Global MHD modeling of resonant ULF waves: Simulations with and without a plasmasphere

We investigate the plasmaspheric influence on the resonant mode coupling of magnetospheric ultralow frequency (ULF) waves using the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model. We present results from two different versions of the model, both driven by the same solar wind conditions: one version that contains a plasmasphere (the LFM coupled to the Rice Convection Model, where the Gallagher plasmasphere model is also included) and another that does not (the stand-alone LFM). We find that the inclusion of a cold, dense plasmasphere has a significant impact on the nature of the simulated ULF waves. For example, the inclusion of a plasmasphere leads to a deeper (more earthward) penetration of the compressional (azimuthal) electric field fluctuations, due to a shift in the location of the wave turning points. Consequently, the locations where the compressional electric field oscillations resonantly couple their energy into local toroidal mode field line resonances also shift earthward. We also find, in both simulations, that higher-frequency compressional (azimuthal) electric field oscillations penetrate deeper than lower frequency oscillations. In addition, the compressional wave mode structure in the simulations is consistent with a radial standing wave oscillation pattern, characteristic of a resonant waveguide. The incorporation of a plasmasphere into the LFM global MHD model represents an advance in the state of the art in regard to ULF wave modeling with such simulations. We offer a brief discussion of the implications for radiation belt modeling techniques that use the electric and magnetic field outputs from global MHD simulations to drive particle dynamics

Towards Method Component Contextualization

International audienceMethod Engineering (ME) is a discipline which aims to bring effective solutions to the construction, improvement and modification of the methods used to develop Information Systems (IS). Situational Method Engineering (SME) promotes the idea of retrieving, adapting and tailoring components, rather than complete methodologies, to the specific context. Existing SME approaches use the notion of context for characterizing situations of IS development projects and for guiding the method components selection from a repository. However, in the reviewed literature, there is no proposed approach to specify the specific context of method components. This paper provides a detailed vision of context and a process for contextualizing methods in the IS domain. This proposal is illustrated with three case studies: scenario conceptualization, project portfolio management, and decision-making

On the origin of high m magnetospheric waves

A survey of Advanced Rio-Imaging Experiment in Scandinavia data reveals evidence for a previously overlooked generation mechanism of high azimuthal wave number magnetospheric waves. Here we present observations of pulsating cosmic noise absorption with azimuthal wave numbers as high as 380, suggestive of precipitation modulation by magnetospheric waves. Dispersion relations of the small-scale precipitation pulsations are indicative of the proposed origin. Previous studies of magnetospheric waves, together with data from the Charge And Mass Magnetospheric Ion Composition Experiment (Magnetospheric Ion Composition Sensor) instrument aboard the Polar spacecraft, provide support for the theory

Simulateur Électromagnétique d’Erreur VOR par Méthodes Déterministes – Application aux Parcs Éoliens

