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NASA NTRS1984

The isotopic composition of the anomalous low-energy cosmic rays

Measurements of the isotopes of low energy cosmic ray He, C, N, O and Ne nuclei are analyzed, in concert with previous data, to examine relationships between galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and anomalous cosmic rays (ACR), which could arise from either extragalactic or interstellar sources. A ground-based heavy isotope spectrometer telescope was used for the survey, along with IMP-7 and IMP-8 data and ISEE-3 data. The data were recorded from 1973-78. Spectral and abundance data are provided for each element. Fragmentation was absent in the ACR data, unlike the GCR data. Differences were also observed in the Ne-22/Ne-20 ratios of ACR and GCR. It is suggested, therefore, that the low energy ACR isotopes have an interstellar origin and are useful for studies of the local interstellar medium.

Mewaldt, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Evidence for regions of negligible cosmic-ray modulation in the inner heliosphere ( 10 AU)

Gold and Venkatesan report observations of periods during 1974-1976 when extended regions of heliolongitude that emitted lower than average solar wind velocities at 1 AU also exhibited higher than average cosmic ray intensities as measured by the E 35 MeV CPME anti-coincidence scintillator (28 sq cm omnidirectional geometric factor) on IMP-8. Their observations reproduced by a simple model, based on the observed steady solar wind structure, wherein there is little modulation of cosmic rays in the inner heliosphere until they reach the shocked plasma beyond the stream interactions in the outer heliosphere (similar to 5 to 10 AU). Beyond the interaction boundary, the intensity exhibits a constant radial gradient (similar to 2%/AU). The model also offers an explanation for the irregular behavior of the rotation averaged radial gradients observed by inside 10 AU, as well as the significant, but often ephemeral, latitude gradients observed by Voyagers 1 and 2 and IMP-8.

Roelof, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1985

The cosmic ray interplanetary radial gradient from 1972 - 1985

It is now established that the solar modulation of cosmic rays is produced by turbulent magnetic fields propagated outward by the solar wind. Changes in cosmic ray intensity are not simultaneous throughout the modulation region, thus requiring time dependent theories for the cosmic ray modulation. Fundamental to an overall understanding of this observed time dependent cosmic ray modulation is the behavior of the radial intensity gradient with time and heliocentric distance over the course of a solar modulation cycle. The period from 1977 to 1985 when data are available from the cosmic ray telescopes on Pioneer (P) 10, Voyager (V) 1 and 2, and IMP 8 spacecraft is studied. Additional data from P10 and other IMP satellites for 1972 to 1977 can be used to determine the gradient at the minimum in the solar modulation cycle and as a function of heliocentric distance. All of these telescopes have thresholds for protons and helium nuclei of E 60 MeV/nucleon.

Webber, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A statistical study of solar type III bursts and auroral kilometric radiation onsets

Simultaneous occurrences of type III solar radio bursts and auroral kilometric radiation were observed by Calvert (1981) using ISEE 1 spectrograms. Calvert presented evidence suggesting that the incoming type III burst stimulates the onset of auroral kilometric radiation (AKR). This paper presents a statistical study of the correlation between type III bursts and auroral kilometric radiation. A superposed epoch analysis was performed on as many as 186 type III events. The type III bursts were detected by the ISEE 3 spacecraft on the sunward side of the earth. At the same time the IMP 8 spacecraft was used to detect onsets of kilometric radiation on the nightside of the earth. For each event the intensities measured by ISEE 3 (type III intensities) were subtracted from the intensities measured by IMP 8 (type III and possible AKR intensities). The resulting intensities for each event were then added to determine if kilometric radiation was preferentially observed following a type III burst. This analysis was performed at frequencies of 100, 178, and 500 kHz. The results of this study show that a statistically significant correlation exists between incoming type III bursts from the sun and kilometric radiation from the earth.

Farrell, W. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Magnetospheric origin of energetic (at least 50 keV) ions upstream of the bow shock - The October 31, 1977, event

Energetic particle data gathered by the ISEE-1 and IMP-7 and -8 spacecraft on Oct. 31, 1977 while travelling inside the plasma sheet upstream of the earth's bow shock are analyzed for an indication of the source of the 30 keV-1 MeV particles observed. The IMP spacecraft also travelled through the magnetosphere and the dawn bow shock during the measurement data. The data included records of magnetospheric bursts of energetic protons, which had intensities about 2-8 times higher inside the plasma sheet than did the proton intensities. The magnetospheric bursts began about 40 min before the ISEE recorded an upstream ion event and 2 hr before its cutoff. Other data indicated that the appearance of upstream ions was controlled by the interplanetary magnetic field. The ions arose in the plasma sheet of the magnetosphere and in 'leaking' upstream experienced a separation of ions from electrons, a condition caused by the interplanetary magnetic field. A phenomenological model is developed for the process of injection of energetic particles upstream of the bow shock in a manner that is not commensurate with Fermi acceleration.

