Solar Wind Density Fluctuations Research Articles

On Differentiating Multiple Types of ULF Magnetospheric Waves in Response to Solar Wind Periodic Density Structures.

Identifying the nature and source of ultra‐low frequencies (ULF) waves (f ⪅ 4 mHz) at discrete frequencies in the Earth's magnetosphere is a complex task. The challenge comes from the simultaneous occurrence of externally and internally generated waves, and the ability to robustly identify such perturbations. Using a recently developed robust spectral analysis procedure, we study an interval that exhibited in magnetic field measurements at geosynchronous orbit and in‐ground magnetic observatories both internally supported and externally generated ULF waves. The event occurred on 9 November 2002 during the interaction of the magnetosphere with two interplanetary shocks that were followed by a train of 90 min solar wind periodic density structures. Using the Wang‐Sheeley‐Arge model, we mapped the source of this solar wind stream to an active region and a mid‐latitude coronal hole just prior to crossing the Heliospheric current sheet. In both the solar wind density and magnetospheric field fluctuations, we separated broad power increases from enhancements at specific frequencies. For the waves at discrete frequencies, we used the combination of satellite and ground magnetometer observations to identify differences in frequency, polarization, and observed magnetospheric locations. The magnetospheric response was characterized by: (a) forced breathing by periodic solar wind dynamic pressure variations below ≈1 mHz, (b) a combination of directly driven oscillations and wave modes triggered by additional mechanisms (e.g., shock and interplanetary magnetic field discontinuity impact, and substorm activity) between ≈1 and 4 mHz, and (c) largely triggered modes above ≈4 mHz.

Global Distribution of the Solar Wind Speed Reconstructed from Improved Tomographic Analysis of Interplanetary Scintillation Observations between 1985 and 2019

Abstract Computer-assisted tomography (CAT) for interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations enables the determination of the global distribution of solar wind speed. We compared solar wind speeds derived from the CAT analysis of IPS observations between 1985 and 2019 with in situ observations conducted by the near-Earth and Ulysses spacecraft. From this comparison, we found that solar wind speeds from the IPS observations for 2009–2019 were systematically higher than the in situ observations, whereas those for the period until 2008 were in good agreement with the in situ observations. Further, we found that the discrepancy between IPS and the in situ observations is improved by changing the power index of the empirical relation between the solar wind speed and density fluctuations. The CAT analysis using an optimal value for the power index determined from the comparison between IPS and in situ observations revealed long-term variations in the solar wind speed distribution over three cycles, leading to a better understanding of the time-varying global heliosphere. We found that polar solar winds become highly anisotropic at the Cycle 24/25 minimum, which is a peculiar aspect of this minimum. The IPS observations showed general agreement with the Parker Solar Probe observations around the perihelion of Orbit 1; this supports the reliability of the CAT analysis. The results of this study suggest that the physical properties of solar wind microturbulence may vary with a long-term decline in the solar activity, which provides important implication on the solar wind acceleration.

Arbitrary-order Hilbert Spectral Analysis and Intermittency in Solar Wind Density Fluctuations

Abstract The properties of inertial- and kinetic-range solar wind turbulence have been investigated with the arbitrary-order Hilbert spectral analysis method, applied to high-resolution density measurements. Due to the small sample size and to the presence of strong nonstationary behavior and large-scale structures, the classical analysis in terms of structure functions may prove to be unsuccessful in detecting the power-law behavior in the inertial range, and may underestimate the scaling exponents. However, the Hilbert spectral method provides an optimal estimation of the scaling exponents, which have been found to be close to those for velocity fluctuations in fully developed hydrodynamic turbulence. At smaller scales, below the proton gyroscale, the system loses its intermittent multiscaling properties and converges to a monofractal process. The resulting scaling exponents, obtained at small scales, are in good agreement with those of classical fractional Brownian motion, indicating a long-term memory in the process, and the absence of correlations around the spectral-break scale. These results provide important constraints on models of kinetic-range turbulence in the solar wind.

