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Characteristic magnetic field and speed properties of interplanetary coronal mass ejections and their sheath regions
Prediction of the solar wind conditions in near-Earth space, arising from both quasi-steady and transient structures, is essential for space weather forecasting. To achieve forecast lead times of a day or more, such predictions must be made on the basis of remote solar observations. A number of empirical prediction schemes have been proposed to forecast the transit time and speed of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) at 1 AU. However, the current lack of magnetic field measurements in the corona severely limits our ability to forecast the 1 AU magnetic field strengths resulting from interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs). In this study we investigate the relation between the characteristic magnetic field strengths and speeds of both magnetic cloud and noncloud ICMEs at 1 AU. Correlation between field and speed is found to be significant only in the sheath region ahead of magnetic clouds, not within the clouds themselves. The lack of such a relation in the sheaths ahead of noncloud ICMEs is consistent with such ICMEs being skimming encounters of magnetic clouds, though other explanations are also put forward. Linear fits to the radial speed profiles of ejecta reveal that faster-traveling ICMEs are also expanding more at 1 AU. We combine these empirical relations to form a prediction scheme for the magnetic field strength in the sheaths ahead of magnetic clouds and also suggest a method for predicting the radial speed profile through an ICME on the basis of upstream measurements
Scientists publishing research in English from Indonesia: Analysing outcomes of a training intervention to inform institutional action
Margaret Cargill, Patrick O, Connor, Rika Raffiudin, Nampiah Sukarno, Berry Juliandi and Iman Rusman
Effect of Solar Wind Drag on the Determination of the Properties of Coronal Mass Ejections from Heliospheric Images
The Fixed-\Phi (F\Phi) and Harmonic Mean (HM) fitting methods are two methods
to determine the average direction and velocity of coronal mass ejections
(CMEs) from time-elongation tracks produced by Heliospheric Imagers (HIs), such
as the HIs onboard the STEREO spacecraft. Both methods assume a constant
velocity in their descriptions of the time-elongation profiles of CMEs, which
are used to fit the observed time-elongation data. Here, we analyze the effect
of aerodynamic drag on CMEs propagating through interplanetary space, and how
this drag affects the result of the F\Phi and HM fitting methods. A simple drag
model is used to analytically construct time-elongation profiles which are then
fitted with the two methods. It is found that higher angles and velocities give
rise to greater error in both methods, reaching errors in the direction of
propagation of up to 15 deg and 30 deg for the F\Phi and HM fitting methods,
respectively. This is due to the physical accelerations of the CMEs being
interpreted as geometrical accelerations by the fitting methods. Because of the
geometrical definition of the HM fitting method, it is affected by the
acceleration more greatly than the F\Phi fitting method. Overall, we find that
both techniques overestimate the initial (and final) velocity and direction for
fast CMEs propagating beyond 90 deg from the Sun-spacecraft line, meaning that
arrival times at 1 AU would be predicted early (by up to 12 hours). We also
find that the direction and arrival time of a wide and decelerating CME can be
better reproduced by the F\Phi due to the cancellation of two errors:
neglecting the CME width and neglecting the CME deceleration. Overall, the
inaccuracies of the two fitting methods are expected to play an important role
in the prediction of CME hit and arrival times as we head towards solar maximum
and the STEREO spacecraft further move behind the Sun.Comment: Solar Physics, Online First, 17 page
Coronal mass ejections as expanding force-free structures
We mode Solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as expanding force-fee magnetic
structures and find the self-similar dynamics of configurations with spatially
constant \alpha, where {\bf J} =\alpha {\bf B}, in spherical and cylindrical
geometries, expanding spheromaks and expanding Lundquist fields
correspondingly. The field structures remain force-free, under the conventional
non-relativistic assumption that the dynamical effects of the inductive
electric fields can be neglected. While keeping the internal magnetic field
structure of the stationary solutions, expansion leads to complicated internal
velocities and rotation, induced by inductive electric field. The structures
depends only on overall radius R(t) and rate of expansion \dot{R}(t) measured
at a given moment, and thus are applicable to arbitrary expansion laws. In case
of cylindrical Lundquist fields, the flux conservation requires that both axial
and radial expansion proceed with equal rates. In accordance with observations,
the model predicts that the maximum magnetic field is reached before the
spacecraft reaches the geometric center of a CME.Comment: 19 pages, 9 Figures, accepted by Solar Physic
Reconstructing the 3-D Trajectories of CMEs in the Inner Heliosphere
A method for the full three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of the
trajectories of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) using Solar TErrestrial RElations
Observatory (STEREO) data is presented. Four CMEs that were simultaneously
observed by the inner and outer coronagraphs (COR1 and 2) of the Ahead and
Behind STEREO satellites were analysed. These observations were used to derive
CME trajectories in 3-D out to ~15Rsun. The reconstructions using COR1/2 data
support a radial propagation model. Assuming pseudo-radial propagation at large
distances from the Sun (15-240Rsun), the CME positions were extrapolated into
the Heliospheric Imager (HI) field-of-view. We estimated the CME velocities in
the different fields-of-view. It was found that CMEs slower than the solar wind
were accelerated, while CMEs faster than the solar wind were decelerated, with
both tending to the solar wind velocity.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 1 appendi
A Quantitative Model of Energy Release and Heating by Time-dependent, Localized Reconnection in a Flare with a Thermal Loop-top X-ray Source
We present a quantitative model of the magnetic energy stored and then
released through magnetic reconnection for a flare on 26 Feb 2004. This flare,
well observed by RHESSI and TRACE, shows evidence of non-thermal electrons only
for a brief, early phase. Throughout the main period of energy release there is
a super-hot (T>30 MK) plasma emitting thermal bremsstrahlung atop the flare
loops. Our model describes the heating and compression of such a source by
localized, transient magnetic reconnection. It is a three-dimensional
generalization of the Petschek model whereby Alfven-speed retraction following
reconnection drives supersonic inflows parallel to the field lines, which form
shocks heating, compressing, and confining a loop-top plasma plug. The
confining inflows provide longer life than a freely-expanding or
conductively-cooling plasma of similar size and temperature. Superposition of
successive transient episodes of localized reconnection across a current sheet
produces an apparently persistent, localized source of high-temperature
emission. The temperature of the source decreases smoothly on a time scale
consistent with observations, far longer than the cooling time of a single
plug. Built from a disordered collection of small plugs, the source need not
have the coherent jet-like structure predicted by steady-state reconnection
models. This new model predicts temperatures and emission measure consistent
with the observations of 26 Feb 2004. Furthermore, the total energy released by
the flare is found to be roughly consistent with that predicted by the model.
