Solar Wind Magnetic Field Research Articles

Whistler mode waves upstream of Saturn

AbstractWhistler mode waves are generated within and can propagate upstream of collisionless shocks. They are known to play a role in electron thermodynamics/acceleration and, under certain conditions, are markedly observed as wave trains preceding the shock ramp. In this paper, we take advantage of Cassini's presence at ~10 AU to explore the importance of whistler mode waves in a parameter regime typically characterized by higher Mach number (median of ~14) shocks, as well as a significantly different interplanetary magnetic field structure, compared to near Earth. We identify electromagnetic precursors preceding a small subset of bow shock crossings with properties which are consistent with whistler mode waves. We find these monochromatic, low‐frequency, and circularly polarized waves to have a typical frequency range of 0.2–0.4 Hz in the spacecraft frame. This is due to the lower ion and electron cyclotron frequencies near Saturn, between which whistler waves can develop. The waves are also observed as predominantly right handed in the spacecraft frame, the opposite sense to what is typically observed near Earth. This is attributed to the weaker Doppler shift, owing to the large angle between the solar wind velocity and magnetic field vectors at 10 AU. Our results on the low occurrence of whistler waves upstream of Saturn also underpin the predominantly supercritical bow shock of Saturn.

Prediction of geomagnetic indexes with the help of artificial neural networks

The results of prediction of geomagnetic indexes characterizing the state of the Earth's magnetosphere obtained with the help of artificial neural networks (ANN) for various prediction horizons are presented. The forecasts are based on multivariate time series including the values of the geomagnetic indices themselves, as well as data about the parameters of solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field, during several latest hours.

Regression‐based forecast model of induced geoelectric field

AbstractThe electric field induced due to solar activity is the driver of geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) in grounded conductor networks such as power grids. We present a regression‐based (i.e., empirical) model for quantitatively predicting the upper envelope of induced E field components, using near‐Earth measurements of solar wind plasma and magnetic field parameters as input arguments to the model at three midlatitude locations. Model parameters and the set of input arguments used are determined by an iterative regression process that relies on a large data set comprising selected events from 2000 to 2015. Testing on out‐of‐sample events over two years (2013 and 2015) yields correlation of between 0.68 and 0.75 when predicting the northward horizontal component of induced E field and 0.45–0.61 for the eastward component at the three stations. The forecast lead time is extended by using predicted SW parameters (from the WSA‐Enlil models) as model input. As proof of concept we predict GIC based on measured and predicted input parameters and compare that with measured GIC at a South African substation for the two St. Patrick's day events (March 2013 and 2015).

The 17 March 2015 storm: the associated magnetic flux rope structure and the storm development

The objective of this study is (1) to determine the magnetic cloud (MC) structure associated with the 17 March 2015 storm and (2) to gain an insight into how the storm developed responding to the solar wind conditions. First, we search MC geometries which can explain the observed solar wind magnetic fields by fitting to both cylindrical and toroidal flux rope models. Then, we examine how the resultant MC geometries can be connected to the solar source region to find out the most plausible model for the observed MC. We conclude that the observations are most consistently explained by a toroidal flux rope with the torus plane nearly parallel to the ecliptic plane. It is emphasized that the observations are characterized by the peculiar spacecraft crossing through the MC, in that the magnetic fields to be observed are southward throughout the passage. For understanding of the storm development, we first estimate the injection rate of the storm ring current from the observed Dst variation. Then, we derive an expression to calculate the estimated injection rate from the observed solar wind variations. The point of the method is to evaluate the injection rate by the convolution of the dawn-to-dusk electric field in the solar wind and a response function. By using the optimum response function thus determined, we obtain a modeled Dst variation from the solar wind data, which is in good agreement with the observed Dst variation. The agreement supports the validity of our method to derive an expression for the ring current injection rate as a function of the solar wind variation.

