Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections Resulting from Earth-Directed CMEs Using SOHO and ACE Combined Data During Solar Cycle 23

In this work a total of 266 interplanetary coronal mass ejections observed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory/Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (SOHO/LASCO) and then studied by in situ observations from Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft, are presented in a new catalog for the time interval 1996?–?2009 covering Solar Cycle 23. Specifically, we determine the characteristics of the CME which is responsible for the upcoming ICME and the associated solar flare, the initial/background solar wind plasma and magnetic field conditions before the arrival of the CME, the conditions in the sheath of the ICME, the main part of the ICME, the geomagnetic conditions of the ICME’s impact at Earth and finally we remark on the visual examination for each event. Interesting results revealed from this study include the high correlation coefficient values of the magnetic field \(B_{z}\) component against the Ap index (\(r = 0.84\)), as well as against the Dst index (\(r = 0.80\)) and of the effective acceleration against the CME linear speed (\(r = 0.98\)). We also identify a north–south asymmetry for X-class solar flares and an east–west asymmetry for CMEs associated with strong solar flares (magnitude ≥ M1.0) which finally triggered intense geomagnetic storms (with \(\mathrm{Ap} \geq179\)). The majority of the geomagnetic storms are determined to be due to the ICME main part and not to the extreme conditions which dominate inside the sheath. For the intense geomagnetic storms the maximum value of the Ap index is observed almost 4 hours before the minimum Dst index. The amount of information makes this new catalog the most comprehensive ICME catalog for Solar Cycle 23.     

Solar Energetic Particle Events in the 23rd Solar Cycle: Interplanetary Magnetic Field Configuration and Statistical Relationship with Flares and CMEs

We study the influence of the large-scale interplanetary magnetic field configuration on the solar energetic particles (SEPs) as detected at different satellites near Earth and on the correlation of their peak intensities with the parent solar activity. We selected SEP events associated with X- and M-class flares at western longitudes, in order to ensure good magnetic connection to Earth. These events were classified into two categories according to the global interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) configuration present during the SEP propagation to 1 AU: standard solar wind or interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). Our analysis shows that around 20 % of all particle events are detected when the spacecraft is immersed in an ICME. The correlation of the peak particle intensity with the projected speed of the SEP-associated coronal mass ejection is similar in the two IMF categories of proton and electron events, ≈?0.6. The SEP events within ICMEs show stronger correlation between the peak proton intensity and the soft X-ray flux of the associated solar flare, with correlation coefficient r=0.67±0.13, compared to the SEP events propagating in the standard solar wind, r=0.36±0.13. The difference is more pronounced for near-relativistic electrons. The main reason for the different correlation behavior seems to be the larger spread of the flare longitude in the SEP sample detected in the solar wind as compared to SEP events within ICMEs. We discuss to what extent observational bias, different physical processes (particle injection, transport, etc.), and the IMF configuration can influence the relationship between SEPs and coronal activity.     

Solar Sources of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections During the Solar Cycle 23/24 Minimum

We examine solar sources for 20 interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) observed in 2009 in the near-Earth solar wind. We performed a detailed analysis of coronagraph and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Our study shows that the coronagraph observations from viewpoints away from the Sun–Earth line are paramount to locate the solar sources of Earth-bound ICMEs during solar minimum. SOHO/LASCO detected only six CMEs in our sample, and only one of these CMEs was wider than 120^°. This demonstrates that observing a full or partial halo CME is not necessary to observe the ICME arrival. Although the two STEREO spacecraft had the best possible configuration for observing Earth-bound CMEs in 2009, we failed to find the associated CME for four ICMEs, and identifying the correct CME was not straightforward even for some clear ICMEs. Ten out of 16 (63 %) of the associated CMEs in our study were “stealth” CMEs, i.e. no obvious EUV on-disk activity was associated with them. Most of our stealth CMEs also lacked on-limb EUV signatures. We found that stealth CMEs generally lack the leading bright front in coronagraph images. This is in accordance with previous studies that argued that stealth CMEs form more slowly and at higher coronal altitudes than non-stealth CMEs. We suggest that at solar minimum the slow-rising CMEs do not draw enough coronal plasma around them. These CMEs are hence difficult to discern in the coronagraphic data, even when viewed close to the plane of the sky. The weak ICMEs in our study were related to both intrinsically narrow CMEs and the non-central encounters of larger CMEs. We also demonstrate that narrow CMEs (angular widths ≤?20^°) can arrive at Earth and that an unstructured CME may result in a flux rope-type ICME.     

