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Emilia Kilpua

Publications and source records attributed to Emilia Kilpua.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Spectral properties of mesoscale fluctuations in interplanetary coronal mass ejections

Magnetic fields in interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) often display a flux rope structure at large scales and a turbulent cascade of fluctuations at smaller scales. However, the nature of fluctuations at transition scales between the flux rope and turbulence - i.e., at mesoscales - has not been previously examined in detail. Mesoscale fluctuations of the magnetic field in 142 ICME intervals with clear flux rope signatures at 1 au have been examined using wavelet power spectra, with "mesoscale" defined here as spacecraft-frame frequencies $10^{-4}\ \text{Hz}<f_\mathrm{sc}< 10^{-3}\ \text{Hz}$, equivalent to timescales $2.8\ \text{hr}\gtrsim τ\gtrsim 17\ \text{min}$. The spectra were found to be significantly less steep at mesoscales than at larger and smaller scales, with an average spectral slope close to $-1$ at these intermediate scales. The mesoscale fluctuations had relatively high cross helicity magnitudes and low compressibility, suggesting a significant degree of Alfvénicity, while also having more negative residual energy than the turbulent fluctuations found at smaller scales. Uncertainties in the spectral slope values at mesoscales were used to distinguish between spectra showing a relatively smooth power-law behavior or (less commonly) a more bumpy trend; the smoother power-law intervals had a balanced cross helicity distribution while the more bumpy spectra had a predominantly antisunward cross helicity. Slow wind intervals were similarly analyzed, and showed similar properties to the ICMEs. These results indicate that a spectrally narrow $1/f$ range is typically present in ICMEs at mesoscales.

astro-ph.SR

Spatio-Temporal Evolution of the March 2022 ICME Revealed by Multi-Point Observations of Forbush Decreases

Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) cause Forbush Decreases (FDs) effects, which are local decreases in background galactic cosmic rays (GCR). Even though FDs can be observed with simple particle instruments, their amplitude and shape provide physical profiles of passing ICMEs. However, in some cases, previous statistical studies of the heliocentric distance dependence of FD changes associated with ICME propagation have found no strong correlation. We need the criteria for evaluating the relationship between ICMEs structure and FD, necessary for FDs statistical analysis. This study investigates the effect of evolutions and interactions of ICMEs on FDs profiles in the inner Solar System, using multipoint comparisons. We focus on multipoint ICME observations by Solar Orbiter, BepiColombo, and near-Earth spacecraft from March 10-16, 2022, when these spacecraft were ideally located for studying the radial and longitudinal evolutions of ICME and accompanying FDs. We compared GCR variations with the multiple in-situ data and ICME model, clarifying the correspondence between the evolution of each ICME structure in radial and azimuthal directions and the depth and gradients of the FD. The radial comparison revealed decreases in FD intensities and gradients associated with the expansion of the ICME. The longitudinal difference found in FD intensity indicates longitudinal variations of the ICMEs shielding effect. These results suggest that accurate multi-point FD comparisons require determining the relationship between the observers position and the inner structure of the passing ICMEs.

astro-ph.SR

Exploring Complexity Measures for Analysis of Solar Wind Structures and Streams

In this paper we use statistical complexity and information theory metrics to study structure within solar wind time series. We explore this using entropy-complexity and information planes, where the measure for entropy is formed using either permutation entropy or the degree distribution of a horizontal visibility graph (HVG). The entropy is then compared to the Jensen complexity (Jensen-Shannon complexity plane) and Fisher information measure (Fisher-Shannon information plane), formed both from permutations and the HVG approach. Additionally we characterise the solar wind time series by studying the properties of the HVG degree distribution. Four types of solar wind intervals have been analysed, namely fast streams, slow streams, magnetic clouds and sheath regions, all of which have distinct origins and interplanetary characteristics. Our results show that, overall, different metrics give similar results but Fisher-Shannon, which gives a more local measure of complexity, leads to a larger spread of values in the entropy-complexity plane. Magnetic cloud intervals stood out in all approaches, in particular when analysing the magnetic field magnitude. Differences between solar wind types (except for magnetic clouds) were typically more distinct for larger time lags, suggesting universality in fluctuations for small scales. The fluctuations within the solar wind time series were generally found to be stochastic, in agreement with previous studies. The use of information theory tools in the analysis of solar wind time series can help to identify structures and provide insight into their origin and formation.