IPS observations at 140 MHz to study solar wind speeds and density fluctuations by MEXART

The interplanetary scintillation (IPS) technique is a remote-sensing method for monitoring the inner heliosphere. These observations supply information on solar wind conditions covering heliocentric ranges that no other technique can provide. The Mexican Array Radio Telescope (MEXART) is a single-station instrument operating at 140MHz, fully dedicated to performing solar-wind studies employing the IPS technique. We present solar-wind parameters (scintillation indices and solar-wind speeds), using the initial measurements from this array of four IPS sources (3C273, 3C283, 3C286, 3C298) detected during October–December 2014. We report the transit of an IPS radio source (3C298), observed at 140MHz, from weak- to strong-scattering regions at around 0.36 AU, and sky projection maps of solar wind conditions associated presumably with the passing of one or more Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). These results show the progress to operate the full array in the near future. The MEXART observations will complement the solar wind IPS studies using other frequencies, and the tracking of solar wind disturbances by other stations located at different longitudes. These solar wind measurements, provided in real time, can have space-weather forecasting applications.

Detection of Solar Wind Disturbances: Mexican Array Radio Telescope IPS Observations at 140 MHz

The interplanetary scintillation (IPS) technique is a remote-sensing method for monitoring solar-wind perturbations. The Mexican Array Radio Telescope (MEXART) is a single-station instrument operating at 140 MHz, fully dedicated to performing solar-wind studies employing the IPS technique. We report MEXART solar-wind measurements (scintillation indices and solar-wind velocities) using data obtained during the 2013 and 2014 campaigns. These solar-wind measurements were calculated employing a new methodology based on the wavelet transform (WT) function. We report the variation of the scintillation indices versus the heliocentric distance for two IPS sources (3C48 and 3C147). We found different average conditions of the solar-wind density fluctuations in 2013 and 2014. We used the fittings of the radial dependence of the scintillation index to calculate g-indices. Based on the g-index value, we identified 17 events that could be associated with strong compression regions in the solar wind. We present the first ICME identifications in our data. We associated 14 IPS events with preceding CME counterparts by employing white-light observations from the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. We found that most of the IPS events, detected during the solar maximum of Cycle 24 were associated with complex CME events. For the IPS events associated with single CME counterparts, we found a deceleration tendency of the CMEs as they propagate in the interplanetary medium. These results show that the instrument detects solar-wind disturbances, and the WT methodology provides solar-wind information with good accuracy. The MEXART observations will complement solar-wind IPS studies using other frequencies, and the tracking of solar-wind disturbances by other stations located at different longitudes.

SOLAR WIND DENSITY SPECTRA AROUND THE ION SPECTRAL BREAK

This paper presents a large statistical analysis of frequency spectra of the solar wind density fluctuations in the range 0.001–5 Hz (corresponding to spatial scales of 100–5 × 105 km). The analysis confirms that the spectrum consists of three segments divided by two breakpoints and that each of the segments can be described by a power-law function with a spectral index α. The first segment corresponds to MHD scales and is followed by a plateau, and the third segment can be associated with the kinetic range. The statistics show that the values of the spectral slopes depend on the density fluctuations; their increasing amplitude leads to a steepening of each segment. The index of −1.8 can typically be found at MHD scales and averaging of the spectra in the frequency domain leads to an index of −8/3 at kinetic scales, whereas averaging in frequencies normalized to the ion gyrostructure frequency, fg, defined as the ratio of the solar wind bulk speed and thermal ion gyroradius, provides a value of −7/3. Both breakpoint locations are controlled by the gyrostructure frequency.