Only a small fraction of the energy released appears in the super-hot source at
any one time, but roughly a quarter of the flare energy is thermalized by the
reconnection shocks over the course of the flare. All energy is presumed to
ultimately appear in the lower-temperature T<20 MK, post-flare loops
What is the Nature of EUV Waves? First STEREO 3D Observations and Comparison with Theoretical Models
One of the major discoveries of the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope
(EIT) on SOHO were intensity enhancements propagating over a large fraction of
the solar surface. The physical origin(s) of the so-called `EIT' waves is still
strongly debated. They are considered to be either wave (primarily fast-mode
MHD waves) or non-wave (pseudo-wave) interpretations. The difficulty in
understanding the nature of EUV waves lies with the limitations of the EIT
observations which have been used almost exclusively for their study. Their
limitations are largely overcome by the SECCHI/EUVI observations on-board the
STEREO mission. The EUVI telescopes provide high cadence, simultaneous
multi-temperature coverage, and two well-separated viewpoints. We present here
the first detailed analysis of an EUV wave observed by the EUVI disk imagers on
December 07, 2007 when the STEREO spacecraft separation was .
Both a small flare and a CME were associated with the wave cadence, and single
temperature and viewpoint coverage. These limitations are largely overcome by
the SECCHI/EUVI observations on-board the STEREO mission. The EUVI telescopes
provide high cadence, simultaneous multi-temperature coverage, and two
well-separated viewpoints. Our findings give significant support for a
fast-mode interpretation of EUV waves and indicate that they are probably
triggered by the rapid expansion of the loops associated with the CME.Comment: Solar Physics, 2009, Special STEREO Issue, in pres
4pi Models of CMEs and ICMEs
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which dynamically connect the solar surface to
the far reaches of interplanetary space, represent a major anifestation of
solar activity. They are not only of principal interest but also play a pivotal
role in the context of space weather predictions. The steady improvement of
both numerical methods and computational resources during recent years has
allowed for the creation of increasingly realistic models of interplanetary
CMEs (ICMEs), which can now be compared to high-quality observational data from
various space-bound missions. This review discusses existing models of CMEs,
characterizing them by scientific aim and scope, CME initiation method, and
physical effects included, thereby stressing the importance of fully 3-D
('4pi') spatial coverage.Comment: 14 pages plus references. Comments welcome. Accepted for publication
in Solar Physics (SUN-360 topical issue
EUV Analysis of a Quasi-Static Coronal Loop Structure
Decaying active region 10942 is investigated from 4:00-16:00 UT on February
24, 2007 using a suite of EUV observing instruments. Results from Hinode/EIS,
STEREO and TRACE show that although the active region has decayed and no
sunspot is present, the physical mechanisms that produce distinguishable loop
structures, spectral line broadening, and plasma flows still occur. A coronal
loop that appears as a blue-shifted structure in Doppler maps is apparent in
intensity images of log(T) = 6.0-6.3 ions. The loop structure is found to be
anti-correlated with spectral line broadening generally attributed to
nonthermal velocities. This coronal loop structure is investigated physically
(temperature, density, geometry) and temporally. Lightcurves created from
imaging instruments show brightening and dimming of the loop structure on two
different time scales; short pulses of 10-20 min and long duration dimming of
2-4 hours until its disappearance. The coronal loop structure, formed from
relatively blue-shifted material that is anti-correlated with spectral line
broadening, shows a density of 10^10 to 10^9.3 cm-3 and is visible for longer
than characteristic cooling times. The maximum nonthermal spectral line
broadenings are found to be adjacent to the footpoint of the coronal loop
structure.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figures; Solar Physics 201
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