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At least 181 records · Page 10

A study of solar flare electron events from October 1972 through December 1974 from Imp 7 and 8

Data from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory Charged Particle Measurement Experiment aboard Imp H and J were searched for solar flare produced intensity increases in greater than 0.2-MeV electrons during the 26-month period from October 1972 through December 1974. Of the 44 solar electron events found during this period, 31 were isolated for a detailed statistical study. Systematics among the characteristics of the electron profiles (e.g., peak intensity times and count rates) and those of the associated flares (e.g., H-alpha onset times, H-alpha importance class, heliocentric coordinates, etc.) were examined, and the significant results are presented in several scatter plots. The results reveal that the time delay between the flare onset and the arrival of the peak electron intensity at 1 AU (time to maximum) is a function of the flare's deviation in heliolongitude from the solar region which was well connected to the earth via a magnetic flux tube; the well-connected flares produced electron intensity maxima in the least time.

Decker, R. B.↗

Interplanetary particles and fields, November 22 to December 6, 1977 - Helios, Voyager and Imp observations between 0.6 and 1.6 AU

The paper presents a wealth of data obtained at approximately 0.6, 1, and 1.6 AU by Helios 1 and 2, Voyager 1 and 2, and Imp 7 and 8, describing the evolution and interactions of particles, flows, and fields in the period 22 November to 6 December 1977. Three flow systems were observed in the period under consideration: (1) a corotating stream and a stream interface associated with a coronal hole; (2) a shock wave and an energetic particle event associated with a 2B flare; and (3) an isolated shock wave of uncertain origin. These phenomena are discussed in some detail.

Burlaga, L.↗

Thermal iron ions in high speed solar wind streams Detection by the IMP 7/8 energetic particle experiments

The first measurements of the abundance of iron ions in high speed (greater than 600 km/s) solar wind streams have been made with the NOAA/JHU energetic particles experiments (EPE) on IMP 7/8. The identification of iron ions is quantitatively established using 4 years of observations and heavy ion accelerator calibrations of detectors similar to those flown on the spacecraft. Preliminary estimates of the Fe/H ratio are within a factor of 2 of the adopted coronal abundance (0.00005), and there is some evidence that Fe/H may remain approximately constant within a given stream. In the peaks of fast streams (700-800 km/s), about 50 iron ion counts are obtained every 20 s, offering the possibility of studying the Fe/H ratio with approximately 1 m time resolution in high speed streams throughout the decline of Solar Cycle 20 and the rise of Solar Cycle 21.

Mitchell, D. G.↗

Simultaneous measurements of magnetotail dynamics by IMP spacecraft

Pressure in the magnetotail is investigated using observations obtained by IMP spacecraft. Using combined field and plasma data, the approximate balance of pressure between the high beta plasma sheet and the low beta tail lobes is demonstrated. The changes in this pressure during substorms and the characteristics of the plasma and field that produce it are discussed. A distance of about 15 earth radii separates an inner region where the plasma sheet thins during the hour before substorm onset from an outer region where the plasma sheet thins within 5 or 10 min of the time of onset. Substorm onset and plasma sheet expansion in the inner region are simultaneous if the spacecraft is near the equatorial plane. This expansion may be delayed as much as a few tens of minutes if the spacecraft is at high latitudes.

Fairfield, D. H.↗

Galactic cosmic ray gradients, field-aligned and latitudinal, among Voyagers 1/2 and IMP-8

The present investigation represents a summary of a comprehensive analysis of the same subject conducted by Roelof et al. (1981). It is pointed out that the tandem earth-Jupiter trajectories of the Voyager 1/2 spacecraft, combined with baseline measurements from the earth-orbiting IMP 7/8 spacecraft, provide the first opportunity for unambiguously separating latitude from radial or field-aligned effects in galactic cosmic ray gradients. Attention is given to the method of data analysis, and the separation of field-aligned and latitudinal gradients. It is found that latitudinal gradients approximately equal to or greater than 1 percent per deg in the cosmic ray intensity were a common feature of the interplanetary medium between 1 and 5 AU in 1977-78. Except in the most disturbed periods, cosmic ray intensities are well-ordered in field-aligned structures.

Roelof, E. C.↗

A study of solar flare soft X rays and their relation to particle events observed with IMP 8

Data from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory charged particle measurement experiment aboard IMP 8 was used to study solar flare events and find correlations between soft X rays (4-17 A) and particle events. The results show that a greater probability exists of observing a proton event if the observed soft X ray flare has a relatively large decay time. It is also found that the H-alpha brightening area is a good indicator of the strength of the soft X ray burst. Results also show that the strength of the soft X ray burst can be used to estimate a probability that a proton event will occur, along with the strength of that particle event.

