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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Exploring the prominence-corona connection and its expansion into the outer corona using total solar eclipse observations

Prominences constitute the most complex magnetic structures in the solar corona. The ubiquitous presence of their seemingly confined dense and cool plasma in an otherwise million-degree environment remains a puzzle. Using a decade of white light total solar eclipse observations, we show how these images reveal an intricate relationship between prominences and coronal structures both in their immediate vicinity, known as coronal cavities, and in the extended corona out to several solar radii. Observations of suspended prominences and twisted helical structures spanning several solar radii are central to these findings. The different manifestations of the prominence-corona interface that emerge from this study underscore the fundamental role played by prominences in defining and controlling the complex expansion and dynamic behavior of the solar magnetic field in the neighborhood of magnetic polarity reversal regions. This study suggests that the unraveling of prominences and the outward expansion of the helical twisted field lines linked to them could be the solar origin of twisted magnetic flux ropes detected in interplanetary space, and of the mechanism by which the Sun sheds its magnetic helicity. This work also underscores the likely role of the prominence-corona interface as a source of the slow solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1997

Aerospace Medicine and Biology: A Continuing Bibliography With Indexes

This issue of Aerospace Medicine and Biology, A Continuing Bibliography with Indexes NASA SP-7O11 lists reports, articles, and other documents recently announced in the NASA STI Database. In its subject coverage, Aerospace Medicine and Biology concentrates on the biological, physiological, psychological, and environmental effects to which humans are subjected during and following simulated or actual flight in the Earth's atmosphere or in interplanetary space. References describing similar effects on biological organisms of lower order are also included. Such related topics as sanitary problems, pharmacology, toxicology, safety and survival, life support systems, exobiology, and personnel factors receive appropriate attention. Applied research receives the most emphasis, but references to fundamental studies and theoretical principles related to experimental development also qualify for inclusion.

BIBLIOGRAPHIES↗
DOE OSTI2016

2014–2015 MULTIPLE OUTBURSTS OF 15P/FINLAY

Multiple outbursts of a Jupiter-family comet (JFC), 15P/Finlay, occurred from late 2014 to early 2015. We conducted an observation of the comet after the first outburst and subsequently witnessed another outburst on 2015 January 15.6–15.7. The gas, consisting mostly of C{sub 2} and CN, and dust particles expanded at speeds of 1110 ± 180 m s{sup −1} and 570 ± 40 m s{sup −1} at a heliocentric distance of 1.0 au. We estimated the maximum ratio of solar radiation pressure with respect to the solar gravity β {sub max} = 1.6 ± 0.2, which is consistent with porous dust particles composed of silicates and organics. We found that 10{sup 8}–10{sup 9} kg of dust particles (assumed to be 0.3 μ m–1 mm) were ejected through each outburst. Although the total mass is three orders of magnitude smaller than that of the 17P/Holmes event observed in 2007, the kinetic energy per unit mass (10{sup 4} J kg{sup −1}) is equivalent to the estimated values of 17P/Holmes and 332P/2010 V1 (Ikeya–Murakami), suggesting that the outbursts were caused by a similar physical mechanism. From a survey of cometary outbursts on the basis of voluntary reports, we conjecture that 15P/Finlay-class outbursts occur >1.5 times annually and inject dust particles from JFCs and Encke-type comets into interplanetary space at a rate of ∼10 kg s{sup −1} or more.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Preferential heating of oxygen 5{sup +} ions by finite-amplitude oblique Alfvén waves

Minor ions in the fast solar wind are known to have higher temperatures and to flow faster than protons in the interplanetary space. In this study we combine previous research on parametric instability theory and 2.5D hybrid simulations to study the onset of preferential heating of Oxygen 5{sup +} ions by large-scale finite-amplitude Alfvén waves in the collisionless fast solar wind. We consider initially non-drifting isotropic multi-species plasma, consisting of isothermal massless fluid electrons, kinetic protons and kinetic Oxygen 5{sup +} ions. The external energy source for the plasma heating and energization are oblique monochromatic Alfvén-cyclotron waves. The waves have been created by rotating the direction of initial parallel pump, which is a solution of the multi-fluid plasma dispersion relation. We consider propagation angles θ ≤ 30°. The obliquely propagating Alfvén pump waves lead to strong diffusion in the ion phase space, resulting in highly anisotropic heavy ion velocity distribution functions and proton beams. We discuss the application of the model to the problems of preferential heating of minor ions in the solar corona and the fast solar wind.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Prospective Out-of-ecliptic White-light Imaging of Interplanetary Corotating Interaction Regions at Solar Maximum

