Comparisons of Characteristics of Magnetic Clouds and Cloud-Like Structures During 1995-2012

Using eighteen years (1995 - 2012) of solar wind plasma and magnetic field data (observed by the Wind spacecraft), solar activity (e.g. sunspot number: SSN), and the geomagnetic activity index (Dst), we have identified 168 magnetic clouds (MCs) and 197 magnetic cloud - like structures (MCLs), and we have made relevant comparisons. The following features are found during seven different periods (TP: Total period during 1995 - 2012, P1 and P2: first and second half period during 1995 - 2003 and 2004 - 2012, Q1 and Q2: quiet periods during 1995 - 1997 and 2007 - 2009, A1 and A2: active periods during 1998 - 2006 and 2010 - 2012). (1) During the total period the yearly occurrence frequency is 9.3 for MCs and 10.9 for MCLs. (2) In the quiet periods Q1 > Q1 and Q2 > Q2, but in the active periods A1 A1 and A2 A2. (3) The minimum Bz (Bzmin) inside of a MC is well correlated with the intensity of geomagnetic activity, Dstmin (minimum Dst found within a storm event) for MCs (with a Pearson correlation coefficient, c.c. = 0.75, and the fitting function is Dstmin = 0.90+7.78Bzmin), but Bzmin for MCLs is not well correlated with the Dst index (c.c. = 0.56, and the fitting function is Dstmin = -9.40+ 4.58 Bzmin). (4) MCs play a major role in producing geomagnetic storms: the absolute value of the average Dstmin (MC = -70 nT) for MCs associated geomagnetic storms is two times stronger than that for MCLs (MCL = -35 nT), due to the difference in the IMF (interplanetary magnetic field) strength. (5) The SSN is not correlated with MCs (TP, c.c. = 0.27), but is well associated with MCLs (TP, c.c. = 0.85). Note that the c.c. for SSN vs. P2 is higher than that for SSN vs. P2. (6) Averages of IMF, solar wind speed, and density inside of the MCs are higher than those inside of the MCLs. (7) The average of MC duration (approx. = 18.82 hours) is approx. = 20 % longer than the average of MCL duration (approx. = 15.69 hours). (8) There are more MCs than MCLs in the quiet solar period, and more MCLs than MCs in the active solar period, probably due to the interaction between a MC and another significant interplanetary disturbance (including another MC) which could obviously change the character of a MC, but we speculate that some MCLs are no doubt due to other factors such as complex birth conditions at the Sun

Magnetic field waves at Uranus

The proposed research efforts funded by the UDAP grant to the BRI involve the study of magnetic field waves associated with the Uranian bow shock. This is a collaborative venture bringing together investigators at the BRI, Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). In addition, other collaborations have been formed with investigators granted UDAP funds for similar studies and with investigators affiliated with other Voyager experiments. These investigations and the corresponding collaborations are included in the report. The proposed effort as originally conceived included an examination of waves downstream from the shock within the magnetosheath. However, the observations of unexpected complexity and diversity within the upstream region have necessitated that we confine our efforts to those observations recorded upstream of the bow shock on the inbound and outbound legs of the encounter by the Voyager 2 spacecraft

Magnetic field waves at Uranus

The research efforts funded by the Uranus Data Analysis Program (UDAP) grant to the Bartol Research Institute (BRI) involved the study of magnetic field waves associated with the Uranian bow shock. Upstream wave studies are motivated as a study of the physics of collisionless shocks. Collisionless shocks in plasmas are capable of 'reflecting' a fraction of the incoming thermal particle distribution and directing the resulting energetic particle motion back into the upstream region. Once within the upstream region, the backward streaming energetic particles convey information of the approaching shock to the supersonic flow. This particle population is responsible for the generation of upstream magnetic and electrostatic fluctuations known as 'upstream waves', for slowing the incoming wind prior to the formation of the shock ramp, and for heating of the upstream plasma. The waves produced at Uranus not only differed in several regards from the observations at other planetary bow shocks, but also gave new information regarding the nature of the reflected particle populations which were largely unmeasurable by the particle instruments. Four distinct magnetic field wave types were observed upstream of the Uranian bow shock: low-frequency Alfven or fast magnetosonic waves excited by energetic protons originating at or behind the bow shock; whistler wave bursts driven by gyrating ion distributions within the shock ramp; and two whistler wave types simultaneously observed upstream of the flanks of the shock and argued to arise from resonance with energetic electrons. In addition, observations of energetic particle distributions by the LECP experiment, thermal particle populations observed by the PLS experiment, and electron plasma oscillations recorded by the PWS experiment proved instrumental to this study and are included to some degree in the papers and presentations supported by this grant

