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Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction

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A special issue of Universe (ISSN 2218-1997). This special issue belongs to the section "Solar and Stellar Physics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 September 2022) | Viewed by 18259

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yuri Yermolaev

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Guest Editor

Space Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117997 Moscow, Russia
Interests: solar wind structures at various scales; space weather

Dr. Vladimir A. Slemzin

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Guest Editor

P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 119991 Moscow, Russia
Interests: solar physics; optics; spectroscopy; space research

Dr. Volker Bothmer

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Guest Editor

Institute for Astrophysics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Interests: solar and heliospheric physics; space plasma physics; solar energetic particles; cosmic rays; physics of the Earth’s magnetosphere; science and technology studies to develop future space missions and instruments

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the fundamental properties of the heliosphere is the presence of solar wind structures and phenomena on a wide range of scales, and solar wind is an open system with free energy transfer from large to small scales. First, large-scale solar wind structures (such as ICMEs and CIRs with sizes at 1 AU more than 10⁶ km) are born at the Sun and do not have enough time to modify significantly during the path to the Earth and thus contain information on structure and processes at the Sun. Second, small-scale solar wind phenomena (with sizes less than 10⁴ km) are induced locally and give the opportunity to explore processes in plasmas where no collisions occurs between charged particles and walls of peculiar space laboratory. Finally, solar wind is the important agent which transfers disturbances from the Sun to the Earth’s magnetosphere and generates disturbances in the magnetosphere-ionosphere system, i.e., sudden modifications in the solar wind cause various space weather phenomena. The Special Issue will be devoted to recent progress in the physics of solar wind and heliospheric media, including results of actual missions providing new insights into the structure and origins of solar wind and solar corona, such as the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter.

We invite contributions on all aspects of solar, helio-, and magnetosphere physics, starting from the solar corona, into solar wind, including the inner heliosphere, the Earth’s orbit, and beyond.

Dr. Yuri Yermolaev
Dr. Vladimir A. Slemzin
Dr. Volker Bothmer
Guest Editors

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Keywords

solar wind structure
magnetic cloud
sheath
CIR/SIR
discontinues
turbulence
origin
propagation and evolution
coronal mass ejections
solar wind prediction

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

2 pages, 179 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial to the Special Issue “Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction”

by Yuri I. Yermolaev, Vladimir A. Slemzin and Volker Bothmer

Universe 2023, 9(1), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe9010053 - 12 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1114

Abstract

The heliosphere is filled with solar wind, which is formed due to the expansion of the plasma of hot solar corona [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

8 pages, 1854 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Coronal Field Geometry and Solar Wind Speed

by Ivan Berezin and Andrey Tlatov

Universe 2022, 8(12), 646; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8120646 - 5 Dec 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1679

Abstract

The Wang–Sheeley–Arge (WSA) solar wind (SW) model is based on the idea that weakly expanding coronal magnetic field tubes are associated with sources of fast SWs and vice versa. A parameter called the “flux tube expansion” (FTE) is used to determine the degree of expansion of magnetic tubes. The FTE is calculated based on the coronal magnetic field model, usually in the potential approximation. The second input parameter for the WSA model is the great circle distance from the base of the open magnetic field line in the photosphere to the boundary of the corresponding coronal hole (DCHB). These two coronal magnetic field parameters are related by an empirical relationship with the solar wind velocity near the Sun. The WSA model has shortcomings and does not fully explain the solar wind formation mechanisms. In the present work, we model various coronal magnetic field parameters in the potential-field source-surface (PFSS) approximation from a long series of magnetographic observations: the Solar Telescope-magnetograph for Operative Prognoses (STOP) (Kislovodsk Mountain Astronomical Station), the Helioseismic and magnetic imager (SDO/HMI), and data from the Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO). Our main goal is to identify correlations between the coronal magnetic field parameters and the observed SW velocity in order to use them for modeling SW. We found that the SW velocity correlates relatively well with some geometric properties of the magnetic tubes, including the force line length, the latitude of the force line footpoints, and the DCHB. We propose a formula for calculating the SW velocity based on these parameters. The presented relationship does not use FTE and showed a better correlation with observations compared to the WSA model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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21 pages, 3342 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Large-Scale Solar Wind Phenomena Affecting the Turbulent Cascade Evolution behind the Quasi-Perpendicular Bow Shock

by Liudmila S. Rakhmanova, Maria O. Riazantseva, Georgy N. Zastenker and Yuri I. Yermolaev

Universe 2022, 8(12), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8120611 - 23 Nov 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1672