Interplanetary corotating interaction regions (CIRs) can be remotely imaged in white light (WL), as demonstrated by the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) on board the Coriolis spacecraft and Heliospheric Imagers (HIs) on board the twin Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory ( STEREO ) spacecraft. The interplanetary WL intensity, due to Thomson scattering of incident sunlight by free electrons, is jointly determined by the 3D distribution of electron number density and line-of-sight (LOS) weighting factors of the Thomson-scattering geometry. The 2D radiance patterns of CIRs in WL sky maps look very different from different 3D viewpoints. Because of the in-ecliptic locations of both the STEREO and Coriolis spacecraft, the longitudinal dimension of interplanetary CIRs has, up to now, always been integrated in WL imagery. To synthesize the WL radiance patterns of CIRs from an out-of-ecliptic (OOE) vantage point, we perform forward magnetohydrodynamic modeling of the 3D inner heliosphere during Carrington Rotation CR1967 at solar maximum. The mixing effects associated with viewing 3D CIRs are significantly minimized from an OOE viewpoint. Our forward modeling results demonstrate that OOE WL imaging from a latitude greater than 60° can (1) enable the garden-hose spiral morphology of CIRs to be readily resolved, (2) enable multiple coexisting CIRs to be differentiated, and (3) enable the continuous tracing of any interplanetary CIR back toward its coronal source. In particular, an OOE view in WL can reveal where nascent CIRs are formed in the extended corona and how these CIRs develop in interplanetary space. Therefore, a panoramic view from a suite of wide-field WL imagers in a solar polar orbit would be invaluable in unambiguously resolving the large-scale longitudinal structure of CIRs in the 3D inner heliosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

LONGITUDINAL PROPERTIES OF A WIDESPREAD SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLE EVENT ON 2014 FEBRUARY 25: EVOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATED CME SHOCK

We investigate the solar phenomena associated with the origin of the solar energetic particle (SEP) event observed on 2014 February 25 by a number of spacecraft distributed in the inner heliosphere over a broad range of heliolongitudes. These include spacecraft located near Earth; the twin Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory spacecraft, STEREO-A and STEREO-B, located at ∼1 au from the Sun 153° west and 160° east of Earth, respectively; the MErcury Surface Space ENvironment GEochemistry and Ranging mission (at 0.40 au and 31° west of Earth); and the Juno spacecraft (at 2.11 au and 48° east of Earth). Although the footpoints of the field lines nominally connecting the Sun with STEREO-A, STEREO-B and near-Earth spacecraft were quite distant from each other, an intense high-energy SEP event with Fe-rich prompt components was observed at these three locations. The extent of the extreme-ultraviolet wave associated with the solar eruption generating the SEP event was very limited in longitude. However, the white-light shock accompanying the associated coronal mass ejection extended over a broad range of longitudes. As the shock propagated into interplanetary space it extended over at least ∼190° in longitude. The release of the SEPs observed at different longitudes occurred when the portion of the shock magnetically connected to each spacecraft was already at relatively high altitudes (≳2 R{sub ⊙} above the solar surface). The expansion of the shock in the extended corona, as opposite to near the solar surface, determined the SEP injection and SEP intensity-time profiles at different longitudes.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Multi-fluid model of a sun-grazing comet in the rapidly ionizing, magnetized low corona

