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Journal articleFuselier SA, Petrinec SM, Reiff PH, et al., 2024,
Global-Scale Processes and Effects of Magnetic Reconnection on the Geospace Environment
, Space Science Reviews, Vol: 220, ISSN: 0038-6308Recent multi-point measurements, in particular from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft, have advanced the understanding of micro-scale aspects of magnetic reconnection. In addition, the MMS mission, as part of the Heliospheric System Observatory, combined with recent advances in global magnetospheric modeling, have furthered the understanding of meso- and global-scale structure and consequences of reconnection. Magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause and in the magnetotail are the drivers of the global Dungey cycle, a classical picture of global magnetospheric circulation. Some recent advances in the global structure and consequences of reconnection that are addressed here include a detailed understanding of the location and steadiness of reconnection at the dayside magnetopause, the importance of multiple plasma sources in the global circulation, and reconnection consequences in the magnetotail. These advances notwithstanding, there are important questions about global reconnection that remain. These questions focus on how multiple reconnection and reconnection variability fit into and complicate the Dungey Cycle picture of global magnetospheric circulation.
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Conference paperStephenson P, Galand M, Deca J, et al., 2024,
Cooling of Electrons in a Weakly Outgassing Comet
<jats:p>The plasma instruments, Mutual Impedance Probe (MIP) and Langmuir Probe (LAP), part of the Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC), onboard the Rosetta mission to comet 67P revealed a population of cold electrons (</jats:p>
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Journal articleProvan G, Bradley T, Bunce E, et al., 2024,
Saturn&#8217;s nightside ring current during Cassini&#8217;s Grand Finale
<jats:p>During Cassini&#8217;s Grand Finale proximal orbits, the spacecraft traversed the nightside magnetotail to ~21 Saturn radii. &#160;Clear signatures of Saturn&#8217;s equatorial current sheet are observed in the magnetic field data. &#160;An axisymmetric model of the ring current is fitted to these data, amended to taken into account the tilt of the current layer by solar wind forcing, its teardrop-shaped nature and the magnetotail and magnetopause fringing fields. &#160;Variations in ring current parameters are examined in relation to external driving of the magnetosphere by the solar wind, and internal driving by the two planetary period oscillations (PPOs) and compared with dawn and dayside regimes. &#160;The relative phasing of the PPOs determines the ring current&#8217;s response to solar wind conditions. During solar wind compressions when the PPOS are in antiphase, magnetospheric storms are triggered and a thick partial ring current is formed on the nightside, dominated by hot plasma injected by tail reconnection.&#160; However, during solar wind compressions when the PPOs are in phase, the magnetosphere shows only a &#8216;minor&#8217; response and a partial ring current is not observed. During solar wind rarefactions an equatorial &#8216;magnetodisc&#8217; configuration is observed in the dayside/dawn/nightside regions, with similar total currents flowing at these local times. &#160;This partial ring current should close partly via magnetopause currents and possibly via field-aligned currents into the ionosphere. &#160;During very quiet intervals of prolonged solar wind rarefaction, a thin current sheet with an enhanced current density is formed, indicative of a ring current dominated by cool, dense, Enceladus water group ions.</jats:p>
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Conference paperStephenson P, Galand M, Deca J, et al., 2024,
Forming a cold electron population at a weakly outgassing comet
<jats:p>The Rosetta Mission rendezvoused with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August 2014 and escorted it for two years along its orbit. The Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC) was a suite of instruments, which observed the plasma environment at the spacecraft throughout the escort phase. The Mutual Impedance Probe (RPC/MIP; Wattieaux et al, 2020; Gilet et al., 2020) and Langmuir Probe (RPC/LAP; Engelhardt et al., 2018), both part of RPC, measured the presence of a cold electron population within the coma.Newly born electrons, generated by ionisation of the neutral gas, form a warm population within the coma at ~10eV. Ionisation is either through absorption of extreme ultraviolet photons or through collisions of energetic electrons with the neutral molecules. The cold electron population is formed by cooling the newly born, warm electrons via electron-neutral collisions. Assuming the radial outflow of electrons, the cold population was only expected at comet 67P close to perihelion, where outgassing rate from the nucleus was at its highest (Q > 1028 s-1). However, cold electrons were observed until the end of the Rosetta mission at 3.8au when the outgassing was weak (Q</jats:p>
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Conference paperRothkaehl H, Andre N, Auster U, et al., 2024,
Dust, Field and Plasma instrument onboard ESA&#8217;s Comet Interceptor &#160;mission
