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At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2011

The Dust Accelerator Facility of the Colorado Center for Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Studies

The NASA Lunar Institute's Colorado Center for Lunar Dust and Atmospheric Studies has recently completed the construction of a new experimental facility to study hypervelocity dust impacts. The installation includes a 3 MV Pelletron, accelerating small particles in the size range of 0.1 to few microns to velocities in the range of 1 to 100 km/s. Here we report the capabilities of our facility, and the results of our first experiments.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2011

SOHO/SWAN OBSERVATIONS OF SHORT-PERIOD SPACECRAFT TARGET COMETS

SWAN, the Solar Wind ANisotropies all-sky hydrogen Ly{alpha} camera on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft that makes all-sky images of interplanetary neutral hydrogen, has an ongoing campaign to make special observations of comets, both short- and long-period ones, in addition to the serendipitous observations of comets as part of the all-sky monitoring program. We report here on a study of several short-period comets that were detected by SWAN: 21P/Giacobini-Zinner (1998 and 2005 apparitions), 19P/Borrelly (2001 apparition), 81P/Wild 2 (1997 apparition), and 103P/Hartley 2 (1997 apparition). SWAN observes comets over long continuous stretches of their visible apparitions and therefore provides excellent temporal coverage of the water production. For some of the observations we are also able to analyze an entire sequence of images over many days to several weeks/months using our time-resolved model and extract daily average water production rates over continuous periods of several days to months. The short-term (outburst) and long-term behavior can be correlated with other observations. The overall long-term variation is examined in light of seasonal effects seen in the pre- to post-perihelion differences. For 21P/Giacobini-Zinner and 81P/Wild 2 the activity variations over each apparition were more continuously monitored but nonetheless consistent with previous observations. For 19P/Borrelly we found a very steep variation of water production rates, again consistent with some previous observations, and a variation over six months around perihelion that was reasonably consistent with the spin-axis model of Schleicher et al. and the illumination of the main active areas. During the 1997-1998 apparition of 103P/Hartley 2, the target comet of the EPOXI mission (the Deep Impact extended mission), we found a variation with heliocentric distance ({approx}r{sup -3.6}) that was almost as steep as 19P/Borrelly and, given the small measured radius near aphelion, this places a number of possible constraints on the size, shape, and/or distribution active of areas on the surface.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

THEORY OF INCOMPRESSIBLE MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC TURBULENCE WITH SCALE-DEPENDENT ALIGNMENT AND CROSS-HELICITY

A phenomenological anisotropic theory of MHD turbulence with nonvanishing cross-helicity is constructed based on Boldyrev's phenomenology and probabilities p and q for fluctuations {delta}v{sub perpendicular} and {delta}b{sub perpendicular} to be positively or negatively aligned. The positively aligned fluctuations occupy a fractional volume p and the negatively aligned fluctuations occupy a fractional volume q. Guided by observations suggesting that the normalized cross-helicity {sigma}{sub c} and the probabilities p and q are approximately scale invariant in the inertial range, a generalization of Boldyrev's theory is derived that depends on the three ratios w {sup +}/w {sup -}, {epsilon}{sup +}/{epsilon}{sup -}, and p/q. It is assumed that the cascade processes for positively and negatively aligned fluctuations are both in a state of critical balance and that the eddy geometries are scale invariant. The theory reduces to Boldyrev's original theory when {sigma} {sub c} = 0, {epsilon}{sup +} = {epsilon}{sup -}, and p = q and extends the theory of Perez and Boldyrev when {sigma}{sub c} {ne} 0. The theory is also an anisotropic generalization of the theory of Dobrowolny, Mangeney, and Veltri.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

STABILITY OF A PICKUP ION RING-BEAM POPULATION IN THE OUTER HELIOSHEATH: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE IBEX RIBBON

