Interplanetary Scintillation Measurements Research Articles

Interplanetary scintillation observation and space weather modelling

Interplanetary scintillation (IPS) refers to random fluctuations in radio intensity of distant small-diameter celestial object, over time periods of the order of 1 s. The scattering and scintillation of emergent radio waves are ascribed to turbulent density irregularities transported by the ubiquitous solar wind streams. The spatial correlation length of density irregularities and the Fresnel radius of radio diffraction are two key parameters in determining the scintillation pattern. Such a scintillation pattern can be measured and correlated between multi-station radio telescopes on the Earth. Using the “phase-changing screen” scenario based on the Born approximation, the bulk-flow speed and turbulent spectrum of the solar wind streams can be extracted from the single-station power spectra fitting and the multi-station cross-correlation analysis. Moreover, a numerical computer-assisted tomography (CAT) model, iteratively fit to a large number of IPS measurements over one Carrington rotation, can be used to reconstruct the global velocity and density structures in the inner heliosphere for the purpose of space weather modelling and prediction. In this review, we interpret the underlying physics governing the IPS phenomenon caused by the solar wind turbulence, describe the power spectrum and cross correlation of IPS signals, highlight the space weather application of IPS-CAT models, and emphasize the significant benefits from international cooperation within the Worldwide IPS Stations (WIPSS) network.

Detection and Characterization of a Coronal Mass Ejection Using Interplanetary Scintillation Measurements From the Murchison Widefield Array

AbstractWe have shown previously that the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), can detect 100s of Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) sources simultaneously across a field of view (FoV) ∼30° in extent. To test if we can use this capability to track heliospheric structures, we undertook a search of 88 hr of MWA IPS data, and identified an observation likely to have a significant Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) in the FoV. We demonstrate that in a single 5‐min MWA observation we are able to localize and image a CME ∼33 hr after launch at an elongation of ∼37° from the Sun. We use IPS observables to constrain the kinematics of the CME, and describe how MWA IPS observations can be used in the future to make a unique contribution to heliospheric modeling efforts.

WawHelioGlow: A Model of the Heliospheric Backscatter Glow. II. The Helioglow Buildup and the Potential Significance of the Anisotropy in the Solar EUV Output

Abstract The helioglow is the fluorescence of interstellar atoms inside the heliosphere, where they are excited by the solar EUV. Because the mean free path between collisions for interstellar gas is comparable to the size of the heliosphere, the distribution function of this gas inside the heliosphere strongly varies in space and with time and is non-Maxwellian. Coupling between realistically modeled solar factors and the distribution function of interstellar neutral gas is accounted for in a helioglow model that we have developed. WawHelioGlow is presented in the accompanying Paper I. Here, we present the evolution of the gas density, solar illumination, helioglow source function, and other relevant parameters building up the helioglow signal for selected lines of sight observed at 1 au. We compare these elements for various phases of the solar cycle, and we present the sensitivity of the results to the heliolatitudinal anisotropy of the solar EUV output. We assume a realistic latitudinal anisotropy of the solar wind flux using results from the analysis of interplanetary scintillations. We compare the simulated helioglow with selected maps observed by the SOHO/SWAN instrument. We demonstrate that WawHelioGlow is able to reproduce fundamental features of the sky distribution of the helioglow. For some phases of the solar cycle, the model with solar EUV output anisotropy better reproduces the observations, while for other phases, no EUV anisotropy is needed. In all simulated cases, the solar wind anisotropy following insight from interplanetary scintillation measurements is present.