Long‐term evolution in the global distribution of solar wind speed and density fluctuations during 1997–2009

Interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations made with the 327‐MHz multistation system of the Solar‐Terrestrial Environment Laboratory (STEL) are analyzed to investigate the global distribution of solar wind speed and density fluctuations (ΔNe) and their evolution during 1997–2009. This study aims at elucidating the evolution of ΔNe distribution during the cycle 23 and subsequent extended minimum, which is useful for improving understanding of the heliospheric response to the peculiar solar activity. The computer‐assisted tomography (CAT) method is used in the present study to deconvolve the line‐of‐sight integration of STEL IPS observations. This CAT method enables retrieval of the quasi‐stationary large‐scale structure of the background solar wind. The results show that the high (low)‐latitude region is dominated by reduced (enhanced) ΔNe plasma, being closely associated with the fast (slow) solar wind. The solar wind speed data show a distinct change with solar activity, and an excellent positive (negative) correlation is revealed between the fast (slow) wind area and the polar field strength of the Sun. In contrast, the ΔNe data do not show such a solar cycle variation, but instead reveal a significant increase in the fractional area of low‐ΔNe region in 2004 preceded by a constant value with a small amount of fluctuation. This change is observed for all latitudes, distinctly after 2007 for low latitudes. Our finding is consistent with the long‐term variation of the solar wind density revealed from in situ measurements at the Earth orbit, if ΔNe ∝ Ne (where Ne is the solar wind electron density), and also consistent with the coronal hole distribution during the last solar cycle. It is found that ΔNe is inversely correlated with the solar wind speed V. We obtain the best fit power law function ΔNe ∝ V−0.36±0.14 for V > 350 km/s, which is basically consistent with our earlier result. This fact suggests that the fractional density fluctuations ΔNe/Ne are greater in the fast wind than in the slow wind. There is no systematic variation in the power law index or slope during 1997–2009 except for a null slope in 2000, which may be ascribed to an insufficient resolution of the CAT analysis. Thus, the inverse relation between ΔNe and V is regarded as a general rule for solar wind turbulence. The important point to note is that a marked drop in ΔNe occurs for the slow speed wind, V < 350 km/s, particularly for 2004 and 2009. This fact may be attributed to different source conditions of the very‐low‐speed solar wind.

Spatial localization of Langmuir waves generated from an electron beam propagating in an inhomogeneous plasma: Applications to the solar wind

It is known from in situ observations that large‐amplitude spatially localized Langmuir waves are frequent in the solar wind, and usually correlated with the presence of suprathermal electron beams, during type III events or close to the electron foreshock. It seems that the influence of the solar wind density fluctuations on the propagation effects of the Langmuir waves play an important role in the formation of these wave packets. In this article, we focus on the mechanism of generation of localized wave packets by electron beams propagating in an inhomogeneous medium. To this purpose, we present a theoretical model based on the resolution of the high‐frequency component of the Zakharov's equation in which a source term describing the electron beam has been introduced, and show that this model is able to reproduce classical results about beam plasma instability and wave trapping in density cavities. Then we present simulation results of the generation of Langmuir wave packets in typical solar wind conditions at 1 A.U., and discuss the origin and nature of their localization.

CONSTRAINING LOW-FREQUENCY ALFVÉNIC TURBULENCE IN THE SOLAR WIND USING DENSITY-FLUCTUATION MEASUREMENTS

One proposed mechanism for heating the solar wind, from close to the sun to beyond 10 AU, invokes low-frequency, oblique, Alfven-wave turbulence. Because small-scale oblique Alfven waves (kinetic Alfven waves) are compressive, the measured density fluctuations in the solar wind place an upper limit on the amplitude of kinetic Alfven waves and hence an upper limit on the rate at which the solar wind can be heated by low-frequency, Alfvenic turbulence. We evaluate this upper limit for both coronal holes at 5 solar radii and in the near-Earth solar wind. At both radii, the upper limit we find is consistent with models in which the solar wind is heated by low-frequency Alfvenic turbulence. At 1 AU, the upper limit on the turbulent heating rate derived from the measured density fluctuations is within a factor of 2 of the measured solar wind heating rate. Thus if low-frequency Alfvenic turbulence contributes to heating the near-Earth solar wind, kinetic Alfven waves must be one of the dominant sources of solar wind density fluctuations at frequencies of order 1 Hz. We also present a simple argument for why density fluctuation measurements do appear to rule out models in which the solar wind is heated by non-turbulent high-frequency waves ``sweeping'' through the ion-cyclotron resonance, but are compatible with heating by low-frequency Alfvenic turbulence.