Anagnostopoulos, G. C.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Simulation of January 1-7, 1978 events

The solar wind disturbances of January 1 to 7, 1978 are reconstructed by a modeling method. First, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) background pattern, including a corotating shock, is reproduced using the Stanford source surface map. Then, two solar flares with their onset times on January 1, 0717 UT at S17 deg E10 deg and 2147 UT S17 deg E32 deg, respectively, are selected to generate two interplanetary transient shocks. It is shown that these two shocks interacted with the corotating shock, resulting in a series of interplanetary events observed by four spacecraft, Helios 1 and 2, IMP-8 (Interplanetary Monitoring Platform 8), and Voyager 2. Results show that these three shock waves interact and coalesce in interplanetary space such that Helios 2 and Voyager 2 observed only one shock and Helios 1 and IMP-8 observed two shocks. All shocks observed by the four spacecraft, except the corotating shock at Helios 1, are either a transient shock or a shock which is formed from coalescing of the transient shocks with the corotating shock. The method is useful in reconstructing a very complicated chain of interplanetary events observed by a number of spacecraft.

Chao, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Measurement of radial and latitudinal gradients of cosmic ray intensity during the decreasing phase of sunspot cycle 21

The cosmic ray radial and latitudinal gradients during the 1981-1984 decreasing phase of sunspot cycle 21 are investigated based on data from Voyagers 1 and 2, with a detector threshold of not less than 70 MeV/nuc, and IMP-8, with a detector threshold of not less than 35 MeV/nuc. During the interval, the heliolongitudinal separation between the Voyager spacecraft changed from about 4 to 26 deg, and comparison of the 26-day means of the cosmic ray intensities obtained show that the data is consistent on the average with a long-term zero latitudinal gradient. Comparison at 1 AU of Voyager and IMP-8 data illustrate that the radial gradient decreased over this period at the rate of about 0.4 percent per AU per year, reaching a value of about 2.0 percent/AU between 16 and 22 AU, and a value of about 0.6 percent/AU between 16 and 22 AU, a pattern which would locate both Voyagers during 1977 outside the principal cosmic ray modulation at solar minimum within 22 AU.

Venkatesan, D.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Latitudinal gradient of energetic particles in the outer hemisphere during 1985-1986

A measurement of a sustained latitudinal gradient of 70-MeV galactic cosmic ray protons is reported using data from the interplanetary probes Voyager 1 and 2 and the earth-orbiting satellite IMP 8 during a 1-year period from mid-1985 to mid-1986. Starting in early 1985, the intensity of cosmic rays at Voyager 2 began increasing faster than that at Voyager 1. By mid-1985, the intensity at Voyager 2 exceeded and remained higher than that at Voyager 1 for at least 14 solar rotations. Using the Voyager 2-IMP 8 data to correct for the radial gradient, an average latitudinal gradient during this period of about -53 percent/deg or about -38 percent/deg was determined. In addition, Voyager data at very low ion energies which are associated with acceleration at corotating shocks are presented.

Decker, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Simulation of January 1-7, 1978 events

The solar wind disturbances of January 1 to 7, 1978 are reconstructed by a modeling method. First, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) background pattern, including a corotating shock, is reproduced using the Stanford source surface map. Then, two solar flares with their onset times on January 1, 0717 UT at S17 deg E10 deg and 2147 UT S17 deg E32 deg, respectively, are selected to generate two interplanetary transient shocks. It is shown that these two shocks interacted with the corotating shock, resulting in a series of interplanetary events observed by four spacecraft, Helios 1 and 2, IMP-8 (Interplanetary Monitoring Platform 8), and Voyager 2. Results show that these three shock wave interact and coalesce in interplanetary space such that Helios 2 and Voyager 2 observed only one shock and Helios 1 and IMP-8 observed two shocks. All shocks observed by the four spacecraft, except the corotating shock at Helios 1, are either a transient shock or a shock which is formed from coalescing of the transient shocks with the corotating shock. The method is useful in reconstructing a very complicated chain of interplanetary events observed by a number of spacecraft.