Abstract

The Earth’s magnetosphere is permanently influenced by the solar wind. When supersonic and superalfvenic plasma flow interacts with the magnetosphere, the magnetosheath region is formed, which is filled with shocked turbulent plasma. Varying SW parameters influence the mechanisms of formation of this boundary layer, including the dynamics of turbulence behind the bow shock. The effect of the solar wind on the development of turbulence in the magnetosheath was demonstrated recently based on broad statistics of spacecraft measurements. The present study considers the multipoint observations of turbulent fluctuations in the solar wind, in the dayside magnetosheath and at the flanks, to analyze the evolution of the turbulent cascade while the solar wind plasma enters the magnetosheath. Observations of the magnetosheath behind the quasi-perpendicular bow shock are analyzed to exclude the influence of the bow shock topology from consideration. Three basic types of solar wind flows are considered: slow undisturbed solar wind, compressed regions, and interplanetary manifestations of coronal mass ejections. The results show surviving Kolmogorov scaling behind the bow shock for steady solar wind flow and amplification of the compressive fluctuations at the kinetic scales at the magnetosheath flanks for the solar wind associated with compressed plasma streams. During interplanetary manifestations of the coronal mass ejection, the spectra in the dayside magnetosheath substantially deviate from those observed in the solar wind (including the absence of Kolmogorov scaling and steepening at the kinetic scales) and restore at the flanks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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21 pages, 1606 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling of Solar Wind Disturbances Associated with Coronal Mass Ejections and Verification of the Forecast Results

by Yulia Shugay, Vladimir Kalegaev, Ksenia Kaportseva, Vladimir Slemzin, Denis Rodkin and Valeriy Eremeev

Universe 2022, 8(11), 565; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8110565 - 27 Oct 2022

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 1511

Abstract

Solar wind (SW) disturbances associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) cause significant geomagnetic storms, which may lead to the malfunction or damage of sensitive on-ground and space-based critical infrastructure. CMEs are formed in the solar corona, and then propagate to the Earth through the heliosphere as Interplanetary CME (ICME) structures. We describe the main principles in development with the online, semi-empirical system known as the Space Monitoring Data Center (SMDC) of the Moscow State University, which forecasts arrival of ICMEs to Earth. The initial parameters of CMEs (speeds, startup times, location of the source) are determined using data from publicly available catalogs based on solar images from space telescopes and coronagraphs. After selecting the events directed to Earth, the expected arrival time and speed of ICMEs at the L1 point are defined using the Drag-Based model (DBM), which describes propagation of CMEs through the heliosphere under interaction with the modeled quasi-stationary SW. We present the test results of the ICME forecast in the falling phase of Cycle 24 obtained with the basic version of SMDC in comparison with results of other models, its optimization and estimations of the confidence intervals, and probabilities of a successful forecast. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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10 pages, 1386 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Helium Abundance Decrease in ICMEs in 23–24 Solar Cycles

by Alexander A. Khokhlachev, Yuri I. Yermolaev, Irina G. Lodkina, Maria O. Riazantseva and Liudmila S. Rakhmanova

Universe 2022, 8(11), 557; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8110557 - 26 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1149

Abstract

Based on the OMNI database, the influence of the solar activity decrease in solar cycles (SCs) 23–24 on the behavior of the relative helium ions abundance N_α/N_p inside interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) is investigated. The dependences of the helium abundance on the plasma and interplanetary magnetic field parameters in the epoch of high solar activity (SCs 21–22) and the epoch of low activity (SCs 23–24) are compared. It is shown that N_α/N_p significantly decreased in SCs 23–24 compared to SCs 21–22. The general trends of the dependences have not changed with the change of epoch, but the helium abundance dependences on some parameters (for example, the magnitude of the interplanetary magnetic field) have become weaker in the epoch of low activity than they were in the epoch of high activity. In addition, the dependence of the helium abundance on the distance from spacecraft to the ICME axis was revealed; the clearest dependence is observed in magnetic clouds. The N_α/N_p maximum is measured at the minimum distance, which confirms the hypothesis of the existence of a helium-enriched electric current inside an ICME. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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12 pages, 3304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamics of He⁺⁺ Ions at Interplanetary and Earth’s Bow Shocks

by Olga V. Sapunova, Natalia L. Borodkova, Georgii N. Zastenker and Yuri I. Yermolaev

Universe 2022, 8(10), 516; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8100516 - 1 Oct 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1209