<jats:p>The main goal of ESA&#8217;s F-1 class Comet Interceptor mission is to characterise, for the first time, a long period comet; preferably a dynamically-new or an interstellar object. The main spacecraft, will have its trajectory outside of the inner coma, whereas two sub-spacecrafts will be targeted inside the inner coma, closer to the nucleus. The flyby of such a comet &#160;will offer unique multipoint measurement opportunity to study the comet's dusty and ionised environment in ways exceeding that of the previous cometary missions, including Rosetta.&#160;The Dust Field and Plasma (DFP) instruments located on both the main spacecraft A and on the sub-spacecraft B2, is a combined experiment dedicated to the in situ, multi-point study of the multi-phased ionized and dusty environment in the coma of the target and &#160;its interaction with the surrounding space environment and the Sun.&#160;The DFP instruments will be present in different configurations on the Comet Interceptor spacecraft A and B2. To enable the measurements on spacecraft A, the DFP is composed of 5 sensors; Fluxgate magnetometer DFP-FGM-A, Plasma instrument with nanodust and E-field measurements capabilities DFP-COMPLIMENT, Electron spectrometer DFP-LEES, Ion and energetic neutrals spectrometer DFP-SCIENA &#160;and Dust detector DFP-DISC. On board of spacecraft B2 the DFP is composed of 2 sensors: Fluxgate magnetometer DFP-FGM-B2 and Cometary dust detector DFP-DISC.&#160;The DFP instrument will measure magnetic field, the electric field, plasma parameters (density, temperature, speed), the distribution functions of electrons, ions and energetic neutrals, spacecraft potential, mass, number and spatial density of cometary dust particles and the dust impacts. &#160;&#160;The full set of DFP sensors will allow to model the comet plasma environment and its interaction with the solar wind. It will also allow to describe
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Journal articleLewis ZM, Beth A, Galand M, et al., 2024,
Constraining ion transport in the diamagnetic cavity of comet 67P
, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol: 530, Pages: 66-81, ISSN: 0035-8711The European Space Agency Rosetta mission escorted comet 67P for a 2-yr section of its six and a half-year orbit around the Sun. By perihelion in 2015 August, the neutral and plasma data obtained by the spacecraft instruments showed the comet had transitioned to a dynamic object with large-scale plasma structures and a rich ion environment. One such plasma structure is the diamagnetic cavity: a magnetic field-free region formed by interaction between the unmagnetized cometary plasma and the impinging solar wind. Within this re gion, une xpectedly high ion bulk velocities have been observed, thought to have been accelerated by an ambipolar electric field. We hav e dev eloped a 1D numerical model of the cometary ionosphere to constrain the impact of various electric field profiles on the ionospheric density profile and ion composition. In the model, we include three ion species: H 2 O + , H 3 O + , and NH + 4 . The latter, not previously considered in ionospheric models including acceleration, is produced through the protonation of NH 3 and only lost through ion-electron dissociative recombination, and thus particularly sensitive to the time-scale of plasma loss through transport. We also assess the importance of including momentum transfer when assessing ion composition and densities in the presence of an electric field. By comparing simulated electron densities to Rosetta Plasma Consortium data sets, we find that to recreate the plasma densities measured inside the diamagnetic cavity near perihelion, the model requires an electric field proportional to r -1 of around 0.5-2 mV m -1 surface strength, leading to bulk ion speeds at Rosetta of 1.2-3.0 km s -1 .
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Journal articleDe Keyser J, Edberg NJT, Henri P, et al., 2024,
In situ plasma and neutral gas observation time windows during a comet flyby: Application to the Comet Interceptor mission
, Planetary and Space Science, Vol: 244, ISSN: 0032-0633A comet flyby, like the one planned for ESA's Comet Interceptor mission, places stringent requirements on spacecraft resources. To plan the time line of in situ plasma and neutral gas observations during the flyby, the size of the comet magnetosphere and neutral coma must be estimated well. For given solar irradiance and solar wind conditions, comet composition, and neutral gas expansion speed, the size of gas coma and magnetosphere during the flyby can be estimated from the gas production rate and the flyby geometry. Combined with flyby velocity, the time spent in these regions can be inferred and a data acquisition plan can be elaborated for each instrument, compatible with the limited data storage capacity. The sizes of magnetosphere and gas coma are found from a statistical analysis based on the probability distributions of gas production rate, flyby velocity, and solar wind conditions. The size of the magnetosphere as measured by bow shock standoff distance is 105–106 km near 1 au in the unlikely case of a Halley-type target comet, down to a nonexistent bow shock for targets with low activity. This translates into durations up to 103–104 seconds. These estimates can be narrowed down when a target is identified far from the Sun, and even more so as its activity can be predicted more reliably closer to the Sun. Plasma and neutral gas instruments on the Comet Interceptor main spacecraft can monitor the entire flyby by using an adaptive data acquisition strategy in the context of a record-and-playback scenario. For probes released from the main spacecraft, the inter-satellite communication link limits the data return. For a slow flyby of an active comet, the probes may not yet be released during the inbound bow shock crossing.