First results from NASA's Interplanetary Boundary Explorer mission showed an unexpected 'ribbon' of enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) flux spanning most of the sky. One explanation put forward suggests that the ribbon may be produced by secondary ENAs originating from pickup ions (PUIs) in the outer heliosheath (OHS). These PUIs are generated when primary ENAs born in the solar wind and inner heliosheath cross the heliopause and charge exchange in the nearby interstellar medium. One of the core assumptions underpinning this theory is that the newly born PUI ring is relatively stable with respect to wave generation, so that it can undergo charge exchange before becoming isotropized. We test this assumption using a linear kinetic theory and hybrid simulations of a low-density PUI ring interacting with instability-generated waves in a warm plasma of the OHS. It is shown that a broadband spectrum of waves is excited as a result of the cyclotron instability that efficiently scatters the ring ions. We also show that the ambient fluctuations in the OHS are unlikely to produce a measurable degree of resonant scattering of PUIs because their intensity is too low compared with the waves excited by the instability.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

ON THEORIES FOR STOCHASTIC ACCELERATION IN THE SOLAR WIND

The suprathermal tails on the distribution functions of ions in the solar wind are observed to have a common spectral shape in many different circumstances: a power law in particle speed with spectral index of -5. Three possible approaches for explaining these observations are considered: (1) the acceleration mechanism of Fisk and Gloeckler in which energy is redistributed from a core particle population into the suprathermal tail; (2) traditional stochastic acceleration in which particles are accelerated by damping turbulence; and (3) the statistical approach introduced by Schwadron et al. in which the -5 spectrum is formed by averaging over individual spectra. The acceleration mechanism of Fisk and Gloeckler has advantages: (1) it appears to occur in conditions that are readily satisfied: compressive turbulence that is thermally isolated (no large-scale spatial gradients), with a core distribution of particles with a sharp initial cutoff in particle speed, above which particles can spatially diffuse; and (2) it yields spectra that are consistent with observations. Traditional stochastic acceleration has the disadvantage that it is unlikely to yield spectral shapes consistent with observations, and the spectra are dependent upon the plasma conditions and thus unlikely to be the same in different circumstances. The statistical approach of Schwadron et al. can yield the -5 spectrum and is consistent with the results of Fisk and Gloeckler when the assumed distribution functions for individual events and the averaging technique are taken to be compatible with the assumptions and averaging in Fisk and Gloeckler.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2010

THE ORIGIN OF THE HOT GAS IN THE GALACTIC HALO: CONFRONTING MODELS WITH XMM-NEWTON OBSERVATIONS

We compare the predictions of three physical models for the origin of the hot halo gas with the observed halo X-ray emission, derived from 26 high-latitude XMM-Newton observations of the soft X-ray background between l = 120{sup 0} and l = 240{sup 0}. These observations were chosen from a much larger set of observations as they are expected to be the least contaminated by solar wind charge exchange emission. We characterize the halo emission in the XMM-Newton band with a single-temperature plasma model. We find that the observed halo temperature is fairly constant across the sky ({approx}(1.8-2.4) x 10{sup 6} K), whereas the halo emission measure varies by an order of magnitude ({approx}0.0005-0.006 cm{sup -6} pc). When we compare our observations with the model predictions, we find that most of the hot gas observed with XMM-Newton does not reside in isolated extraplanar supernova (SN) remnants-this model predicts emission an order of magnitude too faint. A model of an SN-driven interstellar medium, including the flow of hot gas from the disk into the halo in a galactic fountain, gives good agreement with the observed 0.4-2.0 keV surface brightness. This model overpredicts the halo X-ray temperature by a factor of {approx}2, but there are a several possible explanations for this discrepancy. We therefore conclude that a major (possibly dominant) contributor to the halo X-ray emission observed with XMM-Newton is a fountain of hot gas driven into the halo by disk SNe. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that the extended hot halo of accreted material predicted by disk galaxy formation models also contributes to the emission.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

