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At least 631 records · Page 35

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NASA NTRS1980

Distribution function representation of energy spectra of H, He, C, O and Fe in corotating particle streams

From an analysis of nine corotating events observed near 1 AU during the 1974-1976 solar minimum, the spectral parameters for H, He, C, O and Fe and relative abundances of these elements and of Ne, Mg, Si, and S-Ca were determined. The distribution functions of H, He, O and Fe are well represented by an exponential in particle speed over the energy range of the measurements from 0.3 to 5 MeV/nucleon. The composition resembles that of the solar corona, particularly in the O/C ratio which is 0.95 + or - 0.19, and the He/H and He/Ne ratios are similar to the respective ratios in the solar wind. The results are consistent with interplanetary statistical acceleration of these particles out of the high-energy tail of the high-speed solar wind.

Gloeckler, G.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Multiple nitrogen components in lunar soil sample 12023

Nitrogen is one of the enigmatic elements in lunar soils and breccias. The large range in (delta)N-15 values found within lunar soils was initially attributed to a secular increase in the N-15/N-14 ratio of 50 percent within the solar corona, and hence in the implanted nitrogen within the lunar regolith. However, more recent explanations have proposed a two (or many) component mixing model of solar wind nitrogen with some hypothetical non-solar components. Such components could include indigenous lunar nitrogen, nitrogen contained in interstellar grains in primitive meteorites, and magnetospheric nitrogen from the terrestrial atmosphere. To understand the makeup of multi-component mixtures it is advantageous to have carbon and noble gas data measured simultaneously, particularly in the case of lunar soils, where the solar wind is a likely fundamental contributor of nitrogen. To this end, a new nitrogen instrument was adapted to give some of the desired data in parallel. Conjoint measurements of N abundance and (delta)N-15 together with N/Ar-36 and Ar-36/Ar-38 ratios obtained during a stepped combustion of lunar soil 12023. The results are preliminary to a much more comprehensive investigation of well characterized fractions of the sample which we still have available from a previous study. Stepped combustion of a sample of 12023,7 yielded 94 ppm nitrogen with a (delta)N-15 = +22.2 percent, as well as the characteristic heavy-light-heavy pattern observed for lunar samples. The low temperature maximum was +75.1 percent at 550 C, the minimum at 800 C with (delta)N-15 = -16.7 percent and the high temperature (delta)N-15 peak is +90.6 percent at 1250 C. The major releases of nitrogen occurred between 650 C - 800 C in the form of a double peak; a third, substantial release occurred at 1150 C yielding 14.2 ppm of nitrogen coinciding with a small but recognizable drop in (delta)N-15 against a regularly increasing trend.

Brilliant, D. R.↗

NASA NTRS1978

Density sensitivity of the solar EUV emission from boron-like ions

The paper investigated the level populations and the line emission arising from ions of the boron isoelectronic sequence from C II to Ca XVI. It is found that, under conditions present in the solar corona, some of these ions have pairs of emission lines having intensity ratios which are density-sensitive. The boron-like lines observed in the solar spectrum between 300 and 1350 A are analyzed, and densities for quiet and active regions, coronal holes, sunspots, and flares are derived. Some aspects of the differences in the behavior of the emission from the lithium and boron sequences are also discussed.

Vernazza, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS2023

In-Flight Validation of the Metis Visible-Light Polarimeter Coronagraph on Board Solar Orbiter

Context. The Metis coronagraph is one of the remote sensing instruments of the ESA-NASA Solar Orbiter mission. The goal for the instrument is to enable the study of the solar atmosphere and solar wind by simultaneously acquiring images of the solar corona at two different wavelengths: visible light (VL), within a band ranging from 580 nm to 640 nm, and ultraviolet light, in the HI Lyα 121.6 ± 10 nm. The visible-light channel of the coronagraph includes a polarimeter with electro-optically modulating liquid crystal variable retarders to measure the linearly polarized brightness of the K-corona and derive the electron density. Aims. In this paper, we present the first in-flight validation results of the Metis polarimetric channel together with a comparison to the on-ground calibrations. This paper seeks to validate the first use of an electro-optical device, the liquid crystal-based polarimeter, in deep space and within a hard radiation environment. Methods. We used the orientation of the K-corona’s linear polarization vector during the roll maneuvers of the Space Orbiter spacecraft for the in-flight calibration. Results. The Metis coronagraph on board the Solar Orbiter shows good agreement with the on-ground measurements. The in-flight validation confirms the expected performance of the visible-light channel polarimeter. Furthermore, a comparison between the first polarized brightness value obtained by Metis and the polarized brightness values obtained by the space-based coronagraph LASCO and the ground-based coronagraph K-Cor shows the consistency of the Metis calibrated results.