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Journal articleArcher M, Pilipenko V, Li B, et al.,
Magnetopause MHD Surface Wave Theory: Progress & Challenges
, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, ISSN: 2296-987X -
Journal articleZhou Y, He F, Archer MO, et al., 2024,
Spatial evolution characteristics of plasmapause surface wave during a geomagnetic storm on 16 July 2017
, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol: 51, ISSN: 0094-8276Boundary dynamics are crucial for the transport of energy, mass, and momentum in geospace. The recently discovered plasmapause surface wave (PSW) plays a key role in the inner magnetosphere dynamics. However, a comprehensive investigation of spatial variations of the PSW remains absent. In this study, we elucidate the spatial characteristics of a PSW through observations from multiple spacecrafts in the magnetosphere. Following the initiation of the PSW, quasi-periodic injections of energetic ions, rather than electrons, are suggested to serve as energy source of the PSW. Based on the distinct wave and particle signatures, we categorize the PSW into four regions: seed region, growth region, stabilization region and decay region, spanning from nightside to afternoon plasmapause. These findings advance our understanding of universal boundary dynamics and contribute to a deeper comprehension of the pivotal roles of surface waves in the energy couplings within the magnetosphere-plasmasphere-ionosphere system.
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Journal articleSparks N, Toumi R, 2024,
The Imperial College Storm Model (IRIS) Dataset
, Scientific Data -
Journal articleBlackford K, Kasoar M, Burton C, et al., 2024,
INFERNO-peat v1.0.0: a representation of northern high latitude peat fires in the JULES-INFERNO global fire model
, Geoscientific Model Development, Vol: 17, Pages: 3063-3079, ISSN: 1991-959XPeat fires in the northern high latitudes have the potential to burn vast amounts of carbon-rich organic soil, releasing large quantities of long-term stored carbon to the atmosphere. Due to anthropogenic activities and climate change, peat fires are increasing in frequency and intensity across the high latitudes. However, at present they are not explicitly included in most fire models. Here we detail the development of INFERNO-peat, the first parameterization of peat fires in the JULES-INFERNO (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator INteractive Fire and Emission algoRithm for Natural envirOnments) fire model. INFERNO-peat utilizes knowledge from lab and field-based studies on peat fire ignition and spread to be able to model peat burnt area, burn depth, and carbon emissions, based on data of the moisture content, inorganic content, bulk density, soil temperature, and water table depth of peat. INFERNO-peat improves the representation of burnt area in the high latitudes, with peat fires simulating on average an additional 0.305×106 km2 of burn area each year, emitting 224.10 Tg of carbon. Compared to Global Fire Emissions Database version 5 (GFED5), INFERNO-peat captures ∼ 20 % more burnt area, whereas INFERNO underestimated burning by 50 %. Additionally, INFERNO-peat substantially improves the representation of interannual variability in burnt area and subsequent carbon emissions across the high latitudes. The coefficient of variation in carbon emissions is increased from 0.071 in INFERNO to 0.127 in INFERNO-peat, an almost 80 % increase. Therefore, explicitly modelling peat fires shows a substantial improvement in the fire modelling capabilities of JULES-INFERNO, highlighting the importance of representing peatland systems in fire models.
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Journal articleEriksson S, Swisdak M, Mallet A, et al., 2024,
Parker Solar Probe Observations of Magnetic Reconnection Exhausts in Quiescent Plasmas near the Sun
, Astrophysical Journal, Vol: 965, ISSN: 0004-637XParker Solar Probe observations are analyzed for the presence of reconnection exhausts across current sheets (CSs) within R < 0.26 au during encounters 4-11. Exhausts are observed with nearly equal probability at all radial distances with a preference for quiescent Tp < 0.80 MK plasmas typical of a slow-wind regime. High Tp > 0.80 MK plasmas of a fast wind characterized by significant transverse fluctuations rarely support exhausts irrespective of the CS width. Exhaust observations demonstrate the presence of local temperature gradients across several CSs with a higher-Tp plasma on locally closed fields and a lower-Tp plasma on locally open field lines for an interchange-type reconnection. A CS geometry analysis directly supports the property that X-lines bisect the magnetic field rotation θ-angle, whether the fields and plasmas are asymmetric or not, to maximize reconnection rates and available magnetic energy. The CS normal width d cs distributions suggest that a multiscale reconnection process through nested layers of bifurcated CSs may be responsible for observed power-law distributions beyond the median d cs ∼ 1000 km with an exponential d cs distribution present for ion kinetic dissipation scales below this median. Magnetic field shear θ-angles are essentially identical at R < 0.26 and 1 au with medians at θ ∼ 55° near the Sun and θ ∼ 65° at 1 au. In contrast, the tangential flow shear distributions are different near and far from the Sun. A bimodal flow shear angle distribution is present near the Sun with strong shear flow magnitudes. This distribution is modified with radial distance toward a relatively flat distribution of weaker flow shear magnitudes.