Interplanetary Scintillation with the Murchison Widefield Array V: An all-sky survey of compact sources using a modern low-frequency radio telescope

AbstractWe describe the parameters of a low-frequency all-sky survey of compact radio sources using Interplanetary Scintillation, undertaken with the Murchison Widefield Array. While this survey gives important complementary information to low-resolution survey, providing information on the sub-arsecond structure of every source, a survey of this kind has not been attempted in the era of low-frequency imaging arrays such as the Murchison Widefield Array and LOw Frequency Array. Here we set out the capabilities of such a survey, describing the limitations imposed by the heliocentric observing geometry and by the instrument itself. We demonstrate the potential for Interplanetary Scintillation measurements at any point on the celestial sphere and we show that at 160 MHz, reasonable results can be obtained within 30° of the ecliptic (2πstr: half the sky). We also suggest some observational strategies and describe the first such survey, the Murchison Widefield Array Phase I Interplanetary Scintillation survey. Finally we analyse the potential of the recently upgraded Murchison Widefield Array and discuss the potential of the Square Kilometre Array-low to use Interplanetary Scintillation to probe sub-mJy flux density levels at sub-arcsecond angular resolution.

Rarefaction of the Very Slow (<350 km/s) Solar Wind in Cycle 24 Compared With Cycle 23

AbstractWe investigate long‐term variation of the very slow solar wind (VSSW), whose speed is less than 350 km/s, during the period between 1997 and 2015, that is, Cycles 23 and 24, using interplanetary scintillation measurements, which enable determination of the global distribution of the flow speed and the electron density fluctuation level ΔNe. We find that the occurrence rate of VSSW increases in the maximum phase of the solar cycle, and it was mostly associated with high ΔNe in Cycle 23. However, the VSSW is found to be more associated with low ΔNe in Cycle 24. This fact is consistent with an increased occurrence of the low‐density VSSW observed in situ in Cycle 24. These facts, which are considered to be a manifestation of weak solar activity in this cycle, suggest that the VSSW has become significantly rarefied in recent years. We identify the source region of the VSSW on the photosphere using a potential field analysis and examine the magnetic field properties of the VSSW source. We find that the low‐ΔNe VSSW is associated with a smaller expansion factor and possibly a slightly weaker photospheric field strength than the high‐ΔNe VSSW. The results obtained here may suggest that more open magnetic field areas producing the VSSW in Cycle 24 are formed in the quiet Sun region, which is associated with a lower mass flux supply into the corona, than those in Cycle 23.

Relation Between Coronal Hole Areas and Solar Wind Speeds Derived from Interplanetary Scintillation Measurements

We investigate the relation between coronal hole (CH) areas and solar wind speeds during 1995 – 2011 using the potential field (PF) model analysis of magnetograph observations and interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations by the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (formerly Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory) of Nagoya University. We obtained a significant positive correlation between the CH areas ( $A$ ) derived from the PF model calculations and solar wind speeds ( $V$ ) derived from the IPS observations. The correlation coefficients between them are usually high, but they drop significantly in solar maxima. The slopes of the $A$ – $V$ relation are roughly constant except for the period around solar maximum, when flatter or steeper slopes are observed. The excursion of the correlation coefficients and slopes at solar maxima is ascribed partly to the effect of rapid structural changes in the coronal magnetic field and solar wind, and partly to the predominance of small CHs. It is also demonstrated that $V$ is inversely related to the flux expansion factor ( $f$ ) and that $f$ is closely related to $A^{-1/2}$ ; hence, $V \propto A^{1/2}$ . A better correlation coefficient is obtained from the $A^{1/2}$ – $V$ relation, and this fact is useful for improving space weather predictions. We compare the CH areas derived from the PF model calculations with He i 1083 nm observations and show that the PF model calculations provide reliable estimates of the CH area, particularly for large $A$ .

Modeling solar wind with boundary conditions from interplanetary scintillations

Interplanetary scintillations make it possible to create three-dimensional, time- dependent distributions of the solar wind velocity. Combined with the magnetic field observations in the solar photosphere, they help perform solar wind simulations in a genuinely time-dependent way. Interplanetary scintillation measurements from the Ooty Radio Astronomical Observatory in India provide directions to multiple stars and may assure better resolution of transient processes in the solar wind. In this paper, we present velocity distributions derived from Ooty observations and compare them with those obtained with the Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA) model. We also present our simulations of the solar wind flow from 0.1 AU to 1 AU with the boundary conditions based on both Ooty and WSA data.