Considering the ecological emergency, the renewable energy development has greatly increased for a decade. In particular, the windfarms implantation rapidly expands in Europe. These windturbines are large obstacles composed by dielectric and metallic materials. So their impact on electromagnetic devices is significant. The radionavigation systems for the civil aviation services are particularly concerned. However, they have to work side with new windfarms. Actually, these latter cause scattering effects on the electromagnetic signals and can degrade the performances of these equipments (multipaths, shadowing effects etc.). Thus, quantifying these degradations is crucial, particularly on the VOR devices where multipath effects cause an error on the azimuth. In this thesis work, an electromagnetic simulator called VERSO (VOR ERror SimulatOr) is developed. It can estimate the impact of scattering objects, especially windturbines, on the VOR signal. In literature, several techniques are proposed to model these phenomena: some make coarse approximations and some others are memory intensive. Thus, the choice over the methods used in VERSO is a compromise between precision and memory requirement. The parabolic equation is used to model the propagation from the source to the windturbines so as to take the relief into account. A physical optic based method is used to compute the field scattered by these objects. The electromagnetic model of the windturbine and the hypothesis due to the methods used by VERSO have been validated in the VHF (VOR) frequency by comparison with the method of moments, which is the reference. An extension of VERSO for the radar systems is introduced. Consequently similar validations have been performed at radar frequencies. In particular, a windturbine blade model taking into account the lightning protection is proposed for the VOR and the radar frequencies. The shadowing effects are also quantified in both frequency domains. Especially, a demonstration that the shadowing effects due to radially implemented windturbines can be neglected around a VOR beacon is proposed. This approximation and the blade model are used for the implementation of VERSO. This simulator is validated by comparison with measurements on 9 windturbines built 5~km far from a VORC in Boulogne-sur-Mer (France). A study is performed to quantify the influence of each part of the windturbine. The mast is shown to be the main contributor regarding to the electromagnetic field and the VOR error. Finally, parametric simulations are performed and analytic expressions are proposed to describe the evolution of the maximum VOR error with respect to the mast size and the distance VOR-windturbine. The latter study gives some key parameters that need to be considered for the elaboration of a windfarm building plan close to civil aviation systems for the project to be viable.Étant donné l'urgence environnementale, le développement des énergies renouvelables s'est fortement accru ces dernières années. L'implantation de champs d'éoliennes est notamment en pleine expansion dans toute l'Europe. Ces éoliennes, de structure diélectrique et métallique et de grande taille, peuvent avoir un impact significatif sur les systèmes radiofréquences. En particulier, les systèmes de radionavigation et de surveillance opérés par la DGAC (VOR, radar) doivent cohabiter avec de nouveaux champs d'éoliennes. En effet, ces dernières influent sur le champ électromagnétique des systèmes et peuvent dégrader leurs performances (multitrajets, masquages... ). Il est alors important de pouvoir quantifier ces dégradations, en particulier dans le cas du VOR où les multitrajets engendrent une erreur de relèvement. Dans ce travail de thèse, un simulateur électromagnétique appelé VERSO (VOR ERror SimulatOr) est développé. Il permet d'estimer l'impact d'objets diffractants, en particulier d'éoliennes, sur le signal VOR. Dans la littérature, différentes techniques de modélisation sont proposées pour prédire ces phénomènes. Certaines sont trop approximatives, d'autres trop coûteuses en temps. Ainsi, le choix des techniques utilisées dans ce simulateur a été guidé par le compromis entre précision et temps de calcul. L'équation parabolique est utilisée pour modéliser la propagation de la source jusqu'aux éoliennes afin de prendre en compte le relief. Ensuite, une méthode d'optique physique sur matériaux diélectriques est mise en œuvre pour calculer le champ diffracté par ces objets. Le modèle électromagnétique de l'éolienne et les hypothèses inhérentes aux méthodes utilisées par VERSO ont été validés aux fréquences VHF (VOR) par comparaison avec la méthode des moments qui fait office de référence. Une extension de VERSO pour les systèmes radars a été abordée. Par conséquent des validations similaires à ces fréquences ont été réalisées. Plus spécifiquement, un modèle de pale d'éolienne prenant en compte la présence du parafoudre est proposé aux fréquences VOR et radar. Les effets de masquage sont eux aussi quantifiés pour ces 2 domaines de fréquences. Il est notamment démontré que l'effet de masquage pour des éoliennes alignées radialement à un VOR est négligeable. Cette approximation ainsi que le modèle de pale sont ensuite utilisés dans le programme VERSO. Ce dernier est validé à l'aide de contrôles en vol sur un scénario de 9 éoliennes implantées à 5 km du VOR de Boulogne-sur-Mer. Une étude quantitative de l'impact de chaque partie des éoliennes est menée afin de discriminer la source majoritaire d'erreur VOR. On constate notamment qu'à grande distance du VOR dans le scénario d'observation considéré, le mât constitue le principal contributeur en terme de champ diffracté et d'erreur VOR. Enfin, une étude statistique sur l'erreur VOR a permis d'obtenir un simulateur de scénarios qui donne l'erreur maximale avec une confiance fixée, en minimisant le nombre de simulations à effectuer. Pour accélérer cette méthode, une expression analytique approchée de l'erreur VOR maximum a été développée en fonction de la distance d'implantation et de la hauteur du mât de l'éolienne. Cette dernière étude fournit une méthode rapide pour évaluer l'impact de la construction d'un champ d'éoliennes quelconque à proximité de systèmes de l'aviation civile