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Journal articleMitchell DG, Hill ME, McComas DJ, et al., 2024,
Likely Common Coronal Source of Solar Wind and <sup>3</sup>He-enriched Energetic Particles: Uncoupled Transport from the Low Corona to 0.2 au
, Astrophysical Journal, Vol: 965, ISSN: 0004-637XParker Solar Probe (PSP) observations of a small dispersive event on 2022 February 27 and 28 indicate scatter-free propagation as the dominant transport mechanism between the low corona and greater than 35 solar radii. The event occurred during unique orbital conditions that prevailed along specific flux tubes that PSP encountered repeatedly between 25 and 35 Rs during outbound orbit 11. This segment of the PSP orbit exhibits almost stationary angular motion relative to the rotating solar surface, such that in the rotating frame, PSP’s motion is essentially radial. The time dispersion often observed in impulsive solar energetic particle (SEP) events continues in this case down to velocities including the core solar-wind ion velocities. Especially at the onset of this event, the 3He content is much larger than the usual SEP abundances seen in the energy range from ∼100 keV to several MeV for helium. Later in the event, iron is enhanced. The compositional signatures suggest this to be an example of an acceleration mechanism for generating the seed energetic particles required by shock (or compression) acceleration models in SEP events to account for the enrichment of various species above solar abundances in such events. A preliminary search of similar orbital conditions over the PSP mission has not revealed additional such events, although favorable conditions (isolated impulsive acceleration and well-ordered magnetic field connection with minimal magnetic field fluctuation) that would be required are infrequently realized, given the small fraction of the PSP trajectory that meets these observation conditions.
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Journal articleStephenson P, Galand M, Deca J, et al., 2024,
Cold electrons at a weakly outgassing comet
, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol: 529, Pages: 2854-2865, ISSN: 0035-8711Throughout the Rosetta mission, cold electrons (<1 eV) were measured in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Cometary electrons are produced at ∼10 eV through photoionization or through electron-impact ionization collisions. The cold electron population is formed by cooling the warm population through inelastic electron–neutral collisions. Assuming radial electron outflow, electrons are collisional with the neutral gas coma below the electron exobase, which only formed above the comet surface in near-perihelion high-outgassing conditions (Q > 3 × 1027 s−1). However, the cold population was identified at low outgassing (Q < 1026 s−1), when the inner coma was not expected to be collisional. We examine cooling of electrons at a weakly outgassing comet, using a 3D collisional model of electrons at a comet. Electron paths are extended by trapping in an ambipolar electric field and by gyration around magnetic field lines. This increases the probability of electrons undergoing inelastic collisions with the coma and becoming cold. We demonstrate that a cold electron population can be formed and sustained, under weak outgassing conditions (Q = 1026 s−1), once 3D electron dynamics are accounted for. Cold electrons are produced in the inner coma through electron–neutral collisions and transported tailwards by an E × B drift We quantify the efficiency of trapping in driving electron cooling, with trajectories typically 100 times longer than expected from ballistic radial outflow. Based on collisional simulations, we define an estimate for a region where a cold electron population can form, bounded by an electron cooling exobase. This estimate agrees well with cold electron measurements from the Rosetta Plasma Consortium.
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Journal articleHellinger P, Verdini A, Montagud-Camps V, et al., 2024,
Anisotropy of plasma turbulence at ion scales: Hall and pressure-strain effects
, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol: 684, ISSN: 0004-6361Aims. We investigated the properties of plasma turbulence at ion scales in the solar wind context. We concentrated on the behaviour of the Hall physics and the pressure strain interaction and their anisotropy owing to the ambient magnetic field. Methods. We studied the results of a three-dimensional hybrid simulation of decaying plasma turbulence using the Kármán-Howarth-Monin (KHM) equation, which quantifies different turbulent processes. Results. The isotropised KHM analysis shows that kinetic plus magnetic (kinetic+magnetic) energy decays at large scales; this energy cascades from large to small scales via the magneto-hydrodynamic non-linearity that is partly continued via the Hall coupling around the ion scales. The cascading kinetic+magnetic energy is partly dissipated at small scales via resistive dissipation. This standard dissipation is complemented by the pressure-strain interaction, which plays the role of an effective dissipation mechanism and starts to act at relatively large scales. The pressure-strain interaction has two components, compressive and incompressive. Compressive interaction is connected with the velocity dilatation, which mostly reversibly exchanges kinetic+magnetic and internal energies. Incompressive interaction mostly irreversibly converts the kinetic+magnetic energy to internal energy. The compressive effects lead to important oscillations of the turbulence properties, but the compressibility is strongly reduced when averaged over a time period spanning a few periods of the oscillations. The ambient magnetic field induces a strong spectral anisotropy. The turbulent fluctuations exhibit larger scales along the magnetic field compared to the perpendicular directions. The KHM results show the corresponding anisotropy of turbulent processes: their characteristic scales shift to larger scales in the quasi-parallel direction with respect to the ambient magnetic field compared to the quasi-perpendicular direction. This anisotrop
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Journal articleDing M, Ryabtsev AN, Kononov EY, et al., 2024,
Spectrum and energy levels of the low-lying configurations of Nd III
, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol: 684, Pages: A149-A149, ISSN: 0004-6361<jats:p><jats:italic>Aims</jats:italic>. Our goal is to accurately determine bound-to-bound transition wavelengths and energy levels of the low-lying open-shell configurations 4f<jats:sup>4</jats:sup>, 4f<jats:sup>3</jats:sup> 5d, 4f<jats:sup>3</jats:sup>6s, and 4f<jats:sup>3</jats:sup> 6p of doubly ionised neodymium (Nd III) through high-resolution spectroscopy and semi-empirical calculations.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:italic>Methods</jats:italic>. The emission spectra of neodymium (Nd, <jats:italic>Z</jats:italic> = 60) were recorded using Penning and hollow cathode discharge lamps in the region 11 500-54000 cm<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> (8695–1852 Å) by Fourier transform spectroscopy at resolving powers up to 10<jats:sup>6</jats:sup>. Wavenumber measurements were accurate to a few 10<jats:sup>−3</jats:sup> cm<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>. Grating spectroscopy of Nd vacuum sliding sparks and stellar spectra were used to aid line and energy level identification. For the analysis, new Nd III atomic structure and transition probability calculations were carried out using the Cowan code parameterised by newly established levels.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:italic>Results</jats:italic>. The classification of 432 transitions of Nd III from the Penning lamp spectra resulted in the determination of 144 energy levels of the 4f<jats:sup>4</jats:sup>, 4f<jats:sup>3</jats:sup> 5d, 4f<jats:sup>3</jats:sup> 6s, and 4f<jats:sup>3</jats:sup> 6p configurations of Nd III, 105 of which were experimentally established for the first time. Of the 40 previously published Nd III levels, one was revised and 39 were confirmed.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:italic>Conclusions</jats:italic>. The results will not only benchmark and improve future se
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Journal articleFiedler S, Naik V, O'Connor FM, et al., 2024,
Interactions between atmospheric composition and climate change - progress in understanding and future opportunities from AerChemMIP, PDRMIP, and RFMIP
, Geoscientific Model Development, Vol: 17, Pages: 2387-2417, ISSN: 1991-959XThe climate science community aims to improve our understanding of climate change due to anthropogenic influences on atmospheric composition and the Earth's surface. Yet not all climate interactions are fully understood, and uncertainty in climate model results persists, as assessed in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report. We synthesize current challenges and emphasize opportunities for advancing our understanding of the interactions between atmospheric composition, air quality, and climate change, as well as for quantifying model diversity. Our perspective is based on expert views from three multi-model intercomparison projects (MIPs) - the Precipitation Driver Response MIP (PDRMIP), the Aerosol Chemistry MIP (AerChemMIP), and the Radiative Forcing MIP (RFMIP). While there are many shared interests and specializations across the MIPs, they have their own scientific foci and specific approaches. The partial overlap between the MIPs proved useful for advancing the understanding of the perturbation-response paradigm through multi-model ensembles of Earth system models of varying complexity. We discuss the challenges of gaining insights from Earth system models that face computational and process representation limits and provide guidance from our lessons learned. Promising i
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Journal articleFeingold G, Ghate VP, Russell LM, et al., 2024,
Physical science research needed to evaluate the viability and risks of marine cloud brightening.
, Sci Adv, Vol: 10Marine cloud brightening (MCB) is the deliberate injection of aerosol particles into shallow marine clouds to increase their reflection of solar radiation and reduce the amount of energy absorbed by the climate system. From the physical science perspective, the consensus of a broad international group of scientists is that the viability of MCB will ultimately depend on whether observations and models can robustly assess the scale-up of local-to-global brightening in today's climate and identify strategies that will ensure an equitable geographical distribution of the benefits and risks associated with projected regional changes in temperature and precipitation. To address the physical science knowledge gaps required to assess the societal implications of MCB, we propose a substantial and targeted program of research-field and laboratory experiments, monitoring, and numerical modeling across a range of scales.
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Journal articleRojo M, Persson M, Sauvaud JA, et al., 2024,
Electron moments derived from the Mercury Electron Analyzer during the cruise phase of BepiColombo
, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol: 683, ISSN: 0004-6361Aims. We derive electron density and temperature from observations obtained by the Mercury Electron Analyzer on board Mio during the cruise phase of BepiColombo while the spacecraft is in a stacked configuration. Methods. In order to remove the secondary electron emission contribution, we first fit the core electron population of the solar wind with a Maxwellian distribution. We then subtract the resulting distribution from the complete electron spectrum, and suppress the residual count rates observed at low energies. Hence, our corrected count rates consist of the sum of the fitted Maxwellian core electron population with a contribution at higher energies. We finally estimate the electron density and temperature from the corrected count rates using a classical integration method. We illustrate the results of our derivation for two case studies, including the second Venus flyby of BepiColombo when the Solar Orbiter spacecraft was located nearby, and for a statistical study using observations obtained to date for distances to the Sun ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 AU. Results. When compared either to measurements of Solar Orbiter or to measurements obtained by HELIOS and Parker Solar Probe, our method leads to a good estimation of the electron density and temperature. Hence, despite the strong limitations arising from the stacked configuration of BepiColombo during its cruise phase, we illustrate how we can retrieve reasonable estimates for the electron density and temperature for timescales from days down to several seconds.