PONDER - A Real time software backend for pulsar and IPS observations at the Ooty Radio Telescope

This paper describes a new real-time versatile backend, the Pulsar Ooty Radio Telescope New Digital Efficient Receiver (PONDER), which has been designed to operate along with the legacy analog system of the Ooty Radio Telescope (ORT). PONDER makes use of the current state of the art computing hardware, a Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) and sufficiently large disk storage to support high time resolution real-time data of pulsar observations, obtained by coherent dedispersion over a bandpass of 16 MHz. Four different modes for pulsar observations are implemented in PONDER to provide standard reduced data products, such as time-stamped integrated profiles and dedispersed time series, allowing faster avenues to scientific results for a variety of pulsar studies. Additionally, PONDER also supports general modes of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) measurements and very long baseline interferometry data recording. The IPS mode yields a single polarisation correlated time series of solar wind scintillation over a bandwidth of about four times larger (16 MHz) than that of the legacy system as well as its fluctuation spectrum with high temporal and frequency resolutions. The key point is that all the above modes operate in real time. This paper presents the design aspects of PONDER and outlines the design methodology for future similar backends. It also explains the principal operations of PONDER, illustrates its capabilities for a variety of pulsar and IPS observations and demonstrates its usefulness for a variety of astrophysical studies using the high sensitivity of the ORT.

Three-dimensional exploration of the solar wind using observations of interplanetary scintillation.

The solar wind, a supersonic plasma flow continuously emanating from the Sun, governs the space environment in a vast region extending to the boundary of the heliosphere (∼100 AU). Precise understanding of the solar wind is of importance not only because it will satisfy scientific interest in an enigmatic astrophysical phenomenon, but because it has broad impacts on relevant fields. Interplanetary scintillation (IPS) of compact radio sources at meter to centimeter wavelengths serves as a useful ground-based method for investigating the solar wind. IPS measurements of the solar wind at a frequency of 327 MHz have been carried out regularly since the 1980s using the multi-station system of the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory (STEL) of Nagoya University. This paper reviews new aspects of the solar wind revealed from our IPS observations.

IPS observation system for the Miyun 50 m radio telescope and its commissioning observation

Ground-based observation of Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) is an important approach for monitoring solar wind. A ground-based IPS observation system has been newly implemented on a 50 m radio telescope at Miyun station, managed by the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This observation system has been constructed for the purpose of observing solar wind speed and the associated scintillation index by using the normalized cross-spectrum of a simultaneous dual-frequency IPS measurement. The system consists of a universal dual-frequency front-end and a dual-channel multi-function back-end specially designed for IPS. After careful calibration and testing, IPS observations on source 3C 273B and 3C 279 have been successfully carried out. The preliminary observation results show that this newly-developed observation system is capable of performing IPS observation. The system's sensitivity for IPS observation can reach over 0.3 Jy in terms of an IPS polarization correlator with 4 MHz bandwidth and 2 s integration time.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL EVOLUTION OF SOLAR WIND DURING SOLAR CYCLES 22–24

This paper presents the analysis of 3D evolution of solar wind density turbulence and speed at various levels of solar activity between solar cycles 22 and 24. The solar wind data has been obtained from interplanetary scintillation (IPS) measurements made at the Ooty Radio Telescope. Results show that (i) on the average, there was a downward trend in density turbulence from the maximum of cycle 22 to the deep minimum phase of cycle 23; (2) the scattering diameter of the corona around the Sun shrunk steadily towards the Sun, starting from 2003 to the smallest size at the deepest minimum, and it corresponded to a reduction of ~50% in density turbulence between maximum and minimum phases of cycle 23; (3) The latitudinal distribution of solar wind speed was significantly different between minima of cycles 22 and 23. At the minimum phase of solar cycle 22, when the underlying solar magnetic field was simple and nearly dipole in nature, the high-speed streams were observed from poles to ~30 deg. latitudes in both hemispheres. In contrast, in the long-decay phase of cycle 23, the sources of high-speed wind at both poles, in accordance with the weak polar fields, occupied narrow latitude belts from poles to ~60 deg. latitudes. Moreover, in agreement with the large amplitude of heliospheric current sheet, the low-speed wind prevailed the low- and mid-latitude regions of the heliosphere. (4) At the transition phase between cycles 23 and 24, the high levels of density and density turbulence were observed close to the heliospheric equator and the low-speed speed wind extended from equatorial- to mid-latitude regions. Results are consistent with the onset of the current cycle 24, from middle of 2009 and it has almost reached near to the maximum phase at the northern hemisphere of the Sun, but activity not yet developed in the southern hemisphere.