astro-ph.SR

Intermittency in Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections Observed by Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter

Intermittency has been studied extensively in the fast and slow solar winds but to a far lesser extent in interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). While ICMEs are often characterized by their relatively smooth, large-scale magnetic flux rope structures, a spectrum of fluctuations is nonetheless present at smaller scales. We have examined kurtosis and its scaling exponents at magnetohydrodynamic inertial scales in 49 ICMEs observed between 0.25 and 1 au by Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter, and compared the results to those obtained for the ICME sheath regions and ambient solar wind intervals. Kurtosis behaves similarly in all intervals studied and presents a universal behavior typical of intermittent time series. The ICMEs displayed a radially invariant level of intermittency, suggesting that they are relatively static, well-developed turbulent environments. In the sheath regions, the level of intermittency increased with distance, indicating that the turbulence is not yet fully developed at small heliocentric distances. In addition to intermittent fluctuations related to turbulence, the sheath regions may possess a population of non-turbulent structures that increase the absolute value of kurtosis.

astro-ph.SR

Effect of interplanetary shock waves on turbulence parameters

We have performed an extensive statistical investigation of how interplanetary fast forward shocks affect certain turbulence parameters, namely, the cross-helicity, $σ_c$, residual energy, $σ_r$, and magnetic helicity, $σ_m$. A total of 371 shocks detected by Wind at 1 au and seven shocks by Solar Orbiter at 0.3-0.5 au have been analysed. We explore how the aforementioned turbulence parameters and their variation across the shock depend on shock characteristics including the gas compression ratio, upstream plasma beta, velocity jump and shock angle. In the shock vicinity, fluctuations tend on average to show antisunward imbalance (measured as $σ_c>0$ when rectified to the Parker spiral direction), a dominance of magnetic energy ($σ_r<0$) and zero $σ_m$, all being typical solar wind properties . Antisunward imbalance and equipartition ($σ_r \sim0$) in the upstream is increasingly prevalent with increasing shock velocity jump and decreasing upstream beta and shock angle. Shocks with large velocity jumps and gas compression ratios have considerably more balanced ($σ_c\sim0$) and more magnetically dominated fluctuations downstream than upstream. From upstream to downstream, we also find that the occurrence of time periods fulfilling strict criteria for Alfvénic fluctuations (AFs) usually decreases, while those meeting the criteria for small-scale flux ropes (SFRs) increases. The occurrence of AF periods peaks for quasi-parallel shocks with large velocity jumps and small upstream beta. The occurrence of SFRs increases with increasing gas compression ratio and upstream beta. The shocks observed by Solar Orbiter below 0.5 au display similar distributions of turbulence parameters and upstream-to-downstream changes to those detected at 1 au. These results are relevant for understanding turbulence and charged-particle acceleration at collisionless shocks.

astro-ph.SR

Modelling the magnetic vectors of ICMEs at different heliocentric distances with INFROS

