Engineering topics

Lennartsson, W.

Publications and source records attributed to Lennartsson, W..

At least 19 records

NASA NTRS1999

Magnetospheric Response to the Arrival of the Shock Wave in Front of the Magnetic Cloud of January 10, 1997

We are Studying the magnetic cloud event of January 6 - 11, 1997. Specifically, we have investigated the response of the magnetosphere to the shock wave in front of the magnetic cloud on January 10, 1997 using data from WIND, GEOTAIL and POLAR spacecraft as well as ground magnetometer data. The WIND spacecraft, which was located as about 104 Re upstream from the Earth (85.1, -55.2, -22.1) Re(sub GSM), observed the arrival of the shock wave front at 0050 UT. Geotail was located at the equatorial magnetopause (approx. 8.7 Re, 10.7 MLT, -7.46 MLAT), while POLAR was located in the northern dawn sector above the auroral zone at 8.4 Re, 6.1 MLT and 61.1 MLAT. A magnetic signature was nearly simultaneously observed at about 0104 UT at the POLAR and Geotail spacecraft. The Geotail spacecraft entered from the magnetosphere into the magnetosheath. Particle density increases were observed on WIND and Geotail, but not on POLAR. Two instruments on the Polar spacecraft (TIDE and TIMAS) actually observed a slight reduction in energy, density and temperature. The UV aurora shows a dawnside intensification. The shock wave did not cause an auroral substorm and therefore was not geoeffective.

Wuest, M.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Magnetospheric Response to the Arrival of the Shock Wave in Front of the Magnetic Cloud Event of January 10,1997

We are studying the magnetic cloud event of January 6-11, 1997. Specifically, we have investigated the response of the magnetosphere to the shock wave in front of the magnetic cloud on January 10, 1997 using data from WIND, GEOTAIL and POLAR spacecraft as well as ground magnetometer data. The WIND spacecraft, which was located at about 100 Re upstream from the Earth, observed the arrival of the shock wave front at 005OUT. Geotail was located at the equatorial magnetopause (approx. 8.7 Re), while POLAR was located in the northern dawn sector at 8.4 Re, 6.1 MLT and 61.1 MLAT. A magnetic signature was nearly simultaneously observed at about 0104 UT at the POLAR and Geotail spacecraft. Particle density increases were observed on WIND and Geotail, but not on POLAR. The UV aurora shows an asymmetrical dawn-dusk intensification and presubstorm activity. The significance of these findings will be discussed.

Wuest, M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

A scenario for solar wind penetration of earth's magnetic tail based on ion composition data from the ISEE 1 spacecraft

Based on He(2+) and H(-) ion composition data from the Plasma Composition Experiment on ISEE 1, a scenario is proposed for the solar wind penetration of the earth's magnetic tail, which does not require that the solar wind plasma be magnetized. While this study does not take issue with the notion that earth's magnetic field merges with the solar wind magnetic field on a regular basis, it focuses on certain aspects of interaction between the solar wind particles and the earth's field, e.g, the fact that the geomagnetic tail always has a plasma sheet, even during times when the physical signs of magnetic merging are weak or absent. It is argued that the solar plasma enters along slots between the tail lobes and the plasma sheet, even quite close to earth, convected inward along the plasma sheet boundary layer or adjacent to it, by the electric fringe field of the ever present low-latitude magnetopause boundary layer (LLBL). The required E x B drifts are produced by closing LLBL equipotential surfaces through the plasma sheet.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1991

Solar control of the earth's emission of energetic O(+)

Energetic (0.1-16 keV/e) O(+) data obtained in the earth's plasma sheet (between 10 and 23 RE) by an ion mass spectrometer on the ISEE-1 spacecraft are compared statistically with published data on the concurrent solar wind and IMF. The most strongly variable parameter of the plasma sheet O(+) is its density, which is found to be well correlated with certain solar wind parameters, especially with the solar wind flow speed and the IMF component perpendicular to the flow vector. When those two solar wind parameters are combined to form an electric field (-v x B), both the number density and the energy density of the O(+) are found to vary in proportion to the square of that electric field, on average, suggesting that the emission of energetic O(+) ions from the earth may be powered by that same field. Based on this and on the previously published correlation with solar activity, it is argued that the emission of O(+) is controlled by a combination of HF (ionizing) and quasi-static (accelerating) solar electromagnetic fields.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Average patterns of precipitation and plasma flow in the plasma sheet flux tubes during steady magnetospheric convection

Average patterns of plasma drifts and auroral precipitation in the nightside auroral zone were constructed during a steady magnetospheric convection (SMC) event on February 19, 1978. By comparing these patterns with the measurements in the midtail plasma sheet made by ISEE-1, and using the corresponding magnetic field model, the following features are inferred: (1) the concentration of the earthward convection in the midnight portion of the plasma sheet (convection jet); (2) the depleted plasma energy content of the flux tubes in the convection jet region; and (3) the Region-1 field-aligned currents generated in the midtail plasma sheet. It is argued that these three elements are mutually consistent features appearing in the process of ionosphere-magnetosphere interaction during SMC periods. These configurational characteristics resemble the corresponding features of substorm expansions (enhanced convection and 'dipolarized' magnetic field within the substorm current wedge) and appear to play the same role in regulating the plasma flow in the flux tubes connected to the plasma sheet.

