Interplanetary magnetic field line mixing deduced from impulsive solar flare particles

J. E. Mazur; G. M. Mason; J. R. Dwyer; J. Giacalone; J. R. Jokipii; E. C. Stone

doi:10.1086/312561

Interplanetary magnetic field line mixing deduced from impulsive solar flare particles

J. E. Mazur, G. M. Mason, J. R. Dwyer, J. Giacalone, J. R. Jokipii, E. C. Stone

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

232 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have studied fine-scale temporal variations in the arrival profiles of ∼20 keV nucleon^-1 to ∼2 MeV nucleon^-1 ions from impulsive solar flares using instrumentation on board the Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft at 1 AU between 1997 November and 1999 July. The particle events often had short-timescale (∼3 hr) variations in their intensity that occurred simultaneously across all energies and were generally not in coincidence with any local magnetic field or plasma signature. These features appear to be caused by the convection of magnetic flux tubes past the observer that are alternately filled and devoid of flare ions even though they had a common flare source at the Sun. Thus, we have used the particles to study the mixing of the interplanetary magnetic field that is due to random walk. We deduce an average timescale of 3.2 hr for these features, which corresponds to a length of ∼0.03 AU.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	L79-L82
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	532
Issue number	1 PART 2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/312561
State	Published - Mar 20 2000

Keywords

Acceleration of particles
Interplanetary medium
Sun: flares
Sun: particle emission

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1086/312561

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@article{8300137580614edc82d215e4ae7f53db,

title = "Interplanetary magnetic field line mixing deduced from impulsive solar flare particles",

abstract = "We have studied fine-scale temporal variations in the arrival profiles of ∼20 keV nucleon-1 to ∼2 MeV nucleon-1 ions from impulsive solar flares using instrumentation on board the Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft at 1 AU between 1997 November and 1999 July. The particle events often had short-timescale (∼3 hr) variations in their intensity that occurred simultaneously across all energies and were generally not in coincidence with any local magnetic field or plasma signature. These features appear to be caused by the convection of magnetic flux tubes past the observer that are alternately filled and devoid of flare ions even though they had a common flare source at the Sun. Thus, we have used the particles to study the mixing of the interplanetary magnetic field that is due to random walk. We deduce an average timescale of 3.2 hr for these features, which corresponds to a length of ∼0.03 AU.",

keywords = "Acceleration of particles, Interplanetary medium, Sun: flares, Sun: particle emission",

author = "Mazur, {J. E.} and Mason, {G. M.} and Dwyer, {J. R.} and J. Giacalone and Jokipii, {J. R.} and Stone, {E. C.}",

note = "Funding Information: We thank the many members of the ACE instrument teams who have contributed to the success of the ACE mission, and we acknowledge the special efforts of R. E. Gold and S. M. Krimigis. We thank C. Smith and the ACE/MAG team for the ACE magnetic field measurements reported here, and we thank D. McComas, R. Skoug, and the ACE/SWEPAM team for the solar wind measurements used in the analysis. This work was supported by a contract (Q295801) between the University of Maryland and The Aerospace Corporation. This work was also supported by NASA grant PC 251429. J. Gicalone and J. R. Jokipii acknowledge the support of NASA grants NAG5-7793 and NAG5-6620 and NSF grant ATM 9616547.",

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AU - Mazur, J. E.

AU - Mason, G. M.

AU - Dwyer, J. R.

AU - Giacalone, J.

AU - Jokipii, J. R.

AU - Stone, E. C.

N1 - Funding Information: We thank the many members of the ACE instrument teams who have contributed to the success of the ACE mission, and we acknowledge the special efforts of R. E. Gold and S. M. Krimigis. We thank C. Smith and the ACE/MAG team for the ACE magnetic field measurements reported here, and we thank D. McComas, R. Skoug, and the ACE/SWEPAM team for the solar wind measurements used in the analysis. This work was supported by a contract (Q295801) between the University of Maryland and The Aerospace Corporation. This work was also supported by NASA grant PC 251429. J. Gicalone and J. R. Jokipii acknowledge the support of NASA grants NAG5-7793 and NAG5-6620 and NSF grant ATM 9616547.

PY - 2000/3/20

Y1 - 2000/3/20

N2 - We have studied fine-scale temporal variations in the arrival profiles of ∼20 keV nucleon-1 to ∼2 MeV nucleon-1 ions from impulsive solar flares using instrumentation on board the Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft at 1 AU between 1997 November and 1999 July. The particle events often had short-timescale (∼3 hr) variations in their intensity that occurred simultaneously across all energies and were generally not in coincidence with any local magnetic field or plasma signature. These features appear to be caused by the convection of magnetic flux tubes past the observer that are alternately filled and devoid of flare ions even though they had a common flare source at the Sun. Thus, we have used the particles to study the mixing of the interplanetary magnetic field that is due to random walk. We deduce an average timescale of 3.2 hr for these features, which corresponds to a length of ∼0.03 AU.

AB - We have studied fine-scale temporal variations in the arrival profiles of ∼20 keV nucleon-1 to ∼2 MeV nucleon-1 ions from impulsive solar flares using instrumentation on board the Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft at 1 AU between 1997 November and 1999 July. The particle events often had short-timescale (∼3 hr) variations in their intensity that occurred simultaneously across all energies and were generally not in coincidence with any local magnetic field or plasma signature. These features appear to be caused by the convection of magnetic flux tubes past the observer that are alternately filled and devoid of flare ions even though they had a common flare source at the Sun. Thus, we have used the particles to study the mixing of the interplanetary magnetic field that is due to random walk. We deduce an average timescale of 3.2 hr for these features, which corresponds to a length of ∼0.03 AU.

KW - Acceleration of particles

KW - Interplanetary medium

KW - Sun: flares

KW - Sun: particle emission

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Interplanetary magnetic field line mixing deduced from impulsive solar flare particles

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Keywords

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