The INterplanetary Flux ROpe Simulator (INFROS) is an observationally constrained analytical model dedicated for forecasting the strength of the southward component (Bz) of the magnetic field embedded in interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). In this work, we validate the model for six ICMEs sequentially observed by two radially-aligned spacecraft positioned at different heliocentric distances. The six selected ICMEs in this study comprise of cases associated with isolated CME evolution as well as those interacting with high-speed streams (HSS) and high-density streams (HDS). For the isolated CMEs, our results show that the model outputs at both the spacecraft are in good agreement with in-situ observations. However, for most of the interacting events, the model correctly captures the CME evolution only at the inner spacecraft. Due to the interaction with HSS and HDS, which in most cases occurred at heliocentric distances beyond the inner spacecraft, the ICME evolution no longer remains self-similar. Consequently, the model underestimates the field strength at the outer spacecraft. Our findings indicate that constraining the INFROS model with inner spacecraft observations significantly enhances the prediction accuracy at the outer spacecraft for the three events undergoing self-similar expansion, achieving a 90 % correlation between observed and predicted Bz profiles. This work also presents a quantitative estimation of the ICME magnetic field enhancement due to interaction which may lead to severe space weather. We conclude that the assumption of self-similar expansion provides a lower limit to the magnetic field strength estimated at any heliocentric distance, based on the remote sensing observations.

astro-ph.SR

Acceleration of electrons and ions by an "almost" astrophysical shock in the heliosphere

Collisionless shock waves, ubiquitous in the universe, are crucial for particle acceleration in various astrophysical systems. Currently, the heliosphere is the only natural environment available for their in situ study. In this work, we showcase the collective acceleration of electrons and ions by one of the fastest in situ shocks ever recorded, observed by the pioneering Parker Solar Probe at only 34.5 million kilometers from the Sun. Our analysis of this unprecedented, near-parallel shock shows electron acceleration up to 6 MeV amidst intense multi-scale electromagnetic wave emissions. We also present evidence of a variable shock structure capable of injecting and accelerating ions from the solar wind to high energies through a self-consistent process. The exceptional capability of the probe's instruments to measure electromagnetic fields in a shock traveling at 1% the speed of light has enabled us, for the first time, to confirm that the structure of a strong heliospheric shock aligns with theoretical models of strong shocks observed in astrophysical environments. This alignment offers viable avenues for understanding astrophysical shock processes and the acceleration of charged particles.

physics.space-ph

Permutation Entropy and Complexity Analysis of Large-scale Solar Wind Structures and Streams

In this work, we perform a statistical study of magnetic field fluctuations in the solar wind at 1 au using permutation entropy and complexity analysis, and the investigation of the temporal variations of the Hurst exponents. Slow and fast wind, magnetic clouds, interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME)-driven sheath regions and slow-fast stream interaction regions (SIRs) have been investigated separately. Our key finding is that there are significant differences in permutation entropy and complexity values between the solar wind types at larger timescales and little difference at small timescales. Differences become more distinct with increasing timescale, suggesting that smaller-scale turbulent features are more universal. At larger timescales, the analysis method can be used to identify localized spatial structures. We found that except in magnetic clouds, fluctuation are largely anti-persistent and that the Hurst exponents, in particular in compressive structures (sheaths and SIRs) exhibit a clear locality. Our results shows that, in all cases apart from magnetic clouds at largest scales, solar wind fluctuations are stochastic with the fast wind having the highest entropies and low complexities. Magnetic clouds in turn exhibit the lowest entropy and highest complexity, consistent with them being coherent structures in which the magnetic field components vary in an ordered manner. SIRs, slow wind and ICME sheaths are intermediate to magnetic clouds and fast wind, reflecting the increasingly ordered structure. Our results also indicate that permutation entropy - complexity analysis is a useful tool for characterizing the solar wind and investigating the nature of its fluctuations.

astro-ph.SR

Validity of using Elsässer variables to study the interaction of compressible solar wind fluctuations with a coronal mass ejection

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. In these two regimes 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. We used an ideal 2.5D magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) 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. The presence of density perturbations creates an approximately 10% deviation in the Elsässer variables and reflection coefficient for the Alfvén waves as well as a deviation of approximately 0.1 in the cross helicity in regions containing both parallel and anti-parallel fluctuations.

astro-ph.SR

The Effect of the Parametric Decay Instability on the Morphology of Coronal Type III Radio Bursts