NONLINEAR SIMULATION OF TURBULENT FIELD LINES: DISPERSAL STATISTICS

A new method for the full nonlinear computation of sets of turbulent field lines is introduced that extends the sums of random numbers distribution method previously applied to the computation of individual field lines. With a multiscale variation of the phases consistent with in situ observations of intermittent solar wind (SW) turbulence, the new method allows inclusion of the equivalent of more than four decades of turbulent scales with a fully three-dimensional distribution of wavevectors. As a first application, pairs of magnetic field lines are computed in independent realizations of the turbulence, for spectra typical of the quiet slow SW near 1 AU. The statistics of field-line dispersal are then studied from the simulated pairs of magnetic field lines and compared to earlier theoretical predictions. It appears that while the earlier theoretical picture remains relatively accurate as long as the mean variation of separation logarithm {Lambda} is less than one, the qualitative picture is quickly altered as {Lambda} grows past one.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2010

PARTICLE ACCELERATION BY COLLISIONLESS SHOCKS CONTAINING LARGE-SCALE MAGNETIC-FIELD VARIATIONS

Diffusive shock acceleration at collisionless shocks is thought to be the source of many of the energetic particles observed in space. Large-scale spatial variations of the magnetic field have been shown to be important in understanding observations. The effects are complex, so here we consider a simple, illustrative model. Here we solve numerically the Parker transport equation for a shock in the presence of large-scale sinusoidal magnetic-field variations. We demonstrate that the familiar planar-shock results can be significantly altered as a consequence of large-scale, meandering magnetic lines of force. Because the perpendicular diffusion coefficient {kappa}{sub perpendicular} is generally much smaller than the parallel diffusion coefficient {kappa}{sub ||}, the energetic charged particles are trapped and preferentially accelerated along the shock front in the regions where the connection points of magnetic field lines intersecting the shock surface converge, and thus create the 'hot spots' of the accelerated particles. For the regions where the connection points separate from each other, the acceleration to high energies will be suppressed. Further, the particles diffuse away from the 'hot spot' regions and modify the spectra of downstream particle distribution. These features are qualitatively similar to the recent Voyager observations in the Heliosheath. These results are potentially important for particle acceleration at shocks propagating in turbulent magnetized plasmas as well as those which contain large-scale nonplanar structures. Examples include anomalous cosmic rays accelerated by the solar wind termination shock, energetic particles observed in propagating heliospheric shocks, galactic cosmic rays accelerated by supernova blast waves, etc.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

NONLINEAR EVOLUTION OF BEAM-PLASMA INSTABILITY IN INHOMOGENEOUS MEDIUM

The problem of electron-beam propagation in inhomogeneous solar wind is intimately related to the solar type II and/or type III radio bursts. Many scientists have addressed this issue in the past by means of quasi-linear theory, but in order to fully characterize the nonlinear dynamics, one must employ weak-turbulence theory. Available numerical solutions of the weak-turbulence theory either rely on only one nonlinear process (either decay or scattering), or when both nonlinear terms are included, the inhomogeneity effect is generally ignored. The present paper reports the full solution of weak-turbulence theory that includes both decay and scattering processes, and also incorporating the effects of density gradient. It is found that the quasi-linear effect sufficiently accounts for the primary Langmuir waves, but to properly characterize the back-scattered Langmuir wave, which is important for eventual radiation generation, it is found that both nonlinear decay and scattering processes make comparable contributions. Such a finding may be important in the quantitative analysis of the plasma emission process with application to solar type II and/or type III radio bursts.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2011