Abstract

Experimental investigations of the fine plasma structure of interplanetary shocks are extremely difficult to conduct due to their small thickness and high speed relative to the spacecraft. We studied the variations in the parameters of twice-ionized helium ions (4He⁺⁺ ions or α-particles) in the solar wind plasma during the passage of interplanetary shocks and Earth’s bow shock. We used data with high time resolution gathered by the BMSW (Bright Monitor of Solar Wind) instrument installed on the SPEKTR-R satellite, which operated between August 2011 and 2019. The MHD parameters of He⁺⁺ ions (the bulk velocity Vα, temperature Tα, absolute density Nα, and helium abundance Nα/Np) are analyzed for 20 interplanetary shocks and compared with similar parameters for 25 Earth bow shock crossings. Measurements from the WIND, Cluster, and THEMIS satellites were also analyzed. The correlations in the changes in helium abundance Nα/Np with the parameters β_i, θ_Bn, and M_MS were investigated. The following correlation between Nα/Np and the angle θ_Bn was found: the lower the value of θ_Bn, the greater the drop in helium abundance (Nα/Np) falls behind the IP shock front. For Earth’s bow shock crossings, we found a significant increase in the helium abundance (Nα/Np) in quasi-perpendicular events. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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6 pages, 741 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Peculiarities of the Heliospheric State and the Solar-Wind/Magnetosphere Coupling in the Era of Weakened Solar Activity

by Yuri I. Yermolaev, Irina G. Lodkina, Alexander A. Khokhlachev and Michael Yu. Yermolaev

Universe 2022, 8(10), 495; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8100495 - 22 Sep 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 1489

Abstract

Based on the data of the solar wind (SW) measurements of the OMNI database for the period 1976–2019, we investigate the behavior of SW types, as well as plasma and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) parameters, for 21–24 solar cycles (SCs). Our analysis shows that with the beginning of the period of low solar activity (SC 23), the number of all types of disturbed events in the interplanetary medium decreased, but the proportion of magnetic storms initiated by CIR increased. In addition, a change in the nature of SW interaction with the magnetosphere could occur due to a decrease in the density, temperature, and IMF of solar wind. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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18 pages, 3764 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamics of Large-Scale Solar-Wind Streams Obtained by the Double Superposed Epoch Analysis: 5. Influence of the Solar Activity Decrease

by Yuri I. Yermolaev, Irina G. Lodkina, Alexander A. Khokhlachev, Michael Yu. Yermolaev, Maria O. Riazantseva, Liudmila S. Rakhmanova, Natalia L. Borodkova, Olga V. Sapunova and Anastasiia V. Moskaleva

Universe 2022, 8(9), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8090472 - 9 Sep 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1626

Abstract

In solar cycles 23–24, solar activity noticeably decreased and, as a result, solar wind parameters decreased. Based on the measurements of the OMNI base for the period 1976–2019, the time profiles of the main solar wind parameters and magnetospheric indices for the main interplanetary drivers of magnetospheric disturbances (solar wind types CIR. Sheath, ejecta and MC) are studied using the double superposed epoch method. The main task of the research is to compare time profiles for the epoch of high solar activity at 21–22 SC and the epoch of low activity at 23–24 SC. The following results were obtained. (1) The analysis did not show a statistically significant change in driver durations during the epoch of minimum. (2) The time profiles of all parameters for all types of SW in the epoch of low activity have the same shape as in the epoch of high activity, but locate at lower values of the parameters. (3) In CIR events, the longitude angle of the solar wind flow has a characteristic S shape; but in the epoch of low activity, it varies in a larger range than in the previous epoch. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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17 pages, 3356 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electron Temperature Anisotropy Effects on Alpha/Proton Instability in the Solar Wind

by Si-Yi Lang, Liang Xiang, Qiu-Huan Li, Wen-Lu Zhang and Hong-Wei Yu

Universe 2022, 8(9), 466; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8090466 - 7 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1526

Abstract

In situ recordings by the solar Wind spacecraft reveal the ubiquitousness of alpha particles, whose drift velocities to the background proton

v_{α}

are generally less than or equal to the local Alfvén velocity

v_{A}

. The alpha beam instability plays a [...] Read more.

In situ recordings by the solar Wind spacecraft reveal the ubiquitousness of alpha particles, whose drift velocities to the background proton

v_{α}

are generally less than or equal to the local Alfvén velocity

v_{A}

. The alpha beam instability plays a significant role in the alpha beam deceleration in the solar wind; nonetheless, the detailed mechanism of deceleration remains unclear. By using the linear Vlasov equation of the PDRK/B0 solver, the present work investigates the kinetic instability caused by both the alpha beam and the electron temperature anisotropy in the solar wind and assesses the effects of the electron temperature anisotropy on such instability. The results show that both anisotropic electrons and alpha beams lead to the excitation of several plasma waves, and the wave frequency, growth rate, and polarization properties are sensitive to the electron temperature anisotropy (

T_{e ⊥} / T_{e ‖}

), the parallel electron beta (

β_{e ‖}

), and the alpha beam drift velocity (

v_{α} / v_{A}

). With an excess parallel temperature

T_{e ⊥} / T_{e ‖} < 1

, the parallel magnetosonic/whistler (PM/W), parallel Alfvén wave (PAW), and oblique Alfvén/ion cyclotron (OA/IC) instabilities could be generated, while for an excess perpendicular temperature