Ⅲ型爆发与日冕物质抛射及相关事件的统计分析

对国家天文台5．2～7．6GHz频谱仪在23周太阳活动峰年期间（1999．8～2003．10）记录到的Ⅲ型爆发，与日冕物质抛射（CME）、Ha耀斑及相关事件作了统计分析。发现微波Ⅲ型爆发与CME的关系没有Ⅱ型射电爆发与CME的关系密切；与CME对应的Ha耀斑91％的都是渐变耀斑，且90％的渐变耀斑发生在CME之前，平均在前29分钟，仅有10％的耀斑发生在CME之后，平均在后4分钟；从这些统计特征出发，讨论了它们的辐射机制。     

Radial Speed Evolution of Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections During Solar Cycle 23

We report radial-speed evolution of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) detected by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO/LASCO), interplanetary scintillation (IPS) at 327 MHz, and in-situ observations. We analyze solar-wind disturbance factor (g-value) data derived from IPS observations during 1997?–?2009 covering nearly the whole period of Solar Cycle 23. By comparing observations from SOHO/LASCO, IPS, and in situ, we identify 39 ICMEs that could be analyzed carefully. Here, we define two speeds [V _SOHO and V _bg], which are the initial speed of the ICME and the speed of the background solar wind, respectively. Examinations of these speeds yield the following results: i) Fast ICMEs (with V _SOHO?V _bg>500 km?s^?1) rapidly decelerate, moderate ICMEs (with 0 km?s^?1≤V _SOHO?V _bg≤500 km?s^?1) show either gradually decelerating or uniform motion, and slow ICMEs (with V _SOHO?V _bg<0 km?s^?1) accelerate. The radial speeds converge on the speed of the background solar wind during their outward propagation. We subsequently find; ii) both the acceleration and the deceleration are nearly complete by 0.79±0.04 AU, and those are ended when the ICMEs reach a 480±21 km?s^?1. iii) For ICMEs with (V _SOHO?V _bg)≥0 km?s^?1, i.e. fast and moderate ICMEs, a linear equation a=?γ ₁(V?V _bg) with γ ₁=6.58±0.23×10^?6 s^?1 is more appropriate than a quadratic equation a=?γ ₂(V?V _bg)|V?V _bg| to describe their kinematics, where γ ₁ and γ ₂ are coefficients, and a and V are the acceleration and speed of ICMEs, respectively, because the χ ² for the linear equation satisfies the statistical significance level of 0.05, while the quadratic one does not. These results support the assumption that the radial motion of ICMEs is governed by a drag force due to interaction with the background solar wind. These findings also suggest that ICMEs propagating faster than the background solar wind are controlled mainly by the hydrodynamic Stokes drag.     

Comparison of Helicity Signs in Interplanetary CMEs and Their Solar Source Regions

If all coronal mass ejections (CMEs) have flux ropes, then the CMEs should keep their helicity signs from the Sun to the Earth according to the helicity conservation principle. This study presents an attempt to answer the question from the Coordinated Data Analysis Workshop (CDAW), “Do all CMEs have flux ropes?”, by using a qualitative helicity sign comparison between interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs) and their CME source regions. For this, we select 34 CME–ICME pairs whose source active regions (ARs) have continuous SOHO/MDI magnetogram data covering more than 24 hr without data gap during the passage of the ARs near the solar disk center. The helicity signs in the ARs are determined by estimation of cumulative magnetic helicity injected through the photosphere in the entire source ARs. The helicity signs in the ICMEs are estimated by applying the cylinder model developed by Marubashi (Adv. Space. Res., 26, 55, 2000) to 16 second resolution magnetic field data from the MAG instrument onboard the ACE spacecraft. It is found that 30 out of 34 events (88 %) are helicity sign-consistent events, while four events (12 %) are sign-inconsistent. Through a detailed investigation of the source ARs of the four sign-inconsistent events, we find that those events can be explained by the local helicity sign opposite to that of the entire AR helicity (28 July 2000 ICME), incorrectly reported solar source region in the CDAW list (20 May 2005 ICME), or the helicity sign of the pre-existing coronal magnetic field (13 October 2000 and 20 November 2003 ICMEs). We conclude that the helicity signs of the ICMEs are quite consistent with those of the injected helicities in the AR regions from where the CMEs erupted.     