Sergeev, V. A.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Energetic (0.1- to 16-keV/e) magnetospheric ion composition at different levels of solar F10.7

The effects of varying solar activity (as measured by the daily F10.7 index) on the composition of energetic magnetospheric ions H(+), He(2+), He(+), and O(+) were investigated using data obtained in the near-equatorial magnetosphere, between L = 3 and R = 23 earth radii, by the Plasma Composition Experiment on ISEE-1. The strongest effect was found in the number densities of the He(+) and the O(+) ions, which were found to increase by factors of about 3-5 and 5-10, respectively, over the full range of the F10.7. The peak density of the O(+) is about 20 times that of He(+) and is the highest at L of about 3-5. Both species showed a decreasing energy with increasing F10.7 at a radius less than 10 earth radii, from about 4-5 keV at low F10.7 to about 2-3 keV at high F10.7.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Low-energy ions at low equatorial altitudes

Ion mass composition data, obtained with the ISEE-1 mass spectrometer, and other data are used to study the intense low-energy populations observed in the low-altitude equatorial magnetosphere by Williams and Frank (1984). The observed ions are identified primarily as H(+), O(+), and He(+). Observed peak energies are shown to increase with decreasing altitude and to vary by at least 30 percent over time. It is suggested that a mechanism of resonant wave-particle interaction is responsible for the energization of the observed ions, and that such a mechanism may act in a two-phase mode, resulting in the energization of minor ions up to the local Alfven energy of the ambient plasma.

Williams, D. J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Comparison of plasma sheet ion composition with the IMF and solar wind plasma

Plasma sheet energetic ion data (0.1- to 16 keV/e) obtained by the Plasma Composition Experiment on ISEE-1 between 10 and 23 earth radii are compared with concurrent IMF and solar wind plasma data. The densities of H(+) and He(++) ions in the plasma sheet are found to be the highest, and the most nearly proportional to the solar wind density, when the IMF B(z) is not northward. The density of terrestrial O(+) ions increases strongly with increasing magnitude of the IMF, in apparent agreement with the notion that the IMF plays a fundamental role in the electric coupling between the solar wind and the ionosphere.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Plasma sheet ion composition at various levels of geomagnetic and solar activity

The data obtained in the earth's plasma sheet by the Plasma Composition Experiment on the ISEE-1 spacecraft are briefly reexamined. The data are shown in the form of statistically averaged bulk parameters for the four major ions H(+), He(2+), He(+), and O(+) to illustrate the apparent mixture of solar and terrestrial ions, a mixture that varies with geomagnetic and other conditions. Some major differences in the statistical properties of different ions, which may have a bearing on the physics of the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction, are highlighted.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Some aspects of double layer formation in a plasma constrained by a magnetic mirror

The shift from wave-generated anomalous resistivity toward the more large-scale effects of magnetic confinement of current carrying plasmas was inspired by the more extensive data on auroral particle distribution functions that were made available, data that may often seem consistent with a dissipation-free acceleration of auroral electrons over an extended altitude range. Efforts to interpret these data have brought new vigor to the concept that a smooth and static electric field can be self-consistently generated by suitable pitch angle anisotropies among the high altitude particle populations, different for electrons and ions, and that such an electric field is both necessary and sufficient to maintain the plasma in a quasi-neutral steady state. Certain aspects of this concept are reviewed and criticized, both from a general theoretical standpoint and from the standpoint of what is known about the magnetospheric environment. It is argued that this concept has flaws and that the actual physical problem is considerably more complicated, requiring a more complex electric field, possibly including double layer structures.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Filamentary structures in the magnetotail lobes

The observations of plasmas which may be the source population for polar cap arcs are reported. This population consists of energetic plasma contained within filamentary structures aligned approximately parallel to the XZ plane. Using a combination of plasma, particle, and magnetic field data for several events, it is established that the filaments have their origin in the plasma sheet or its adjacent boundary layer, and that the structures protrude into the lobe region. In a number of cases, a correlation between the convection pattern and the IMF B(Z) can be inferred. This is in agreement with the observed characteristics of polar cap arcs, observations of which are correlated with a northward directed IMF. The presence of field-aligned currents suggests that field-aligned acceleration may occur between the observing satellite and earth.