The nonlinear evolution of Alfvén waves in the solar corona leads to the generation of Alfvénic turbulence. This description of the Alfvén waves involves parametric instabilities where the parent wave decays into slow mode waves giving rise to density fluctuations. These density fluctuations, in turn, play a crucial role in the modulation of the dynamic spectrum of type III radio bursts, which are observed at the fundamental of local plasma frequency and are sensitive to the local density. During observations of such radio bursts, fine structures are detected across different temporal ranges. In this study, we examine density fluctuations generated through the parametric decay instability (PDI) of Alfvén waves as a mechanism to generate striations in the dynamic spectrum of type III radio bursts using magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the solar corona. An Alfvén wave is injected into the quiet solar wind by perturbing the transverse magnetic field and velocity components which subsequently undergo the PDI instability. The type III burst is modelled as a fast-moving radiation source that samples the background solar wind as it propagates to emit radio waves. We find the simulated dynamic spectrum to contain striations directly affected by the multi-scale density fluctuations in the wind.

astro-ph.SR

Studying the spheromak rotation in data-constrained CME modelling with EUHFORIA and assessing its effect on the Bz prediction

A key challenge in space weather forecasting is accurately predicting the magnetic field topology of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), specifically the north-south magnetic field component (Bz) for Earth-directed CMEs. Heliospheric MHD models typically use spheromaks to represent the magnetic structure of CMEs. However, when inserted into the ambient interplanetary magnetic field, spheromaks can experience a phenomenon reminiscent of the condition known as the "spheromak tilting instability", causing its magnetic axis to rotate. From the perspective of space weather forecasting, it is crucial to understand the effect of this rotation on predicting Bz at 1 au while implementing the spheromak model for realistic event studies. In this work, we study this by modelling a CME event on 2013 April 11 using the "EUropean Heliospheric FORecasting Information Asset" (EUHFORIA). Our results show that a significant spheromak rotation up to 90 degrees has occurred by the time it reaches 1 au, while the majority of this rotation occurs below 0.3 au. This total rotation resulted in poor predicted magnetic field topology of the ICME at 1 au. To address this issue, we further investigated the influence of spheromak density on mitigating rotation. The results show that the spheromak rotation is less for higher densities. Importantly, we observe a substantial reduction in the uncertainties associated with predicting Bz when there is minimal spheromak rotation. Therefore, we conclude that spheromak rotation adversely affects Bz prediction in the analyzed event, emphasizing the need for caution when employing spheromaks in global MHD models for space weather forecasting.

astro-ph.SR

Spatially resolved radio signatures of electron beams in a coronal shock

Context. Type II radio bursts are solar radio burst associated with coronal shocks. Type II bursts usually exhibit fine structures in dynamic spectra that represent signatures of accelerated electron beams. So far, the sources of individual fine structures in type II bursts have not been spatially resolved in high-resolution low-frequency radio imaging. Aims. The objective of this study is to resolve the radio sources of the herringbone bursts found in type II solar radio bursts and investigate the properties of the acceleration regions in coronal shocks Methods. We use low-frequency interferometric imaging observations from the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) to provide a spatially resolved analysis for three herringbone groups (marked as A, B, and C) in a type II radio burst that occurred on 2015 October 16th. Results. The herringbones in groups A and C have a undiversified frequency drift direction and propagation direction along frequency. They have similar value of frequency drift rates corresponding to that of type III bursts and previously studied herringbones. Group B has a more complex spatial distribution, with two distinct sources separated by 50 arcsec and no clear spatial propagation with frequency. One of the herringbones in group B was found to have an exceptionally large frequency drift rate. Conclusions. The characteristics deroved from imaging spectroscopy suggest that the studied herringbones originate from different processes. The herringbone groups A and C most likely originate from single-direction beam electrons, while group B may be explained by counterstreaming beam electrons

astro-ph.SR

Modelling the interaction of Alfvénic fluctuations with coronal mass ejections in the low solar corona