Cosmic-Ray Variations During the Two Greatest Bursts of Solar Activity in the 23rd Solar Cycle

During two extreme bursts of solar activity in March–April 2001 and October–November 2003, the ground-based neutron monitor network recorded a series of outstanding events distinguished by their magnitude and unusual peculiarities. The important changes that lead to increased activity initiated not with the sunspot appearance, but with the large-scale solar magnetic field reconfiguration. A series of strong and moderate magnetic storms and powerful proton events (including ground-level enhancements, GLE) were registered during these periods. The largest and most productive in the 23rd solar cycle, active region 486, generated a significant series of solar flares among which the 4 November 2003 flare (X28/3B) was the most powerful X-ray solar event ever observed. The fastest arrival of the interplanetary disturbance from the Sun (after August 1972) and the highest solar wind velocity and IMF intensity were recorded during these events. Within 1 week, three GLEs of solar cosmic rays were registered by the neutron monitor network (28 and 29 October and 2 November 2003). In this work, we perform a tentative analysis of a number of the effects seen in cosmic rays during these two periods, using the neutron monitor network and other relevant data.     

Distribution of CMEs with Different Angular Widths and Comparison with the Phase of Sunspot Number in the 23rd Solar Cycle

The variation of the number of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) with different angular widths in the period of 1996-2008 is analyzed statistically in this paper, together with a comparison of the feature of time variation between the number of CMEs with some typical angular widths and the number of sunspots.     

Periodicities in Irradiance and in other Solar Activity Indices During Cycle 23

Magnetic fields give rise to distinctive features in different solar atmospheric regimes. To study this, time variations of the flare index, sunspot number and sunspot area, each index arising from different physical conditions, were compared with the solar composite irradiance throughout cycle 23. Rieger-type periodicities in these time series were calculated using Fourier and wavelet transforms (WTs). The peaks of the wavelet power of these periodicities appeared between the years 1999 and 2002. We found that the solar irradiance oscillations are less significant than those in the other indices during this cycle. The irradiance shows non-periodic fluctuations during this time interval. The peaks of the flare index, sunspot number and sunspot total area were seen around 2000.4, 1999.9 and 2001.0, respectively. These periodicities appeared intermittently and were not simultaneous in different solar activity indices during the three years of the maximum phase of solar cycle 23.     

Multiwavelength Study on Solar and Interplanetary Origins of the Strongest Geomagnetic Storm of Solar Cycle 23

We study the solar sources of an intense geomagnetic storm of solar cycle 23 that occurred on 20 November 2003, based on ground- and space-based multiwavelength observations. The coronal mass ejections (CMEs) responsible for the above geomagnetic storm originated from the super-active region NOAA 10501. We investigate the H?? observations of the flare events made with a 15 cm solar tower telescope at ARIES, Nainital, India. The propagation characteristics of the CMEs have been derived from the three-dimensional images of the solar wind (i.e., density and speed) obtained from the interplanetary scintillation data, supplemented with other ground- and space-based measurements. The TRACE, SXI and H?? observations revealed two successive ejections (of speeds ???350 and ???100 km?s^?1), originating from the same filament channel, which were associated with two high speed CMEs (???1223 and ???1660 km?s^?1, respectively). These two ejections generated propagating fast shock waves (i.e., fast-drifting type II radio bursts) in the corona. The interaction of these CMEs along the Sun?CEarth line has led to the severity of the storm. According to our investigation, the interplanetary medium consisted of two merging magnetic clouds (MCs) that preserved their identity during their propagation. These magnetic clouds made the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) southward for a long time, which reconnected with the geomagnetic field, resulting the super-storm (Dst _peak=?472 nT) on the Earth.     

Cosmic-Ray Decreases and Interplanetary Disturbances During the Solar Magnetic Polarity Reversal in Solar Cycle 20

Using the cosmic-ray intensity data recorded with ground-based monitors at Mt. Washington and Deep River, and with cosmic-ray telescopes on Pioneer 8 and 9 spacecraft as well as the 2-hour averages of the IMF (magnitude and direction) and the solar wind bulk speed and density at 1 AU, the cosmic-ray decreases and interplanetary disturbances, that occurred during the period of solar magnetic polarity reversal in solar cycle 20, were investigated.We observed a two-step Forbush decrease on 22–23 November 1969, and a Forbush decrease on 26 November 1969, which are respectively consistent with the model of Barnden (1973), and of Parker (1963) and Barnden (1973). Only one Forbush decrease event was observed in December 1969, a period during which there was a solar magnetic polarity reversal; the Forbush decrease was attributed to a long-lived corotating high-speed solar wind stream. This is indicative that at heliolongitudes from 43° E to 70° W of S–E radial, covered by the observations, the solar magnetic polarity reversal in solar cycle 20 was not carried by, nor related to, individual transient structures, and that the reversal most probably evolved gradually.     

