A document by Yingdong Jia. Click on the document to view its contents.

Magnetosheath jets constitute a significant coupling effect between the solar wind (SW) and the magnetosphere of the Earth. In order to investigate the effects and forecasting of these jets, we present the first-ever statistical study of the jet production during large-scale SW structures like coronal mass ejections (CMEs), stream interaction regions (SIRs) and high speed streams (HSSs). Magnetosheath data from Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) spacecraft between January 2008 to December 2020 serve as measurement source for jet detection. Two different jet definitions were used to rule out statistical biases induced by our jet detection method. For the CME and SIR+HSS lists, we used lists provided by literature and expanded on incomplete lists using OMNI data to cover the time range of May 1996 to December 2020. We find that the number and total time of observed jets decrease when CME-sheaths hit the Earth. The number of jets is lower throughout the passing of the CME-magnetic ejecta (ME) and recovers quickly afterwards. On the other hand, the number of jets increases during SIR and HSS phases. We discuss a few possibilities to explain these statistical results.

The Space Physics Data Facility (SPDF https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov), as the non-solar NASA Heliophysics active final archive, works with current operating missions and the heliophysics community to ingest, preserve and serve a wide range of past and current public science-quality data from the mesosphere into the furthest reach of deep-space exploration. SPDF facilitates scientific analysis of multi-instrument and multi-mission datasets to enhance the science return of the many missions. SPDF develops and maintains the Common Data Format (CDF) and the associated ISTP/SPDF metadata guidelines. SPDF services include CDAWeb, which supports both survey and burst mode data with graphics, listings and data superset/subset functions. All public data held by SPDF are also available for direct file download by HTTPS or FTPS links from the SPDF home page (https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov). SPDF is currently receiving and serving from missions including Parker Solar Probe, MMS, Van Allen Probes, THEMIS/ARTEMIS, GOLD, ACE, Cluster, IBEX, Voyager, Geotail, Wind and many others, and >120 Ground-Based investigations. SPDF recently added support for ARASE/ERG and MAVEN as supplementary access at the requests of those missions, and is expecting Solar Orbiter and ICON data. SPDF also operates the multi-mission orbit displays and query services of SSCWeb and the Java-based 4D Orbit Viewer, as well as the Heliophysics Data Portal (HDP) discipline-wide data inventory and access service, and OMNIWeb and COHOWeb for near-Earth and deep-space solar wind plasma, magnetic field, and energetic particle database, respectively.

Interplanetary shocks have been long known sources of suprathermal and energetic ions, and their origin will contribute in unveiling the origin of cosmic rays. Sudden ion intensity enhancements in the form of spikes that last anywhere between minutes to tens of seconds are observed during the passage of such shocks. Identification of spikes with peak intensities lasting ~1 min surveyed in over 304 shocks from January 2007 – December 2014 observed by the SEPT (Solar Electron and Proton Telescope) onboard STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) A/B Spacecraft was performed using a new Python Code, followed by visual inspection. We also inspected the database of EPAM (Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor) onboard ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) from 2003 to 2014. We present and discuss the statistical analysis of the shock spikes as a function of parameters such as shock normal angle and Mach number. The Python code can be used to analyse other databases such as WIND and this further paves the way for the employment of ML techniques to replace visual inspection. Such studies are vital in performing exhaustive and in-depth assessment of shock associated particle events.

Context: Late on 2013 August 19, a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from an active region located near the far-side central meridian from Earth’s perspective. The event and its accompanying shock was remotely observed by the STEREO-A, STEREO-B and SOHO spacecraft. The interplanetary (IP) counterpart (ICME) intercepted MESSENGER near 0.3 au, and both STEREO-A and STEREO-B, near 1 au, which were separated by 78 degrees in longitude. Aims: The main objective of this study is to follow the radial and longitudinal evolution of the ICME throughout the heliosphere, and to examine possible scenarios for the different magnetic flux- rope (MFR) signatures observed on the solar disk, and measured at the locations of MESSENGER and STEREO-A, separated by 15 degrees in heliolongitude, and at STEREO-B, which detected the ICME flank. Methods: Solar disk observations are used to estimate the ‘MFR type’ and the graduated cylindrical shell model is used to reconstruct the CME in the corona. The analysis of in-situ data, namely, plasma and magnetic field, is used to estimate the global IP shock geometry and to derive the MFR type at different in-situ locations. The elliptical cylindrical analytical model is used for the in-situ MFR reconstruction. Results: The MFR structure detected at STEREO-B belongs to the same magnetic structure detected at MESSENGER and STEREO-A. The different helicity deduced at STEREO-B, might be due to the spacecraft intercepting one of the legs of the MFR, while STEREO-A and MESSENGER are crossing through the core of the structure. The opposite polarity measured at MESSENGER and STEREO-A arises because the two spacecraft measure a curved, highly distorted and rather complex MFR topology. The ICME may have suffered additional distortion in its evolution in the heliosphere, resulting in different expansion and arrival time of the IP shock flanks at 1 au.

The Space Physics Data Facility (SPDF https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov) and Solar Data Analysis Center (SDAC https://umbra.nascom.nasa.gov/), as the NASA Heliophysics active final archives, will be preserving and distributing the data from Parker Solar Probe. Working in cooperation with current operating missions and the heliophysics community, SPDF ingests, preserves and serves a wide range of past and current public science-quality data from the ionosphere into the furthest reach of deep-space exploration. SPDF has been working with the Parker Solar Probe mission in preparation for archiving and serving its in-situ data starting 2019 Nov 12, and also has arrangements to serve in-situ data from Solar Orbiter when those data become public. SPDF will facilitate scientific analysis of multi-instrument and multi-mission datasets to enhance the science return of Parker Solar Probe mission. SPDF develops and maintains the Common Data Format (CDF) and the associated ISTP/SPDF metadata guidelines. SPDF services include CDAWeb, which supports both survey and burst mode data with graphics, listings and data superset/subset functions. All public data held by SPDF are also available for direct file download by HTTPS or FTPS links from the SPDF home page (https://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov). SPDF is currently receiving and serving from missions including Helios, MMS, Van Allen Probes, THEMIS/ARTEMIS, GOLD, ACE, Cluster, Geotail, Polar, Wind and many others, and >120 Ground-Based investigations. SPDF recently added support for ARASE/ERG and MAVEN as supplementary access at the requests of those missions. SPDF also operates the multi-mission orbit displays and query services of SSCWeb and the Java-based 4D Orbit Viewer, as well as the Heliophysics Data Portal (HDP) discipline-wide data inventory and access service, and the OMNIweb near-Earth solar wind plasma and magnetic field database.