Nonnast, J. H.↗

Solar wind deceleration and MHD turbulence in the earth's foreshock region - ISEE 1 and 2 and IMP 8 observations

The interaction of the solar wind with ions backstreaming from the earth's bow shock is investigated using plasma and magnetic field measurements on ISEE 1 and 2 and IMP 8 at widely separated positions in the earth's foreshock. This technique separates temporal and spatial variations within the foreshock. It is found that the solar wind acceleration associated with backstreaming ions is correlated with the amplitude of the MHD turbulence, and that the largest decelerations are seen close to the bow shock. The density of the backstreaming ion beam is strongly correlated with distance from the shock, and decreases by about a factor of three in a distance of about 3R(e).

Bonifazi, C.↗

Dependence of 50-keV upstream ion events at IMP 7 and 8 upon magnetic field bow shock geometry

Results are presented for a statistical study of four years (1972-1976) of IMP 7 and 8 observations at approximately 40 R(E) of 50-200 keV upstream ion events measured with the Energetic Particle Experiment. A monotonic increase in the probability of observing upstream particle events is found with a decrease in the angle (theta-Bn) between the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and the local shock normal at the point where the IMF intersects the bow shock, independent of the length of time of bow shock connections exceeding approximately 10 min. Approximately equal probabilities are found for observing an event above a given flux from any portion of the bow shock with the same value of theta-Bn, a growth time of the 50-200 keV events of approximately 10 min, a maximum attainable flux of approximately 25,000/sq cm s sr, and a positive correlation between the probability of exceeding a given flux and the 3 hr Kp index. It is concluded that the local structure of the bow shock in the immediate vicinity of the field line connection is the dominant influence in the generation process of energetic upstream particle events and that wave-particle interactions produce a self-throttling mechanism that limits the maximum flux of ions escaping the upstream foreshock.

Mitchell, D. G.↗

Reduction and analysis of data from experiment CAI on the IMP-8 mission

The Caltech Electron/Isotope Spectrometer (EIS) on the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform 8 (IMP-8) has provided precise measurements of the energy spectra and time variations of low energy electrons (0.16 to 6 MeV), the isotopes of hydrogen and helium (approximately 2 to 40 MeV/nucleon), and the elements from lithium through oxygen (approximately 5 to 50 MeV/nucleon) in energetic particle fluxes of solar, galactic, interplanetary, and magnetospheric origin since 1973. The accomplishments that have resulted from EIS measurements during the period March 24, 1980 to December 31, 1984 are summarized.

Stone, E. C.↗

Studies of the interplanetary magnetic field: IMP's to Voyager

During the last two decades, spacecraft projects and individual experiments for which Frank McDonald was a leader have contributed very significantly to the current understanding of the structure of interplanetary space and the correlation between solar and interplanetary disturbances. Studies on the IMP, HELIOS, and Pioneer spin-stabilized spacecraft and the larger attitude-stabilized Voyager spacecraft have provided data sets from which the modern view of the heliosphere has evolved. That concept in which the inner solar system is shown to be dominated by individual streams associated with specific source regions on the Sun is illustrated. As these high-speed streams overtake the preexisting solar plasma, they coalesce and modify the characteristics so that at larger heliocentric distances, these disturbances appear as radially propagating concentric shells of compressed magnetic fields and enhanced fluctuations

Ness, Norman F.↗

Interplanetary Alfven waves and auroral (substorm) activity - IMP 8

Almost 1 year of IMP 8 interplanetary magnetic field and plasma data (days 1-312, 1979) have been examined to determine the interplanetary causes of geomagnetic AE activity. The nature of the interplanetary medium (Alfvenic or non-Alfvenic) and the B(s) correlation with AE were examined over 12-hour increments throughout the study. It is found that Alfvenic wave intervals are present over 60 percent of the time, and the southward component of the Alfven waves is well correlated with AE (average peak correlation coefficient 0.62), with a median lag of 43 min. From this statistical study, no major differences in the magnetospheric response to Alfvenic and non-Alfvenic intervals were obvious. The high-intensity long-duration continuous AE activity (HILDCAA) events discussed previously by Tsurutani and Gonzales (1987) are demonstrated to be caused by the southward components of the Alfven waves, presumably through the process of magnetic reconnection.

