314 research outputs found
Muon excess at sea level from solar flares in association with the Fermi GBM spacecraft detector
This paper presents results of an ongoing survey on the associations between
muon excesses at ground level registered by the Tupi telescopes and transient
solar events, two solar flares whose gamma-ray and X-ray emissions were
reported by, respectively, the Fermi GBM and the GOES 14. We show that solar
flares of small scale, those with prompt X-ray emission classified by GOES as
C-Class (power to W m at 1 AU) may give rise to muon
excess probably associated with solar protons and ions emitted by the flare and
arriving at the Earth as a coherent particle pulse. The Tupi telescopes are
within the central region of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), which allows
particle detectors to achieve a low rigidity of response to primary and
secondary charged particles ( GV). Here we argue for the possibility
of a "scale-free" energy distribution of particles accelerated by solar flares.
Large and small scale flares have the same energy spectrum up to energies
exceeding the pion production, the difference between them is only the
intensity. If this hypothesis is correct, the Tupi telescope is registering
muons produced by protons (ions) whose energy corresponds to the tail of the
spectrum. Consequently the energy distribution of the emitted protons has to be
a power law spectrum, since power law distributions are characterized as scale
free distributions. The Tupi events give support to this conjecture.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figure
Energetic particle transport across the mean magnetic field: before diffusion
Current particle transport models describe the propagation of charged particles across the mean field direction in turbulent plasmas as diffusion. However, recent studies suggest that at short time- scales, such as soon after solar energetic particle (SEP) injection, particles remain on turbulently meandering field lines, which results in non-diffusive initial propagation across the mean magnetic field. In this work, we use a new technique to investigate how the particles are displaced from their original field lines, and quantify the parameters of the transition from field-aligned particle propagation along meandering field lines to particle diffusion across the mean magnetic field. We show that the initial decoupling of the particles from the field lines is slow, and particles remain within a Larmor radius from their initial meandering field lines for tens to hundreds of Larmor periods, for 0.1-10 MeV protons in turbulence conditions typical of the solar wind at 1 AU. Subsequently, particles decouple from their initial field lines and after hundreds to thousands of Larmor periods reach time-asymptotic diffusive behaviour consistent with particle diffusion across the mean field caused by the meandering of the field lines. We show that the typical duration of the pre-diffusive phase, hours to tens of hours for 10 MeV protons in 1 AU solar wind turbulence conditions, is significant for SEP propagation to 1 AU and must be taken into account when modelling SEP propagation in the interplanetary space
Observations of Electrons from the Decay of Solar Flare Neutrons
We have found evidence for fluxes of energetic electrons in interplanetary
space on board the ISEE-3 spacecraft which we interpret as the decay products
of neutrons generated in a solar flare on 1980 June 21. The decay electrons
arrived at the s/c shortly before the electrons from the flare and can be
distinguished from the latter by their distinctive energy spectrum. The time
profile of the decay electrons is in good agreement with the results from a
simulation based on a scattering mean free path derived from a fit to the flare
electron data. The comparison with simultaneously observed decay protons and a
published direct measurement of high-energy neutrons places important
constraints on the parent neutron spectrum.Comment: 4 pages (postscript), accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letter
Observations of Energetic-particle Population Enhancements along Intermittent Structures near the Sun from the Parker Solar Probe
Observations at 1 au have confirmed that enhancements in measured energetic-particle (EP) fluxes are statistically associated with "rough" magnetic fields, i.e., fields with atypically large spatial derivatives or increments, as measured by the Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) method. One way to interpret this observation is as an association of the EPs with trapping or channeling within magnetic flux tubes, possibly near their boundaries. However, it remains unclear whether this association is a transport or local effect; i.e., the particles might have been energized at a distant location, perhaps by shocks or reconnection, or they might experience local energization or re-acceleration. The Parker Solar Probe (PSP), even in its first two orbits, offers a unique opportunity to study this statistical correlation closer to the corona. As a first step, we analyze the separate correlation properties of the EPs measured by the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS⊙IS) instruments during the first solar encounter. The distribution of time intervals between a specific type of event, i.e., the waiting time, can indicate the nature of the underlying process. We find that the IS⊙IS observations show a power-law distribution of waiting times, indicating a correlated (non-Poisson) distribution. Analysis of low-energy (~15 – 200 keV/nuc) IS⊙IS data suggests that the results are consistent with the 1 au studies, although we find hints of some unexpected behavior. A more complete understanding of these statistical distributions will provide valuable insights into the origin and propagation of solar EPs, a picture that should become clear with future PSP orbits
Heliospheric Transport of Neutron-Decay Protons
We report on new simulations of the transport of energetic protons
originating from the decay of energetic neutrons produced in solar flares.
