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Abstract

The Europa Imaging System (EIS) consists of a Narrow-Angle Camera (NAC) and a Wide-Angle Camera (WAC) that are designed to work together to address high-priority science objectives regarding Europa’s geology, composition, and the nature of its ice shell. EIS accommodates variable geometry and illumination during rapid, low-altitude flybys with both framing and pushbroom imaging capability using rapid-readout, 8-megapixel (4k × 2k) detectors. Color observations are acquired using pushbroom imaging with up to six broadband filters. The data processing units (DPUs) perform digital time delay integration (TDI) to enhance signal-to-noise ratios and use readout strategies to measure and correct spacecraft jitter. The NAC has a 2.3° × 1.2° field of view (FOV) with a 10-μrad instantaneous FOV (IFOV), thus achieving 0.5-m pixel scale over a swath that is 2 km wide and several km long from a range of 50 km. The NAC is mounted on a 2-axis gimbal, ±30° cross- and along-track, that enables independent targeting and near-global (≥90%) mapping of Europa at ≤100-m pixel scale (to date, only ∼15% of Europa has been imaged at ≤900 m/pixel), as well as stereo imaging from as close as 50-km altitude to generate digital terrain models (DTMs) with ≤4-m ground sample distance (GSD) and ≤0.5-m vertical precision. The NAC will also perform observations at long range to search for potential erupting plumes, achieving 10-km pixel scale at a distance of one million kilometers. The WAC has a 48° × 24° FOV with a 218-μrad IFOV, achieving 11-m pixel scale at the center of a 44-km-wide swath from a range of 50 km, and generating DTMs with 32-m GSD and ≤4-m vertical precision. The WAC is designed to acquire three-line pushbroom stereo and color swaths along flyby ground-tracks.

Author(s): Henry Fetsch and Nathaniel J. Fisch

Thermally bistable fluid tends to self-organize into clouds of hot and cold material, which are internally uniform and separated by thin conduction fronts. The evolution of these clouds has been studied for isobaric systems, but when pressure is instead treated as a dynamical quantity and allowed to…

[Phys. Rev. E 110, 065201] Published Tue Dec 03, 2024

Abstract

The cause of the asymmetry in the sunspot distribution in the northern and southern hemispheres of the Sun at the end of the Maunder Minimum is studied. It is demonstrated that the expected asymmetry of generation sources is insufficient for such an explanation. To study the influence of asymmetry of generation sources, numerical simulation is used, based on modifications to the Parker model.

Abstract

The presence of groups of cycles with larger/smaller amplitudes and alternation of these groups suggests the existence of a long-period solar activity (SA) cycle with epochs of increased/decreased activity. Since SA and its changes significantly influence climate and humans across the near-Earth space, it is reasonable to have a portrait (template) that reflects the main characteristics of these groups, making it possible to qualitatively and semiquantitatively assesses of SA epochs in the past and future. In the study, the properties of epochs SA of maximum/minimum are determined by the characteristics of reliable cycles 10–23 (14 cycles, a total period of 153 years, and the relationship between the amplitude of the cycles and their duration is taken into account). The formation of the pattern is based on the “envelope” of the maxima of these cycles. The possibility of correcting the Dalton minimum is discussed and a long-term forecast of SA is constructed.

Abstract

The results of analyzing the relationship between large-scale epidemics (pandemics) caused by the Ebola, influenza AH1N1, and AH7N9 viruses and the MERS-CoV coronavirus with global solar factors for the period from 2008 to 2019 (24th cycle of solar activity) are presented. A variable change in the annual values of pandemic cases has been established, corresponding to the regular course of F10.7 cm (r ~ 0.65), MF (r ~ 0.85) and λ315 nm (r ~ 0.83) in the 24th SA cycle. It was concluded that the dynamics of the spread of pandemics depend on temporary changes in UVB radiation power, in particular, at the boundary of the spectral bactericidal efficiency curve (λ315 nm).

Abstract

Samples with a short-term (less than a year) increase in the content of the radioactive isotope 14C were recently discovered in tree rings, in four cases accompanied by concentration growth of 10Be and 36Cl in other natural archives. Most publications suggest that this increase is due to a sharp increase in the flux of solar cosmic rays (SCR) at the boundary of the Earth’s atmosphere caused by solar superflares. Other reasons may be connected with the flux rise of the galactic cosmic rays (GCR) as the Solar System passes through a dense interstellar cloud, or a galactic gamma-ray burst. To reconcile the amount of 14C with cosmogenic isotopes 10Be and 36Cl formed in the atmosphere, it is necessary to assume that the proton spectra in such superflares should be harder than most modern experimentally recorded ones. Measurements of the 14C content in lunar regolith cores returned by the Apollo 15 expedition showed a significant drop in radiocarbon concentration to a depth of 5 g/cm2, followed by an increase to maximum values at about 50 g/cm2 then a decrease. At shallow depths, the contribution from low-energy SCRs predominates, and at large depths, the contribution from high-energy GCRs prevails. Analysis of the depth profile of the 14Cconcentration makes it possible to establish SCR fluxes and spectra over several radiocarbon half-lives (10 000–20 000 years) and highlight the possible contribution of hypothetical superflares. Our analysis shows that the hypothesis of solar superflares worsens the agreement with the observed depth variations of 14C in the lunar regolith.

