Studies of the IMF and dayside reconnection-driven convection seen by PolarDARN
Date
2009-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
Type
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
The original objectives of this thesis were to use the new PolarDARN radars to study the convection patterns at high latitudes and to attempt to explain them in terms of reconnection. Because the IMF is important in reconnection, studies of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) components Bx, By and Bz were done. The study showed that was lower by 21.5% than from Jan. 2006 to Dec. 2008, so By was expected to play an important role in reconnection. The IMF, spiral angle, and the amount of warping of the solar magnetic field in interplanetary space decreased slightly during this 36-month period. The decrease in IMF was a more sensitive indicator of the solar minimum than the decrease in the 10.7 cm solar microwave flux.
A solar magnetic sector boundary study from the Jan 1, 2007 – Dec 31, 2008 interval showed the occurrence of four or two sectors in a synodic solar rotation cycle. A sector boundary crossing frequently takes place in less than 3 hours. The transition from four sectors to two sectors is surprisingly smooth, in that no interruption in the 27-day synodic period occurs. A superposed epoch analysis of solar wind speed near sector boundary crossings showed a speed minimum about half a day before the crossing, and a maximum about two days after the crossing. The standard deviation reached a minimum at about the same time as the velocity. The sector boundary study also showed that, since Dec. 2007, there were six roughly 27-day synodic solar rotation cycles near spring equinox when “away” field dominated, and that the following seven 27-day cycles close to the autumnal equinox were dominated by “toward” field. This is consistent with the quasi-sinusoidal annual magnetic sector polarity oscillations that occur for about three years during solar minimum. These oscillations are due to the mainly dipolar magnetic field which is roughly aligned with the Sun’s axis, tilted 7.25° from the normal to the ecliptic plane. The three-year oscillation for the present minimum between Solar Cycles 23 and 24 appeared to begin in Dec. 2007. For the past four solar minima, an El Nino event has occurred during the last of the three oscillations, and the El Nino and sinusoidal magnetic oscillation ended together. The new solar cycle began about 6 months before that.
During the past eight years, a new 3D topological “null-separator” formulation of magnetic reconnection and its effect on convection has been led by Dr. M. Watanabe in ISAS at the University of Saskatchewan. This formulation includes two types of interchange reconnection (Russell and Tanaka) as well as the traditional Dungey reconnection. For conditions when the IMF clock angle was within 30° of a Bz+ dominant convection, the new reconnection model shows that the convection can be driven strictly by the two types of interchange reconnection. The model predicts the existence of a “reciprocal cell” on closed field lines and an “interchange merging cell” surrounding an interior lobe cell. The construction of the PolarDARN radars at Rankin Inlet and Inuvik, completed in December, 2007, allowed polar cap convection to be measured for predominantly Bz+ conditions. The existence of the two predicted features was confirmed. This also required that satellite data be analyzed to determine the location of the open-closed-field-line-boundary (OCFLB). Several PolarDARN studies are represented to show convection for different IMF clock angles and seasons.
Description
Keywords
TTFD wire antenna, space weather, ACF radar, magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, SuperDARN
Citation
Degree
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Department
Physics and Engineering Physics
Program
Physics and Engineering Physics