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Journal articleCoburn JT, Verscharen D, Owen CJ, et al., 2024,
The Regulation of the Solar Wind Electron Heat Flux by Wave-Particle Interactions
, Astrophysical Journal, Vol: 964, ISSN: 0004-637XThe solar wind electrons carry a significant heat flux into the heliosphere. The weakly collisional state of the solar wind implicates collisionless processes as the primary factor that constrains nonthermal features of the velocity distribution function (VDF), including the heat flux. Previous observational work suggests that the electron VDF sometimes becomes unstable to the whistler wave, but reliance on model VDFs (e.g., drifting bi-Maxwellians) has proven insufficient for an exact description of the behavior of the solar wind electrons—in particular, the regulation of the heat flux. The characterization of these processes requires methods to obtain fine details of the VDF and quantification of the impact of kinetic processes on the VDF. We employ measurements of the electron VDF by Solar Orbiter’s Solar Wind Analyser and of the magnetic field by the Radio and Plasma Waves instrument to study an unstable solar wind electron configuration. Through a Hermite-Laguerre expansion of the VDF, we implement a low-pass filter in velocity space to remove velocity space noise and obtain a VDF suitable for analysis. With our method, we directly measure the instability growth rate and the rate of change of the electron heat flux through wave-particle interactions.
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Journal articleSishtla CP, Pomoell J, Magyar N, et al., 2024,
Validity of using Elsässer variables to study the interaction of compressible solar wind fluctuations with a coronal mass ejection
, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol: 683, ISSN: 0004-6361Context. Alfvénic fluctuations, as modelled by the non-linear interactions of AlfvÉn waves of various scales, are seen to dominate solar wind turbulence. However, there is also a non-negligible component of non-Alfvénic fluctuations. The Elsässer formalism, which is central to the study of Alfvénic turbulence due to its ability to differentiate between parallel and anti-parallel Alfvén waves, cannot strictly separate wavemodes in the presence of compressive magnetoacoustic waves. In this study, we analyse the deviations generated in the Elsässer formalism as density fluctuations are naturally generated through the propagation of a linearly polarised Alfvén wave. The study was performed in the context of a coronal mass ejection (CME) propagating through the solar wind, which enables the creation of two solar wind regimes, pristine wind and a shocked CME sheath, where the Elsässer formalism can be evaluated. Aims. We studied the deviations of the Elsässer formalism in separating parallel and anti-parallel components of AlfvÉnic solar wind perturbations generated by small-amplitude density fluctuations. Subsequently, we evaluated how the deviations cause a misinterpretation of the composition of waves through the parameters of cross helicity and reflection coeffcient. Methods.We used an ideal 2.5D magnetohydrodynamic model with an adiabatic equation of state. An AlfvÉn pump wave was injected into the quiet solar wind by perturbing the transverse magnetic field and velocity components. This wave subsequently generates density fluctuations through the ponderomotive force. A CME was injected by inserting a flux-rope modelled as a magnetic island into the quasi-steady solar wind. Results. The presence of density perturbations creates a ≈10% deviation in the Elsässer variables and reflection coeffcient for the AlfvÉn waves as well as a deviation of ≈0.1 in the cross helicity
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Journal articleLiu YD, Zhu B, Ran H, et al., 2024,
Direct In Situ Measurements of a Fast Coronal Mass Ejection and Associated Structures in the Corona
, Astrophysical Journal, Vol: 963, ISSN: 0004-637XWe report on the first direct in situ measurements of a fast coronal mass ejection (CME) and shock in the corona, which occurred on 2022 September 5. In situ measurements from the Parker Solar Probe spacecraft near perihelion suggest two shocks, with the second one decayed, which is consistent with more than one eruption in coronagraph images. Despite a flank crossing, the measurements indicate unique features of the young ejecta: a plasma much hotter than the ambient medium, suggestive of a hot solar source, and a large plasma β implying a highly non-force-free state and the importance of thermal pressure gradient for CME acceleration and expansion. Reconstruction of the global coronal magnetic fields shows a long-duration change in the heliospheric current sheet (HCS), and the observed field polarity reversals agree with a more warped HCS configuration. Reconnection signatures are observed inside an HCS crossing as deep as the sonic critical point. As the reconnection occurs in the sub-Alfvénic wind, the reconnected flux sunward of the reconnection site can close back to the Sun, which helps balance magnetic flux in the heliosphere. The nature of the sub-Alfvénic wind after the HCS crossing as a low Mach-number boundary layer (LMBL) leads to in situ measurements of the near subsonic plasma at a surprisingly large distance. Specifically, an LMBL may provide favorable conditions for the crossings of the sonic critical point in addition to the Alfvén surface.