Abstract

In the recent work by Usoskin et al. (2021) a series of annual sunspot indices for the years 971 to 1899 was reconstructed. Using this series, we study behavior of the “length-amplidude rule” (LAR), according to which the mininum-to-minimum length of a given 11-year solar cycle anticorrelates with the amplitude of the next one. We show that approximately since the 14th century two regimes exist in the series: I) epochs of normal activity, when the LAR is observed; II) epochs of the Maunder, Spörer and Wolf grand minima, when there were no significant links between the amplitudes and lengths of the 11-year cycles. Before the 14th century the LAR and its relation to the level of global activity of the Sun is less pronounced, which, probably, is a consequence of inaccuracies of the 11-year cycle parameters determination in this epoch.

Abstract

For the first time, several flare events are analyzed based on multifrequency observations using the Radio Solar Telescope Network. The purpose of the analysis is to identify signs of flare preparation. In all considered cases, preflare quasi-periodic fluctuations (QPFs) of radio emission were detected. The duration of preflare wavetrains is 6–20 min. Wavetrains consist of 3–5 pulses. QPFs at lower frequencies (200–600 MHz) begin later than those at high frequencies by 2–6 min. QPFs at frequencies of 2695–8800 MHz occur almost synchronously. The highest amplitude of QPFs is observed at a frequency of 4995 MHz. The observed QPFs can be explained by the force-free magnetic rope model (Solov’ev and Kirichek, 2023).

Abstract

The results of observations of coronal jets on the Sun are briefly reviewed. Data on jets of different types (jets, jetlets) were collected. Their properties are considered, such as lifetime, length, width, velocities, coupling to the magnetic field, and their putative role in hot plasma and energy transfer into the corona. Observational data obtained with ground-based and space telescopes were used. There is growing evidence that jets play a key role in imparting mass to the corona and solar wind and can provide sufficient energy to power the solar wind (see, e.g., (Tian et al., 2014)). Modern observations by the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter spacecraft will contribute to the understanding of solar jets and related phenomena.

Abstract

The paper studies the dynamics of high-temperature structures (with a temperature of T ≥ 10 MK) in the corona above active regions (ARs) in quiet temporal intervals, before solar flares of high X-ray classes and during and after individual flare events, and determines the role of electric currents in heating the coronal plasma. In the study, we used data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft: magnetograms obtained by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument (used to detect and calculate the magnitude of large-scale electric current) and photoheliograms of the solar corona in ultraviolet radiation 94, 131, 171, 193, 211, and 335 Å channels of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA/SDO) instrument (used to construct maps of temperature distribution in the corona above the AR, detect high-temperature structures, and study their evolution). The objects of the study were ARs NOAA 12 192 (October 2014) and 12 371 (June 2015) of the 24th solar activity cycle, which have high absolute values of large-scale electric current. The following results were obtained: (1) The discovered high-temperature structures represent a channel of large-scale electric current at coronal heights. (2) High-temperature structures in the corona above the studied ARs exist over a long (several days) time interval, which indicates the presence of a constant source of plasma heating; the temperature of the structures, the area they occupy, and their spatial orientation change over time. (3) High-temperature structures in the corona consist of individual elements with a cross section of ~108 cm. (4) Several hours before the X-ray flares of classes M and X datected in the studied ARs during their monitoring time, a significant decrease in the area occupied by high-temperature structures was observed, and in some cases, a decrease in temperature to 3–5 MK, which indicates a change in the physical conditions in the corona before powerful flares.

Abstract—

In solar activity, in addition to the 11-year Schwabe cycle, there are also shorter-period oscillations in the range from 27 days to 11 years, which are called mid-term oscillations. In our study, we identify quasi-6-year oscillations in solar activity expressed by the sunspot number SN using wavelet analysis and investigate the characteristics of these variations during 1750–2020. The analysis shows that the ~6-year cycle in SN is a real independent oscillation. A similar quasi-6-year periodicity has been found in the monthly mean records of geomagnetic field components at the Sitka and Honolulu observatories during 1910–2020. It was found that the variations of the geomagnetic field in the range of 5–6-year periods can be caused by the effect of variations in solar activity in the same frequency range. In addition, in the SN series and geomagnetic field variations, a quasi-biennial cycle is well observed, the amplitude of which in some time intervals exceeds the amplitude of the cycle with a period of 5–6 years.