A Comparative Analysis of Ground, Magnetospheric and Interplanetary Observations of Long Period Magnetic Oscillations

Continuous measurements of the geomagnetic field variations at ground stations are important to investigate several aspects of magnetospheric dynamics related to variations in the solar wind conditions which, ultimately, originate from the Sun. We present a comparative analysis of geomagnetic field measurements at several ground stations with simultaneous magnetospheric and interplanetary observations in order to understand the origin and characteristics of the observed fluctuations. The results suggest that long period geomagnetic field fluctuations can be directly driven by solar wind density fluctuations at the same frequencies via the modulation of the magnetopause current. We also discuss the possible occurrence of additional contributions related with cavity/waveguide resonances of the entire magnetosphere as well as those of resonance processes of the geomagnetic field lines.

Intermittency of solar wind density fluctuations and its relation to sharp density changes

The paper presents the study of turbulent properties of the solar wind plasma, namely, the intermittency of fluctuations of the solar wind ion flux in the earlier unexplored region of comparatively high frequencies (0.01–1 Hz). Special attention is given to a comparison of intermittency for solar wind observation intervals containing sharp (shorter than 10 min) and high-amplitude (greater than 20%) changes of the ion flux to intervals without such changes. The solar wind observation intervals containing sharp changes of the flux are found to be essentially more intermittent than the intervals of quiet solar wind. Such a comparison allows one to reveal the fundamental difference in turbulent properties of the solar wind depending on the presence or absence of sharp boundaries in plasma structures.

Response of the inner and outer magnetosphere to solar wind density fluctuations during the recovery phase of a moderate magnetic storm

We examine the geomagnetic field and space plasma disturbances developing simultaneously in the solar wind, in the inner and outer magnetosphere, and on the ground from 0730 to 2030 UT on April 11, 1997 during the recovery phase of a moderate magnetic storm. The fluctuations of the solar wind density, H-component of the geomagnetic field, and power of Pc1–2 (0.1–5 Hz) waves at middle and low latitudes evolve nearly simultaneously. These fluctuations also match very well with variations of density and flux of the magnetospheric plasma at the geosynchronous orbit, and of the geomagnetic field at the geosynchronous orbit and northern polar cap. The time delay between the occurrence of disturbances in different magnetosphere regions matches the time of fast mode propagation. These disturbances are accompanied by the generation of Pc1–2 waves at mid- and high-latitude observatories in nearly the same frequency range. A scenario of the evolution of wave phenomena in different magnetospheric domains is proposed.

Turbulence in nearly incompressible fluids: density spectrum, flows, correlations and implication to the interstellar medium

Abstract. Interstellar scintillation and angular radio wave broadening measurements show that interstellar and solar wind (electron) density fluctuations exhibit a Kolmogorov-like k-5/3 power spectrum extending over many decades in wavenumber space. The ubiquity of the Kolmogorov-like interstellar medium (ISM) density spectrum led to an explanation based on coupling incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluctuations to density fluctuations through a "pseudosound" relation within the context of "nearly incompressible" (NI) hydrodynamics (HD) and MHD models. The NI theory provides a fundamentally different explanation for the observed ISM density spectrum in that the density fluctuations can be a consequence of passive scalar convection due to background incompressible fluctuations. The theory further predicts generation of long-scale structures and various correlations between the density, temperature and the (magneto) acoustic as well as convective pressure fluctuations in the compressible ISM fluids in different thermal regimes that are determined purely by the thermal fluctuation level. In this paper, we present the results of our two dimensional nonlinear fluid simulations, exploring various nonlinear aspects that lead to inertial range ISM turbulence within the context of a NI hydrodymanics model. In qualitative agreement with the NI predictions and the in-situ observations, we find that i) the density fluctuations exhibit a Kolmogorov-like spectrum via a passive convection in the field of the background incompressible fluctuations, ii) the compressible ISM fluctuations form long scale flows and structures, and iii) the density and the temperature fluctuations are anti-correlated.

