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J. Grant Mitchell

Publications and source records attributed to J. Grant Mitchell.

2 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

Parker Solar Probe observations of solar energetic particle (SEP) events with inverse velocity arrival (IVA) features

In SEP events, velocity dispersion (VD) is characterized by the earlier arrival of faster, higher-energy particles relative to slower ones, assuming negligible acceleration time and transport effects. The "Labor Day event" at Parker Solar Probe (PSP) on 2022 September 5 provided a unique arrival profile, in which the medium energy (~ few MeV) particles arrive earlier than both lower and higher energy particles. This created a so-called "nose" structure in the intensity spectrogram formed by measurements from the two energetic particle instruments, EPI-Lo and EPI-Hi, of the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (ISOIS) suite. Unlike typical VD, the delayed arrival of higher energy particles compared to medium energy particles, i.e., the "inverse velocity arrival" (IVA), could be caused by various acceleration, transport, and instrumental effects, including shock acceleration. By applying a new method based on the contour-line of the intensity, we found 14 IVA events in the ISOIS observations up to the end of 2024. Several parameters that may modify velocity dispersion characteristics are further explored including the spacecraft radial distance, the speed of corresponding CMEs and shocks, the angle between the shock normal and the upstream magnetic field, and the spacecraft magnetic footpoint longitudinal separation from the flare location. The energy of the early arriving particles, i.e., the nose energy, can be grouped into low (L, <0.5 MeV), medium(M, 0.5 - 5 MeV), and high(H, >5 MeV) categories. Most (11/14) of the IVA events have medium nose energies. This SEP list provides ingredients for examination of shock acceleration in the inner heliosphere, and the existence of IVA events sheds new light on the acceleration and propagation of SEPs.

astro-ph.SR↗
arXiv2026

Solar Energetic Proton Events Observed by the High Energy Telescopes on the STEREO Spacecraft or at the Earth During the First Solar Orbit of STEREO A (2006 to 2023)

The twin STEREO A and B spacecraft were launched in October 2006 into heliocentric orbits at around 1 AU, advancing ahead of or lagging behind Earth, respectively, at around 22 deg./year. The spacecraft provide in-situ observations of the solar wind and energetic particle populations, as well as remote sensing observations of solar activity and the corona. In particular, the High Energy Telescopes (HETs) on the STEREO spacecraft observe 0.7-4 MeV electrons and 13-100 MeV protons. This paper summarizes observations of solar energetic particle (SEP) events made by the STEREO HETs from the beginning of the mission through Solar Cycle 24 to December 2023, approaching the maximum of Solar Cycle 25 and encompassing STEREO A's first full orbit of the Sun relative to Earth, completed in August 2023; contact with STEREO B was lost in October 2014. Specifically, the catalog of SEP events including approximately 25 MeV protons observed by the STEREO HETs and/or instruments on spacecraft near Earth in Richardson et al. (2014) is updated to include around 450 SEP events and a total of around 1000 separate observations of these events from the various spacecraft locations. These extensive observations can provide unique insight into the propagation of energetic protons in the inner heliosphere and how the properties of the particle events are related to those of the associated solar eruptions.

astro-ph.SR↗