arXiv subjects

C. J. Owen

Publications and source records attributed to C. J. Owen.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

The Solar Orbiter mission -- Science overview

Solar Orbiter, the first mission of ESA's Cosmic Vision 2015-2025 programme and a mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA, will explore the Sun and heliosphere from close up and out of the ecliptic plane. It was launched on 10 February 2020 04:03 UTC from Cape Canaveral and aims to address key questions of solar and heliospheric physics pertaining to how the Sun creates and controls the Heliosphere, and why solar activity changes with time. To answer these, the mission carries six remote-sensing instruments to observe the Sun and the solar corona, and four in-situ instruments to measure the solar wind, energetic particles, and electromagnetic fields. In this paper, we describe the science objectives of the mission, and how these will be addressed by the joint observations of the instruments onboard. The paper first summarises the mission-level science objectives, followed by an overview of the spacecraft and payload. We report the observables and performance figures of each instrument, as well as the trajectory design. This is followed by a summary of the science operations concept. The paper concludes with a more detailed description of the science objectives. Solar Orbiter will combine in-situ measurements in the heliosphere with high-resolution remote-sensing observations of the Sun to address fundamental questions of solar and heliospheric physics. The performance of the Solar Orbiter payload meets the requirements derived from the mission's science objectives. Its science return will be augmented further by coordinated observations with other space missions and ground-based observatories.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Directly comparing coronal and solar wind elemental fractionation

As the solar wind propagates through the heliosphere, dynamical processes irreversibly erase the signatures of the near-Sun heating and acceleration processes. The elemental fractionation of the solar wind should not change during transit however, making it an ideal tracer of these processes. We aimed to verify directly if the solar wind elemental fractionation is reflective of the coronal source region fractionation, both within and across different solar wind source regions. A backmapping scheme was used to predict where solar wind measured by the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) originated in the corona. The coronal composition measured by the Hinode Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) at the source regions was then compared with the in-situ solar wind composition. On hourly timescales there was no apparent correlation between coronal and solar wind composition. In contrast, the distribution of fractionation values within individual source regions was similar in both the corona and solar wind, but distributions between different sources have significant overlap. The matching distributions directly verifies that elemental composition is conserved as the plasma travels from the corona to the solar wind, further validating it as a tracer of heating and acceleration processes. The overlap of fractionation values between sources means it is not possible to identify solar wind source regions solely by comparing solar wind and coronal composition measurements, but a comparison can be used to verify consistency with predicted spacecraft-corona connections.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

Corotating Magnetic Reconnection Site in Saturn's Magnetosphere

Using measurements from the Cassini spacecraft in Saturn's magnetosphere, we propose a 3D physical picture of a corotating reconnection site, which can only be driven by an internally generated source. Our results demonstrate that the corotating magnetic reconnection can drive an expansion of the current sheet in Saturn's magnetosphere and, consequently, can produce Fermi acceleration of electrons. This reconnection site lasted for longer than one of Saturn's rotation period. The long-lasting and corotating natures of the magnetic reconnection site at Saturn suggest fundamentally different roles of magnetic reconnection in driving magnetospheric dynamics (e.g., the auroral precipitation) from the Earth. Our corotating reconnection picture could also potentially shed light on the fast rotating magnetized plasma environments in the solar system and beyond.

physics.space-ph↗

arXiv2013

Solar source of energetic particles in interplanetary space during the 2006 December 13 event

An X3.4 solar flare and a fast halo coronal mass ejection (CME) occurred on 2006 December 13, accompanied by a high flux of energetic particles recorded both in near-Earth space and at ground level. Our purpose is to provide evidence of flare acceleration in a major solar energetic particle (SEP) event. We first present observations from ACE/EPAM, GOES, and the Apatity neutron monitor. It is found that the initial particle release time coincides with the flare emission and that the spectrum becomes softer and the anisotropy becomes weaker during particle injection, indicating that the acceleration source changes from a confined coronal site to a widespread interplanetary CME-driven shock. We then describe a comprehensive study of the associated flare active region. By use of imaging data from HINODE/SOT and SOHO/MDI magnetogram, we infer the flare magnetic reconnection rate in the form of the magnetic flux change rate. This correlates in time with the microwave emission, indicating a physical link between the flare magnetic reconnection and the acceleration of nonthermal particles. Combining radio spectrograph data from Huairou/NOAC, Culgoora/IPS, Learmonth/RSTN, and WAVES/WIND leads to a continuous and longlasting radio burst extending from a few GHz down to several kHz. Based on the photospheric vector magnetogram from Huairou/NOAC and the nonlinear force free field (NFFF) reconstruction method, we derive the 3D magnetic field configuration shortly after the eruption. Furthermore, we also compute coronal field lines extending to a few solar radii using a potential-field source-surface (PFSS) model. Both the so-called type III-l burst and the magnetic field configuration suggest that open-field lines extend from the flare active region into interplanetary space, allowing the accelerated and charged particles escape.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Coronal jets, magnetic topologies, and the production of interplanetary electron streams