A STUDY OF A NEW INCREASING SUBMILLIMETER SPECTRAL COMPONENT OF AN X28 SOLAR FLARE

In this paper, we study a novel spectral component that increases with frequency above 200 GHz in an X28 solar flare that occurred on 2003 November 4. A maximum flux density of {approx}20,000 sfu was observed at 405 GHz at main phase. We model its spectra based on gyrosynchrotron (GS) radiation computations in the case of a magnetic dipole field. Our computations show that the new increasing submillimeter spectral component at the main peak P1 can be generated by energetic electrons with a harder spectral index (2.3), low-energy cutoff of 30 keV, and number density of 10{sup 10} cm{sup -3} in a compact source (0.''5 radius) with a strong local magnetic field varying from 780 to 4590 G via GS emission. The associated microwave (MW) spectral component can be produced by energetic electrons via GS emission, but with a 10 keV low-energy cutoff and number density 1.2 x 10{sup 6} cm{sup -3} in an extended source (40'' radius) with mean magnetic field strengths from 100 to 576 G. The MW and submillimeter emission sources, inferred from the magnetic dipole field model, are located in the corona and {approx}1000 km low atmosphere levels above the photosphere, respectively. Energy flux, energy loss rate, and total energy released by energetic electrons are estimated for the first time. It is found that the energy flux can attain values of 7.2 x 10{sup 13} erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} in the submillimeter source. This value is four orders higher than that in the MW source. The energies released by electrons in the submillimeter and MW sources reach, respectively, 1.2 x 10{sup 32} and 1.9 x 10{sup 31} erg. The total energy released by energetic electrons is 1.4 x 10{sup 32} erg during the flare in the MW and submillimeter sources. The mean energy released by energetic electrons for a subsecond pulse, i.e., the fragment energy, is estimated to be about 5.2 x 10{sup 26} erg.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FLUX DEPLETION DURING PROTRACTED SOLAR MINIMA

We examine near-Earth solar wind observations as assembled within the Omni data set over the past 15 years that constitute the latest solar cycle. We show that the interplanetary magnetic field continues to be depleted at low latitudes throughout the protracted solar minimum reaching levels below previously predicted minima. We obtain a rate of flux removal resulting in magnetic field reduction by 0.5 nT yr{sup -1} at 1 AU when averaged over the years 2005-2009 that reduces to 0.3 nT yr{sup -1} for 2007-2009. We show that the flux removal operates on field lines that follow the nominal Parker spiral orientation predicted for open field lines and are largely unassociated with recent ejecta. We argue that the field line reduction can only be accomplished by ongoing reconnection of nominally open field lines or very old closed field lines and we contend that these two interpretations are observationally equivalent and indistinguishable.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE DISSIPATION OF SOLAR WIND TURBULENT FLUCTUATIONS AT ELECTRON SCALES

We present two-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations of decaying electromagnetic fluctuations. The computational box is such that wavelengths ranging from electron to ion gyroradii are resolved. The parameters used are realistic for the solar wind, and the ion-to-electron mass ratio is physical. The dissipation of turbulent fluctuations at small scales is thought to be a crucial mechanism for solar wind acceleration and coronal heating. The computational results suggest that a power-law cascade of magnetic fluctuations could be sustained up to scales of the electron Larmor radius and smaller. We analyze the simulation results in light of the Vlasov linear theory, and we comment on the particle heating. The dispersion curves of lightly damped modes in this regime suggest that a linear mechanism could be responsible for the observed steepening of power spectra at electron scales, but a straightforward identification of turbulent fluctuations as an ensemble of linear modes is not possible.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