Evidence for transient, local ion foreshocks caused by dayside magnetopause reconnection

Abstract. We present a scenario resulting in time-dependent behaviour of the bow shock and transient, local ion reflection under unchanging solar wind conditions. Dayside magnetopause reconnection produces flux transfer events driving fast-mode wave fronts in the magnetosheath. These fronts push out the bow shock surface due to their increased downstream pressure. The resulting bow shock deformations lead to a configuration favourable to localized ion reflection and thus the formation of transient, travelling foreshock-like field-aligned ion beams. This is identified in two-dimensional global magnetospheric hybrid-Vlasov simulations of the Earth's magnetosphere performed using the Vlasiator model (http://vlasiator.fmi.fi). We also present observational data showing the occurrence of dayside reconnection and flux transfer events at the same time as Geotail observations of transient foreshock-like field-aligned ion beams. The spacecraft is located well upstream of the foreshock edge and the bow shock, during a steady southward interplanetary magnetic field and in the absence of any solar wind or interplanetary magnetic field perturbations. This indicates the formation of such localized ion foreshocks.

Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP)

Our piece of cosmic real estate, the heliosphere, is the domain of all human existence – an astrophysical case history of the successful evolution of life in a habitable system. By exploring our global heliosphere and its myriad interactions, we develop key physical knowledge of the interstellar interactions that influence exoplanetary habitability as well as the distant history and destiny of our solar system and world. IBEX is the first mission to explore the global heliosphere and in concert with Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 is discovering a fundamentally new and uncharted physical domain of the outer heliosphere. In parallel, Cassini/INCA maps the global heliosphere at energies (∼5-55 keV) above those measured by IBEX. The enigmatic IBEX ribbon and the INCA belt were unanticipated discoveries demonstrating that much of what we know or think we understand about the outer heliosphere needs to be revised. This paper summarizes the next quantum leap enabled by IMAP that will open new windows on the frontier of Heliophysics at a time when the space environment is rapidly evolving. IMAP with 100 times the combined resolution and sensitivity of IBEX and INCA will discover the substructure of the IBEX ribbon and will reveal, with unprecedented resolution, global maps of our heliosphere. The remarkable synergy between IMAP, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 will remain for at least the next decade as Voyager 1 pushes further into the interstellar domain and Voyager 2 moves through the heliosheath. Voyager 2 moves outward in the same region of sky covered by a portion of the IBEX ribbon. Voyager 2’s plasma measurements will create singular opportunities for discovery in the context of IMAP's global measurements. IMAP, like ACE before, will be a keystone of the Heliophysics System Observatory by providing comprehensive measurements of interstellar neutral atoms and pickup ions, the solar wind distribution, composition, and magnetic field, as well as suprathermal ion, energetic particle, and cosmic ray distributions to diagnose the changing space environment and understand the fundamental origins of particle acceleration. This paper, the first citable reference for IMAP, is similar to an unpublished whitepaper that was presented to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine Committee for Solar and Space Physics. We provide the IMAP objectives and instrument straw man traced from the Solar and Space Physics Decadal Survey. It is fitting that our paper is published in the volume of papers that celebrates the 80th birthday of Ed Stone.

Magnetic field inversions at 1 AU: Comparisons between mapping predictions and observations

AbstractLarge‐scale magnetic field configurations are important for the transport of solar wind strahl electrons, which are suprathermal and directed along the field outward from the Sun. Strahl electrons are routinely used to infer not only the field configurations between the Sun and Earth but also local field structures, i.e., field inversions, where the magnetic field is locally folded back or inverted. Using solar wind data from ACE observations and a 2‐D data‐driven solar wind model with nonzero azimuthal magnetic field at the solar wind source surface, magnetic field lines are mapped between the Sun and Earth and beyond, in the solar equatorial plane. Standard verification metrics are used to assess, for five solar rotations at different phases of solar cycle 23, the performance of the mapping predictions for observed inversions, which are inferred from solar wind suprathermal electrons and magnetic fields measured by ACE. The probability of detection is consistently ≈0.70 across the different phases. The success ratio, the Hanssen‐Kuipers skill score, and the Heidke skill score are ≈0.55–0.70 for the four rotations in the rising, solar maximum, and declining phases, but ≈0.35–0.60 for the rotation near solar minimum, during which almost half of the samples have undetermined field configurations. Our analyses confirm the persistence of inversions throughout solar cycle 23, suggest for most observed inversions a solar/coronal origin at the wind's source surface or below, and predict that inversions should be less common for larger heliocentric distance r ∼> 3 AU than for smaller r.

