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At least 973 records · Page 54
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1976

The internal plasma state of the high speed solar wind at 1 AU

The character of particle velocity distributions in the high speed solar wind is described. It is found that electron distribution shapes differ from simple bi-Maxwellians in that a hot strongly beamed high energy electron component is always present, and is observed to move relative to a distinct low energy electron component along the magnetic field direction away from the sun. The velocity difference between hot and cold electron components appears, at times, to be strongly correlated with the local Alfven speed. Proton velocity distributions are also best represented by two relatively convecting unresolved components. Evidence is presented which supports the idea that the two-component proton structure observed in high speed regions is intimately related to fine scale velocity variations at 1 AU, and probably to prominent spatial and/or temporal structures present throughout that part of the corona from which the solar wind evolves.

Feldman, W. C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Magnetic fields, plasmas, and coronal holes - The inner solar system

Recent results concerning streams and magnetic fields in the inner solar system are reviewed. Observations have shown that MHD streams are bounded by thin shear layers within 1 AU, probably because they originate in coronal holes which have sharp boundaries. The properties of Alfvenic fluctuations in streams cannot be fully explained on the basis of the hypothesis that they are plane, transverse Alfven waves. A more complete and accurate description might be that they represent nonplanar general Alfven waves weakly coupled to a compressive mode and moving through a medium containing tangential discontinuities and other convected inhomogeneities.

Burlaga, L. F.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Mass-injection rate from Io into the Io plasma torus

Theoretical arguments to the effect that both plasma and energy are supplied to the Jovian magnetosphere from primarily internal sources are presented. Two major assumptions are made: (1) that Io is the source of plasma for the Jovian magnetosphere, and that the outward flow of plasma from the torus is the means of drawing from the kinetic energy of rotation of Jupiter to drive magnetospheric phenomena; thereby obtaining a new, independent estimate of the rate of mass injection from Io into the Io plasma torus, and (2) that the solar wind supplies neither plasma nor energy to the Jovian magnetosphere in significant amounts. A lower limit to the rate of mass injection into the torus, which on the average must equal the rate of mass loss from the torus, is therefore derivable through adoption of a value for the power expended to drive the various magnetospheric phenomena.

Dessler, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1986

On plasma disturbances caused by the motion of the Space Shuttle and small satellites - A comparison of in situ observations

Recent results regarding the interactions between a body and its environmental space plasma, made by charged particle probes mounted in the bay of the Space Shuttle Orbiter Columbia (STS 3 mission), are compared with earlier results, obtained from small ionospheric satellites, in an attempt to widen our scope of knowledge and understanding regarding such interactions. The objective is to work toward a unified model of body-space plasma interactions in the solar system covering a variety of plasma and body conditions. The comparisons focus mainly on (1) the (wake/ram) current ratio; (2) the generation of charged particle density fluctuations (indicative of plasma turbulence) around the body; and (3) the increase in electron temperature ahead and in the wake of the satellite. The main results of the comparison are that (1) the (wake/ram) current ratio (or current depletion in the wake) for the Orbiter is 1 to 2 orders of magnitude larger than the ratio for small ionospheric satellites; and (2) fluctuations in density (or turbulence) are observed for both 'large body' (Shuttle Orbiter) and 'smaller body' (standard ionospheric satellites). However, the cause of the turbulence may not be the same for both cases; (3) the results for the electronic temperature enhancement due to the Shuttle Orbiter are in contrast with measurements from smaller ionospheric satellites. A path to follow in future Shuttle experiments is suggested and caution that care be taken in interpreting local particle and field measurements.

Samir, U.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Energy transport by energetic electrons released during solar flares. II - Current filamentation and plasma heating

Two-dimensional electrostatic particle simulations are performed in order to investigate energy transport associated with the propagation of energetic electrons through a flaring flux tube. Results indicate that as the energetic electrons flow outward, a return current of ambient plasma electrons is drawn inward (to maintain quasi-neutrality) which can be spatially separate from the primary current carried by the energetic electrons. Return current electrons are shown to accumulate on either side of the acceleration region of the energetic electrons, and depletions of ambient plasma electrons develop in the return current regions. Plasma ions accelerate across the field lines to produce current closure or charge neutralization, achieving energies comparable to those of the energetic electrons.