Probabilistic VOR error due to several scatterers — Application to wind farms

International audienceThis paper introduces a method to calculate the VOR error due to multipaths from several known scatterers within known quantiles. In such a configuration, the amplitudes of the multipaths can be numerically or analytically calculated, whereas their phases are modelled as uniformly distributed. A probabilistic formulation of the VOR error that overestimates its variance is introduced to obtain the quantiles. The method is useful to obtain probabilities of occurrence of large VOR errors for multiple configurations and in a short computation time. Examples with wind farms are presented

Quantifying the radiation belt seed population in the 17 March 2013 electron acceleration event

Abstract We present phase space density (PSD) observations using data from the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer instrument on the Van Allen Probes for the 17 March 2013 electron acceleration event. We confirm previous results and quantify how PSD gradients depend on the first adiabatic invariant. We find a systematic difference between the lower-energy electrons (1-MeV with a source region within the radiation belts. Our observations show that the source process begins with enhancements to the 10s-100s-keV energy seed population, followed by enhancements to the \u3e1-MeV population and eventually leading to enhancements in the multi-MeV electron population these observations provide the clearest evidence to date of the timing and nature of the radial transport of a 100s keV electron seed population into the heart of the outer belt and subsequent local acceleration of those electrons to higher radiation belt energies. Key Points Quantification of phase space density gradients inside geostationary orbit Clear differences between the source of low energy and relativistic electrons Clear observations of how the acceleration process evolves in energy

An empirically observed pitch-angle diffusion eigenmode in the Earth\u27s electron belt near L* = 5.0

Abstract Using data from NASA\u27s Van Allen Probes, we have identified a synchronized exponential decay of electron flux in the outer zone, near L* = 5.0. Exponential decays strongly indicate the presence of a pure eigenmode of a diffusion operator acting in the synchronized dimension(s). The decay has a time scale of about 4 days with no dependence on pitch angle. While flux at nearby energies and L* is also decaying exponentially, the decay time varies in those dimensions. This suggests the primary decay mechanism is elastic pitch angle scattering, which itself depends on energy and L *. We invert the shape of the observed eigenmode to obtain an approximate shape of the pitch angle diffusion coefficient and show excellent agreement with diffusion by plasmaspheric hiss. Our results suggest that empirically derived eigenmodes provide a powerful diagnostic of the dynamic processes behind exponential decays

Magnetospheric Cavity Modes Driven by Solar Wind Dynamic Pressure Fluctuations

We present results from Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) global, three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. We use these simulations to investigate the role that solar wind dynamic pressure fluctuations play in the generation of magnetospheric ultra-low frequency (ULF) pulsations. The simulations presented in this study are driven with idealized solar wind input conditions. In four of the simulations, we introduce monochromatic ULF fluctuations in the upstream solar wind dynamic pressure. In the fifth simulation, we introduce a continuum of ULF frequencies in the upstream solar wind dynamic pressure fluctuations. In this numerical experiment, the idealized nature of the solar wind driving conditions allows us to study the magnetospheric response to only a fluctuating upstream dynamic pressure, while holding all other solar wind driving parameters constant. The simulation results suggest that ULF fluctuations in the solar wind dynamic pressure can drive magnetospheric ULF pulsations in the electric and magnetic fields on the dayside. Moreover, the simulation results suggest that when the driving frequency of the solar wind dynamic pressure fluctuations matches one of the natural frequencies of the magnetosphere, magnetospheric cavity modes can be energized.Comment: 2 figure

Van Allen Probes show that the inner radiation zone contains no MeV electrons: ECT/MagEIS data

Abstract We present Van Allen Probe observations of electrons in the inner radiation zone. The measurements were made by the Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma/Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) sensors that were designed to measure electrons with the ability to remove unwanted signals from penetrating protons, providing clean measurements. No electrons \u3e900 keV were observed with equatorial fluxes above background (i.e., \u3e0.1 el/(cm2 s sr keV)) in the inner zone. The observed fluxes are compared to the AE9 model and CRRES observations. Electron fluxes \u3c200 keV exceeded the AE9 model 50% fluxes and were lower than the higher-energy model fluxes. Phase space density radial profiles for 1.3 ≤ L* \u3c 2.5 had mostly positive gradients except near L*~2.1, where the profiles for μ = 20–30 MeV/G were flat or slightly peaked. The major result is that MagEIS data do not show the presence of significant fluxes of MeV electrons in the inner zone while current radiation belt models and previous publications do