Two-Station Interplanetary Scintillation Measurements of Solar Wind Speed near the Sun Using the X-band Radio Signal of the Nozomi Spacecraft

Interplanetary scintillation (IPS) measurements of the solar wind speed for the distance range between 13 and 37 R S were carried out during the solar conjunction of the Nozomi spacecraft in 2000 – 2001 using the X-band radio signal. Two large-aperture antennas were employed in this study, and the baseline between the two antennas was several times longer than the Fresnel scale for the X-band. We successfully detected a positive correlation of IPS from the cross-correlation analysis of received signal data during ingress, and estimated the solar wind speed from the time lag corresponding to the maximum correlation by assuming that the solar wind flows radially. The speed estimates range between 200 and 540 km s−1 with the majority below 400 km s−1. We examined the radial variation in the solar wind speed along the same streamline by comparing the Nozomi data with data obtained at larger distances. Here, we used solar wind speed data taken from 327 MHz IPS observations of the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory (STEL), Nagoya University, and in situ measurements by the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) for the comparison, and we considered the effect of the line-of-sight integration inherent to IPS observations for the comparison. As a result, Nozomi speed data were proven to belong to the slow component of the solar wind. Speed estimates within 30 R S were found to be systematically slower by 10 – 15 % than the terminal speeds, suggesting that the slow solar wind is accelerated between 13 and 30 R S.

Ooty Interplanetary Scintillation – Remote-Sensing Observations and Analysis of Coronal Mass Ejections in the Heliosphere

In this paper, I investigate the three-dimensional evolution of solar wind density and speed distributions associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The primary solar wind data used in this study has been obtained from the interplanetary scintillation (IPS) measurements made at the Ooty Radio Telescope, which is capable of measuring scintillation of a large number of radio sources per day and solar wind estimates along different cuts of the heliosphere that allow the reconstruction of three-dimensional structures of propagating transients in the inner heliosphere. The results of this study are: i) three-dimensional IPS images possibly show evidence for the flux-rope structure associated with the CME and its radial size evolution; the overall size and features within the CME are largely determined by the magnetic energy carried by the CME. Such a magnetically energetic CME can cause an intense geomagnetic storm, even if the trailing part of the CME passes through the Earth; ii) IPS measurements along the radial direction of a CME at ∼ 120 R⊙ show density turbulence enhancements linked to the shock ahead of the CME and the core of the CME. The density of the core decreases with distance, suggesting the expansion of the CME. However, the density associated with the shock increases with distance from the Sun, indicating the development of a strong compression at the leading edge of the CME. The increase of stand-off distance between ∼ 120 R⊙ and 1 AU is consistent with the deceleration of the CME and the continued outward expansion of the shock. The key point in this study is that the magnetic energy possessed by the transient determines its radial evolution.