Chao, J. K.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Interplanetary protons (Ep of about 1 MeV) 1973-1986 and out to 22.4 AU

This paper uses annual mean counting rate data from detectors on two long-lived spacecraft, Pioneer 11 and IMP 8, to study the temporal and heliocentric radial distance variations of the intensity of interplanetary protons (Ep of about 1 MeV) over solar activity cycle 21. The Pioneer 11 data cover the time period April 1973 through 1986 and the heliocentric radial distance range r of between 1.0 and 2.4 AU. IMP 8, in an approximately circular geocentric orbit of semimajor axis 35 earth radii, provides comparable data at 1 AU over the time period 1974-1986. The combination of the two bodies of data shows that the annual mean intensity of such protons varies as the inverse square of the distance from the sun, irrespective of solar activity as measured by the annual mean sunspot number S. Also it is found that the annual intensity at 1 AU is approximately proportional to S, except for anomalously low values in 1979 and 1980, and that the product of the annual mean intensity at Pioneer 11 by r-squared is also approximately proportional to S, except for anomalously low values in 1979, 1980 (in particular), and 1981. The common 1980 'anomaly' is attributed to gross changes in interplanetary conditions associated with the reversal of the polarity of the sun's polar magnetic field.

Van Allen, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Solar flare protons and alpha particles during the last three solar cycles

This paper presents solar-flare-associated proton and alpha-particle fluxes determined for major events from October 1972 through March 1987 (the period that represents the last part of solar cycle 20 and the whole of solar cycle 21), using data obtained by detectors on board the IMP-7 and IMP-8 satellites, along with earlier obtained data for cycle 20. It was found that the average omnidirectional flux of protons with kinetic energy above 10 MeV for cycle 21 (64/sq cm per sec) is lower than the corresponding number for cycle 20 (92/sq cm per sec) and for the cycle 19 (378/sq cm per sec). No definitive correlation was found to exist between cycle-averaged solar flare proton fluxes and peak sunspot numbers.

Goswami, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Interplanetary medium data book. Supplement 3: 1977-1985

The updating of the hourly resolution, near-Earth solar wind data compilation is discussed. Data plots and listings are then presented. In the text, the time shifting of ISEE 3 fine-scale magnetic field and and plasma data, using corotation delay, and the normalization of IMP-MIT and ISEE densities and temperatures to equivalent IMP-LANL values, are discussed in detail. The levels of arbitrariness in combining data sets, and of random differences between data sets, are elucidated.

Couzens, David A.↗
NASA NTRS1988

On the wavelengths of (n + 1/2)f(ce) gyroharmonic emissions in the earth's magnetosphere

Using data from the University of Minnesota Plasma Wave Experiment aboard the IMP 6 (Explorer 43) satellite, the wavelengths of certain electrostatic waves in earth's magnetosphere are measured. The antenna response to electrostatic waves having several k vector distributions in space is calculated using the fact that the X and Y dipole antennas on IMP 6 are of unequal length. These results are used to determine the wavelengths of (n+1/2)f(ce) gyroharmonic emissions observed just beyond the plasmapause. These wavelengths are then used in conjunction with theoretical models to determine the energy of the electrons driving the waves, and a range of energies between several tens to several hundreds of electron volts is found. This technique is also applied to Langmuir waves observed upstream of earth's bow shock, and the results are found to be in good agreement with theory.

Filbert, Paul C.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Interplanetary energetic particle observations of the March 1989 events

The IMP-8 spacecraft placed in an elongated orbit of approximately R(sub E) x R(sub E) orbit around the Earth was the only monitor of the energetic particle environment of the near interplanetary space during the period of the solar particle events associated with the Active Region 5395 in March 1989. Measurements of energetic ion and electron intensities were obtained in a series of channels within the energy range: 0.3 to 440 MeV for photons, 0.6 to 52 MeV/nuc for alpha particles, 0.7 to 3.3 MeV/nuc for nuclei with Z greater than or equal to 3, 3 to 9 MeV/nuc with Z greater than or equal to 20, and 0.2 to 2.5 MeV for electrons. The responses of selected energy channels during the period 5 to 23 March 1989 are displayed. It is clearly noted that the most prominent energetic ion intensity enhancements in that time interval were associated with the interplanetary shock wave of March 13 (07:42 UT) as well as that of March 8 (17:56 UT), which have distinct particle acceleration signatures. These shock waves play a major role in determining the near Earth energetic ion intensities during the above period by accelerating and modulating the ambient solar energetic particle population, which was already present in high intensities in the interplanetary medium due to the superposition of a series of solar flare particle events originating in AR 5395. The differential ion intensities at the lowest energy channel of the CPME experiment, which were associated with the March 13 shock wave, reached the highest level in the life of the IMP-8 spacecraft at this energy. At high energies, the shock associated intensity peak was smaller by less than a factor of 3 than the maxima of solar flare particle intensities from some other major flares, in particular from those with sites well connected to the Earth's magnetic flux tubes.