Winglee, R. M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Plasma dynamics and energetics in the solar atmosphere

Prominence condensation and support, the dynamics of coronal loops, and streamer structure and disconnection are briefly discussed. Prominence condensation and magnetic levitation in a coronal loop and simulations of coronal disconnection events are discussed.

Vanhoven, Gerard↗
NASA NTRS1992

The morphology of 20 x 10 exp 6 K plasma in large non-impulsive solar flares

We have examined images of 10 flares observed by the Soft X-ray Telescope on-board the Yohkoh spacecraft. These images show that the hottest portion of the soft X-ray flare is located in compact regions that appear to be situated at the tops of loops. These compact regions form at, or shortly after, flare onset, and persist well into the decay phase of the flares. In some cases, the compact regions are only a few thousand kilometers in size and are small compared to the lengths of flaring loops. This is inconsistent with the smoother intensity distribution along the loops expected from models of chromospheric evaporation.

Acton, Loren W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Observations of a quasi-static plasma sheet boundary

No high-speed flows or discernible counterstreaming ion beams were observed during a series of plasma sheet boundary encounters resulting from solar wind-driven plasma sheet motions. We conclude that the boundary may be active primarily during plasma sheet 'recovery'. A temporal onset of flows in the inner plasma sheet (IPS) was associated with the appearance of counterstreaming beams embedded in an already isotropic plasma sheet boundary and close to the neutral sheet may have a common generation mechanism.

Angelopoulos, V.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Determination of plasma temperatures and luminosities using multiple extreme-ultraviolet and X-ray filters

We carefully examine the techniques used to infer temperatures of stellar coronal plasmas from the count rates of several broadband instruments in the X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet spectral ranges. In particular, we determine to what extent temperatures can be constrained and the corresponding uncertainties in the luminosities and emission measures lowered by fitting simultaneously count rates from the Einstein imaging proportional counter (IPC), the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counter (PSPC), the ROSAT Wide Field Camera (WFC) (both filters), and the EXOSAT Low Energy Telescope (LET) with the 3-Lex filter. We use published plasma emissivities with solar photospheric abundances. Since it has been found that single-temperature plasmas do not fit IPC data well, we assume a two-temperature plasma model. We find that, even with count rates from all of the above filters and overly optimistic error estimates, it is still not possible to determine a unique two-temperature solution. However, since the use of count rates from many filters can reduce substantially the number of possible solutions, temperature solutions determined by other means can be tested. We carry out such an analysis on a set of 18 nearby late-type stars to determine possible two-temperature solutions using multifilter photometry, and we compare these results with the temperature solutions derived by Schmitt et al. (1990) using IPC spectral data. In general, the two-temperature fits derived from the IPC spectral data are inconsistent with our results, with our data implying that, for many stars, the two temperatures derived by the IPC may be too low by about a factor of 2. The EXOSAT transmission grating Spectrometer (TGS) spectra of capella and sigma(exp 2) CrB support this conclusion. For Procyon and 70 Oph, though, the presence of a temperature component cooler than a million degress (not detected by the IPC) is deduced. While our analysis suggests the existence of more than one temperature in the coronae of late-type stars, in many instances our WFC data appear to be inconsistent with the presence of significant emission measure over a broad temperature distribution. This, together with the success of two-temperature plasmas in fitting IPC and TGS data, implies that for many stars, the coronal emission measure distribution may in fact be dominated by two distinct temperature regimes.

Wood, Brian E.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Coronal mass ejections and the evolution of the large-scale corona

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are dynamic, large-scale events in the solar corona that expel plasma and magnetic fields into the solar wind. The structure of the large-scale corona influences CME occurrence; for example, CMEs are most frequently observed to be disruptions of coronal or helmet streamer configurations on the Sun. We have investigated the evolution of the large-scale corona in the presence of differential rotation, using time-dependent magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations in two and three dimensions. An equilibrium coronal configuration is first computed by superimposing a Parker solar wind flow on an initial potential field, the equations are integrated in time until a steady-state is reached. When differential rotation is introduced, we find that the configuration does not reach a steady state; the closed field regions (helmet streamers) disrupt recurrently, ejecting plasmoids into the solar wind. Our results suggest that differential rotation may be one of the mechanisms by which mass ejections are initiated. We will describe the evolution of the polarization brightness (pB) for the resulting configurations, as well as the propagation of the ejected plasmoids in the solar wind, and we will compare the effects of differential rotation with other possible initiation mechanisms, such as the emergence of new magnetic flux.