Solar cycle evolution of the solar wind speed distribution from 1985 to 2008

The evolution of solar wind speed distribution during the period 1985–2008, which covers two solar cycles (22 and 23), has been investigated using multistation interplanetary scintillation (IPS) measurements at 327 MHz. The results obtained here clearly demonstrate that fast (slow) wind areas increase (decrease) systematically as the solar activity diminishes, reaching the maximum (minimum) value at the minimum phase. The intermediate‐speed wind areas appear to remain constant over the solar cycle. The preponderance of slow wind at low latitudes was confirmed from our IPS observations throughout the period, while a slight increase in the fast wind area was revealed in the declining to minimum phases. In contrast, the high‐latitude solar wind was mostly dominated by the fast wind except for a few years around the maxima. An important point to note is the clear difference in the solar wind speed distribution between the 1996 and 2008 minima. The fast wind areas in 2008 showed a marked increase at low latitudes, which is consistent with in situ observations at 1 AU, and a distinct decrease at high latitudes, resulting in a net decrease at all latitudes, as compared with those in 1996. This difference is ascribed to the weaker polar fields during the 2008 minimum. An excellent positive (negative) correlation between fast (slow) wind areas and the polar fields is revealed from a comparison between IPS and magnetograph observations. The results obtained here suggest a strong control of the Sun's polar field in determining the solar wind acceleration and structure.

Interplanetary Scintillation Observations of Stream Interaction Regions in the Solar Wind

We present a summary of results from ten years of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations of stream interaction regions (SIRs) in the solar wind. Previous studies had shown that SIRs were characterized by intermediate-velocity solar wind and – in the case of compressive interactions – higher levels of scintillation. In this study we considered all cases of intermediate velocities in IPS observations from the European Incoherent SCATter (EISCAT) radar facility made at low- and mid-heliographic latitudes between 1994 and 2003. After dismissing intermediate-velocity observations which were associated with solar-wind transients (such as coronal mass ejections) we found that the remaining cases of intermediate velocities lay above coronal structures where stream interaction would be expected. An improved ballistic mapping method (compared to that used in earlier EISCAT studies of interaction regions) was used to identify the regions of raypath in IPS observations which might be expected to include interaction regions and to project these regions out to the distances of in-situ observations. The early stages of developing compression regions, consistent with their development on the leading edges of compressive stream interaction regions, were clearly detected as close to the Sun as 30 R ⊙, and further ballistic projection out to the distances of in-situ observations clearly associated these developing structures with density and velocity features characteristic of developed interaction regions in in-situ data in the cases when such data were available. The same approach was applied to study non-compressive interaction regions (shear layers) between solar-wind streams of different velocities where the stream interface lay at near-constant latitude and the results compared with those from compressive interaction regions. The results confirm that intermediate velocities seen in IPS observations above stream boundaries may arise from either detection of intermediate-velocity flow in compression regions, or from non-compressive shear layers. The variation in velocity about the mean determined from IPS measurements (representing the spread in velocity across that part of the raypath associated with the interaction region in the analysis) was comparable in compressive and non-compressive regions – a potentially interesting result which may contain important information on the geometry of developing SIRs. It is clear from these results that compressive and non-compressive interaction regions belong to the same class of stream – stream interaction, with the dominant mode determined by the latitudinal gradient of the stream interface. Finally, we discuss the results from this survey in the light of new data from the Heliospheric Imagers (HI) on the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft and other instruments, and suggest possible directions for further work.

PROTON HEATING BY NONLINEAR FIELD-ALIGNED ALFVÉN WAVES IN SOLAR CORONAL HOLES

Field-aligned Alfvén waves are often viewed as a source of the proton heating that accelerates the fast solar wind. However, the energy that they can inject into the protons in the limit of cyclotron-resonant quasi-linear diffusion is insufficient to account for the observed acceleration. To test the validity of this limit in coronal holes, nonlinear Alfvén waves are modeled using a hybrid code. It is found that the nonlinearity is particularly strong when the intensity of antisunward-propagating waves is comparable to that of sunward waves. The sunward waves can be generated by the proton distribution as it evolves with the heliocentric distance. The ponderomotive force and beat interaction are identified as the most important nonlinear effects. The nonlinearity of the field-aligned Alfvén waves produces density fluctuations. In the simulations, the amplitude of the density fluctuations was kept within the observed constraints from the interplanetary scintillation measurements in the corona. In this case, the characteristic time of the proton heating is almost 2 orders of magnitude smaller than the solar wind expansion time. Therefore, it can contribute to the energization of the solar wind on the global scale. The nonlinear wave damping operating alone cannot be responsible for the energization because it only causes particle diffusion parallel to the magnetic field. However, it can relax the limitation on the perpendicular diffusion imposed by the cyclotron resonance condition. The nonlinear damping combined with the linear one can then inject the additional thermal energy needed to accelerate the solar wind.

