Some peculiarities of longitudinal distribution of proton fluxes at high latitudes

Dynamical features of proton fluxes at high and middle latitudes were studied based on data measured by Sun-synchronous low-altitude (800 km height) polar-orbiting three NOAA series satellites: POES 15, 16, and 17 during the geomagnetic storm on January, 21–22, 2005. Data from three satellites that passed the Northern hemisphere along different MLTs allow reconstructing the longitudinal distribution of the proton fluxes. Measurements of protons with energies of 30–80 keV and 80–240 keV (the ring current energy range) by 0- and 90-detectors were used to evaluate and compare the longitudinal asymmetry of proton flux distribution measured in the regions equatorward and poleward of the isotropic boundary. It was found that during all the phases of the geomagnetic storm distribution of the maximum flux of precipitating protons (0-detector data) is sufficiently asymmetric. The maximal flux position along MLT is moving from pre-midnight sector in quiet time to post-midnight one before and during SSC and moving back during recovery phase. The longitudinal distribution of precipitation maxima demonstrates the local increase in afternoon sector (approximately at 13:30 MLT) and decrease in the dusk one during SSC. These features are evident consequence of the magnetosphere compression. To identify the origin of the particles, the locations of maximum fluxes have been projected to the magnetosphere. It was determined that during geomagnetic storm main and recovery phases maximum fluxes were measured at latitudes poleward of the isotropic boundary. To evaluate the trapped particle flux asymmetry, the particle fluences (90-detector data) were calculated along the satellite orbit from L = 2 to the isotropic boundary. The total fluences of trapped particles calculated along the satellite orbit show regular asymmetry between dusk and dawn during main and recovery phases. The maximal intensity of proton fluxes of both investigated populations located poleward and equatorward of the isotropic boundary is achieved during SSC. The total flux measured during crossing the anisotropic region can be considered as a proxy for ring current injection rate.     

Early morning enhancement in ionospheric electron density during intense magnetic storms

This study reports on ionospheric disturbances that occurred in the early morning hours in the South American–Atlantic sector during a few intense/super storm events. The events were observed at latitudes close to the southern crest of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) as an unusual intensification of the F region electron density peak at local times when the EIA is not usually developed. All the events were observed at pre dawn-morning hours, under conditions of northward interplanetary geomagnetic field. Large scale traveling ionospheric disturbances that are launched during highly disturbed conditions and/or equatorward surges in the thermospheric meridional winds seem to be the most probable causes of the observed disturbances.     

Recent Advances in Understanding Particle Acceleration Processes in Solar Flares

We review basic theoretical concepts in particle acceleration, with particular emphasis on processes likely to occur in regions of magnetic reconnection. Several new developments are discussed, including detailed studies of reconnection in three-dimensional magnetic field configurations (e.g., current sheets, collapsing traps, separatrix regions) and stochastic acceleration in a turbulent environment. Fluid, test-particle, and particle-in-cell approaches are used and results compared. While these studies show considerable promise in accounting for the various observational manifestations of solar flares, they are limited by a number of factors, mostly relating to available computational power. Not the least of these issues is the need to explicitly incorporate the electrodynamic feedback of the accelerated particles themselves on the environment in which they are accelerated. A brief prognosis for future advancement is offered.     

Orbital and angular motion construction for low thrust interplanetary flight

Low thrust interplanetary flight is considered. Firstly, the fuel-optimal control is found. Then the angular motion is synthesized. This motion provides the thruster tracking of the required by optimal control direction. And, finally, reaction wheel control law for tracking this angular motion is proposed and implemented. The numerical example is given and total operation time for thrusters is found. Disturbances from solar pressure, thrust eccentricity, inaccuracy of reaction wheels installation and errors of inertia tensor are taken into account.     