Sun: corona↗

NASA NTRS2000

Outer Planets/Solar Probe Project: Solar Probe

Solar Probe, the first mission to the Sun and the third of three missions in NASA's Outer Solar System/Solar Probe Program, is a voyage of exploration, discovery, and comprehension. This near-Sun flyby will provide in situ measurements in the solar corona and high-resolution pictures and magnetograms of the photosphere and polar atmosphere. These measurements are also needed as "ground truth" for interpreting the many measurements of the Sun and solar activity that have been made from a distance of 1 AU. Solar Probe is scheduled for launch in February 2007. It will arrive at the Sun along a polar trajectory perpendicular to the Sun-Earth line with a perihelion of 4 solar radii (R(sub s)) from the Sun's center. Two perihelion passages will occur, the first in 2010 (near solar sunspot maximum) and the second in 2015 (near solar minimum) ensuring measurement of both coronal hole and streamer-related solar wind properties. To reach the Sun, probe must first fly to Jupiter and use a gravity assist to lose its angular momentum about the Sun. The imaging and in situ miniaturized instruments will provide the first 3-dimensional view of the corona, high spatial- and temporal-resolutions of the magnetic fields, and helioseismic measurements of the polar regions, as well as sporadic high-spatial-resolution local sampling of plasmas and fields at all latitudes.

Tsurutani, B. T.↗

NASA NTRS1975

A study of coronal structures in a non-magnetic star

Convective instability in the solar corona growth, especially linear growth, was studied. An investigation was also made of nonlinear instability development on a computer. The computer was used to follow a growing perturbation from a small local enhancement in the density of the solar wind to a large increase in the density which would look like one of the rays seen in the sun's corona.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2011

The Focusing Optics X-Ray Solar Imager: FOXSI

The Focusing Optics x-ray Solar Imager (FOXSI) is a sounding rocket payload funded under the NASA Low Cost Access to Space program to test hard x-ray (HXR) focusing optics and position-sensitive solid state detectors for solar observations. Today's leading solar HXR instrument, the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) provides excellent spatial (2 arcseconds) and spectral (1 keV) resolution. Yet, due to its use of an indirect imaging system, the derived images have a low dynamic range (typically <10) and sensitivity. These limitations make it difficult to study faint x-ray sources in the solar corona which are crucial for understanding the particle acceleration processes which occur there. Grazing-incidence x-ray focusing optics combined with position-sensitive solid state detectors can overcome both of these limitations enabling the next breakthrough in understanding impulsive energy release on the Sun. The FOXSI project is led by the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is responsible for the grazing-incidence optics, while the Astro-H team at JAXA/ISAS has provided double-sided silicon strip detectors. FOXSI is a pathfinder for the next generation of solar hard x-ray spectroscopic imagers. Such observatories will be able to image the non-thermal electrons within the solar flare acceleration region, trace their paths through the corona, and provide essential quantitative measurements such as energy spectra, density, and energy content in accelerated electrons.

Krucker, Saem↗

NASA NTRS1963

THE THEORY OF THE SOLAR WIND

Theory of the solar wind considering the simple case of solar corona composed solely of ionized hydrogen with spherical symmetry about the center of the sun

SOLAR WIND↗

NASA NTRS1981

On the acceleration of thermal coronal ions by flare induced shock waves

The energy spectra of solar flare ions are calculated by assuming that the process which accelerates solar wind ions to MeV/ nucleon energies in the interplanetary corotating interaction region (CIR) also occurs in flare induced magnetosonic fast-mode (MFM) shocks in the corona. Solar wind ions are considered to be accelerated to MeV/nucleon energies by wave-particle interactions in the shock front and the downstream flow, being compressed between upstream and downstream magnetic field irregularities, and then accelerated by the shock drift acceleration mechanism. The energy spectra of the accelerated ions is calculated from the number of shock encounters as a function of the post- and preacceleration energies. A best fit by an exponential in momentum is determined for ions in the 50 MeV to a few GeV range, and from 20-80 MeV by a suitable power law in kinetic energy with a mean spectral index. Comparisons with observed solar protons show good agreement.