Because the neutrons are fast-moving but insensitive to the solar wind magnetic
field, the decay protons are produced over a wide region of space, and they
should be detectable by current instruments over a broad range of longitudes
for many hours after a sufficiently large gamma-ray flare. Spacecraft closer to
the Sun are expected to see orders-of magnitude higher intensities than those
at the Earth-Sun distance. The current solar cycle should present an excellent
opportunity to observe neutron-decay protons with multiple spacecraft over
different heliographic longitudes and distances from the Sun.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, to be published in special issue of Solar
Physic
From Sun to Interplanetary Space: What is the Pathlength of Solar Energetic Particles?
Solar energetic particles (SEPs), accelerated during solar eruptions, propagate in turbulent solar wind before being
observed with in situ instruments. In order to interpret their origin through comparison with remote sensing
observations of the solar eruption, we thus must deconvolve the transport effects due to the turbulent magnetic
fields from the SEP observations. Recent research suggests that the SEP propagation is guided by the turbulent
meandering of the magnetic fieldlines across the mean magnetic field. However, the lengthening of the distance the
SEPs travel, due to the fieldline meandering, has so far not been included in SEP event analysis. This omission can
cause significant errors in estimation of the release times of SEPs at the Sun. We investigate the distance traveled
by the SEPs by considering them to propagate along fieldlines that meander around closed magnetic islands that
are inherent in turbulent plasma. We introduce a fieldline random walk model which takes into account the
physical scales associated to the magnetic islands. Our method remedies the problem of the diffusion equation
resulting in unrealistically short pathlengths, and the fractal dependence of the pathlength of random walk on the
length of the random-walk step. We find that the pathlength from the Sun to 1au can be below the nominal Parker
spiral length for SEP events taking place at solar longitudes 45E to 60W, whereas the western and behind-the-limb
particles can experience pathlengths longer than 2au due to fieldline meandering
Solar Orbiter observations of the Kelvin-Helmholtz waves in the solar wind
Context. The Kelvin-HeImholtz (KH) instability is a nonlinear shear-driven instability that develops at the interface between shear flows in plasmas. KH waves have been inferred in various astrophysical plasmas, and have been observed in situ at the magnetospheric boundaries of solar-system planets and through remote sensing at the boundaries of coronal mass ejections. //
Aims. KH waves are also expected to develop at flow shear interfaces in the solar wind. While they were hypothesized to play an important role in the mixing of plasmas and in triggering solar wind fluctuations, their direct and unambiguous observation in the solar wind was still lacking. //
Methods. We report in-situ observations of quasi-periodic magnetic and velocity field variations plausibly associated with KH waves using Solar Orbiter during its cruise phase. They are found in a shear layer in the slow solar wind in the close vicinity of the Heliospheric Current Sheet. Analysis is performed to derive the local configuration of the waves. A 2-D MHD simulation is also set up with approximate empirical values to test the stability of the shear layer. In addition, magnetic spectra of the event are analyzed. Results. We find that the observed conditions satisfy the KH instability onset criterion from the linear theory analysis, and its de- velopment is further confirmed by the simulation. The current sheet geometry analyses are found to be consistent with KH wave development, albeit with some limitations likely owing to the complex 3D nature of the event and solar wind propagation. Addition- ally, we report observations of an ion jet consistent with magnetic reconnection at a compressed current sheet within the KH wave interval. The KH activity is found to excite magnetic and velocity fluctuations with power law scalings that approximately follow k−5/3 and k−2.8 in the inertial and dissipation ranges, respectively. Finally, we discuss reasons for the lack of in-situ KH wave detection in past data. //
