-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: A coronal mass ejection and magnetic cloud containing an unusually large enhancement of He+ was observed in the solar wind by the plasma and magnetic field instruments on the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft on May 2-4, 1998. The He+/He++ ratio during this event exceeded 0.5% for a period of more than 24 hours, and reached values as high as 100%. The high He+/He++ ratio indicates the presence of prominence material, and in fact a disappearing filament and prominence were observed at the Sun in association with this event. The prolonged observation of He+ indicates that prominence material extended through mu ch of this CME, the first such observation in a CME in the solar wind.
03/2001;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: This paper reports the first scientific results from the Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor (SWEPAM) instrument on board the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft. We analyzed a coronal mass ejection (CME) observed in the solar wind using data from early February, 1998. This event displayed several of the common signatures of CMEs, such as counterstreaming halo electrons and depressed ion and electron temperatures, as well as some unusual features. During a portion of the CME traversal, SWEPAM measured a very large helium to proton abundance ratio. Other heavy ions, with a set of ionization states consistent with normal (1 to 2x10(exp 6) K) coronal temperatures, were proportionately enhanced at this time. These observations suggest a source for at least some of the CME material, where heavy ions are initially concentrated relative to hydrogen and then accelerated up into the solar wind, independent of their mass and first ionization potential.
03/2001;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The Solar Wind Electron Proton Alpha Monitor (SWEPAM) experiment provides the bulk solar wind observations for the Advanced
Composition Explorer (ACE). These observations provide the context for elemental and isotopic composition measurements made
on ACE as well as allowing the direct examination of numerous solar wind phenomena such as coronal mass ejections, interplanetary
shocks, and solar wind fine structure, with advanced, 3-D plasma instrumentation. They also provide an ideal data set for
both heliospheric and magnetospheric multi-spacecraft studies where they can be used in conjunction with other, simultaneous
observations from spacecraft such as Ulysses. The SWEPAM observations are made simultaneously with independent electron and
ion instruments. In order to save costs for the ACE project, we recycled the flight spares from the joint NASA/ESA Ulysses
mission. Both instruments have undergone selective refurbishment as well as modernization and modifications required to meet
the ACE mission and spacecraft accommodation requirements. Both incorporate electrostatic analyzers whose fan-shaped fields
of view sweep out all pertinent look directions as the spacecraft spins. Enhancements in the SWEPAM instruments from their
original forms as Ulysses spare instruments include (1) a factor of 16 increase in the accumulation interval (and hence sensitivity)
for high energy, halo electrons; (2) halving of the effective ion-detecting CEM spacing from ∼5° on Ulysses to ∼2.5° for ACE;
and (3) the inclusion of a 20° conical swath of enhanced sensitivity coverage in order to measure suprathermal ions outside
of the solar wind beam. New control electronics and programming provide for 64-s resolution of the full electron and ion distribution
functions and cull out a subset of these observations for continuous real-time telemetry for space weather purposes.
Space Science Reviews 06/1998; 86(1):563-612. · 3.61 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present Ulysses solar wind plasma data from the peak southerly latitude of {minus}80.2{degrees} through +64.9{degrees} latitude on June 7, 1995. Ulysses encountered fast wind throughout this time except for a 43{degrees} band centered on the solar equator. Median mass flux was nearly constant with latitude, while speed and density had positive and negative poleward gradients, respectively. Solar wind momentum flux was highest at high latitudes, suggesting a latitudinal asymmetry in the heliopause cross section. Solar wind energy flux density was also highest at high latitudes.
08/1995
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Ulysses has collected data between 1 and 5 AU during, and just following solar maximum, when the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) can be thought of as reaching its maximum tilt and being subject to the maximum amount of turbulence in the solar wind. The Ulysses solar wind plasma instrument measures the vector velocity and can be used to estimate the flow speed and direction in turbulent 'eddies' in the solar wind that are a fraction of an astronomical unit in size and last (have either a turnover or dynamical interaction time of) several hours to more than a day. Here, in a simple exercise, these solar wind eddies at the HCS are characterized using Ulysses data. This character is then used to define a model flow field with eddies that is imposed on an ideal HCS to estimate how the HCS will be deformed by the flow. This model inherently results in the complexity of the HCS increasing with heliocentric distance, but the result is a measure of the degree to which the observed change in complexity is a measure of the importance of solar wind flows in deforming the HCS. By comparison with randomly selected intervals not located on the HCS, it appears that eddies on the HCS are similar to those elsewhere at this time during the solar cycle, as is the resultant deformation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The IMF deformation is analogous to what is often termed the 'random walk' of interplanetary magnetic field lines.