Sarris, E. T.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Deep-space radiation exposure analysis for solar cycle XXI (1975-1986)

Ionizing radiation exposures and associated dosimetric quantities are evaluated for the 11-year solar cycle ending in 1986. Solar flare fluences for the 55 largest flares occurring during the cycle are superimposed on the Galactic cosmic ray flux. Published summaries of flare data from the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (IMP)-7 and IMP-8 satellites are used that include flares whose integrated fluences are greater than 10 to the 7th protons/sq cm for energies in excess of 10 MeV. A standard cosmic ray environment model for ion flux values at solar minimum and maximum is invoked with an assumed sinusoidal variation between the lower and upper limits. The radiation shielding analysis is carried out for equivalent water-shield thicknesses between 2 and 15 g/sq cm. Results are expressed in terms of cumulative incurred dose equivalents for deep-space missions lasting between 3 months and 3 years. It was found that medium-to-large flare contributions are of greatest importance for the shorter term missions, while the Galactic component dominates for the longer duration missions.

Nealy, John E.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Strong plasma turbulence in the earth's electron foreshock

A quantitative model is developed to account for the distribution in magnitude and location of the intense plasma waves observed in the earth's electron foreshock given the observed rms levels of waves. In this model, nonlinear strong-turbulence effects cause solitonlike coherent wave packets to form and decouple from incoherent background beam-excited weak turbulence, after which they convect downstream with the solar wind while collapsing to scales as short as 100 m and fields as high as 2 V/m. The existence of waves with energy densities above the strong-turbulence wave-collapse threshold is inferred from observations from IMP 6 and ISEE 1 and quantitative agreement is found between the predicted distribution of fields in an ensemble of such wave packets and the actual field distribution observed in situ by IMP 6. Predictions for the polarization of plasma waves and the bandwidth of ion-sound waves are also consistent with the observations. It is shown that strong-turbulence effects must be incorporated in any comprehensive theory of the propagation and evolution of electron beams in the foreshock. Previous arguments against the existence of strong turbulence in the foreshock are refuted.

Robinson, P. A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Anomalous aspects of magnetosheath flow and of the shape and oscillations of the magnetopause during an interval of strongly northward interplanetary magnetic field

On 15 Feb. 1978, the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) remained steadily northward for more than 12 hours. The ISEE 1 and 2 spacecraft were located near apogee on the dawn side flank of the magnetotail. IMP 8 was almost symmetrically located in the magnetosheath on the dusk flank and IMP 7 was upstream in the solar wind. Using plasma and magnetic field data, we show the following: (1) the magnetosheath flow speed on the flanks of the magnetotail steadily exceeded the solar wind speed by 20 percent; (2) surface waves with approximately a 5-min period and very non-sinusoidal waveform were persistently present on the dawn magnetopause and waves of similar period were present in the dusk magnetosheath; and (3) the magnetotail ceased to flare at an antisunward distance of 15 R(sub E). We propose that the acceleration of the magnetosheath flow is achieved by magnetic tension in the draped field configuration for northward IMF and that the reduction of tail flaring is consistent with a decreased amount of open magnetic flux and a larger standoff distance of the subsolar magnetopause. Results of a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulation support this phenomenological model.

Chen, Sheng-Hsien↗
NASA NTRS1994

Comparison of the lossy image data compressions for the MESUR Pathfinder and for the Huygens Titan Probe

The commercial JPEG standard complies well with the specific requirements of exploratory space missions. Therefore, JPEG has been chosen to be the baseline for a series of spaceborne image data compressions (e.g. MARS94-HRSC, -WAOSS, HUYGENS-DISR, MESUR-IMP). One S/W-implementation (IMP) and one H/W-implementation (DISR) of image data compression are presented. Details of the modifications applied to standard JPEG are outlined. Finally, a performance comparison of the two implementations is given.

Rueffer, P.↗