Transverse z‐mode waves in the terrestrial electron foreshock

We examine the phase relation between two orthogonal electric field components for several hundred waveform measurements of intense electron plasma waves in the terrestrial electron foreshock. In general, the phase shift at the carrier frequency is not zero or π as would be expected if the waves were purely electrostatic Langmuir waves, but is a function of the angle between the antennas and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). When the antennas are field aligned, the phase shift between the components is large; this value recedes smoothly to zero as the antenna is rotated away from the IMF direction. When solar wind density fluctuations are considered, this is consistent with the dispersion of the electromagnetic z‐mode and we assert that the electron foreshock is populated by transverse z‐mode waves, not purely longitudinal Langmuir waves. This has implications for conversion to freely propagating modes and large‐amplitude saturation mechanisms.

Density fluctuations in different types of solar wind flow at 1 AU and comparison with results from Doppler scintillation measurements near the Sun

Density fluctuations with periods in the range 10 min to 1 hour are investigated using ISEE 3 plasma measurements of solar wind flows at 1 AU. Coronal hole, interstream, plasma sheet, coronal mass ejection, and interaction region flow types are considered. The ISEE 3 results are consistent with the interpretation of large‐scale variations in density fluctuations observed by Doppler scintillation measurements inside 0.2 AU. The highest absolute and fractional density fluctuations are found ahead of and within the plasma from coronal mass ejections, with the maximum values occurring between the associated interplanetary shocks and the driver gas. For the quasi‐stationary solar wind, density and fractional density fluctuations are highest and most variable in the plasma sheet in which the heliospheric current sheet is embedded, and lowest and least variable in the high‐speed coronal hole flow. A superposed epoch analysis of heliospheric current sheet crossings shows that the regions of enhanced density fluctuations previously identified in Doppler scintillation measurements near the Sun persist to 1 AU and are broader there. The results of this study confirm the advantages of using density fluctuations rather than density as a tracer of solar wind flows of differing origins at the Sun and as a detector of propagating interplanetary disturbances.

Radio interferometer observations of solar wind turbulence from the orbit of HELIOS to the solar corona

We report observations of Very Long Baseline Interferometer (VLBI) phase scintillations due to turbulence in the solar wind. The observations were made at 5.00 and 8.42 GHz with the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) on three dates in 1991 July and August. We observed the sources 0851 + 202 and 0735 + 178 at solar elongations ranging from 2.66 deg to 13.29 deg; the closest approach of the line of sight to the Sun ranged from 10 to 49.8 solar radii. We have also included previously unpublished 5 GHz VLBI phase scintillation measurements from 1989. These measurements probe solar wind density fluctuations on spatial scales from about 200 km to 2000 km. Our measurements are in quite good agreement with the Coles & Harmon model for the radio phase structure function, which was largely determined from observations on both shorter and larger spatial scales. Departures from the Coles & Harmon functions are attributable to day-to-day variations in the solar wind conditions. Phase scintillations at the greatest solar elongations are in very good agreement with extrapolated estimates from direct measurements made with the Helios spacecraft at slightly larger heliocentric distances. Thus there is a consistency between the in-situ spacecraft and radio sensing measurements of density turbulence. All of the VLBI data are consistent with a Kolmogorov spectrum for the density fluctuations, although at the closest elongations there may be excess power at small spatial scales. An advantage of interferometric techniques over other radio propagation measurements is that they provide a measure of the anisotropy of the irregularities. Our observations at closest approach (10 solar radii) show weak evidence for anisotropic, field-aligned density irregularities with an axial ratio of order 2. This degree of anisotropy would appear to be less than that measured at similar solar elongations but on smaller spatial scales by Armstrong and colleagues. Finally, a combination of the radio propagation data and in situ Helios measurements is used to determine the heliocentric distance dependence of the normalization coefficient of the density power spectrum, C(sup 2)(sub N). Modeling C(sup2)(sub N) varies as (R/solar radii)(sup -Kappa), we find Kappa = 3.72 +/- 0.30. Subject to a number of assumptions, this result is consistent with the conclusion of D. A. Roberts that turbulence within 0.28 astronomical units adheres to a WKB formula for turbulence amplitude as a function of heliocentric distance.