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Journal articleMatteini L, Tenerani A, Landi S, et al., 2024,
Alfvénic fluctuations in the expanding solar wind: Formation and radial evolution of spherical polarization
, Physics of Plasmas, Vol: 31, ISSN: 1070-664XWe investigate properties of large-scale solar wind Alfvénic fluctuations and their evolution during radial expansion. We assume a strictly radial background magnetic field B ∥ R , and we use two-dimensional hybrid (fluid electrons, kinetic ions) simulations of balanced Alfvénic turbulence in the plane orthogonal to B ; the simulated plasma evolves in a system comoving with the solar wind (i.e., in the expanding box approximation). Despite some model limitations, simulations exhibit important properties observed in the solar wind plasma: Magnetic field fluctuations evolve toward a state with low-amplitude variations in the amplitude B = | B | and tend to a spherical polarization. This is achieved in the plasma by spontaneously generating field aligned, radial fluctuations that suppress local variations of B, maintaining B ∼ const. spatially in the plasma. We show that within the constraint of spherical polarization, variations in the radial component of the magnetic field, BR lead to a simple relation between δ B R and δ B = | δ B | as δ B R ∼ δ B 2 / ( 2 B ) , which correctly describes the observed evolution of the rms of radial fluctuations in the solar wind. During expansion, the background magnetic field amplitude decreases faster than that of fluctuations so that their the relative amplitude increases. In the regime of strong fluctuations, δ B ∼ B , this causes local magnetic field reversals, consistent with solar wind switchbacks.
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Journal articleHeinemann SG, Sishtla C, Good S, et al., 2024,
Classification of Enhanced Geoeffectiveness Resulting from High-speed Solar Wind Streams Compressing Slower Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections
, Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol: 963, ISSN: 2041-8205High-speed solar wind streams (HSSs) interact with the preceding ambient solar wind to form stream interaction regions (SIRs), which are a primary source of recurrent geomagnetic storms. However, HSSs may also encounter and subsequently interact with interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). In particular, the impact of the interaction between slower ICMEs and faster HSSs represents an unexplored area that requires further in-depth investigation. This specific interaction can give rise to unexpected geomagnetic storm signatures, diverging from the conventional expectations of individual SIR events sharing similar HSS properties. Our study presents a comprehensive analysis of solar wind data spanning from 1996 to 2020, capturing 23 instances where such encounters led to geomagnetic storms (SymH < −30 nT). We determined that interaction events between preceding slower ICMEs and faster HSSs possess the potential to induce substantial storm activity, statistically nearly doubling the geoeffective impact in comparison to SIR storm events. The increase in the amplitude of the SymH index appears to result from heightened dynamic pressure, often coupled with the concurrent amplification of the CMEs rearward |B| and/or Bz components.
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Journal articleGrimmich N, Prencipe F, Turner DL, et al., 2024,
Multi Satellite Observation of a Foreshock Bubble Causing an Extreme Magnetopause Expansion
, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol: 129, ISSN: 2169-9380The interaction of a solar wind discontinuity with the backstreaming particles of the Earth’s ion foreshock can generate hot, tenuous plasma transients such as foreshock bubbles (FB) and hot flow anomalies (HFA). These transients are known to have strong effects on the magnetosphere, distorting the magnetopause (MP), either locally during HFAs or globally during FBs. However, previous studies on the global impact of FBs have not been able to determine whether the response stems directly from the transverse scale size of the phenomenon or its fast motion over the magnetosphere. Here we present the observation of an FB and its impact on the magnetosphere from different spacecraft scattered over the dayside magnetosphere. We are able to constrain the size of the transverse scale of an FB from direct observations to be about 10 RE. We go on to discuss how the magnetosphere responds to this transient, which seems to have a similar scale across the dayside.
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Journal articleJohnson M, Rivera YJ, Niembro T, et al., 2024,
Helium Abundance Periods Observed by the Solar Probe Cup on Parker Solar Probe: Encounters 1-14
, Astrophysical Journal, Vol: 964, ISSN: 0004-637XParker Solar Probe is a mission designed to explore the properties of the solar wind closer than ever before. Detailed particle observations from the Solar Probe Cup (SPC) have primarily focused on examining the proton population in the solar wind. However, several periods throughout the Parker mission have indicated that SPC has observed a pronounced and distinctive population of fully ionized helium, He2+. Minor ions are imprinted with properties of the solar wind’s source region, as well as mechanisms active during outflow, making them sensitive markers of its origin and formation at the Sun. Through a detailed analysis of the He2+ velocity distributions functions, this work examines periods where significant and persistent He2+ peaks are observed with SPC. We compute the helium abundance and examine the stream’s bulk speed, density, temperature, magnetic field topology, and electron strahl properties to identify distinctive solar-wind features that can provide insight to their solar source. We find that nearly all periods exhibit an elevated mean helium composition (8.34%) compared to typical solar wind and a majority (∼87%) of these periods are connected to coronal mass ejections (CMEs), with the highest abundance reaching 23.1%. The helium abundance and number of events increases as the solar cycle approaches maximum, with a weak dependence on speed. Additionally, the events not associated with a CME are clustered near the heliospheric current sheet, suggesting they are connected to streamer belt outflows. However, there are currently no theoretical explanations that fully describe the range of depleted and elevated helium abundances observed.