Abstract

Alfvén waves with periods of a few seconds excited in solar coronal magnetic loops during flare energy release can lead to effective heating of the plasma in the lower atmosphere of the Sun, which is responsible for continuous optical radiation. Meanwhile, the question of the propagation time of these modes from the corona to the photosphere has not yet been considered in detail. Based on solar atmospheric model by Avrett and Loeser (2008), for different values of background magnetic fields, taking into account their height dependence, the estimates of the propagation time of Alfvén waves from the corona to the photosphere were obtained. The characteristic values exceeding several minutes and impose certain restrictions on wave heating of the lower atmosphere of the Sun. The implications of the results are discussed.

Abstract—

Since January 2020, the current solar cycle 25 has begun. Its development in the first four years, according to the Gnevyshev–Ohl rule, brought it into the family of medium-sized cycles. In November 2023, it entered the maximum phase. Therefore, the maximum of the current cycle should take place no later than June 2024 with the expected value of the relative number of sunspots W* = 100+/–10 (150+/–15 in the V2 system). The minimum of the current cycle should be expected in the first half of 2031, and the course of its development on the growth branch shows that it fits into the characteristics of average solar cycles of the epoch of lowered solar activity on the growth branch with its own features. This confirms the stability of the scenario of solar cyclicity for the last ~190 years, which provides for a change in the level of sunspot activity in different epochs of solar activity, increased or lowered, with clearly distinguished transition periods, as a consequence of regular changes in the mode of generation of the total solar magnetic field, with a duration of ~5 cycles.

Abstract

The work describes the design of a measurement module (fluxgate compass) and the creation of various magnetometer devices on its basis. These devices are intended for geomagnetic and special works in various conditions and environments both for stationary observation points and for expeditions.

Abstract

Ionospheric sporadic E layers are very thin, but with a much higher electron density than normal E regions that occur at altitudes of about 90–130 km. Vertical wind shear is considered the main source of mid-latitude sporadic E layer formation, which leads to periodicity, such as 24-h, 12-h, and so on. In this paper, a time series analysis of the critical frequency of the sporadic E layer (foEs) observed by an ionosonde is performed at seven stations (spanning about 37° N–51° N and 29° S–67° S) to investigate the terdiurnal signature in it. Except for the already known 24-h and 12-h periodicities features which are related to diurnal and semidiurnal tides, new findings are also obtained. The 8-h periodicity is a regular and repeatable feature at high mid-latitude regions of both hemispheres. The 8-h periodicity is more prominent at mid-latitudes (~50° N and ~60° S) during the winter and spring months of the hemisphere, which agrees with the terdiurnal tide features. It also shows that the amplitude of the 8-h periodicity is equivalent to the 12-h periodicity component in summer and autumn and almost the same as the 24-h periodicity component in winter under certain circumstances. This indicates that the 8-h periodicity should be taken into consideration for sporadic E layer modeling.

Abstract

The impact of the Weddell Sea Anomaly on the structure of the nightside ionosphere in the summer Southern Hemisphere is considered in detail. For this, data from the CHAMP satellite were used in January 2003 under high solar activity and in January 2008 under low solar activity. The data relate to the local time interval 02−04 LT, when the increase in electron density due to the formation of the anomaly is the strongest. At longitudes of 60°−180° E under high solar activity and 0°–210° E under low solar activity, where there is no anomaly, the main ionospheric trough is observed. The plasma peak in the nightside ionosphere associated with formation of the anomaly reaches 6 MHz under low solar activity and 10 MHz under high solar activity. The strongly developed plasma peak decreases sharply to high latitudes at the equatorward boundary of auroral diffuse precipitation, which corresponds to the plasmapause. When the anomaly is weakly developed, the contribution of diffuse precipitation becomes noticeable, so that the plasma peak expands poleward due to this precipitation. Poleward of the anomaly, the high-latitude trough is usually observed at latitudes of the auroral oval. A well-defined electron density minimum is often formed equatorward of the Weddell Sea Anomaly, which can be defined as a subtrough. Sometimes the subtrough is created by the escape of ionospheric plasma from the summer to the winter hemisphere. Then a density maximum forms in the winter hemisphere at adjacent latitudes. A subtrough is much more common under low solar activity than under high.