DENSITY ENHANCEMENTS AND VOIDS FOLLOWING PATCHY RECONNECTION

We show, through a simple patchy reconnection model, that retracting reconnected flux tubes may present elongated regions relatively devoid of plasma, as well as long lasting, dense central hot regions. Reconnection is assumed to happen in a small patch across a Syrovatskii (non-uniform) current sheet (CS) with skewed magnetic fields. The background magnetic pressure has its maximum at the center of the CS plane and decreases toward its edges. The reconnection patch creates two V-shaped reconnected tubes that shorten as they retract in opposite directions, due to magnetic tension. One of them moves upward toward the top edge of the CS, and the other one moves downward toward the top of the underlying arcade. Rotational discontinuities (RDs) propagate along the legs of the tubes and generate parallel supersonic flows that collide at the center of the tube. There, gas-dynamic shocks that compress and heat the plasma are launched outwardly. The descending tube moves through the bottom part of the CS where it expands laterally in response to the decreasing background magnetic pressure. This effect may decrease plasma density by 30%-50% of background levels. This tube will arrive at the top of the arcade that will slow it to a stop. Here, the perpendicular dynamics is halted, but the parallel dynamics continues along its legs; the RDs are shut down, and the gas is rarified to even lower densities. The hot post-shock regions continue evolving, determining a long lasting hot region on top of the arcade. We provide an observational method based on total emission measure and mean temperature that indicates where in the CS the tube has been reconnected.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

STATISTICAL STUDY OF CHROMOSPHERIC ANEMONE JETS OBSERVED WITH HINODE/SOT

The Solar Optical Telescope on board Hinode has revealed numerous tiny jets in all regions of the chromosphere outside of sunspots. A typical chromospheric anemone jet has a cusp-shaped structure and bright footpoint, similar to the shape of an X-ray anemone jet observed previously with the Soft X-ray Telescope on board Yohkoh. The similarity in the shapes of chromospheric and X-ray anemone jets suggests that chromospheric anemone jets are produced as a result of the magnetic reconnection between a small bipole (perhaps a tiny emerging flux) and a pre-existing uniform magnetic field in the lower chromosphere. We examine various chromospheric anemone jets in the solar active region near the solar limb and study the typical features (e.g., length, width, lifetime, and velocity) of the chromospheric anemone jets. Statistical studies show that chromospheric anemone jets have: (1) a typical length {approx}1.0-4.0 Mm, (2) a width {approx}100-400 km, (3) a lifetime {approx}100-500 s, and (4) a velocity {approx}5-20 km s{sup -1}. The velocity of the chromospheric anemone jets is comparable to the local Alfven speed in the lower solar chromosphere ({approx}10 km s{sup -1}). The histograms of chromospheric anemone jets near the limb and near the disk center show similar averages and shapes of distributions, suggesting that the characteristic behavior of chromospheric anemone jets is independent of whether they are observed on the disk or at the limb. The observed relationship between the velocity and length of chromospheric anemone jets shows that the jets do not follow ballistic motion but are more likely accelerated by some other mechanism. This is consistent with numerical simulations of chromospheric anemone jets.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

POSSIBLE EVIDENCE OF ALFVEN-CYCLOTRON WAVES IN THE ANGLE DISTRIBUTION OF MAGNETIC HELICITY OF SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE

The fluctuating magnetic helicity is considered an important parameter in diagnosing the characteristic modes of solar wind turbulence. Among them is the Alfven-cyclotron wave, which is probably responsible for the solar wind plasma heating, but has not yet been identified from the magnetic helicity of solar wind turbulence. Here, we present the possible signatures of Alfven-cyclotron waves in the distribution of magnetic helicity as a function of {theta}{sub VB}, which is the angle between the solar wind velocity and local mean magnetic field. We use magnetic field data from the STEREO spacecraft to calculate the {theta}{sub VB} distribution of the normalized reduced fluctuating magnetic helicity {sigma}{sub m}. We find a dominant negative {sigma}{sub m} for 1 s < p < 4 s (p is time period) and for {theta}{sub VB} < 30 deg. in the solar wind outward magnetic sector, and a dominant positive {sigma}{sub m} for 0.4 s < p < 4 s and for {theta}{sub VB}>150 deg. in the solar wind inward magnetic sector. These features of {sigma}{sub m} appearing around the Doppler-shifted ion-cyclotron frequencies may be consistent with the existence of Alfven-cyclotron waves among the outward propagating fluctuations. Moreover, right-handed polarized waves at larger propagation angles, which might be kinetic Alfven waves or whistler waves, have also been identified on the basis of the {sigma}{sub m} features in the angular range 40 deg. < {theta}{sub VB} < 140 deg. Our findings suggest that Alfven-cyclotron waves (together with other wave modes) play a prominent role in turbulence cascading and plasma heating of the solar wind.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