Latitudinal dependence of the solar wind density derived from remote sensing measurements using interplanetary Lyman α emission from 1999 to 2002

Abstract The interplanetary Lyman α backscattered emission is an effective tool for remote sensing of the global structure of the solar wind proton flux. This paper reports an attempt to derive the latitudinal dependence of the solar wind density by combining the interplanetary Lyman α measurements of the Nozomi spacecraft for the period 1999–2002 with the solar wind speed data derived from interplanetary scintillation measurements. This approach successfully revealed the slow and dense solar wind over the poles during the period of the solar maximum. Data on the polar solar wind density indicate a significant growth from the middle of 2000, and the polar values of solar wind density are close to those of the equatorial values as a result of the disappearance of the coronal hole. A marked density depletion occurred in the middle of 2001, which can be ascribed to the development of fast winds from the polar coronal hole. To evaluate the remote sensing method, we considered solar wind density data from in situ measurements obtained by the Ulysses spacecraft. We conclude that our method basically agrees with in situ measurements, although we found a significant (a factor of 2) difference between these in the middle of 2001.

Simultaneous interplanetary scintillation and Heliospheric Imager observations of a coronal mass ejection

We describe simultaneous Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) and STEREO Heliospheric Imager (HI) observations of a coronal mass ejection (CME) on 16 May 2007. Strong CME signatures were present throughout the IPS observation. The IPS raypath lay within the field-of-view of HI-1 on STEREO-A and comparison of the observations shows that the IPS measurements came from a region within a faint CME front observed by HI-1A. This front may represent the merging of two converging CMEs. Plane-of- sky velocity estimates based on time-height plots of the two converging CME structures were 325 kmsﰀ1 and 550 kmsﰀ1 for the leading and trailing fronts respectively. The plane- of-sky velocities determined from IPS ranged from 420 ± 10 kmsﰀ1 to 520 ± 20 kmsﰀ1. IPS results reveal the presence of micro-structure within the CME front which may represent interaction between the two separate CME events. This is the first time that it has been possible to interpret IPS observations of small-scale structure within an interplanetary CME in terms of the global structure of the event.

IPS tomographic observations of 3D solar wind structure

Interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations have been improved by development of deconvolution methods for the line-of-sight integration effect. One deconvolution method is to use a computer-assisted tomographic analysis (CAT) technique. In this work, four different kinds of CAT method have been developed. Two of them can be applied to stable solar wind structure in the solar minimum phase, one to quasi-stable solar wind, and the other can derive the three-dimensional structure of transient solar wind events, such as a CME. IPS measurements have enough spatial resolution and accuracy to collaborate with spacecraft observations and theoretical studies of the solar wind. Here, these computer assisted tomographic deconvolution methods are introduced and their application to solar wind studies is described.

A Study on the Technique of Observing Interplanetary Scintillation with Simultaneous Dual-Frequency Measurements

Ground-based observation of Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) is an important approach of monitoring solar wind speed. We describe both the principle and method of observing the solar wind speed by using the normalized cross-spectrum of simultaneous dual-frequency IPS measurement. The effects of the solar wind properties and the angular size of the scintillation source on the measurement of solar wind speed are investigated by numerical analysis. We carry out a comparison of this method with the traditional single station-single frequency method. We outline a new IPS observation system using this method now under construction at the National Astronomical Observatories, CAS (NAOC).