Evolution of the Solar Wind Structure in the Acceleration Region during 1990-1993(STEP Interval).

The single-station measurements of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) at 2 and 8 GHz are used to study the radial distribution of solar wind velocity and density fluctuations near the sun. IPS observations in the ecliptic plane reveal the occurrence of the solar wind acceleration in the radial range between 10 and 30 Rs (solar radii), and also reveal the radial decrease of density fluctuations with a power index of approximately -2. Such structure is basically unchanged during the period from 1990 to 1993; i.e. the solar maximum to the declining phase. On the other hand, IPS observations at the high latitude region of the sun demonstrate a significant reduction of the turbulence level as well as a marked development of high speed streams in the low solar activity. This fact is in good agreement with the well-known solar cycle variation of the coronal hole. From the comparison between IPS data at 2 and 8 GHz, it is found that there is a slight but significant difference in the radial slope of the scintillation index variation. This might be attributed to the effect of either source size or spectral index of turbulence.

The role of solar wind reconnection in driving the Neptune radio emission

The only remote diagnostic of conditions within the outer planets' magnetospheres is the highly variable flux of low‐frequency radio waves. As at the other radio planets, Neptune radio emission also manifests, on a time scale of days, major intensity fluctuations that are indicative of a solar wind energy‐coupling process of some kind. We find that the merging of interplanetary magnetic field lines with Neptune's magnetosphere is the best predictor of emitted radio energy. By contrast, viscouslike energy coupling processes, such as might be caused by solar wind density or bulk speed fluctuations, are apparently ineffective in driving the radio emission.

Numerical simulation of solar wind density fluctuations and their effects on VLF radio interferometry

A mission consisting of an array of small satellites has been proposed to investigate radio sources at frequencies from approximately 2 to 20 MHz, a range unobservable from the ground because of ionospheric absorption and aberrations. Such a mission seems feasible and relatively inexpensive, but further investigation is still necessary. The solar wind is a major concern because it contains turbulence‐induced random density variations that cause a fluctuating phase shift in any electromagnetic signal passing through, sometimes making radio source imaging by interferometry impossible. A numerical simulation has been developed which attempts to accurately characterize solar wind density fluctuations. Results have allowed more concrete conclusions to be drawn about observing constraints and have shown that interferometric imaging at radio frequencies below 10 MHz with baselines up to 100 km is possible at solar elongation angles of about 90° or more.

Radio wave propagation in the turbulent solar plasma using three satellites

The radio wave propagation in the solar-wind plasma was investigated before and after Mars-2, Mars-7 and Venera-10's superior conjunction. It was found that the moving turbulent solar-wind plasma produced the amplitude and frequency fluctuations and the spectral broadening of monochromatic radio waves. When the Sun-Earth-spacecraft angle decreases from 6° to (0.6) the bandwidth of spectral broadening increases from (0.3) Hz to 300 Hz. The region of 2.5–4° is specific since the bandwidth of spectral broadening is independent of Sun-Earth-spacecraft angle. The spectrum of frequency fluctuations could be represented by a power law with a spectral index of 0.7 ± 0.2. The temporal frequency spectra of the amplitude have two distinct regions. In the low-frequency region the spectral density is approximately constant. The high-frequency portion of the amplitude spectrum follows the power law with a spectral index of 2.8 ± 0.4. The turbulence characteristics of a solar-wind plasma are determined from the experimental data obtained. The three-dimensional wave-number spectrum of irregularities is found to be close to the Kolmogorov-Oboukhov spectrum. The solar-wind density fluctuations decline with heliocentric distance very steeply, but in the distance interval of 7 × 10 6 – 12 × 10 6 km, there is a region of enhanced turbulence which could be caused by shock waves.