Radio emission in Mercury magnetosphere

Context: Active stars possess magnetized wind that has a direct impact on planets that can lead to radio emission. Mercury is a good test case to study the effect of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field on radio emission driven in the planet magnetosphere. Such studies could be used as proxies to characterize the magnetic field topology and intensity of exoplanets. Aims: The aim of this study is to quantify the radio emission in the Hermean magnetosphere. Methods: We use the MHD code PLUTO in spherical coordinates with an axisymmetric multipolar expansion for the Hermean magnetic field, to analyze the effect of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation and intensity, as well as the hydrodynamic parameters of the solar wind (velocity, density and temperature), on the net power dissipated on the Hermean day and night side. We apply the formalism derived by Zarka [2001, 2007] to infer the radio emission level from the net dissipated power. We perform a set of simulations with different hydrodynamic parameters of the solar wind, IMF orientations and intensities, that allow us to calculate the dissipated power distribution and infer the existence of radio emission hot spots on the planet day side, and to calculate the integrated radio emission of the Hermean magnetosphere. Results: The obtained radio emission distribution of dissipated power is determined by the IMF orientation (associated with the reconnection regions in the magnetosphere), although the radio emission strength is dependent on the IMF intensity and solar wind hydro parameters. The calculated total radio emission level is in agreement with the one estimated in [Zarka, 2001], between $5 \times 10^{5}$ and $2 \times 10^{6}$ W.

A Possible Cause of the Diminished Solar Wind During the Solar Cycle 23 – 24 Minimum

Interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind plasma density observed at 1 AU during Solar Cycle 23 – 24 (SC-23/24) minimum were significantly smaller than those during its previous solar cycle (SC-22/23) minimum. Because the Earth’s orbit is embedded in the slow wind during solar minimum, changes in the geometry and/or content of the slow wind region (SWR) can have a direct influence on the solar wind parameters near the Earth. In this study, we analyze solar wind plasma and magnetic field data of hourly values acquired by Ulysses. It is found that the solar wind, when averaging over the first (1995.6 – 1995.8) and third (2006.9 – 2008.2) Ulysses’ perihelion ( ${\sim}\,1.4~\mbox{AU}$ ) crossings, was about the same speed, but significantly less dense ( ${\sim}\,34~\%$ ) and cooler ( ${\sim}\,20~\%$ ), and the total magnetic field was ${\sim}\,30~\%$ weaker during the third compared to the first crossing. It is also found that the SWR was ${\sim}\,50~\%$ wider in the third ( ${\sim}\,68.5^{\circ}$ in heliographic latitude) than in the first ( ${\sim}\,44.8^{\circ}$ ) solar orbit. The observed latitudinal increase in the SWR is sufficient to explain the excessive decline in the near-Earth solar wind density during the recent solar minimum without speculating that the total solar output may have been decreasing. The observed SWR inflation is also consistent with a cooler solar wind in the SC-23/24 than in the SC-22/23 minimum. Furthermore, the ratio of the high-to-low latitude photospheric magnetic field (or equatorward magnetic pressure force), as observed by the Mountain Wilson Observatory, is smaller during the third than the first Ulysses’ perihelion orbit. These findings suggest that the smaller equatorward magnetic pressure at the Sun may have led to the latitudinally-wider SRW observed by Ulysses in SC-23/24 minimum.