Decker, R. B.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Modification of average coronal properties in the presence of periodic temperature and density variations near the base

Conductive damping of the transient motion of the solar corona, and the consequences on the average flow field of conductively re-distributed energy are discussed. A particular example is treated. First, a steady solution for solar wind flow is found for a given set of steady boundary conditions, between 1.4 and 28 solar radii. These boundary conditions are that the density is 1.6xEO6 cm-3 and the temperature is 1.6xEO6 degrees. The flow profiles for this initial state are those shown at t=0 in the figures. Then, at t=0, periodic, in phase, sinusoidal variations in temperature and density are initiated and continued indefinitely. The amplitudes of the variations are 5 percent and 7.5 percent for the temperature and density respectively, imposed at 1.4 solar radii. The variations have a period of 1 hour shorter than a coronal transit time, but sufficiently long for the disturbances to propagate for small distances (2 to 3 solar radii). These oscillations are like those that might occur for acoustic oscillations, although no explanation is offered as to how an acoustic oscillation might extend to this radius in the first place.

Suess, S. T.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Solar imaging vector magnetograph

This report describes an instrument which has been constructed at the University of Hawaii to make observations of the magnetic field in solar active regions. Detailed knowledge of active region magnetic structures is crucial to understanding many solar phenomena, because the magnetic field both defines the morphology of structures seen in the solar atmosphere and is the apparent energy source for solar flares. The new vector magnetograph was conceived in response to a perceived discrepancy between the capabilities of X ray imaging telescopes to be operating during the current solar maximum and those of existing magnetographs. There were no space-based magnetographs planned for this period; the existing ground-based instruments variously suffered from lack of sensitivity, poor time resolution, inadequate spatial resolution or unreliable sites. Yet the studies of flares and their relationship to the solar corona planned for the 1991-1994 maximum absolutely required high quality vector magnetic field measurements. By 'vector' measurements we mean that the observation attempts to deduce the complete strength and direction of the field at the measurement site, rather than just the line of sight component as obtained by a traditional longitudinal magnetograph. Knowledge of the vector field permits one to calculate photospheric electric currents, which might play a part in heating the corona, and to calculate energy stored in coronal magnetic fields as the result of such currents. Information about the strength and direction of magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere can be obtained in a number of ways, but quantitative data is best obtained by observing Zeeman-effect polarization in solar spectral lines. The technique requires measuring the complete state of polarization at one or more wavelengths within a magnetically sensitive line of the solar spectrum. This measurement must be done for each independent spatial point for which one wants magnetic field data. All the measurements need to be done in a time short compared to the time scale for changes of the solar features being observed. Were it possible, one would want to record all the needed data simultaneously, since temporal variation of atmospheric seeing degrades both the image and the polarization sensitivity. Since the measurements must span four dimensions, two spatial plus polarization and wavelength, we had some freedom to design the instrument to favor some dimensions over others in terms of simultaneity. Our earlier instrument, the Haleakala Stokes Polarimeter, records a range of wavelengths spanning two spectral lines in each reading, but requires two seconds to determine the polarization state and obtains spatial information only by assembling a long sequence of measurements at single locations on the sun. The new instrument sacrifices spectral detail and accuracy in favor of greatly improved imaging characteristics. The scientific goals for this instrument were to measure surface magnetic fields with enough accuracy to permit calculations of photospheric currents, but with a field of view covering an entire typical active region, high spatial resolution, and a fast enough temporal cadence for detecting flare-associated changes in magnetic structures.

Canfield, Richard C.↗

NASA NTRS1993

Prospects for future solar-wind missions

Possible activities and future goals for solar wind research in the post Soho era are discussed. Two major enterprises which will open up important fields in the future study of the Sun are addressed. The first deals with in situ study of the solar corona, a region that has not been accessible for direct study in the past. This exploratory work will include the coronal heating and the acceleration of the solar wind much closer to its origin and the determination of the charge states of a large number of ions as a diagnostic tool for fractionation processes in these regions. The second major goal will be the setting up of a baseline for the isotopic composition in the solar system by studying a sample from the Sun in detail. These studies will be complemented by a direct comparison with extra solar samples of interstellar pick up ions, which become accessible with the same instrumentation as is necessary for the detailed investigation of the solar wind's isotopic composition. In order to achieve these goals, advanced composition experiments are developed to investigate the solar wind with enhanced mass resolution, considerably increased geometrical factor, and improved time resolution. The placing of sophisticated mass/charge spectrometers, with the ability to investigate both charge and velocity distributions with enhanced time resolution, in the solar wind acceleration region, is also proposed.