Alfvénic fluctuations of various scales are ubiquitous in the corona; their non-linear interactions and eventual turbulent cascade result in an important heating mechanism that accelerates the solar wind. These fluctuations may be processed by large-scale, transient, and coherent heliospheric structures such as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In this study we investigate the interactions between Alfvénic solar wind fluctuations and CMEs using magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. We study the transmission of upstream solar wind fluctuations into the CME leading to the formation of CME sheath fluctuations. Additionally, we investigate the influence of the fluctuation frequencies on the extent of the CME sheath. We used an ideal MHD model with an adiabatic equation of state. An Alfvén pump wave is injected into the quiet solar wind by perturbing the transverse magnetic field and velocity components, and a CME is injected by inserting a flux-rope modelled as a magnetic island into the quasi-steady solar wind. The upstream Alfvén waves experience a decrease in wavelength and change in the wave vector direction due to the non-radial topology of the CME shock front. The CME sheath inhibits the transmission of long-wavelength fluctuations due to the presence of non-radial flows in this region. The frequency of the solar wind fluctuations also affects the steepening of MHD fast waves causing the CME shock propagation speed to vary with the solar wind fluctuation frequencies.

astro-ph.SR

Linear, Quasi-Linear and Nonlinear Radial Transport in the Earth's Radiation Belts

Observational studies of the Earth's radiation belts indicate that Alfvénic fluctuations in the frequency range of 2-25 mHz accelerate magnetically trapped electrons to relativistic energies. For decades, statistical models of the Earth's radiation belts have quantified the impact of Alfvénic waves in terms of quasi-linear diffusive models. However, quasi-linear models are inadequate to quantify Alfvénic radial transport occurring on timescales comparable to the azimuthal drift period of $0.1- 10$ MeV electrons. With recent advances in observational methodologies offering spatial and temporal coverage of the Earth's radiation belts on fast timescales, a theoretical framework that distinguishes between fast and diffusive radial transport can also be tested for the first time with in situ measurements. In this report, we present a drift kinetic description of radial transport for planetary radiation belts. We characterize linear processes that are too fast to be modelled by quasi-linear models and determine the conditions under which nonlinearities become dynamically significant. In the linear regime, wave-particle interactions are categorized in terms of resonant and non-resonant responses. We demonstrate that the phenomenon of zebra stripes is non-resonant and can originate from the injection of particles in the inner radiation belts. We derive a radial diffusion coefficient for a field model that satisfies Faraday's law and that contains two terms: one scaling as $L^{10}$ independent of the azimuthal number $m$, and a second one scaling as $m^2 L^6$. In the nonlinear regime, we show that azimuthally symmetric waves with properties consistent with in situ measurements can energize 10-100 keV electrons in less than a drift period. This coherent process provides new evidence that acceleration by Alfvénic waves in radiation belts cannot be fully contained within diffusive models.

physics.space-ph

Single-spacecraft techniques for shock parameters estimation: A systematic approach

Spacecraft missions provide the unique opportunity to study the properties of collisionless shocks utilising in situ measurements. In the past years, several diagnostics have been developed to address key shock parameters using time series of magnetic field (and plasma) data collected by a single spacecraft crossing a shock front. A critical aspect of such diagnostics is the averaging process involved in the evaluation of upstream-downstream quantities. In this work, we discuss several of these techniques, with a particular focus on the shock obliquity (defined as the angle between the upstream magnetic field and the shock normal vector) estimation. We introduce a systematic variation of the upstream/downstream averaging windows, yielding to an ensemble of shock parameters, a useful tool to address the robustness of their estimation. This approach is first tested with a synthetic shock, compliant with the Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions for a shock, including the presence of noise and disturbances. We then employ self-consistent, hybrid kinetic shock simulations to apply the diagnostics to virtual spacecraft crossing the shock front at various stages of its evolution, highlighting the role of shock-induced fluctuations in the parameters estimation. This approach has the strong advantage of retaining some important properties of collisionless shock while being able to set a known, nominal set of shock parameters. Finally, two recent observations of interplanetary shocks from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft are presented, and the approach is also tested on an interplanetary shock measured by the four spacecraft of the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. All the Python software developed and used for the diagnostics (SerPyShock) is made available for the public, including an example of parameter estimation for a shock wave recently observed in-situ by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft.