Two Sun-grazing comets were recently imaged in the low solar corona by space telescopes in unprecedented detail, revealing a wide range of new phenomena. This sparked growing interest in the interaction of comets with the coronal plasma and magnetic field and their diagnostic potential as solar probes. However, interpretation of such rich observational data requires profound understanding of relevant physical processes in an unexplored regime. Here advanced numerical modeling can provide critical clues. To this end, we present a prototype, multi-fluid, magnetohydrodynamic model of a steady-state comet in the low solar corona. These simulation results are compared with previously modeled comets in the solar wind environment. By inspecting their projection and column densities, we find a dominance of O{sup 6+} ions in the cometary tail, which can explain the observed extreme ultraviolet emission. The tail is found to be comparable to recent EUV images of these comets. In addition, the comet tail appears wider when the observer's line of sight is perpendicular rather than parallel to the local magnetic field. This is opposite to the trend in the interplanetary space permeated in the solar wind, because the ratio between dynamic pressure and magnetic pressure is an order of magnitude smaller than at 1 AU. On the other hand, we find that iron ions in the comet head build up to a density comparable to that of oxygen ions, but are unlikely to form a visible tail because of the shorter mean free paths of the neutrals.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

ENSEMBLE SIMULATIONS OF PROTON HEATING IN THE SOLAR WIND VIA TURBULENCE AND ION CYCLOTRON RESONANCE

Protons in the solar corona and heliosphere exhibit anisotropic velocity distributions, violation of magnetic moment conservation, and a general lack of thermal equilibrium with the other particle species. There is no agreement about the identity of the physical processes that energize non-Maxwellian protons in the solar wind, but a traditional favorite has been the dissipation of ion cyclotron resonant Alfvén waves. This paper presents kinetic models of how ion cyclotron waves heat protons on their journey from the corona to interplanetary space. It also derives a wide range of new solutions for the relevant dispersion relations, marginal stability boundaries, and nonresonant velocity-space diffusion rates. A phenomenological model containing both cyclotron damping and turbulent cascade is constructed to explain the suppression of proton heating at low alpha-proton differential flow speeds. These effects are implemented in a large-scale model of proton thermal evolution from the corona to 1 AU. A Monte Carlo ensemble of realistic wind speeds, densities, magnetic field strengths, and heating rates produces a filled region of parameter space (in a plane described by the parallel plasma beta and the proton temperature anisotropy ratio) similar to what is measured. The high-beta edges of this filled region are governed by plasma instabilities and strong heating rates. The low-beta edges correspond to weaker proton heating and a range of relative contributions from cyclotron resonance. On balance, the models are consistent with other studies that find only a small fraction of the turbulent power spectrum needs to consist of ion cyclotron waves.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

SIMULATIONS OF ENERGETIC PARTICLES INTERACTING WITH DYNAMICAL MAGNETIC TURBULENCE

We explore the transport of energetic particles in interplanetary space by using test-particle simulations. In previous work such simulations have been performed by using either magnetostatic turbulence or undamped propagating plasma waves. In the current paper we simulate for the first time particle transport in dynamical turbulence. To do so we employ two models, namely the damping model of dynamical turbulence and the random sweeping model. We compute parallel and perpendicular diffusion coefficients and compare our numerical findings with solar wind observations. We show that good agreement can be found between simulations and the Palmer consensus range for both dynamical turbulence models if the ratio of turbulent magnetic field and mean field is δB/B{sub 0} = 0.5.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

SIMULATIONS OF THE SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL INVARIANCE IN THE SPECTRA OF GRADUAL SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLE EVENTS

The spatial and temporal invariance in the spectra of energetic particles in gradual solar events is reproduced in simulations. Based on a numerical solution of the focused transport equation, we obtain the intensity time profiles of solar energetic particles (SEPs) accelerated by an interplanetary shock in three-dimensional interplanetary space. The shock is treated as a moving source of energetic particles with a distribution function. The time profiles of particle fluxes with different energies are calculated in the ecliptic at 1 AU. According to our model, we find that shock acceleration strength, parallel diffusion, and adiabatic cooling are the main factors in forming the spatial invariance in SEP spectra, and perpendicular diffusion is a secondary factor. In addition, the temporal invariance in SEP spectra is mainly due to the effects of adiabatic cooling. Furthermore, a spectra invariant region, which agrees with observations but is different from the one suggested by Reames et al. is proposed based on our simulations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Inbound waves in the solar corona: A direct indicator of Alfvén surface location