GPS TEC variations in the polar cap ionosphere: Solar wind and IMF dependence

AbstractThis statistical study examines the solar wind dependence of total electron content (TEC) variations arising from mesoscale (tens to hundreds of kilometers) structuring of the polar cap ionosphere. Six years of TEC measurements were collected from five high‐data rate Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers of the Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN), from which high‐resolution magnetic local time‐latitude maps of TEC variation occurrence rate and amplitude were created. Ionosonde radars were used to identify TEC variations arising from ionization of the E and F region ionospheres. Statistical TEC maps were examined as a function of solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) measurements. Statistical results showed that occurrence rate of TEC variations was highest in localized dayside regions, with exact local time and latitude of peak occurrence depending primarily on the dayside coupling rate of the solar wind and magnetosphere, as well as IMF orientation and magnitude in the Y‐Z plane. Occurrence of TEC variations throughout the polar cap increased with solar wind‐magnetosphere coupling rate and IMF magnitude. The solar wind dependence of occurrence rate largely reflected the location and rate of dayside magnetic reconnection and subsequent particle precipitation and polar cap convection. Amplitudes of TEC variations were largest around noon and increased throughout the polar cap with increased solar wind‐magnetosphere coupling rate. These statistical results improve upon the existing observational picture of the polar ionosphere and will potentially facilitate development of models and techniques for mitigating impacts of the polar ionosphere on navigation signals and communication links.

Revisiting geomagnetic activity at auroral latitudes: No need for regular quiet curve removal for geomagnetic activity indices based on hourly data

AbstractThe main objective of our study is to determine if the regular quiet daily curve (QDC) subtraction is a necessary procedure in quantifying the irregular geomagnetic variations at auroral latitudes. We define the hourly ΔH index, the absolute hour‐to‐hour deviation in nanotesla of the hourly geomagnetic horizontal component, which assigns each sample to sample deviation as geomagnetic activity without separating the “regular” and “irregular” parts of the daily magnetic field evolution. We demonstrate that the hourly gradient of the regular Sq variation is very small with respect to the irregular part, and a bulk of the nominal daily variation is actually part of the variation driven by solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field and traditionally classified as irregular. Therefore, attempts to subtract QDC can lead to a larger error, often caused by residual deviations between the used different mathematical and methodological tools and corresponding presumptions themselves. We show that ΔH provides the best and most consistent results at most timescales with the highest effective resolution among the studied indices. We also demonstrate that the ΔH index may equally be useful as a quick‐look near‐real‐time index of space weather and as a long‐term index derived from hourly magnetometer data for space climate studies.

Solar Wind Disconnects Venus's Magnetotail

Polarity reversals in the solar wind magnetic field disconnect the magnetic field trailing behind Venus, allowing ions from the atmosphere to escape.

Isolated magnetic field structures in Mercury's magnetosheath as possible analogues for terrestrial magnetosheath plasmoids and jets

We have investigated MESSENGER magnetic field data from the Mercury magnetosheath and near solar wind, to identify isolated magnetic field structures (defined as clear, isolated changes in the field magnitude). Their properties are studied in order to determine if they may be considered as analogues to plasmoids and jets known to exist in Earth's magnetosheath. Both isolated decreases of the magnetic field absolute value (‘negative magnetic field structures’) and increases (‘positive structures’) are found in the magnetosheath, whereas only negative structures are found in the solar wind. The similar properties of the solar wind and magnetosheath negative magnetic field structures suggests that they are analogous to diamagnetic plasmoids found in Earth's magnetosheath and near solar wind. The latter have earlier been identified with solar wind magnetic holes. Positive magnetic field structures are only found in the magnetosheath, concentrated to a region relatively close to the magnetopause. Their proximity to the magnetopause, their scale sizes, and the association of a majority of the structures with bipolar magnetic field signatures identify them as flux transfer events (which generally are associated with a decrease of plasma density in the magnetosheath). The positive magnetic field structures are therefore not likely to be analogous to terrestrial paramagnetic plasmoids but possibly to a sub-population of magnetosheath jets. At Earth, a majority of magnetosheath jets are associated with the quasi-parallel bow shock. We discuss some consequences of the findings of the present investigation pertaining to the different nature of the quasi-parallel bow shock at Mercury and Earth.