08/1995;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We have been comparing measurements of solar wind speed at the Ulysses spacecraft with coronal flux-tube expansion rates, derived from photospheric field measurements using a current-free coronal model. The large-scale patterns of derived speed have continued to reproduce the observed patterns from launch through south polar passage to the present 40S latitude of the spacecraft. The fastest non-transient wind speeds of approx. 860 km/s were encountered at midlatitudes en route to the south pole, rather than during polar passage when the peak speeds were approx. 820 km/s. Although this result is in qualitative agreement with the idea that the wind speed is controlled by the coronal flux-tube expansion rate, the 40 km/s difference is significantly smaller than the 100-150 km/s difference based on our in-ecliptic calibration. This paper will summarize our attempts to resolve this discrepancy and will show the observational status of our coronal/interplanetary comparison at the time of the meeting.
07/1995;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The Ulysses spacecraft trajectory includes a peak southern latitude of -80.2 deg, reached during September 1994, and perihelion in the ecliptic plane at 134 AU in March 1995. The near-perihelion mission phase features a rapid scan through solar latitude, with rates approaching one degree per day. We will present observations through mid-May 1995, when the spacecraft will be near 1.5 AU and +50 deg solar latitude. At the time of this writing, observations from the solar wind plasma experiment have been examined through -40 deg solar latitude. At that latitude Ulysses was still immersed in fast solar wind from the south polar coronal hole, with wind speeds of 700 to 800 km/s and with a variety of fine structure. Expectations for near-perihelion measurements include times of slow, dense wind characteristic of the near-equatorial heliomagnetic streamer belt. A non-zero tilt of the streamer belt would produce recurrent intervals of fast coronal hole wind and corotating interaction regions (CIRs) caused by fast wind overtaking slow wind. Forward and reverse shock waves bounding the CIRs, routinely observed at low and intermediate latitudes beyond approximately 2 AU, will likely be absent during the northward transit due to proximity to the Sun we will summarize solar wind plasma results concerning meridional gradients in fluid parameters, large-scale and fine structure, and transient events such as coronal mass ejections.
07/1995;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Solar wind plasma observations made by the Ulysses spacecraft through -80.2 degrees solar latitude and continuing equatorward to -40.1 degrees are summarized. Recurrent high-speed streams and corotating interaction regions dominated at middle latitudes. The speed of the solar wind was typically 700 to 800 kilometers per second poleward of -35 degrees . Corotating reverse shocks persisted farther south than did forward shocks because of the tilt of the heliomagnetic streamer belt. Sporadic coronal mass ejections were seen as far south as -60.5 degrees . Proton temperature was higher and the electron strahl was broader at higher latitudes. The high-latitude wind contained compressional, pressure-balanced, and Alfvénic structures.
Science 06/1995; 268(5213):1030-3. · 31.20 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Ulysses plasma measurement from 1.15 to 5.31 AU and from S6.4 to S48.3 solar latitude are used to assess the trends in the solar wind thermal electron temperature and anisotropy. Improved spacecraft potential corrections and data products have been incorporated. The radial temperature gradient is steeper than in previous determinations, but flatter than adiabatic. When normalized to 1 AU, temperature decrease with increasing latitude. Little change in the average thermal anisotropy has been seen during the mission.
Space Science Reviews 03/1995; 72(1):109-112. · 3.61 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We report observations of radial and latitudinal gradients of Ulysses plasma parameters. The solar wind velocity increased rapidly with latitude from 0 to 35, then remained approximately constant at higher latitudes. Solar wind density decreased rapidly from 0 to 35 of latitude, and also was approximately constant beyond that latitude. The mass flux similarly decreased away from the equator (but less than the density), whereas the momentum flux was relatively constant. The radial gradient of the entropy at high latitude indicated a value for the polytrope index of about 1.72 (close to adiabatic); the in-ecliptic estimates of radial gradients for temperature and entropy may be biased by temporal variation. A striking increase in the alpha particle-proton velocity difference with latitude is found.