Linker, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Radio scintillation variations of the circumsolar plasma over the course of the solar cycle

Interplanetary scintillation observations of the solar wind acceleration region (solar elongation: R approximately 4-30 R(solar mass)) have been performed at the Effelsberg and Pushino telescopes using natural radio sources. The water maser source IRC-20431 was observed at the wavelength lambda = 1.35 cm in a series of nine scintillation experiments performed during the December solar occultations from 1981 to 1994. Dramatic changes in the radial dependence of the scintillation index m(R) were recorded over the course of the 11-year solar cycle. Decidedly reduced scattering, attributed to a pronounced heliolatitude effect, was observed at the closest solar approach distances in the years around solar activity minimum. The anisotropy of the solar scattering region slowly evolves to a spherically symmetric pattern in the years of high solar activity as more intensive scattering returns to the polar latitudes.

Lotova, N. A.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Charging of the International Space Station Due to Its High Voltage Solar Arrays

The International Space Station (ISS) has the highest voltage solar arrays ever flown in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The ISS power system (and structure) ground is at the negative end of the 160 V solar arrays. Due to plasma current collection balance that must be maintained in LEO, it is possible for a spacecraft to charge negative of the ambient plasma by up to its entire solar array voltage (-160 V for ISS).

Ferguson, Dale C.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Uplift of Ionospheric Oxygen Ions During Extreme Magnetic Storms

Research reported earlier in literature was conducted relating to estimation of the ionospheric electrical field, which may have occurred during the September 1859 Carrington geomagnetic storm event, with regard to modern-day consequences. In this research, the NRL SAMI2 ionospheric code has been modified and applied the estimated electric field to the dayside ionosphere. The modeling was done at 15-minute time increments to track the general ionospheric changes. Although it has been known that magnetospheric electric fields get down into the ionosphere, it has been only in the last ten years that scientists have discovered that intense magnetic storm electric fields do also. On the dayside, these dawn-to-dusk directed electric fields lift the plasma (electrons and ions) up to higher altitudes and latitudes. As plasma is removed from lower altitudes, solar UV creates new plasma, so the total plasma in the ionosphere is increased several-fold. Thus, this complex process creates super-dense plasmas at high altitudes (from 700 to 1,000 km and higher).

Tsurutani, Bruce T.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Plasma field characteristics of directional discontinuities in the interplanetary medium

The paper examines plasma and magnetic-field changes occurring across 1359 directional discontinuities taken from interplanetary data spanning almost four solar rotations. The plasma field characteristics of these events exhibit a distinct variation with large-scale solar-wind velocity. At low velocities, tangential discontinuities appear to predominate. At higher velocities, a substantial and increasing fraction of directional discontinuities exhibits the plasma field properties expected of outwardly propagating rotational discontinuities. The results of Sari (1972, 1975) and of the present study suggest that in the calculation of propagation diffusion coefficients for low-energy cosmic rays, the effects of directional discontinuities should be subtracted from the magnetic fluctuation spectrum during relatively quiet wind conditions. It is not clear that such subtraction is necessary during more disturbed periods.

Solodyna, C. V.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Plasma sheet ion composition at various levels of geomagnetic and solar activity

The data obtained in the earth's plasma sheet by the Plasma Composition Experiment on the ISEE-1 spacecraft are briefly reexamined. The data are shown in the form of statistically averaged bulk parameters for the four major ions H(+), He(2+), He(+), and O(+) to illustrate the apparent mixture of solar and terrestrial ions, a mixture that varies with geomagnetic and other conditions. Some major differences in the statistical properties of different ions, which may have a bearing on the physics of the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction, are highlighted.

Lennartsson, W.↗