Calibration and assessment of Swarm ion drift measurements using a comparison with a statistical convection model

The electric field instruments onboard the Swarm satellites make high-resolution measurements of the F-region ion drift. This paper presents an initial investigation of preliminary ion drift data made available by the European Space Agency. Based on data taken during polar cap crossings, we identify large offsets in both the along-track and cross-track components of the measured ion drift. These offsets are removed by zeroing drift values at the low-latitude boundary of the high-latitude convection pattern. This correction is shown to significantly improve agreement between the Swarm ion drift measurements and velocity inferred from a radar-based statistical convection model for periods of quasi-stability in the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field. Agreement is most pronounced in the cross-track direction (R = 0.60); it improves slightly (R = 0.63) if data are limited to periods with IMF B z < 0. The corrected Swarm data were shown to properly identify the convection reversal boundary for periods of IMF B z < 0, in full agreement with previous radar and satellite measurements, making Swarm ion drift measurements a valuable input for ionospheric modeling.

High‐latitude circulation in giant planet magnetospheres

AbstractWe follow‐up the proposal by Cowley et al. (2004) that the plasma circulation in the magnetospheres of the giant planets is a combination of two cycles or circulation systems. The Vasyliunas cycle transports heavy material ionized deep within the magnetosphere eventually to loss in the magnetotail. The second cycle is driven by magnetic reconnection between the planetary and the solar wind magnetic fields (the Dungey cycle) and is found on flux tubes poleward of those of the Vasyliunas cycle. We examine features of the Dungey system, particularly what occurs out of the equatorial plane. The Dungey cycle requires reconnection on the dayside, and we suggest that at the giant planets the dayside reconnection occurs preferentially in the morning sector. Second, we suggest that most of the solar wind material that enters through reconnection on to open flux tubes on the dayside never gets trapped on closed field lines but makes less than one circuit of the planet and exits down tail. In its passage to the nightside, the streaming ex‐solar wind material is accelerated centrifugally by the planetary rotation primarily along the field; thus, in the tail it will appear very like a planetary wind. The escaping wind will be found on the edges of the tail plasma sheet, and reports of light ion streams in the tail are likely due to this source. The paper concludes with a discussion of high‐latitude circulation in the absence of reconnection between the solar wind and planetary field.

One year in the Earth's magnetosphere: A global MHD simulation and spacecraft measurements

The response of the Earth's magnetosphere to changing solar wind conditions are studied with a 3D Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model. One full year (155 Cluster orbits) of the Earth's magnetosphere is simulated using Grand Unified Magnetosphere Ionosphere Coupling simulation (GUMICS-4) magnetohydrodynamic code. Real solar wind measurements are given to the code as input to create the longest lasting global magnetohydrodynamics simulation to date. The applicability of the results of the simulation depends critically on the input parameters used in the model. Therefore, the validity and the variance of the OMNIWeb data is first investigated thoroughly using Cluster measurement close to the bow shock. The OMNIWeb and the Cluster data were found to correlate very well before the bow shock. The solar wind magnetic field and plasma parameters are not changed significantly from the $L_1$ Lagrange point to the foreshock, therefore the OMNIWeb data is appropriate input to the GUMICS-4. The Cluster SC3 footprints are determined by magnetic field mapping from the simulation results and the Tsyganenko (T96) model in order to compare two methods. The determined footprints are in rather good agreement with the T96. However, it was found that the footprints agree better in the northern hemisphere than the southern one during quiet conditions. If the By is not zero, the agreement of the GUMICS-4 and T96 footprint is worse in longitude in the southern hemisphere. Overall, the study implies that a 3D MHD model can increase our insight of the response of the magnetosphere to solar wind conditions.

Impact of the interplanetary magnetic field on thewave flow pattern in the neighborhood of the Earth’s bow shock under sharp variations in the solar wind dynamic pressure

The impact of the interplanetary magnetic field on transformation and disintegration of the Earth’s bow shock into a system of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) shock waves, rotational discontinuities and rarefaction waves under the action of abrupt variations in the solar wind dynamic pressure is simulated in the three-dimensional non-plane-polarized formulation within the framework of the ideal magnetohydrodynamic model using the solution of the MHD Riemann problem of breakdown of an arbitrary discontinuity. This discontinuity arises when a contact discontinuity, on which the solar wind density increases or decreases suddenly and which travels together with the solar wind, impinges on the Earth’s bow shock and propagates along its surface. The interaction pattern is constructed in the quasisteady- state formulation as a mosaic of exact solutions obtained on computer using an original MHD Riemann solver. The wave flow patterns are found for all elements of the surface of the bow shock as functions of their latitude and longitude for various jumps in the density on the contact discontinuity and characteristics parameters of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field at the Earth’s orbit. It is found that when the solar wind dynamic pressure increases, a fast MHD shock wave, that first penetrates into the magnetosheath, is always formed. When the solar wind dynamic pressure decreases, the influence of the interplanetary magnetic field can lead to the development of the leading fast MHD shock wave in certain zones on the surface of the Earth’s bow shock. The solution obtained can be used to interpret measurements on spacecraft in the solar wind at the libration point and in the neighborhood of the Earth’s magnetosphere.

