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arXiv · 2410.02351

A solar rotation signature in cosmic dust: frequency analysis of dust particle impacts on the Wind spacecraft

Lennart R. Baalmann·Silvan Hunziker·Arthur Péronne·James W. Kirchner·Karl-Heinz Glassmeier·David M. Malaspina·Lynn B. Wilson III·Christoph Strähl·Shivank Chadda·Veerle J. Sterken
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Abstract

Dust particle impacts on the Wind spacecraft were detected with its plasma wave instrument Wind/WAVES. Frequency analysis on this dust impact time series revealed spectral peaks indicative of a solar rotation signature. We investigated whether this solar rotation signature is embedded in the interplanetary or interstellar dust (ISD) and whether it is caused by co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs), by the sector structure of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), or by external effects. We performed frequency analysis on subsets of the data to investigate the origin of these spectral peaks, comparing segments of Wind's orbit when the spacecraft moved against or with the ISD inflow direction and comparing the time periods of the ISD focusing and defocusing phases of the solar magnetic cycle. A superposed epoch analysis of the number of dust impacts during CIRs was used to investigate the systematic effect of CIRs. Case studies of time periods with frequent or infrequent occurrences of CIRs were compared to synthetic data of dust impacts affected by CIRs. We performed similar case studies for time periods with a stable or chaotic IMF sector structure. The superposed epoch analysis was repeated for a time series of the spacecraft floating potential. Spectral peaks were found at the solar rotation period of ~27d and its harmonics at 13.5d and 9d. This solar rotation signature may affect both interplanetary and ISD. The appearance of this signature correlates with the occurrence of CIRs but not with the stability of the IMF sector structure. The CIRs cause, on average, a reduction in the number of dust impact detections. Periodic changes of the spacecraft's floating potential were found to partially counteract this reduction by enhancing the instrument's sensitivity to dust impacts; these changes of the floating potential are thus unlikely to be the cause of the solar rotation signature.

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Lennart R. Baalmann, Silvan Hunziker, Arthur Péronne, James W. Kirchner, Karl-Heinz Glassmeier, David M. Malaspina, Lynn B. Wilson III, Christoph Strähl, Shivank Chadda, Veerle J. Sterken. 2024-10-03. A solar rotation signature in cosmic dust: frequency analysis of dust particle impacts on the Wind spacecraft. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361%2F202450069

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