Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Balogh, A..
Data from the Ulysses spacecraft was used for studying solar tangential discontinuities (TDs) at high latitudes. Significant numbers of TDs seem to exist at these latitudes.
The heliolatitude dependences of the variances in the components and the magnitude of the heliospheric magnetic field have been analysed, using the Ulysses magnetic field observations from close to the ecliptic plane to 80 southern solar latitude. The normalized variances in the components of the field increased significantly (by a factor about 5) as Ulysses entered the purely polar flows from the southern coronal hole. At the same time, there was at most a small increase in the variance of the field magnitude. The analysis of the different components indicates that the power in the fluctuations is not isotropically distributed: most of the power is in the components of the field transverse to the radial direction. Examining the variances calculated over different time scales from minutes to hours shows that the anisotropy of the field variances is different on different scales, indicating the influence of the two distinct populations of fluctuations in the polar solar wind which have been previously identified. We discuss these results in terms of evolutionary, dynamic processes as a function of heliocentric distance and as a function of the large scale geometry of the magnetic field associated with the polar coronal hole.
The Ulysses spacecraft began its journey out-of-the-ecliptic in February of 1992, when it encountered the planet Jupiter. In April of 1993, the spacecraft had reached 29 deg S, and from then on was completely immersed in the flow from the southern polar coronal hole. Accelerated ions were observed, recurring with a main peak once per solar rotation, with the intensity at the peak slowly decreasing with increasing latitude. This decrease continued to the end of 1993, when the spacecraft was at approximately 50 deg S. During the first three months of 1994 the intensity of the accelerated ions rose again, due either to an increase in magnetic activity on the sun or a reconfiguration of the heliospheric magnetic field. Recurrent accelerated ions were still being seen at the beginning of July 1994, when the spacecraft was at a latitude of 70 deg S, although with reduced intensity. The accelerated ions were no longer seen at latitudes higher than 70 deg S, the ion intensity staying constant at around the cosmic ray background level. This continued on until the highest latitude reached, 80.2 deg S, on 13 September 1994. The spacecraft then began its journey back towards lower latitudes, a small increase in the particle intensity being observed at the end of October whilst at approximately 72 deg S, and thereafter no more increases until the end of 1994, when the spacecraft was at approximately 45 deg S. We present interpretations for this asymmetry in latitude dependence.
Since passing essentially continuously into regions of solar wind from the southern polar coronal hole at approximately 36 deg S, Ulysses has observed frequent structures lasting from several hours to several days. In addition to Alfven waves and coronal mass ejections, which have been discussed by previous authors, two other sorts of structures are routinely evident. This paper provides the first report of these structures in the high latitude solar wind: (1) small scale compressional structures, and (2) pressure balance structures. The compressional structures are driven by faster solar wind overtaking the slower solar wind ahead of it and exhibit the plasma and field properties expected for compressions. However, unlike large scale stream interaction regions observed in and near the ecliptic plane, these structures are much smaller scale and are transient, not recurring from one rotation to the next. The pressure balance structures are indicated by roughly equal increases in the plasma pressure and decreases in the magnetic field pressure. These structures, which are several degrees across, are more dense and have higher plasma pressures and betas than the surrounding solar wind. These pressure balance structures seem to be likely manifestations of 'polar plumes.'
Between May 1993 and January 1995, the Ulysses spacecraft has probed the southern polar heliosphere at latitudes greater than 30 deg S, reaching a maximum latitude of 80.2 deg S in September 1994. Using hourly averages of the data obtained by the magnetometer experiment on Ulysses we have studied the underlying direction of the magnetic field threading this region of the heliosphere, away from the influence of the magnetic sector structure which complicates similar analyses in the ecliptic plane. We have constructed histograms of the measured magnetic field direction using the simple Parker spiral model field direction as a reference. We find that throughout this region the meridional angle between the field vector and the Parker model direction has a distribution which is symmetric and has a most probable value consistent with the model. At latitudes below about 60 deg S the azimuthal angle distribution also has a most probable value consistent with the model but this distribution is highly asymmetric with a greater number of observations of field lines less tightly wound than the expected spiral direction. At latitudes greater than 60 deg S the most probable value of the azimuthal angle is found to have become nearly 30 more tightly wound than the expected direction, but due to the asymmetric distribution still with a greater number of observations less tightly wound than expected. We consider possible causes of both the asymmetry in the distributions and the shift in the most probable value at the highest latitudes, one of which may be the presence of large amplitude, long period Alfven waves in the magnetic field originating from the Sun's southern polar coronal hole.