Abstract

Geomagnetic storms are disorders in Earth’s magnetic field triggered by solar activity. This research attempts to foretell the total electron content (TEC) using the Kriging and AI model in both low and mid-latitude stations during strong geomagnetic storms that happened on March 17, 2015 and February 3, 2022. This research paper focuses on predicting and analysing TEC anomalies in the ionosphere during the solar storm by using three models: ordinary kriging (OK), cokriging (CoK) and recurrent neural network (RNN). The predicted TEC values by the models are justified with the TIEGCM and KMPCA models. Parameters like RMSE, CC, MAE, and MAPE were applied to assess the execution of predictive models and to quantify the accuracy of predictions. The average RMSE for TEC predicted in the low-latitude region ranges from 4.90 to 5.41, 5.85 to 6.26 and 8.50 to 9.90 for the OK, CoK, and RNN models, respectively. Likewise, the average RMSE for TEC predicted in the mid-latitude region ranges from 1.81 to 4.04, 1.91 to 4.24 and 2.77 to 5.38 for the OK, CoK, and RNN models, respectively. The performance evaluation parameters show that the OK performs better than the CoK and RNN models.

Abstract

Here we studied the planetary features of the spatiotemporal distribution of ionospheric electrojets recorded in the onset of a substorm and in time on the activity maximum of three very intense substorms (with an AL-index from –1200 to –1700 nT) observed during the main phase of the strong magnetic storm on March 23−24, 2023. We have analyzed the substorms by applying the global maps of the planetary distribution of high-latitude ionospheric currents, compiled from simultaneous magnetic measurements on 66 low-orbit satellites of the AMPERE project, as well as ground-based magnetograms from the Scandinavian IMAGE profile and mid-latitude IZMIRAN stations located in the same longitudinal region. It was established that the onset of all the studied substorms on the IMAGE meridian was accompanied by the development of a nighttime current vortex with clockwise rotation, which is an indicator of an increase in downward field-aligned currents. The ground-based mid-latitude observations at the IZMIRAN station network confirmed that the center of the current wedge of the substorm was located in the nighttime sector significantly east of the IMAGE meridian. In the time of the substorm intensity maximum, a similar but more extensive current vortex was observed in the morning sector, which is probably typical of intense substorms.

Abstract

The discussion about the origin of the zebra pattern has been going on for more than 50 years. In many papers it is usually postulated that the double plasma resonance mechanism always works in the presence of fast particles in the magnetic trap. Due to a number of difficulties encountered by this mechanism, works on its improvement began to appear, mainly in a dozen papers by Karlický and Yasnov, where the whole discussion is based on variability of the ratio of the magnetic field and density height scales and the assumption of some plasma turbulence in the source. Here we show possibilities of an alternative model of the interaction between plasma waves and whistlers. Several phenomena were selected in which it is clear that the ratio of height scales does not change in the magnetic loop as the source of the zebra pattern. It is shown that all the main details of the sporadic zebra pattern in the phenomenon of August 1, 2010 (and in many other phenomena), can be explained within the framework of a unified model of zebra patterns and radio fibers (fiber bursts) in the interaction of plasma waves with whistlers. The main changes in the zebra pattern stripes are caused by scattering of fast particles by whistlers leading to switching of the whistler instability from the normal Doppler effect to the anomalous one. In the end, possibilities of laboratory experiments are considered and the solar zebra pattern is compared with similar stripes in the decameter radio emission of Jupiter.

Abstract

During the expansion phase of a substorm, the poleward jump of auroras (breakup) and the expansion of the auroral bulge are observed. The expansion is accompanied by a negative magnetic bay under the aurora and a positive magnetic bay at mid-latitudes. The magnitude of the negative bay is characterized by the auroral AL-index. The Mid-Latitude Positive Bay index (MPB-index) was previously proposed in order to characterize the positive bay. In this article, the statistical relationship of the MPB-index with the geomagnetic activity at different latitudes and with the parameters of the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field is investigated. It is shown that all extremely high values of the MPB-index (above 10 000 nT2) are observed during strong geomagnetic storms (when the Dst-index falls below –100 nT), all extremely strong geomagnetic storms (when the Dst-index falls below –250 nT) are accompanied by extremely high values of the MPB-index. Statistically, the MPB-index increases with increasing geomagnetic activity at any latitude. On average, the MPB-index increases with increasing interplanetary magnetic field magnitudes and any of its components. However, for the Bz-component, large values of the MPB-index are observed at its southward orientation. For the plasma parameters of the solar wind, the MPB-index increases most strongly with the increase of its speed. The dependence on the dynamic pressure and on the value of the EY-component of the electric field of the solar wind is also strong. However, the MPB-index weakly depends on the density and temperature of the solar wind.