Bochsler, P.↗

NASA NTRS1990

The Solar Probe mission

The Solar Probe will deliver a 133.5 kg science payload into a 4 R(S) perihelion solar polar orbit to explore in situ one of the last frontiers in the solar system - the solar corona. Using a payload of 12 scientific experiments, it will be possible to answer many long-standing fundamental problems concerning the structure and dynamics of the outer solar atmosphere, including the acceleration, storage, and transport of energetic particles near the sun and in the inner heliosphere.

Anderson, J.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Thermal Non-equilibrium Consistent with Widespread Cooling

Time correlation analysis has been used to show widespread cooling in the solar corona; this cooling has been interpreted as a result of impulsive (nanoflare) heating. In this work, we investigate wide-spread cooling using a 3D model for a solar active region which has been heated with highly stratified heating. This type of heating drives thermal non-equilibrium solutions, meaning that though the heating is effectively steady, the density and temperature in the solution are not. We simulate the expected observations in narrowband EUV images and apply the time correlation analysis. We find that the results of this analysis are qualitatively similar to the observed data. We discuss additional diagnostics that may be applied to differentiate between these two heating scenarios.

Winebarger, A.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Thermal Non-equilibrium Consistent with Widespread Cooling

Winebarger, A.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Coronae of Stars with Supersolar Elemental Abundances

Coronal elemental abundances are known to deviate from the photospheric values of their parent star, with the degree of deviation depending on the first ionization potential (FIP). This study focuses on the coronal composition of stars with supersolar photospheric abundances. We present the coronal abundances of six such stars: 11 LMi, iota Hor, HR 7291, tau Boo, and alpha Cen A and B. These stars all have high-statistics X-ray spectra, three of which are presented for the first time. The abundances we measured were obtained using the line-resolved spectra of the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) in conjunction with the higher throughput EPIC-pn camera spectra onboard the XMM-Newton observatory. A collisionally ionized plasma model with two or three temperature components is found to represent the spectra well. All elements are found to be consistently depleted in the coronae compared to their respective photospheres. For 11 LMi and tau Boo no FIP effect is present, while iota Hor, HR 7291, and alpha Cen A and B show a clear FIP trend. These conclusions hold whether the comparison is made with solar abundances or the individual stellar abundances. Unlike the solar corona, where low-FIP elements are enriched, in these stars the FIP effect is consistently due to a depletion of high-FIP elements with respect to actual photospheric abundances. A comparison with solar (instead of stellar) abundances yields the same fractionation trend as on the Sun. In both cases, a similar FIP bias is inferred, but different fractionation mechanisms need to be invoked.

stars: abundances / stars: coronae / stars: genera↗

NASA NTRS1995

Simultaneous ultraviolet and X-ray observations of solar microflares

We present a comparison of observations of a solar active region obtained with the Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter (UVSP) and the Hard X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (HXIS) on board the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM). The data show many subflares and smaller events during a 9 hr period in which there were no major flares. This activity is associated with areas of complex, evolving magnetic fields. Events substantially smaller than subflares, identified in C IV 1548 A emission (T = 10(exp 5) K), are found to have impulsive counterparts in 3.5-5.5 keV X-ray emission characteristic of T approximately 10(exp 7) K. These 'microflares' are therefore true members of the flare family, reaching temperatures greater than that of the ambient solar corona. Plots of X-ray versus UV emission show that the emission from the smaller microflares is softer than that from the larger microflares and subflares. Distributions of solar flares with energy that are based on hard X-ray fluxes can be corrected using this X-ray/UV relationship. The corrected distributions suggest that microflares play a larger role in coronal heating than was indicated by analysis of the original distributions.

Porter, J. G.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Validation of Community Models: Identifying Events in Space Weather Model Timelines

I develop and document a set of procedures which test the quality of predictions of solar wind speed and polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) made by coupled models of the ambient solar corona and heliosphere. The Wang-Sheeley-Arge (WSA) model is used to illustrate the application of these validation procedures. I present an algorithm which detects transitions of the solar wind from slow to high speed. I also present an algorithm which processes the measured polarity of the outward directed component of the IMF. This removes high-frequency variations to expose the longer-scale changes that reflect IMF sector changes. I apply these algorithms to WSA model predictions made using a small set of photospheric synoptic magnetograms obtained by the Global Oscillation Network Group as input to the model. The results of this preliminary validation of the WSA model (version 1.6) are summarized.

MacNeice, Peter↗