THE EVOLUTION OF DARK CANOPIES AROUND ACTIVE REGIONS

As observed in spectral lines originating from the chromosphere, transition region, and low corona, active regions are surrounded by an extensive 'circumfacular' area which is darker than the quiet Sun. We examine the properties of these dark moat- or canopy-like areas using Fe IX 17.1 nm images and line-of-sight magnetograms from the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The 17.1 nm canopies consist of fibrils (horizontal fields containing extreme-ultraviolet-absorbing chromospheric material) clumped into featherlike structures. The dark fibrils initially form a quasiradial or vortical pattern as the low-lying field lines fanning out from the emerging active region connect to surrounding network and intranetwork elements of opposite polarity. The area occupied by the 17.1 nm fibrils expands as supergranular convection causes the active-region flux to spread into the background medium; the outer boundary of the dark canopy stabilizes where the diffusing flux encounters a unipolar region of opposite sign. The dark fibrils tend to accumulate in regions of weak longitudinal field and to become rooted in mixed-polarity flux. To explain the latter observation, we note that the low-lying fibrils are more likely to interact with small loops associated with weak, opposite-polarity flux elements in close proximity, than with high loops anchored inside strong unipolar network flux. As a result, the 17.1 nm fibrils gradually become concentrated around the large-scale polarity inversion lines (PILs), where most of the mixed-polarity flux is located. Systematic flux cancellation, assisted by rotational shearing, removes the field component transverse to the PIL and causes the fibrils to coalesce into long PIL-aligned filaments.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

PLASMA HEATING IN THE VERY EARLY AND DECAY PHASES OF SOLAR FLARES

In this paper, we analyze the energy budgets of two single-loop solar flares under the assumption that non-thermal electrons (NTEs) are the only source of plasma heating during all phases of both events. The flares were observed by RHESSI and GOES on 2002 September 20 and 2002 March 17, respectively. For both investigated flares we derived the energy fluxes contained in NTE beams from the RHESSI observational data constrained by observed GOES light curves. We showed that energy delivered by NTEs was fully sufficient to fulfill the energy budgets of the plasma during the pre-heating and impulsive phases of both flares as well as during the decay phase of one of them. We concluded that in the case of the investigated flares there was no need to use any additional ad hoc heating mechanisms other than heating by NTEs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

DETAILED FIT OF 'CRITICAL BALANCE' THEORY TO SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE MEASUREMENTS

We derive the reduced spectrum of turbulent magnetic fluctuations at different frequencies f which would be observed by a single spacecraft in the solar wind when the magnetic field was at an angle {theta}{sub B} to the solar wind flow, if the wavevector spectrum in the solar wind frame were in anisotropic 'critical balance' (CB) as proposed by Goldreich and Sridhar in 1995 (GS95). The anisotropic power spectrum in the inertial range, P(f, {theta}{sub B} ), is scaled onto one curve with f-{sup 5/3} behavior at {theta}{sub B} near 90{sup 0} and f{sup -2} behavior at small {theta}{sub B}. The transition between the two limiting spectra depends on the form of the GS95 wavevector spectrum and the CB scaling parameter L. Using wavelet analysis of Ulysses magnetic field data in three 30-day periods in the high-latitude solar wind in 1995, we verify that the scaling of power with angle and frequency is qualitatively consistent with GS95 theory. However, the scale length L required to fit the observed P(f, {theta}{sub B} ) to the original CB theory is rather less than the scale predicted by that theory for the solar wind. Part, possibly all, of this discrepancy is removed when the GS95 theory modified for imbalanced turbulence is used.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