Diffusive-Shock-Accelerated Interplanetary Ions At Several Energies During the Solar Cycle 21 Maximum

The most intense energetic particle (mainly proton) events in the energy range 36–1600 keV, during the years of maximum activity of solar cycle 21 (1978 to 1982), have been studied with regard to their spectra, temporal profiles, source location at the Sun, interplanetary plasma parameters and interplanetary magnetic field topology. In all the events, the particles were accelerated by the 'Diffusive Shock' acceleration mechanism, because all the events were 'long-duration events', shock-associated, and their spectra fitted to a power-law energetic particle spectrum dJ/dE E^-\gamma with the exponent values ranging from 1.25 up to 1.94, with a mean value of 1.60 ± 0.06. We also show that the spectral indexes are related to the shock properties by a linear expression. The solar sources were located on a wide longitudinal belt extending from 50^ W up to 73^ E. Neither the spectral indexes nor the shock parameters present any dependence on the source location at the Sun. Finally, only one event showed the complete set of properties that characterize the presence of a magnetic cloud associated with the event.     

A Study of the Earth-Affecting CMEs of Solar Cycle 24

Using in situ observations from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), we have identified 70 Earth-affecting interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) in Solar Cycle 24. Because of the unprecedented extent of heliospheric observations in Cycle 24 that has been achieved thanks to the Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) instruments onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), we observe these events throughout the heliosphere from the Sun to the Earth, and we can relate these in situ signatures to remote sensing data. This allows us to completely track the event back to the source of the eruption in the low corona. We present a summary of the Earth-affecting CMEs in Solar Cycle 24 and a statistical study of the properties of these events including the source region. We examine the characteristics of CMEs that are more likely to be strongly geoeffective and examine the effect of the flare strength on in situ properties. We find that Earth-affecting CMEs in the first half of Cycle 24 are more likely to come from the northern hemisphere, but after April 2012, this reverses, and these events are more likely to originate in the southern hemisphere, following the observed magnetic asymmetry in the two hemispheres. We also find that as in past solar cycles, CMEs from the western hemisphere are more likely to reach Earth. We find that Cycle 24 lacks in events driving extreme geomagnetic storms compared to past solar cycles.     

Heliospheric Modulation of Galactic Cosmic Rays During Solar Cycle 23

Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) encounter an outward-moving solar wind with cyclic magnetic-field fluctuation and turbulence. This causes convection and diffusion in the heliosphere. The GCR counts from the ground-based neutron monitor stations show intensity changes that are anti-correlated with the sunspot numbers with a lag of a few months. GCRs experience various types of modulation from different solar activity features and influence space weather and the terrestrial climate. In this work, we investigate certain aspects of the GCR modulation at low cut-off rigidity (R _c≈1 GV) in relation to some solar and geomagnetic indices for the entire solar cycle 23 (1996?–?2008). We separately study the GCR modulation during the ascending phase of cycle 23 including its maximum (1996?–?2002) and the descending phase including its minimum (2003?–?2008). We find that during the descending phase, the GCR recoveries are much faster than those of the solar parameters with negative time-lag. The results are discussed in light of modulation models, including drift effects and previous results.     

Relating 27-Day Averages of Solar,Interplanetary Medium Parameters,and Geomagnetic Activity Proxies in Solar Cycle 24

Solar Physics - During solar minimum, the Sun is relatively inactive with few sunspots observed on the solar surface. Consequently, we observe a smaller number of highly energetic events such as...     

Variations of the Chromospheric Network with the Solar Cycle

We have digitized a small sample of Caii K spectroheliograms from the photographic archive of Arcetri Observatory for the period 1950–1970. For each digitized plate, active regions have been automatically identified and masked by applying an algorithm based on the geometrical connection between active pixels. Contrast histograms have been derived for the full disk and for quiet regions. Both of them show a neat Gaussian profile on the dark side and a significant tail on the bright side, due to the brightness enhancements associated with magnetic fields. A solar cycle dependence of the histogram asymmetry is clearly evident in quiet region data, thus confirming that the network component might provide a significant contribution to long-term variations of the total irradiance.