We investigate the acceleration source of the impulsive solar energetic particle (SEP) events on 2007 January 24. Combining the in situ electron measurements and remote-sensing solar observations, as well as the calculated magnetic fields obtained from a potential-field source-surface model, we demonstrate that the jets associated with the hard X-ray flares and type-III radio bursts, rather than the slow and partial coronal mass ejections, are closely related to the production of interplanetary electron streams. The jets, originated from the well-connected active region (AR 10939) whose magnetic polarity structure favors the eruption, are observed to be forming in a coronal site, extending to a few solar radii, and having a good temporal correlation with the electron solar release. The open-field lines near the jet site are rooted in a negative polarity, along which energetic particles escape from the flaring AR to the near-Earth space, consistent with the in situ electron pitch angle distribution. The analysis enables us to propose a coronal magnetic topology relating the impulsive SEP events to their solar source.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2013

Major electron events and coronal magnetic configurations of the related solar active regions

A statistical survey of 26 major electron events during the period 2002 February through the end of solar cycle 23 is presented. We have obtained electron solar onset times and the peak flux spectra for each event by fitting to a powerlaw spectrum truncated by an exponential high-energy tail. We also derived the coronal magnetic configurations of the related solar active regions (ARs) from the potential-field source-surface model. It is found that (1) 10 of the 11 well-connected open field-line events are prompt events whose solar onset times coincide with the maxima of flare emission and 13 of the 14 closed field-line events are delayed events. (2) A not-wellconnected open field-line event and one of the closed field-line events are prompt events, they are both associated with large-scale coronal disturbances or dimming. (3)An averaged harder spectrum is found in open field-line events compared with the closed ones. Specifically, the averaged spectral index is of 1.6 +/- 0.3 in open field-line events and of 2.0 +/- 0.4 in closed ones. The spectra of three closed field-line events show infinite rollover energies E0. These correlations clearly establish a significant link between the coronal magnetic field-line topology and the escape of charged particles from the flaring ARs into interplanetary space during the major solar energetic particle events.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2011

AXIOM: Advanced X-ray Imaging Of the Magnetosphere

Planetary plasma and magnetic field environments can be studied by in situ measurements or by remote sensing. While the former provide precise information about plasma behaviour, instabilities and dynamics on local scales, the latter offers the global view necessary to understand the overall interaction of the magnetospheric plasma with the solar wind. Here we propose a novel and more elegant approach employing remote X-ray imaging techniques, which are now possible thanks to the relatively recent discovery of solar wind charge exchange X-ray emissions in the vicinity of the Earth's magnetosphere. We describe how an appropriately designed and located X-ray telescope, supported by simultaneous in situ measurements of the solar wind, can be used to image the dayside magnetosphere, magnetosheath and bow shock, with a temporal and spatial resolution sufficient to address several key outstanding questions concerning how the solar wind interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere on a global level. Our studies have led us to propose 'AXIOM: Advanced X-ray Imaging Of the Magnetosphere', a concept mission using a Vega launcher with a LISA Pathfinder-type Propulsion Module to place the spacecraft in a Lissajous orbit around the Earth - Moon L1 point. The model payload consists of an X-ray Wide Field Imager and an in situ plasma and magnetic field measurement package. This package comprises sensors designed to measure the bulk properties of the solar wind and to characterise its minor ion populations which cause charge exchange emission, and a magnetometer designed to measure the strength and direction of the solar wind magnetic field. We show simulations that demonstrate how the proposed X-ray telescope design is capable of imaging the predicted emission from the dayside magnetosphere with the sensitivity and cadence required to achieve the science goals of the mission.

astro-ph.IM↗