeV) from the precursor into the inner heliosphere is taken into account. We determine the integrated properties of the anomalous cosmic ray gas and the low-energy solar wind. Also the variation of the compression ratio of the shock structure is quantitatively determined and is related to the pick-up ion energization efficiency and to the mean energy of the downstream anomalous cosmic ray particles. The variation of the resulting shock structure and of the solar wind sheath plasma extent beyond the shock is discussed with respect to its consequences for the LISM neutral gas filtration and the threedimensional shape of the heliosphere.     

Multistage integration model for human egomotion perception

Human computational vision models that attempt to account for the dynamic perception of egomotion and relative depth typically assume a common three-stage process: first, compute the optical flow field based on the dynamically changing image; second, estimate the egomotion states based on the flow; and third, estimate the relative depth/shape based on the egomotion states and possibly on a model of the viewed surface. We propose a model more in line with recent work in human vision, employing multistage integration. Here the dynamic image is first processed to generate spatial and temporal image gradients that drive a mutually interconnected state estimator and depth/shape estimator. The state estimator uses the image gradient information in combination with a depth/shape estimate of the viewed surface and an assumed model of the viewer's dynamics to generate current state estimates; in tandem, the depth/shape estimator uses the image gradient information in combination with the viewer's state estimate and assumed shape model to generate current depth/shape estimates. In this paper, we describe the model and compare model predictions with empirical data.     

The importance of anisotropic interstellar turbulence and molecular-cloud magnetic mirrors for galactic cosmic-ray propagation

Recent studies suggest that when magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence is excited by stirring a plasma at large scales, the cascade of energy from large to small scales is anisotropic, in the sense that small-scale fluctuations satisfy the inequality k k , where k and k are, respectively, the components of a fluctuations wave vector and to the background magnetic field. Such anisotropic fluctuations are very inefficient at scattering cosmic rays. Results based on the quasilinear approximation for scattering of cosmic rays by anisotropic MHD turbulence are presented and explained. The important role played by molecular-cloud magnetic mirrors in confining and isotropizing cosmic rays when scattering is weak is also discussed.     

Design of a Correlator for Real-Time Video Comparisons

The problem of locating a reference image within a larger image using a correlation technique is discussed. Although the particular application discussed is that of locating a reference image obtained from one video sensor or a photograph, within the larger field of view obtained from a second video sensor in real time (i.e., at the TV field rate), the results are general and useful for a number of applications. The tradeoffs necessary to obtain real time correlat are discussed and their effect on correlation accuracy is given.     

The detection of energetic cometary and solar particles by the EPONA instrument on the Giotto mission

EPONA is an energetic particle detector system incorporating totally depleted silicon surface barrier layer detectors. Active and passive background shielding will be employed and, by applying various techniques, particles of different species, including electrons, protons, alpha particles and pick-up ions of cometary origin may be detected over a wide spectrum of energies extending from the tens of KeV into the MeV range.

The instrument can operate in two modes namely (a) in a cruise phase or storage mode and (b) in a real time mode. During the real time mode, observations at high spatial (octosectoring) and temporal (0.5s) resolution in the cometary environment permit studies to be made of accelerated particles at the bow shock and/or in the tail of the comet. In conjunction with magnetic field measurements on board Giotto, observations of energetic electrons and their anisotropies can determine whether the magnetic field lines in the cometary tail are open or closed. Further, the absorption of low energy solar particles in the cometary atmosphere can be measured and such data would provide an integral value of the pertaining gas and dust distribution. Solar particle background measurements during encounter may also be used to correct the measurements of other spacecraft borne instruments potentially vulnerable to such radiation.

Solar particle flux measurements, obtained during the cruise phase will, when combined with simultaneous observations made by other spacecraft at different heliographic longitudes, provide information concerning solar particle propagation in the corona and in interplanetary space.     

Long-term survival of bacterial spores in space.

On board of the NASA Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), spores of Bacillus subtilis in monolayers (10(6)/sample) or multilayers (10(8)/sample) were exposed to the space environment for nearly six years and their survival was analyzed after retrieval. The response to space parameters, such as vacuum (10(-6) Pa), solar electromagnetic radiation up to the highly energetic vacuum-ultraviolet range (10(9) J/m2) and/or cosmic radiation (4.8 Gy), was studied and compared to the results of a simultaneously running ground control experiment. If shielded against solar ultraviolet (UV)-radiation, up to 80 % of spores in multilayers survive in space. Solar UV-radiation, being the most deleterious parameter of space, reduces survival by 4 orders of magnitude or more. However, up to 10(4) viable spores were still recovered, even in completely unprotected samples. Substances, such as glucose or buffer salts serve as chemical protectants. With this 6 year study in space, experimental data are provided to the discussion on the likelihood of "Panspermia".     

The characteristics of sharp (small-scale) boundaries of solar wind plasma and magnetic field structures

We investigate properties of large (>20%) and sharp (<10 min) solar wind ion flux changes using INTERBALL-1 and WIND plasma and magnetic field measurements from 1996 to 1999. These ion flux changes are the boundaries of small-scale and middle-scale solar wind structures. We describe the behavior of the solar wind velocity, temperature and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) during these sudden flux changes. Many of the largest ion flux changes occur during periods when the solar wind velocity is nearly constant, so these are mainly plasma density changes. The IMF magnitude and direction changes at these events can be either large or small. For about 55% of the ion flux changes, the sum of the thermal and magnetic pressure are in balance across the boundary. In many of the other cases, the thermal pressure change is significantly more than the magnetic pressure change. We also attempted to classify the types of discontinuities observed.