Huang, C. Y.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Dynamical features of the plasma-sheet ion composition, density, and energy

The effects of changes in solar and geomagnetic activity on the major plasma-sheet ions are investigated on the basis of a statistical analysis of 1500 h of data obtained at distances 10-23 earth radii and energy/charge ratios 0.1-16 keV/e by the ISEE-1 energetic-ion mass spectrometer. The results are presented in extensive graphs and discussed in detail. It is found that substorm activity is accompanied by a significant decrease in the density of solar-origin H(+) ions, a sharp increase in the energy per nucleon of both H(+) and He(+) ions, and an increase in the density of terrestrial O(+) ions. A factor-of-three increase in the overall O(+) density over the observation period is attributed to an increase in the solar EUV flux.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Survey of 0.1- to 16-keV/e plasma sheet ion composition

An analysis is performed of all plasma sheet data collected in 1978-79 in order to discern statistical trends in the data. Attention is focused on the bulk parameters of 0.1-16 keV/e plasma sheet ions detected by the Plasma Composition Experiment on the ISEE 1 satellite. The data were collected at 10-23 earth radii, and are averaged for various levels of activity in the AE index. Solar H(+) and He(2+) ions dominate during quiet periods and possess energies similar to those of the solar wind when the quiet period lasts several hours. Increasing AE index values eventually lead to a replacement of the solar ions with terrestrial ions, particularly O(+), which can have an average energy density of 3-4 keV/e at every activity level. The solar ions, however, increase in energy as their density decreases. The O(+) density is highest near the local midnight and becomes the most numerous during highly disturbed conditions. Finally, the O(+) density was observed to increase by a factor of three over the monitoring period, possibly due to enhanced solar EUV radiation.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1985

The ionospheric contribution to the plasma environment in near-earth space

SCATHA and ISEE 1 satellite ion mass spectrometer data on ion composition near GEO are reviewed. The data were gathered during and close to magnetic storm activity to assess the characteristics of ion composition variations in order to predict the effects of hot GEO plasma on spacecraft instruments. Attention is given to both substorms and storms, the former being associated, at high latitudes, with auroral activity, the latter with ring currents. The ionosphere was found to supply hot H(+), O(+) and He(+) ions to the GEO magnetosphere, while the solar wind carried H(+) and He(+) ions. The ionosphere was the dominant source in both quiet and storm conditions in the inner magnetosphere.

Sharp, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Cold streams of ionospheric oxygen in the plasma sheet during the CDAW 6 event of March 22, 1979

During magnetospheric substorm events, the plasma and ion composition experiments in the ISEE-1 and 2 satellites detected cold ionospheric O+ streams, moving tailwards in the near earth magnetotail. Flow is parallel to the magnetic field lines, with drift velocity in agreement with the electric field topology obtained by mapping the model ionospheric field along the magnetic field lines. Fluctuations of the flow velocity of the streams can be related to magnetotail movements. Oscillations of the flow direction and speed with periods ranging from 5 to 10 min that suggest the presence of waves are observed. The streams are observed at all distances between 15 and 6 Re from the earth. When averaged over 360 deg, the streams show up as a low energy peak, superimposed on the distribution of isotropic plasma sheet ions. This double-peak structure of the energy spectrum seems typical of the disturbed plasma sheet.

Orsini, S.↗

NASA NTRS1985

ISEE-1 data reduction and analysis plasma composition experiment

The plasma composition experiment covers energies from OeV to 17 keV/e and has a mass-per-charge range from less than 1 to about 150 amu. Measurements were made from the inner ring current region to the plasma sheet, magnetotail lobes, and the magnetopause boundary layers and beyond. Possibly the most significant results from the experiment are those related to energetic (0+) ions of terrestrial origin. These ions are found in every region of the magnetosphere reached by the spacecraft and can have energy and pitch-angle distributions that are similar to those traditionally associated with protons of solar wind origin. The (0+) ions are commonly the most numerous ions in the 0.1 - 17 keV/e energy range and are often a substantial part of the ion population at large distances as well, especially during geomagnetically disturbed conditions. An overview of results obtained for the (0+) and other ions with energies in the 0.1 - 17 keV/e range in the magnetosphere is given.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Substorm effects on the plasma sheet ion composition on March 22, 1979 (CDAW 6)

One of the potentially most useful aspects of mass spectroscopy in magnetospheric research is related to the ability to distinguish between ions of solar wind and terrestrial origins. Knowing the source of the plasmas in various regions and under various geomagnetic conditions is crucial in improving the understanding of particle flows in the magnetosphere. Sharp et al. (1982) found that the plasma sheet ions in the 0.1- to 16-keV/e range, were predominantly of solar wind origin during low geomagnetic activity, while there was a large terrestrial component during active times. This paper presents a set of data from March 22, 1979. The reported investigation represents the first detailed case study of the relation between geomagnetic substorm activity and the ion composition in the plasma sheet. A decrease in solar wind ion flow at ISEE 1 and the subsequent increase in the flow of ionospheric ions is interpreted as evidence of a fundamental change in the particle flow pattern following the start of substorm activity.

Lennartsson, W.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Achievements of the plasma composition experiment on ISEE-1 during the IMS

The ISEE-1 spacecraft measured energetic ion composition over a wide radial range in the near-equatorial magnetosphere, from close to the Earth to a distance of 23 RE. The Plasma Composition Experiment covers energies from 0 eV/e to 17 keV/e. Results for energetic O+ ions of terrestrial origin show that these ions are found in every region of the magnetosphere reached by the spacecraft and can have energy and pitch-angle distributions very similar to those of H+ ions. The O+ ions are the most numerous ions in the 0.1 to 17 keV/e energy range at L 5 and are often a substantial part of the ion population at larger distances as well, especially during geomagnetically disturbed conditions.

Lennartsson, W.↗