The radial field component, B(sub R), has been monitored continuously since the Ulysses spacecraft left the ecliptic plane in February 1992 travelling toward the southern pole of the Sun. In order to separate spatial from temporal changes, the Ulysses measurements from 0 to 80 heliographic latitude were compared with in-ecliptic measurements of B(sub R) being made simultaneously by IMP-8. The data revealed essentially the same field strengths and time variations at both locations. The conclusion was drawn that there was no significant latitude gradient in B(sub R) and that the stronger polar cap coronal magnetic fields were being transported equatorward to yield a uniform field in the solar wind. The results contrasted with the predictions of the various source surface models which ignore magnetic stresses within 2.5 solar radii. Since the maximum south latitude was attained in September, 1994, Ulysses has traveled northward toward an ecliptic crossing in March 1995 and onward into the north solar hemisphere. The recent results will be presented and compared with those obtained in the southern hemisphere.
Analysis of data collected during the in-ecliptic phase of the Ulysses mission shows that there are periods during which deviations from the Parker spiral direction in the azimuthal and elevation angles of the interplanetary magnetic field are correlated. There are a number of solar wind structures which might be expected to introduce such a correlation into the data, e.g., CMEs, Stream-stream interfaces or helicity carried by the solar wind. These potential sources fall into two categories: Those produced at or close to the solar wind source region and those produced by extended interactions as the solar wind expands. We will distinguish the contributions of these two source categories and assess the impact on the evolution on the interplanetary magnetic field.
The COSPIN Low Energy Telescope (LET) onboard the Ulysses spacecraft measures protons, alphas and heavier ions at energies of approximately 1 to 50 MeV/n. Ulysses measurements offer favorable opportunities to study the effects of solar activity in the out-of-ecliptic regions of the heliosphere. Using LET data, we have investigated the properties of transient energetic ions at high heliographic latitudes when Ulysses was permanently immersed in high speed solar wind and magnetically connected to the Sun on open magnetic field lines. Recurrent increases in the fluxes of energetic ions at high heliographic latitudes at frequencies related to the solar rotation period were found to occur in association with co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs). Here we investigate fluxes of energetic particles that showed no relationship to ClRs. From the investigation of plasma and magnetic held data it is found that all of the transient high latitude particle events were associated with the passage of a coronal mass ejection (CME) over Ulysses. Enhancements in particle fluxes several days prior to the arrival of a CME, but with a significant time delay with respect to the estimated CME-onset at the Sun, were most probably associated with interplanetary shocks driven by fast CMEs. These particle events exhibit unusually high rho/alpha-ratios and are not observed for CMEs not driving a shock. However, not all CMEs that passed Ulysses were associated with a particle event. We find evidence that at high solar latitudes, solar flare particles cannot reach Ulysses on open magnetic field lines, but can reach the spacecraft if particles are injected into magnetic flux-ropes (CMEs) at the Sun. These findings are supported by soft X-ray observations from the Japanese Yohkoh-satellite.
The radio and plasma wave receivers on the Ulysses spacecraft have detected thousands of short-duration bursts of waves at approximately the electron plasma frequency. These wave events believed to be Langmuir waves are usually less than approximately 5 minutes in duration. They occur in or at the boundaries of depletions in the magnetic field amplitude known as magnetic holes. Using the 16 sec time resolution provided by the plasma frequency receiver, it is possible to examine the density structure inside of magnetic holes. Even higher time resolutions are sometimes available from the radio receiver data. The Ulysses observations show that these wave bursts occur more frequently at high heliographic latitudes; the occurrence rates depend on both latitude and distance from the Sun. We review the statistics for the wave events, compare them to magnetic and plasma parameters, and review the reasons for the more frequent occurrence at high heliographic latitudes.