Space Science Reviews 03/1995; 72(1):113-116. · 3.61 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Ulysses plasma observations reveal that the forward shocks that commonly bound the leading edges of corotating interaction regions (CIRs) beyond 2 AU from the Sun at low heliographic latitudes nearly disappeared at a latitude of S26. On the other hand, the reverse shocks that commonly bound the trailing edges of the CIRs were observed regularly up to S41.5, but became weaker with increasing latitude. Only three CIR shocks have been observed poleward of S41.5; all of these were weak reverse shocks. The above effects are a result of the forward waves propagating to lower heliographic latitudes and the reverse waves to higher latitudes with increasing heliocentric distance. These observational results are in excellent agreement with the predictions of a global model of solar wind flows that originate in a simple tilted-dipole geometry back at the Sun.
Space Science Reviews 03/1995; 72(1):99-104. · 3.61 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The radial component of the magnetic field at Ulysses, over latitudes from –10 to –45 and distances from 5.3 to 3.8 AU, compares very well with corresponding measurements being made by IMP-8 in the ecliptic at 1AU. There is little, if any, evidence of a latitude gradient. Variances in the field, normalized to the square of the field magnitude, show little change with latitude in variations in the magnitude but a large increase in the transverse field variations. The latter are shown to be caused by the presence of large amplitude, long period Alfvnic fluctuations. This identification is based on the close relation between the magnetic field and velocity perturbations including the effect of anisotropy in the solar wind pressure. The waves are propagating outward from the Sun, as in the ecliptic, but variance analysis indicates that the direction of propagation is radial rather than field-aligned. A significant long-period component of 10 hours is present.
Space Science Reviews 03/1995; 72(1):165-170. · 3.61 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Data obtained by the Ulysses magnetometer and solar wind analyzer have been combined to study the properties of magnetic holes in the solar wind between 1 and 5.4 AU and to 23 south latitude. Although the plasma surrounding the holes was generally stable against the mirror instability, there are indications that the holes may have been remnants of mirror mode structures created upstream of the points of observation. Those indications include: (1) For the few holes for which proton or alpha-particle pressure could be measured inside the hole, the ion thermal pressure was always greater than in the plasma adjacent to the holes. (2) The plasma surrounding many of the holes was marginally stable for the mirror mode, while the plasma environment of all the holes was significantly closer to mirror instability than was the average solar wind. (3) The plasma containing trains of closely spaced holes was closer to mirror instability than was the plasma containing isolated holes. (4) The near-hole plasma had much higher ion (ratio of thermal to magnetic pressure) than did the average solar wind.
Space Science Reviews 03/1995; 72(1):201-204. · 3.61 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Nine coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have been detected in the solar wind by the Ulysses plasma experiment between 31 and 61 South. One of these events, which was also a magnetic cloud, was directly associated with an event observed by the soft X-ray telescope on Yohkoh in which large magnetic loops formed in the solar corona directly beneath Ulysses. This association suggests that the flux rope topology of the magnetic cloud resulted from reconnection between the legs of neighboring magnetic loops within the rising CME. The average CME speed (740 km s–1) at these latitudes was comparable to that of the normal solar wind there and is much greater than average CME speeds observed either in the solar wind in the ecliptic plane or in the corona close to the Sun. We suggest that the same basic acceleration process applies to both slow CMEs and the normal solar wind at any latitude.
Space Science Reviews 03/1995; 72(1):133-136. · 3.61 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Between its launch in October 1990 and the end of 1993, approximately 160 fast collisionless shock waves were observed in the solar wind by the Ulysses space probe. During the in-ecliptic part of the mission, to February 1992, the observed shock waves were first caused mainly by solar transient events following the solar maximum and the reorganisation of the large scale coronal fields. With the decay in solar activity, relatively stable Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) were observed betwen 3 and 5.4 AU, each associated with at least one forwardreverse shock pair. During the out-of-ecliptic phase of the orbit, from February 1992 onwards, CIRs and shock pairs associated with them continued to dominate the observations. From July 1992, Ulysses encountered the fast solar wind flow from the newly developed southern polar coronal hole, and from May 1993 remained in the unipolar magnetic region associated with this coronal hole. At latitudes beyond 30, CIRs were associated almost exclusively with reverse shocks only. A comprehensive list of shock waves identified in the magnetic field and solar wind plasma data from Ulysses is given in Table 1. The principal characteristics were determined mainly from the magnetic field data. General considerations concerning the determination of shock characteristics are outlined in the Introduction.