T_{e ⊥} / T_{e ‖} > 1

, the PM/W, OA/IC, parallel whistler (PW), and kinetic Alfvén wave (KAW) instabilities could grow. In the region of

T_{e ⊥} / T_{e ‖} < 1

, the thresholds of the PM/W, PAW, and OA/IC instabilities extend to lower drift velocity

v_{α} / v_{A}

. In the region of

T_{e ⊥} / T_{e ‖} > 1

, the thresholds of the PM/W and OA/IC instabilities increase, while those of the PW and KAW instabilities are shifted to lower

v_{α} / v_{A}

. The current study presents a comprehensive overview for alpha beam instabilities that limit the alpha beam drift velocity in the solar wind. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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11 pages, 613 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Properties of the Geomagnetic Storm Main Phase and the Corresponding Solar Wind Parameters on 21–22 October 1999

by Qi Li, Ming-Xian Zhao and Gui-Ming Le

Universe 2022, 8(7), 346; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8070346 - 23 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1792

Abstract

We use the SYM-H index to indicate the ring current index. We find that there were two periods during which the SYM-H index decreased quickly during the main phase of the geomagnetic storm on 21–22 October 1999. The first period from 11:44 p.m. UT on 21 October 1999 to 1:35 a.m. UT on 22 October 1999 is defined as step 1. Another period from 3:36 a.m. UT to 5:49 a.m. UT on 22 October 1999 is defined as step 3. The durations of step 1 and step 3 are defined as

Δ t_{1}

and

Δ t_{3}

, respectively. The variation of the pressure-corrected SYM-H index during step 1 and step 3 are defined as

Δ S Y M H_{o b 1}^{*}

and

Δ S Y M H_{o b 3}^{*}

, respectively. The interplanetary (IP) sources responsible for

Δ S Y M H_{o b 1}^{*}

and

Δ S Y M H_{o b 3}^{*}

are determined as the solar wind during period 1 and period 3, respectively. We find that the largest southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field (

B_{s m a x}

) during period 3 was larger than that during period 1, and the largest solar wind dawn-to-dusk electric field (

E_{y m a x}

) during period 3 was also larger than that during period 1. We also find that the time integral of

E_{y}

during period 3 was much larger than that during period 1. However, we find that

| Δ S Y M H_{o b 1}^{*} |

was larger than

| Δ S Y M H_{o b 3}^{*} |

, and

| Δ S Y M H_{o b 1}^{*} / Δ t 1 |

was larger than

| Δ S Y M H_{o b 3}^{*} / Δ t 3 |

, indicating that the geomagnetic activity intensity during a period does not depend on

B_{s m a x}

E_{y m a x}

, nor does it depend on the time integral of

E_{y}

. What is the reason for this? We find that the solar wind dynamic pressure during period 1 was larger than that during period 3, indicating that the geomagnetic storm intensity during a period not only depends on the solar wind speed and

B_{s}

, but it also depends on the solar wind dynamic pressure. The magnetosphere took 4 min to respond to the IP shock. When the z-component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) turned from northward to southward, the response time of the SYM-H index to the southward component of the IMF was 21 min. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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18 pages, 3278 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ulysses Flyby in the Heliosphere: Comparison of the Solar Wind Model with Observational Data

by Evgeniy V. Maiewski, Helmi V. Malova, Victor Yu. Popov and Lev M. Zelenyi

Universe 2022, 8(6), 324; https://doi.org/10.3390/universe8060324 - 10 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2332

Abstract

A model capable of reproducing a set of solar wind parameters along the virtual spacecraft orbit out of an ecliptic plane has been developed. In the framework of a quasi-stationary axisymmetric self-consistent MHD model the spatial distributions of magnetic field and plasma characteristics at distances from 20 to 1200 Solar radii at almost all solar latitudes could be obtained and analyzed. This model takes into account the Sun’s magnetic field evolution during the solar cycle, when the dominant dipole magnetic field is replaced by the quadrupole one. Self-consistent solutions for solar wind characteristics were obtained, depending on the phase of the solar cycle. To verify the model, its results are compared with the observed characteristics of solar wind along the Ulysses trajectory during its flyby around the Sun from 1990 to 2009. It is shown that the results of numerical simulation are generally consistent with the observational data obtained by the Ulysses spacecraft. A comparison of the model and experimental data confirms that the model can adequately describe the solar wind parameters and can be used for heliospheric studies at different phases of the solar activity cycle, as well as in a wide range of latitudinal angles and distances to the Sun. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Solar Wind Structures and Phenomena: Origins, Properties, Geoeffectiveness, and Prediction)

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