physics.space-ph

Multi-spacecraft observations of shocklets at an interplanetary shock

Interplanetary (IP) shocks are fundamental building blocks of the heliosphere, and the possibility to observe them \emph{in-situ} is crucial to address important aspects of energy conversion for a variety of astrophysical systems. Steepened waves known as shocklets are known to be important structures of planetary bow shocks, but they are very rarely observed related to IP shocks. We present here the first multi-spacecraft observations of shocklets observed by upstream of an unusually strong IP shock observed on November 3rd 2021 by several spacecraft at L1 and near-Earth solar wind. The same shock was detected also by radially aligned Solar Orbiter at 0.8 AU from the Sun, but no shocklets were identified from its data, introducing the possibility to study the environment in which shocklets developed. The Wind spacecraft has been used to characterise the shocklets, associated with pre-conditioning of the shock upstream by decelerating incoming plasma in the shock normal direction. Finally, using the Wind observations together with ACE and DSCOVR spacecraft at L1, as well as THEMIS B and THEMIS C in the near-Earth solar wind, the portion of interplanetary space filled with shocklets is addressed, and a lower limit for its extent is estimated to be of about 110 $R_E$ in the shock normal direction and 25 $R_E$ in the directions transverse to the shock normal. Using multiple spacecraft also reveals that for this strong IP shock, shocklets are observed for a large range of local obliquity estimates (9-64 degrees).

physics.space-ph

Flux-tube-dependent propagation of Alfvén waves in the solar corona

Alfvén-wave turbulence has emerged as an important heating mechanism to accelerate the solar wind. The generation of this turbulent heating is dependent on the presence and subsequent interaction of counter-propagating alfvén waves. This requires us to understand the propagation and evolution of alfvén waves in the solar wind in order to develop an understanding of the relationship between turbulent heating and solar-wind parameters. We aim to study the response of the solar wind upon injecting monochromatic single-frequency alfvén waves at the base of the corona for various magnetic flux-tube geometries. We used an ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model using 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. Alfvén waves were found to be reflected due to the development of the parametric decay instability (PDI). Further investigation revealed that the PDI was suppressed both by efficient reflections at low frequencies as well as magnetic flux-tube geometries.

astro-ph.SR

A possible link between turbulence and plasma heating

Numerical simulations and experimental results have shown that current sheets formation in space plasmas can be associated with enhanced vorticity. Also, in simulations the generation of such structures is associated with strong plasma heating. Here, we compare four-point measurements in the terrestrial magnetosheath turbulence from the Multiscale magnetospheric mission (MMS) of the flow vorticity and the magnetic field curlometer versus their corresponding one-point proxies PVI(V) and PVI(B) based on the Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) method. We show that the one-point proxies are sufficiently precise in identifying not only the generic features of the current sheets and vortices statistically, but also their appearance in groups associated with plasma heating. The method has been further applied to the region of the turbulent sheath of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) observed at L1 by WIND spacecraft. We observe current sheets and vorticity associated heating in larger groups (blobs), which so far have not been considered in the literature on turbulent data analysis. The blobs represent extended spatial regions of activity with enhanced regional correlations between the occurrence of conditioned currents and vorticity, which at the same time are also correlated with enhanced temperatures. This heating mechanism is substantially different from the plasma heating in the vicinity of the ICME shock, where plasma beta is strongly fluctuating and there is no vorticity. The proposed method describes a new pathway for linking the plasma heating and plasma turbulence, and it is relevant to in-situ observations when only single spacecraft measurements are available.

physics.plasm-ph