The tenuous supersonic solar wind that streams from the top of the corona passes through a natural boundary—the Alfvén surface—that marks the causal disconnection of individual packets of plasma and magnetic flux from the Sun itself. The Alfvén surface is the locus where the radial motion of the accelerating solar wind passes the radial Alfvén speed, and therefore any displacement of material cannot carry information back down into the corona. It is thus the natural outer boundary of the solar corona and the inner boundary of interplanetary space. Using a new and unique motion analysis to separate inbound and outbound motions in synoptic visible-light image sequences from the COR2 coronagraph on board the STEREO-A spacecraft, we have identified inbound wave motion in the outer corona beyond 6 solar radii for the first time and used it to determine that the Alfvén surface is at least 12 solar radii from the Sun over the polar coronal holes and 15 solar radii in the streamer belt, well beyond the distance planned for NASA's upcoming Solar Probe Plus mission. To our knowledge, this is the first measurement of inbound waves in the outer solar corona and the first direct measurement of lower bounds for the Alfvén surface.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

SEP acceleration in CME driven shocks using a hybrid code

We perform hybrid simulations of a super-Alfvénic quasi-parallel shock, driven by a coronal mass ejection (CME), propagating in the outer coronal/solar wind at distances of between 3 to 6 solar radii. The hybrid treatment of the problem enables the study of the shock propagation on the ion timescale, preserving ion kinetics and allowing for a self-consistent treatment of the shock propagation and particle acceleration. The CME plasma drags the embedded magnetic field lines stretching from the sun, and propagates out into interplanetary space at a greater velocity than the in situ solar wind, driving the shock, and producing very energetic particles. Our results show that electromagnetic Alfvén waves are generated at the shock front. The waves propagate upstream of the shock and are produced by the counter-streaming ions of the solar wind plasma being reflected at the shock. A significant fraction of the particles are accelerated in two distinct phases: first, particles drift from the shock and are accelerated in the upstream region, and second, particles arriving at the shock get trapped and are accelerated at the shock front. A fraction of the particles diffused back to the shock, which is consistent with the Fermi acceleration mechanism.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

The Solar Energetic Particle Event of 2010 August 14: Connectivity with the Solar Source Inferred from Multiple Spacecraft Observations and Modeling

We analyze one of the first solar energetic particle (SEP) events of solar cycle 24 observed at widely separated spacecraft in order to assess the reliability of models currently used to determine the connectivity between the sources of SEPs at the Sun and spacecraft in the inner heliosphere. This SEP event was observed on 2010 August 14 by near-Earth spacecraft, STEREO-A (∼80° west of Earth) and STEREO-B (∼72° east of Earth). In contrast to near-Earth spacecraft, the footpoints of the nominal magnetic field lines connecting STEREO-A and STEREO-B with the Sun were separated from the region where the parent fast halo coronal mass ejection (CME) originated by ∼88° and ∼47° in longitude, respectively. We discuss the properties of the phenomena associated with this solar eruption. Extreme ultraviolet and white-light images are used to specify the extent of the associated CME-driven coronal shock. We then assess whether the SEPs observed at the three heliospheric locations were accelerated by this shock or whether transport mechanisms in the corona and/or interplanetary space provide an alternative explanation for the arrival of particles at the poorly connected spacecraft. A possible scenario consistent with the observations indicates that the observation of SEPs at STEREO-B and near Earth resulted from particle injection by the CME shock onto the field lines connecting to these spacecraft, whereas SEPs reached STEREO-A mostly via cross-field diffusive transport processes. The successes, limitations, and uncertainties of the methods used to resolve the connection between the acceleration sites of SEPs and the spacecraft are evaluated.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

TRANSMISSION AND EMISSION OF SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLES IN SEMI-TRANSPARENT SHOCKS

While major solar energetic particle (SEP) events are associated with coronal mass ejection (CME)-driven shocks in solar wind, accurate SEP measurements reveal that more than one component of energetic ions exist in the beginning of the events. Solar electromagnetic emissions, including nuclear gamma-rays, suggest that high-energy ions could also be accelerated by coronal shocks, and some of those particles could contribute to SEPs in interplanetary space. However, the CME-driven shock in solar wind is thought to shield any particle source beneath the shock because of the strong scattering required for the diffusive shock acceleration. In this Letter, we consider a shock model that allows energetic particles from the possible behind-shock source to appear in front of the shock simultaneously with SEPs accelerated by the shock itself. We model the energetic particle transport in directions parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field in a spherical shock expanding through the highly turbulent magnetic sector with an embedded quiet magnetic tube, which makes the shock semi-transparent for energetic particles. The model energy spectra and time profiles of energetic ions escaping far upstream of the shock are similar to the profiles observed during the first hour of some gradual SEP events.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