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Journal articleKuhlbrodt T, Swaminathan R, Ceppi P, et al., 2024,
A Glimpse into the Future The 2023 Ocean Temperature and Sea Ice Extremes in the Context of Longer-Term Climate Change
, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, Vol: 105, Pages: E474-E485, ISSN: 0003-0007In the year 2023, we have seen extraordinary extrema in high sea surface temperature (SST) in the North Atlantic and in low sea ice extent in the Southern Ocean, outside the 4σ envelope of the 1982–2011 daily time series. Earth’s net global energy imbalance (12 months up to September 2023) amounts to +1.9 W m−2 as part of a remarkably large upward trend, ensuring further heating of the ocean. However, the regional radiation budget over the North Atlantic does not show signs of a suggested significant step increase from less negative aerosol forcing since 2020. While the temperature in the top 100 m of the global ocean has been rising in all basins since about 1980, specifically the Atlantic basin has continued to further heat up since 2016, potentially contributing to the extreme SST. Similarly, salinity in the top 100 m of the ocean has increased in recent years specifically in the Atlantic basin, and in addition in about 2015 a substantial negative trend for sea ice extent in the Southern Ocean began. Analyzing climate and Earth system model simulations of the future, we find that the extreme SST in the North Atlantic and the extreme in Southern Ocean sea ice extent in 2023 lie at the fringe of the expected mean climate change for a global surface-air temperature warming level (GWL) of 1.5°C, and closer to the average at a 3.0°C GWL. Understanding the regional and global drivers of these extremes is indispensable for assessing frequency and impacts of similar events in the coming years.
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Journal articleKellogg PJ, Mozer FS, Moncuquet M, et al., 2024,
Heating and Acceleration of the Solar Wind by Ion Acoustic Waves—Parker Solar Probe
, Astrophysical Journal, Vol: 964, ISSN: 0004-637XThe heating of the solar wind has been shown to be correlated with certain ion acoustic waves. Here calculations of the heating are made, using the methods used previously for STEREO observations, which show that the strong damping of ion acoustic waves rapidly delivers their energy to the plasma of the solar wind. It is shown that heating by the observed waves is not only sufficient to produce the observed heating but can also provide much or all of the outward acceleration of the solar wind.
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Journal articleLaker R, Horbury TS, OBrien H, et al., 2024,
Using Solar Orbiter as an Upstream Solar Wind Monitor for Real Time Space Weather Predictions
, Space Weather, Vol: 22Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can create significant disruption to human activities and systems on Earth, much of which can be mitigated with prior warning of the upstream solar wind conditions. However, it is currently extremely challenging to accurately predict the arrival time and internal structure of a CME from coronagraph images alone. In this study, we take advantage of a rare opportunity to use Solar Orbiter, at 0.5 au upstream of Earth, as an upstream solar wind monitor. In combination with low-latency images from STEREO-A, we successfully predicted the arrival time of two CME events before they reached Earth. Measurements at Solar Orbiter were used to constrain an ensemble of simulation runs from the ELEvoHI model, reducing the uncertainty in arrival time from 10.4 to 2.5 hr in the first case study. There was also an excellent agreement in the Bz profile between Solar Orbiter and Wind spacecraft for the second case study, despite being separated by 0.5 au and 10° longitude. The opportunity to use Solar Orbiter as an upstream solar wind monitor will repeat once a year, which should further help assess the efficacy upstream in-situ measurements in real time space weather forecasting.
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Journal articleMostafavi P, Allen RC, Jagarlamudi VK, et al., 2024,
Parker Solar Probe observations of collisional effects on thermalizing the young solar wind
, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol: 682, ISSN: 0004-6361Solar wind ions exhibit distinct kinetic non-thermal features such as preferential heating and acceleration of alpha particles compared to protons. On the other hand, Coulomb collisions in the solar wind act to eliminate these non-thermal features and gradually lead to thermal equilibrium. Previous observations at 1 au have revealed that even though the local Coulomb collisions in the solar wind plasma are rare, the cumulative effect of the collisions during a transit time of a particle can be important in terms of thermalizing the solar wind plasma populations and reducing the ion non-thermal features. Here, we analyze Parker Solar Probe observations to study the effects of Coulomb collisions on the non-thermal features (alpha-to-proton temperature ratio and differential flow) of young solar wind closer to the Sun than previously possible. Our results show that even close to the Sun (~15Rs), these non-thermal features are organized by collisionality. Moreover, observations at these unprecedented distances allow us to investigate the preferential heating of the alpha particles close to the source for both fast and slow wind streams. We show that the alpha-to-proton temperature ratio is positively correlated with the solar wind speed, which is consistent with Wind observations. Solar wind close to the Sun is less collisionally old than when it reaches 1 au. As such, observed differences in the temperature ratio between slow and fast streams near their solar source suggest causes that go beyond different Coulomb numbers. Our results suggest that slow and fast wind streams, originating from different solar regions, may have different mechanisms for the preferential heating of alpha particles compared to protons.
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