Voyager 2 solar plasma and magnetic field spectral analysis for intermediate data sparsity

AbstractThe Voyager probes are the furthest, still active, spacecraft ever launched from Earth. During their 38 year trip, they have collected data regarding solar wind properties (such as the plasma velocity and magnetic field intensity). Unfortunately, a complete time evolution of the measured physical quantities is not available. The time series contains many gaps which increase in frequency and duration at larger distances. The aim of this work is to perform a spectral and statistical analysis of the solar wind plasma velocity and magnetic field using Voyager 2 data measured in 1979, when the gap density is between the 30% and 50%. For these gap densities, we show the spectra of gapped signals inherit the characteristics of the data gaps. In particular, the algebraic decay of the intermediate frequency range is underestimated and discrete peaks result not from the underlaying data but from the gap sequence. This analysis is achieved using five different data treatment techniques coming from the multidisciplinary context: averages on linearly interpolated subsets, correlation without data interpolation, correlation of linearly interpolated data, maximum likelihood data reconstruction, and compressed sensing spectral estimation. With five frequency decades, the spectra we obtained have the largest frequency range ever computed at five astronomical units from the Sun; spectral exponents have been determined for all the components of the velocity and magnetic field fluctuations. Void analysis is also useful in recovering other spectral properties such as micro and integral scales.

Where and when does reconnection occur in the tail?

AbstractWe comment on the question of when and where reconnection begins in the tail and how it is related to the onset of auroral expansion. This question was addressed in a workshop dedicated to Unsolved Problems in Magnetospheric Physics held in Scarborough, UK, in September 2015. The answer is that it typically occurs first in the midtail a little beyond 20 Re somewhat before midnight about 55 min after a southward turning of the solar wind magnetic field. It appears to be a consequence of plasma sheet thinning down to the scale of an ion gyroradius. The onset of the activation and expansion of auroral activity and accompanying magnetic signatures typically occur within 1 or 2 min of the appearance of signatures of midtail reconnection. The unanswered question is which comes first and whether reconnection is the cause of the auroral expansion. We point out that older observations clearly established that plasmoids (flux ropes) are released from near 20 Re within a few minutes of the usual signatures of expansion onset. This is only possible if reconnection occurs close to the Earth. More detailed observations with modern spacecraft have led to the development of new explanations for the cause of the substorm expansion that appear to neglect older observations. We conclude that it is essential to carefully define the various terms used in the study of substorms and to develop quantitative methods that enable statistical studies of the various processes associated with auroral expansion onset.

EMVIM: An empirical model for the magnetic field configuration near Venus

AbstractMore than 2000 orbits of Venus Express magnetic field measurements are condensed into Empirical Model of Venusian Induced Magnetic fields (EMVIM), an empirical model to quantify the magnetic configuration in the Venusian magnetosphere at low altitude (&lt;500 km) as a function of the upstream solar wind magnetic field (IMF components) and the solar activity index F10.7 as control variables. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is used to construct a set of data‐derived basis functions that are associated with different fundamental magnetospheric processes. The most important basis function represents the magnetic draping configuration of the IMFz component while the second important one represents the draping of the IMFy component. Solar wind‐magnetosphere interactions are quantified through regression analysis of EOF amplitudes and the control variables. Combining the basis functions with regression coefficients results in a model with a determination coefficient R2 of 0.29. As an applicational example, the model is used to quantify the density of the terminator end of the tail current JE in terms of cross‐flow IMF component and F10.7 as , showing that the current strength is anticorrelated with solar activity.