MESSENGER Observations of Large Flux Transfer Events at Mercury

Six flux transfer events (FTEs) were encountered during MESSENGER's first two flybys of Mercury (M1 and M2). For M1 the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) was predominantly northward and four FTEs with durations of 1 to 6 s were observed in the magnetosheath following southward IMF turnings. The IMF was steadily southward during M2, and an FTE 4 s in duration was observed just inside the dawn magnetopause followed approx. 32 s later by a 7 s FTE in the magnetosheath. Flux rope models were fit to the magnetic field data to determine FTE dimensions and flux content. The largest FTE observed by MESSENGER had a diameter of approx. 1 R(sub M) (where R(sub M) is Mercury s radius), and its open magnetic field increased the fraction of the surface exposed to the solar wind by 10 - 20 percent and contributed up to approx. 30 kV to the cross-magnetospheric electric potential

A Scheme for finding the Front Boundary of an Interplanetary Magnetic Cloud

We developed a scheme for finding the front boundary of an interplanetary magnetic cloud (MC) based on criteria that depend on the possible existence of any one or all of six specific solar wind features. The features that the program looks for, within +/- 2 hours of a preliminarily determined time for the front boundary, estimated either by visual inspection or by an automatic MC identification scheme, are: (1) a sufficiently large directional discontinuity in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), (2) existence of a magnetic hole, (3) a significant proton plasma beta drop, (4) a significant proton temperature drop, (5) a marked increase in the IMF's intensity, and (6) a significant decrease in a normalized root-mean-square deviation (RMS)of the magnetic field - where the scheme was tested using 5, 10, 15, and 20 minute averages of the relevant physical quantities, in order to find the optimum average (and RMS) to use. Other criteria, besides these six, were examined and dismissed as not reliable, e.g., plasma speed. The scheme was developed specifically for aiding in forecasting the strength and timing of a geomagnetic storm due to the passage of an interplanetary MC in real-time, but can be used in post ground-data collection for imposition of consistency in choosing a MC's front boundary. The scheme has been extensively tested, first using 80 bona fide MCs over about 9 years of WIND data, and also for 121 MC-like structures as defined by a program that automatically identifies such structures over the same period. Optimum limits for various parameters in the scheme were found by statistical studies of the WIND MCs. The resulting limits can be user-adjusted for other data sets, if desired. Final testing of the 80 MCs showed that for 50 percent of the events the boundary estimates occurred within +/-10 minutes of visually determined times, 80 percent occurred within +/-30 minutes, and 91 percent occur within +/-60 minutes, and three or more individual boundary tests were passed for 88 percent of the total MCs. The scheme and its testing will be described

Nature of fluctuations on directional discontinuities inside a solar ejection: Wind and IMP 8 observations

A solar ejection passed the Wind spacecraft between December 23 and 26, 1996. On closer examination, we find a sequence of ejecta material, as identified by abnormally low proton temperatures, separated by plasmas with typical solar wind temperatures at 1 AU. Large and abrupt changes in field and plasma properties occurred near the separation boundaries of these regions. At the one boundary we examine here, a series of directional discontinuities was observed. We argue that Alfvénic fluctuations in the immediate vicinity of these discontinuities distort minimum variance normals, introducing uncertainty into the identification of the discontinuities as either rotational or tangential. Carrying out a series of tests on plasma and field data including minimum variance, velocity and magnetic field correlations, and jump conditions, we conclude that the discontinuities are tangential. Furthermore, we find waves superposed on these tangential discontinuities (TDs). The presence of discontinuities allows the existence of both surface waves and ducted body waves. Both probably form in the solar atmosphere where many transverse nonuniformities exist and where theoretically they have been expected. We add to prior speculation that waves on discontinuities may in fact be a common occurrence. In the solar wind, these waves can attain large amplitudes and low frequencies. We argue that such waves can generate dynamical changes at TDs through advection or forced reconnection. The dynamics might so extensively alter the internal structure that the discontinuity would no longer be identified as tangential. Such processes could help explain why the occurrence frequency of TDs observed throughout the solar wind falls off with increasing heliocentric distance. The presence of waves may also alter the nature of the interactions of TDs with the Earth\u27s bow shock in so-called hot flow anomalies