The range of Alfvénic turbulence scales in the topside auroral ionosphere

The minimal scale of the Alfvénic turbulence transverse to the external magnetic field in the topside auroral ionosphere is investigated using electric field observations of the FAST spacecraft (the resolution 512 s^–1). The events in which the power law form of the electric fluctuation spectra with a 2.0–2.5 slope (typical of Alfvénic turbulence) remains unchanged down to acoustic gyroradius ρ_s or ion gyroradius ρ_i local values are illustrated for the first time. In this case, the character of spectrum variation does not change at the electron inertial length λ_e, which is much larger than ρ_s and ρ_i for FAST altitudes (apogee ~4000 km). We have tried to explain this experimental fact by consideration of the known scenarios of the appearance of a small transverse scale in an Alfvénic perturbation. It has been noted that the effects of front steepening in an inertial Alfvén wave with a finite amplitude, which propagates at an angle smaller than (m_e/m_i)^1/2 with respect to the transverse direction, can result in small transverse scales comparable with acoustic gyroradius appearing in a perturbation.     

General Relativity Accuracy Test (GReAT): New configuration for the differential accelerometer

We presents the results of an activity concerning the test of the Einstein Weak Equivalence Principle with an accuracy of about 5 × 10⁻¹⁵. The experiment will be performed in an “Einstein elevator” using a differential accelerometer with a final sensitivity of about 10⁻¹⁴ g_⊕/Hz^1/2. The differential accelerometer is spun about an horizontal axis at a frequency in the range 0.5–1 Hz in order to modulate, during the free fall, the signal from a possible violation of the Equivalence Principle. In the paper the perturbing effects with the same signature of the possible violation are analyzed and constrained. The experimental results obtained in the laboratory with a first prototype of the differential accelerometer are discussed, comparing this results with those obtained using a new prototype.     

Observations of auroral kilometric radio emission on the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Interball-1</Emphasis> satellite in the active Sun period 1999–2000

Results of almost two years (January 1999–October 2000) of continuous observations of auroral kilometric radio emission with the instrument AKR-X onboard the high-apogee satellite of the Earth Interball-1 are presented. The observations were conducted at the growth stage (in 1999) and in the maximum (2000) of solar activity within the 100–1500 kHz frequency band. The results of AKR detection in the vicinity of the maximum of its spectrum at a frequency of 252 kHz are presented. Both similarity (for example, the character of global directivity) and important differences from the AKR emission observed during the solar activity minimum [5] are found. Together with very high sporadicity, strong seasonal changes in the intensity are typical for the emission. It is completely absent in the spring-summer period in the Northern Hemisphere and is strongly suppressed in this period in the Southern Hemisphere. Probable nature of these features of AKR is discussed.     

Kink-like mode of a double gradient instability in a compressible plasma current sheet

A linear MHD instability of the electric current sheet, characterized by a small normal magnetic field component, varying along the sheet, is investigated. The tangential magnetic field component is modeled by a hyperbolic function, describing Harris-like variations of the field across the sheet. For this problem, which is formulated in a 3D domain, the conventional compressible ideal MHD equations are applied. By assuming Fourier harmonics along the electric current, the linearized 3D equations are reduced to 2D ones. A finite difference numerical scheme is applied to examine the time evolution of small initial perturbations of the plasma parameters. This work is an extended numerical study of the so called “double gradient instability”, – a possible candidate for the explanation of flapping oscillations in the magnetotail current sheet, which has been analyzed previously in the framework of a simplified analytical approach for an incompressible plasma. The dispersion curve is obtained for the kink-like mode of the instability. It is shown that this curve demonstrates a quantitative agreement with the previous analytical result. The development of the instability is investigated also for various enhanced values of the normal magnetic field component. It is found that the characteristic values of the growth rate of the instability shows a linear dependence on the square root of the parameter, which scales uniformly the normal component of the magnetic field in the current sheet.     

On reliability of determining the orbital parameters of exoplanets by the Doppler method

As a part of the program of searching for exoplanets, the hypothetical influence of changeable velocity of light (due to parameters of motion of a radiation source) on the results of spectrometric measurements of stars is considered. Accelerations of stars relative to the barycenter of a system star-planet (planets) are taken into account. It is shown that the dependence of velocity of light on the barycentric radial velocity and on the component of barycentric radial acceleration of stars should result in significant increase (up to an order of magnitude) of semimajor axes of the found candidates for exoplanets. Consequently, a correct comparison of the spectral method with other known modern methods of finding exoplanets would allow one to use the results obtained in this paper as a reliable test for inspection of invariance of the velocity of light.