The diffusion approximation versus the telegraph equation for modeling solar energetic particle transport with adiabatic focusing. I. Isotropic pitch-angle scattering

The diffusion approximation to the Fokker-Planck equation is commonly used to model the transport of solar energetic particles in interplanetary space. In this study, we present exact analytical predictions of a higher order telegraph approximation for particle transport and compare them with the corresponding predictions of the diffusion approximation and numerical solutions of the full Fokker-Planck equation. We specifically investigate the role of the adiabatic focusing effect of a spatially varying magnetic field on an evolving particle distribution. Comparison of the analytical and numerical results shows that the telegraph approximation reproduces the particle intensity profiles much more accurately than does the diffusion approximation, especially when the focusing is strong. However, the telegraph approximation appears to offer no significant advantage over the diffusion approximation for calculating the particle anisotropy. The telegraph approximation can be a useful tool for describing both diffusive and wave-like aspects of the cosmic-ray transport.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Save the Planet, Feed the Star: How Super-Earths Survive Migration and Drive Disk Accretion

Two longstanding problems in planet formation include (1) understanding how planets survive migration, and (2) articulating the process by which protoplanetary disks disperse—and in particular how they accrete onto their central stars. We can go a long way toward solving both problems if the disk gas surrounding planets has no intrinsic diffusivity (“viscosity”). In inviscid, laminar disks, a planet readily repels gas away from its orbit. On short timescales, zero viscosity gas accumulates inside a planet’s orbit to slow Type I migration by orders of magnitude. On longer timescales, multiple super-Earths (distributed between, say, ∼0.1–10 au) can torque inviscid gas out of interplanetary space, either inward to feed their stars, or outward to be blown away in a wind. We explore this picture with 2D hydrodynamics simulations of Earths and super-Earths embedded in inviscid disks, confirming their slow/stalled migration even under gas-rich conditions, and showing that disk transport rates range up to ∼10{sup −7} M{sub ⊙} yr{sup −1} and scale as M-dot ∝ΣM{sub p}{sup 3/2}, where Σ is the disk surface density and M {sub p} is the planet mass. Gas initially sandwiched between two planets is torqued past both into the inner and outer disks. In sum, sufficiently compact systems of super-Earths can clear their natal disk gas in a dispersal history that may be complicated and non-steady but which conceivably leads over Myr timescales to large gas depletions similar to those characterizing transition disks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Quasi-periodic pulsations with varying period in multi-wavelength observations of an X-class flare

This work presents an interesting phenomenon of the period variation in quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) observed during the impulsive phase of a coronal mass ejection-related X1.1 class flare on 2012 July 6. The period of QPPs was changed from 21 s at soft X-rays (SXR) to 22-23 s at microwaves, to ∼24 s at extreme ultraviolet emissions (EUV), and to 27-32 s at metric-decimetric waves. The microwave, EUV, and SXR QPPs, emitted from flare loops of different heights, were oscillating in phase. Fast kink mode oscillations were proposed to be the modulation mechanism, which may exist in a wide region in the solar atmosphere from the chromosphere to the upper corona or even to the interplanetary space. Changed parameters of flare loops through the solar atmosphere could result in the varying period of QPPs at different wavelengths. The first appearing microwave QPPs and quasi-periodic metric-decimetric type III bursts were generated by energetic electrons. This may imply that particle acceleration or magnetic reconnection were located between these two non-thermal emission sources. Thermal QPPs (in SXR and EUV emissions) occurred later than the nonthermal ones, which would suggest a some time for plasma heating or energy dissipation in flare loops during burst processes. At the beginning of flare, a sudden collapse and expansion of two separated flare loop structures occurred simultaneously with the multi-wavelength QPPs. An implosion in the corona, including both collapse and expansion of flare loops, could be a trigger of loop oscillations in a very large region in the solar atmosphere.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