Tsurutani, Bruce T.↗

A search for charged massive particles in IMP 8 data

Data from the IMP 8 satellite are used here to rule out charged massive particles (CHAMPs) with masses between 2.4 and 56,000 TeV as the source of the dark matter in the Galactic halo. This limit is achieved under the assumption that CHAMPs are virialized.

Snowden-Ifft, D. P.↗

The February 1986 solar activity - A comparison of Giotto, Vega-1, and IMP-8 solar wind measurements with MHD simulations

Large disturbances in the interplanetary medium were observed by several spacecraft during a period of enhanced solar activity in early February 1986. The locations of six solar flares and the spacecraft considered here encompassed more than 100 deg of heliolongitude. These flares during the minimum of cycle 21 set the stage for an extensive multispacecraft comparison performed with a two-dimensional, MHD numerical experiment. The plasma instruments on the Giotto spacecraft, on its way to encounter Comet Halley in March 1986, made measurements of the solar wind for up to 8 hours/day during February. Solar wind measurements from the Johnstone Plasma Analyzer experiment on Giotto are compared with the MHD simulation of the interplanetary medium throughout these events. Using plasma data obtained by the IMP-8 satellite in addition, it appears that an extended period of high solar wind speed is required as well as the simulated flares to represent the interplanetary medium in this case. The plasma and magnetometer data from Vega-1 is compared with the MHD simulation. This comparison tends to support an interpretation that the major solar wind changes at both Giotto and Vega-1 on February 8, 1986 were due to a shock from a W 05 deg solar flare on February 6, 1986 (06:25 UT). The numerical experiment is considered, qualitatively, to resemble the observations at the former spacecraft, but it has less success at the latter one.

Dryer, M.↗

Bidirectional MeV/n ion intervals - Observations from the Goddard Space Flight Center instruments on the ISEE 3/ICE, IMP 8, Helios 1 and Helios 2 spacecraft

A search is made for intervals of bidirectional energetic ion streaming in approximately 1 MeV data from the instruments on ISEE 3/ICE, IMP 8 and Helios 1 and 2 during 1973 to 1989. The longest duration intervals are found around solar maximum, consistent with the expected association with coronal mass ejections. The ISEE 3/ICE intervals are associated with previously identified bidirectional 35-1000 keV ions and solar-wind electron heat fluxes, though additional bidirectional intervals are found.

Richardson, I. G.↗

Multi-satellite observations of plasmoids - IMP 8 and ISEE 3

An examination of IMP 8 and ISEE 3 magnetotail data during the 1983 Geotail Mission yielded one plasmoid event which was observed by both satellites and two other possible cases. These are the first multisatellite observations of plasoids. These observations provide a unique opportunity to examine how plasmoid characteristics change as plasmoids propagate downtail and they show that plasmoids are very stable structures.

Moldwin, Mark B.↗

IMP: A performance code

IMP (Integrated Mission Program) is a simulation language and code used to model present and future Earth, Moon, or Mars missions. The profile is user controlled through selection from a large menu of events and maneuvers. A Fehlberg 7/13 Runge-Kutta integrator with error and step size control is used to numerically integrate the differential equations of motion (DEQ) of three spacecraft, a main, a target, and an observer. Through selection, the DEQ's include guided thrust, oblate gravity, atmosphere drag, solar pressure, and Moon gravity effects. Guide parameters for thrust events and performance parameters of velocity changes (Delta-V) and propellant usage (maximum of five systems) are developed as needed. Print, plot, summary, and debug files are output.

Dauro, Vincent A., Sr.↗

Bidirectional about 1 MeV/amu ion intervals in 1973-1991 observed by the Goddard Space Flight Center instruments on IMP 8 and ISEE 3/ICE

Bidirectional energetic ion flows (BIFs) in the solar wind at 1AU during 1973-1991 are examined on the basis of about 1 MeV/amu data from the Goddard Space Flight Center instruments on ISEE3/ICE and IMP 8. BIFs are observed more frequently around solar maximum, when they are observed about 12 percent of the time compared with about 5 percent at solar minimum. Intervals with durations greater than 4 hr are observed on average approximately every 3-4 d at solar maximum and every 2 wk at solar minimum, with about 33 percent of these intervals following within 2 d of an interplanetary shock. Various coronal mass ejection signatures and BIFs greater than 1 MeV/amu usually do not coincide exactly, and additional bidirectional ion events are identified.

Richardson, I. G.↗