Magnetic holes in the solar wind, which are characterized by isolated local depressions in the magnetic field magnitude, have been observed previously. The Unified Radio and Plasma Wave (URAP) instrument of Ulysses has found that within such magnetic structures, electrostatic waves at kHz frequency and ultralow frequency electromagnetic waves are often excited and seen as short duration wave bursts. Most of these bursts occur near the ambient electron plasma frequency, which suggests that the waves are Langmuir waves. Such waves are usually excited by electron streams. Some evidence of the streaming of energetic electrons required for exciting Langmuir waves has been observed. These electrons may have originated at sources near the Sun, which would imply that the magnetic structures containing the waves would exist as long channels formed by field and plasma conditions near the Sun. On the other hand, the electrons could be suprathermal 'tails' from wave collapse processes occurring near the spacecraft. In either case, the Langmuir waves excited in the magnetic holes provide a measurement of the plasma density inside the holes. Low frequency electromagnetic waves, having frequencies of a fraction of the local electron cyclotron frequency, sometimes accompany the Langmuir waves observed in magnetic holes. Waves excited in this frequency range are very likely to be whistler-mode waves. They may have been excited by an electron temperature anisotropy which has been observed in the vicinity of the magnetic holes or generated through the decay of Langmuir waves.
One of the striking results of the Sun's south polar pass by Ulysses was the discovery of large amplitude, long period Alfvenic fluctuations that were continuously present in the solar wind flow from the polar coronal hole. The fluctuations dominate the variances and power spectra at periods greater than or equal to 1 hour and are evident as correlated fluctuations in the magnetic field and solar wind velocity components. Various properties of the fluctuations in the magnetic field, in the velocity, and in the electric field have been established. The waves appear to have important implications for galactic cosmic rays and for the solar wind, topics which have continued to be investigated. Their origin is also under study, specifically whether or not they represent motions of the ends of the field lines at the Sun. The resolution of these issues has benefited from the more recent observations as the spacecraft traveled northward toward the ecliptic and passed into the northern solar hemisphere. All these observations will be presented and their implications will be discussed.
A large number of magnetic holes have been found in the Ulysses data during its cruise in the ecliptic. They are interpreted as convecting structures, probably caused by the mirror instability which exists in high beta plasmas with anisotropic temperatures. The characteristics of the holes reflect the solar wind condition of the region in which the holes are formed, and the point of observation may be far removed from where the instability occurs. A preliminary survey appears to indicate that the number of holes has no significant radial dependence. However, the number of holes does appear to increase with increasing heliographic latitude. Yet the large scale solar wind structures with their compression regions disappeared at approximately 57 deg south latitude. Thus any causal relationship between the holes and large scale solar wind structures is questionable. The temperature anisotropy and high beta required by the mirror instability must be generated by other mechanisms. In order to tie the magnetic holes and the mirror instability to their cause, the evolution of their characteristics with heliocentric distance and latitude needs to be investigated. With the progression of Ulysses around the sun a survey will be conducted to ascertain the characteristics of the magnetic holes as a function of heliographic latitude and heliocentric distance. A comparison of the results with the solar wind conditions may lead to the identification of the magnetic hole generating mechanism(s).
Whistler-mode wave emissions are frequently observed at and downstream of interplanetary shocks. Using electron distribution functions measured onboard Ulysses in the energy range 1.6 to 862 eV, we calculate the temperature anisotropy and the wave growth rate of the electromagnetic electron cyclotron instability, Results of the calculations are compared to the whistler wave spectra observed simultaneously. For the studied events there is a good correlation between the wave growth rates and the wave spectra. Particularly, upstream of the shock front where no wave emissions are observed, the anisotropy lies below the wave instability threshold, i.e. the critical anisotropy Ac; on the contrary, downstream of the shock, the anisotropy exceeds Ac in some frequency range. Moreover. the tact that the anisotropy is close to Ac in a large frequency range gives prominence to the effect of velocity space diffusion of the electrons by the waves.