Space Science Reviews 03/1995; 72(1):171-180. · 3.61 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: During its mission in the ecliptic plane, the Ulysses spacecraft crossed
many heliospheric large-scale structures. Several interplanetary (IP)
shocks were identified and characterized using the radio receiver,
magnetometer and proton analyser aboard. The spectroscopy of the thermal
noise measured by the radio receiver gives the plasma electron density
and temperature. We present a list of IP shocks detected between 1 and 5
AU. The upstream beta factor betau is estimated using the
electron, proton and magnetic field data. The angle thetaBN
between the upstream magnetic field and the shock normal, and the Alfven
Mach number MA are deduced from the Rankine-Hugoniot
relations using betau, the electron density Ned
and Neu, and the magnetic field Bd and
Bu. We investigate the correlation of the shock strength
Ned/Neu with the heliocentric distance. Within 5
AU, the shock strength is found to increase with increasing distance to
the Sun for shocks associated with corotating interaction regions, while
it presents no significant dependence in distance for coronal mass
ejection shocks.
Advances in Space Research 02/1995; 15:371-374. · 1.18 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Since launch in October 1990, the Ulysses mission has included an in-ecliptic cruise enroute to Jupiter encounter in February 1992 and a post-Jupiter transit through a wide range of southerly latitudes and heliocentric distances. Here we present results from the solar wind plasma experiment through June 14, 1994, at which time Ulysses was at -68.2 deg heliographic latitude. During the ecliptic phase of the mission, occurring just after solar maximum, the spacecraft encountered an irregular pattern of solar wind speed and sporadic coronal mass ejections, with mass ejections most prevalent during March 1991. Irregular, small-amplitude solar wind streams prevailed until mid-1992, after which Ulysses encountered a recurrent very high-speed stream from an equatorward extension of the South polar coronal hole. Encounters with the high-density, low-speed plasma from the coronal streamer belt ceased as Ulysses moved to increasing southerly latitudes in 1993. Many forward and reverse shocks associated with corotating interaction regions have been encountered; these shocks all had observable electron foreshocks. The shocks became less prevalent with increasing latitude, with the forward shocks disappearing first because of the tilted streamer belt and the resulting meridional shock propagation. After Ulysses passed -35 deg in July 1993 the spacecraft encountered only high-speed wind, with a speed range of 700-800 km/s and a density, scaled to 1 AU, averaging 3/cu cm. Latitudinal gradients in solar wind fluid parameters generally support previous findings, with the gradient in wind speed offset by a gradient in density such that mass momentum flux vary relatively little.
02/1995;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present Ulysses solar wind plasma data from the peak southerly latitude of minus 80.2 degrees through + 64.9 degrees latitude on 7 Jun. 1995. Ulysses encountered fast wind throughout this time except for a 43 degrees band centered on the solar equator. Median mass flux was nearly constant with latitude, while speed and density had positive and negative poleward gradients, respectively. Solar wind momentum flux was highest at high latitudes, suggesting a latitudinal asymmetry in the heliopause cross section. Solar wind energy flux density was also highest at high latitudes.
02/1995;
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: In the 25 months since Jupiter flyby, the Ulysses spacecraft has climbed southward to a heliolatitude of 56. This transit has been marked by an evolution from slow, dense coronal streamer belt solar wind through two regions where the rotation of the Sun carried Ulysses back and forth between streamer belt and polar coronal hole flows, and finally into a region of essentially continuous fast, low density solar wind from the southern polar coronal hole. Throughout these large changes, the momentum flux normalized to 1 AU displays very little systematic variation. In addition, the bulk properties of the polar coronal hole solar wind are quite similar to those observed in high speed streams in the ecliptic plane at 1 AU. Coronal mass ejections and forward and reverse shocks associated with corotating interaction regions have also been observed at higher heliolatitudes, however they are seen less frequently with increasing southern heliolatitude. Ulysses has thus far collected data from 20 of nearly contiguous solar wind flows from the polar coronal hole. We examine these data for characteristic variations with heliolatitude and find that the bulk properties in general show very little systematic variation across the southern polar coronal hole so far.
Space Science Reviews 01/1995; 72(1):93-98. · 3.61 Impact Factor
-
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: We present a study of wave particle interaction in the vicinity of interplanetary shocks in the ecliptic plane, as observed by the Ulysses spacecraft. We focus here on some events, for which electromagnetic waves are observed, mainly down-stream of the shock. The whistler mode waves are studied by means of the Unified RAdio and Plasma wave experiment (URAP) and the electron distribution functions are obtained from the Ulysses'' plasma experiment (SWOOPS). The results are discussed in the light of electron-cyclotron instabilities.
Space Science Reviews 01/1995; 72(1):181-184. · 3.61 Impact Factor