Conclusions. These observations provide robust evidence of KH wave development in the solar wind. This sheds new light on the process of shear-driven turbulence as mediated by the KH waves with implications for the driving of solar wind fluctuations
Magnetic Field Line Random Walk and Solar Energetic Particle Path Lengths: Stochastic Theory and PSP/ISoIS Observation
Context:In 2020 May-June, six solar energetic ion events were observed by the
Parker Solar Probe/ISoIS instrument suite at 0.35 AU from the Sun. From
standard velocity-dispersion analysis, the apparent ion path length is 0.625 AU
at the onset of each event. Aims:We develop a formalism for estimating the path
length of random-walking magnetic field lines, to explain why the apparent ion
pathlength at event onset greatly exceeds the radial distance from the Sun for
these events. Methods:We developed analytical estimates of the average increase
in pathlength of random-walking magnetic field lines, relative to the
unperturbed mean field. Monte Carlo simulations of fieldline and particle
trajectories in a model of solar wind turbulence are used to validate the
formalism and study the path lengths of particle guiding-center and
full-orbital trajectories. The formalism is implemented in a global solar wind
model, and results are compared with ion pathlengths inferred from ISoIS
observations. Results:Both a simple estimate and a rigorous theoretical
formulation are obtained for fieldlines' pathlength increase as a function of
pathlength along the large-scale field. From simulated fieldline and particle
trajectories, we find that particle guiding centers can have pathlengths
somewhat shorter than the average fieldline pathlength, while particle orbits
can have substantially larger pathlengths due to their gyromotion with a
nonzero effective pitch angle. Conclusions:The long apparent path length during
these solar energetic ion events can be explained by 1) a magnetic field line
path length increase due to the field line random walk, and 2) particle
transport about the guiding center with a nonzero effective pitch angle. Our
formalism for computing the magnetic field line path length, accounting for
turbulent fluctuations, may be useful for application to solar particle
transport in general
Observations of Energetic-particle Population Enhancements along Intermittent Structures near the Sun from the Parker Solar Probe
Observations at 1 au have confirmed that enhancements in measured energetic-particle (EP) fluxes are statistically associated with "rough" magnetic fields, i.e., fields with atypically large spatial derivatives or increments, as measured by the Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) method. One way to interpret this observation is as an association of the EPs with trapping or channeling within magnetic flux tubes, possibly near their boundaries. However, it remains unclear whether this association is a transport or local effect; i.e., the particles might have been energized at a distant location, perhaps by shocks or reconnection, or they might experience local energization or re-acceleration. The Parker Solar Probe (PSP), even in its first two orbits, offers a unique opportunity to study this statistical correlation closer to the corona. As a first step, we analyze the separate correlation properties of the EPs measured by the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS⊙IS) instruments during the first solar encounter. The distribution of time intervals between a specific type of event, i.e., the waiting time, can indicate the nature of the underlying process. We find that the IS⊙IS observations show a power-law distribution of waiting times, indicating a correlated (non-Poisson) distribution. Analysis of low-energy (~15 – 200 keV/nuc) IS⊙IS data suggests that the results are consistent with the 1 au studies, although we find hints of some unexpected behavior. A more complete understanding of these statistical distributions will provide valuable insights into the origin and propagation of solar EPs, a picture that should become clear with future PSP orbits
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