Previous studies have revealed systematic variations of the interplanetary magnetic field with heliographic latitude. Luhmann et al. (1987) modeled Pioneer Venus (PVO) and ISEE-3 observations by assuming an asymmetric dependence on heliolatitude with stronger fields in the northern hemisphere. In a subsequent study, using data from ISEE-3/ICE and IMP-8, Burton et al. (1990) found evidence for a similar asymmetry. However, neither model has been completely successful. The model derived from PVO/ICE observations agrees quite well near solar maximum but shows significant discrepancies during the descending phase of the solar cycle. The model derived from the ICE/IMP-8 comparison suffers from significant phase delays between the difference in field magnitude at the two spacecraft and their latitude difference. In an attempt to account for these phase shifts, the IMP-8 and ICE data have been reexamined in heliomagnetic coordinates which are defined by the orientation of the solar magnetic dipole. The latitude and longitude of the dipole inferred from the data have then been compared with those implicit in source surface calculations. The IMP/ICE correlations have been extended into the recent solar maximum and descending phase. Comparisons have also been carried out between IMP-8 and Ulysses as it traveled to -30 deg south heliographic latitude.
We examine 10 coronal mass ejections from the in-ecliptic portion of the Ulysses mission. Five of these CMEs are magnetic clouds. In each case we observe an inverse relationship between electron temperature and density. For protons this relationship is less clear. Earlier work has shown a similar inverse relationship for electrons inside magnetic clouds and interpreted it to mean that the polytropic index governing the expansion of electrons is less than unity. This requires electrons to be heated as the CME expands. We offer an alternative view that the inverse relationship between electron temperature and density is caused by more rapid cooling of the denser plasma through collisions. More rapid cooling of denser plasma has been shown for 1 AU measurements in the solar wind. As evidence for this hypothesis we show that the denser plasma inside the CMEs tends to be more isotropic indicating a different history of collisions for the dense plasma. Thus, although the electron temperature inside CMEs consistently shows an inverse correlation with the density, this is not an indication of the polytropic index of the plasma but instead supports the idea of collisional modification of the electrons during their transit from the sun.
In addition to a smooth rotation of the magnetic field vector, magnetic clouds have a low proton temperature T(sub p). Their expansion in the solar wind leads to depletion and therefore the ion component cools down. It has been shown recently that the electron component in magnetic clouds behaves differently: when the cloud expands, electron temperature Te anti correlates with density and therefore Te increases in the cloud, creating favorable conditions for the rise of ion-acoustic waves. For the magnetic cloud observed by Ulysses on June 10 - 12, 1993 at 4.64 AU at S 32.5 deg, we present observations for both electron and proton components and related plasma wave activity. Our results confirm the anti correlation between T(sub e) and electron density and also exhibit a high ratio of T(sub e)/T(sub P) in the cloud. Since Landau damping is not effective for T(sub e)/T(sub p) much greater than 1, Doppler shifted ion acoustic waves are expected in the cloud. Calculation of ion acoustic wave frequencies in the cloud and comparison with observed wave activity confirm this expectation. As in our previous work, we show that the electron component in the cloud obeys a polytropic law with gamma is less than 1 (gamma approximately equals 0.3-0.4). The dynamics of the magnetic cloud are determined to a large degree by the dominating electron pressure.
Discovery of large amplitude, long period Alfvenic fluctuations that are continuously
We present the first observations of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) by two spacecraft separated substantially in heliographic latitude. Ulysses and Geotail both see similar features in the plasma and magnetic field parameters during an interval in which Geotail is located in the deep magnetosheath (greater than 150 Earth radii) and Ulysses is located in the solar wind at 5 AU, approximately 20 S of Geotail, and approximately 51 W (in the direction of solar rotation) of Geotail. Based on the similarity in plasma and magnetic field parameters and similar inferred ejection times from the Sun for both features we argue that the same CME is observed by both spacecraft. The portion of the CME observed by Ulysses is traveling much faster than the portion observed by Geotail. Thus the CME has significant latitudinal structure since at any given time the high latitude portion of the CME extends much further out in radial distance. Furthermore, this implies that a simple calculation of the arrival time of a CME at the Earth may not be done if the observing spacecraft is located substantially away from the ecliptic plane.