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

Abstract

Utilizing ACE satellite observations from 1998 to 2009, we performed the elaborate study on the properties of the clock angle θCA (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 θCA. 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 θCA 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 θCA depends highly on the solar wind speed. Statistically, high-speed solar wind tends to have larger IMF θCA 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 θCA. Finally, we analyze the monthly variation of the IMF θCA. Superposed epoch result strongly suggests the seasonal variation of the IMF θCA.