Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth

Autores
Chané, E.; Schmieder, B.; Dasso, Sergio Ricardo; Verbeke, C.; Grison, B.; Démoulin, Pascal; Poedts, S.
Año de publicación
2021
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Context. From May 24-25, 2002, four spacecraft located in the solar wind at about 1 astronomical unit (au) measured plasma densities one to two orders of magnitude lower than usual. The density was so low that the flow became sub-Alfvénic for four hours, and the Alfvén Mach number was as low as 0.4. Consequently, the Earth lost its bow shock, and two long Alfvén wings were generated. Aims. This is one of the lowest density events ever recorded in the solar wind at 1 au, and the least documented one. Our goal is to understand what caused the very low density. Methods. Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) and in situ data were used to identify whether something unusual occurred that could have generated such low densities Results. The very low density was recorded inside a large interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME), which displayed a long, linearly declining velocity profile, typical of expanding ICMEs. We deduce a normalised radial expansion rate of 1.6. Such a strong expansion, occurring over a long period of time, implies a radial size expansion growing with the distance from the Sun to the power 1.6. This can explain a two-orders-of-magnitude drop in plasma density. Data from LASCO and the Advanced Composition Explorer show that this over-expanding ICME was travelling in the wake of a previous ICME. Conclusions. The very low densities measured in the solar wind in May 2002 were caused by the over-expansion of a large ICME. This over-expansion was made possible because the ICME was travelling in a low-density and high-velocity environment present in the wake of another ICME coming from a nearby region on the Sun and ejected only three hours previously. Such conditions are very unusual, which explains why such very low densities are almost never observed.
Fil: Chané, E.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica
Fil: Schmieder, B.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; Francia. Sorbonne University; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia
Fil: Dasso, Sergio Ricardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina
Fil: Verbeke, C.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica
Fil: Grison, B.. Czech Academy of Sciences; República Checa
Fil: Démoulin, Pascal. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; Francia. Sorbonne University; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Laboratoire Cogitamus; Francia
Fil: Poedts, S.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica. University of Maria Curie Skłodowska; Polonia
Materia
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS (MHD)
SOLAR WIND
SUN: CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS (CMES)
SUN: INFRARED
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/183142

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oai_identifier_str oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/183142
network_acronym_str CONICETDig
repository_id_str 3498
network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at EarthChané, E.Schmieder, B.Dasso, Sergio RicardoVerbeke, C.Grison, B.Démoulin, PascalPoedts, S.MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS (MHD)SOLAR WINDSUN: CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS (CMES)SUN: INFRAREDhttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Context. From May 24-25, 2002, four spacecraft located in the solar wind at about 1 astronomical unit (au) measured plasma densities one to two orders of magnitude lower than usual. The density was so low that the flow became sub-Alfvénic for four hours, and the Alfvén Mach number was as low as 0.4. Consequently, the Earth lost its bow shock, and two long Alfvén wings were generated. Aims. This is one of the lowest density events ever recorded in the solar wind at 1 au, and the least documented one. Our goal is to understand what caused the very low density. Methods. Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) and in situ data were used to identify whether something unusual occurred that could have generated such low densities Results. The very low density was recorded inside a large interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME), which displayed a long, linearly declining velocity profile, typical of expanding ICMEs. We deduce a normalised radial expansion rate of 1.6. Such a strong expansion, occurring over a long period of time, implies a radial size expansion growing with the distance from the Sun to the power 1.6. This can explain a two-orders-of-magnitude drop in plasma density. Data from LASCO and the Advanced Composition Explorer show that this over-expanding ICME was travelling in the wake of a previous ICME. Conclusions. The very low densities measured in the solar wind in May 2002 were caused by the over-expansion of a large ICME. This over-expansion was made possible because the ICME was travelling in a low-density and high-velocity environment present in the wake of another ICME coming from a nearby region on the Sun and ejected only three hours previously. Such conditions are very unusual, which explains why such very low densities are almost never observed.Fil: Chané, E.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; BélgicaFil: Schmieder, B.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; Francia. Sorbonne University; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Dasso, Sergio Ricardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; ArgentinaFil: Verbeke, C.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; BélgicaFil: Grison, B.. Czech Academy of Sciences; República ChecaFil: Démoulin, Pascal. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; Francia. Sorbonne University; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Laboratoire Cogitamus; FranciaFil: Poedts, S.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica. University of Maria Curie Skłodowska; PoloniaEDP Sciences2021-03-26info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/183142Chané, E.; Schmieder, B.; Dasso, Sergio Ricardo; Verbeke, C.; Grison, B.; et al.; Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth; EDP Sciences; Astronomy and Astrophysics; 647; 26-3-2021; 1-120004-63611432-0746CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2021/03/aa39867-20/aa39867-20.htmlinfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1051/0004-6361/202039867info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-29T10:38:14Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/183142instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-29 10:38:14.308CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth
title Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth
spellingShingle Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth
Chané, E.
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS (MHD)
SOLAR WIND
SUN: CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS (CMES)
SUN: INFRARED
title_short Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth
title_full Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth
title_fullStr Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth
title_full_unstemmed Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth
title_sort Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Chané, E.
Schmieder, B.
Dasso, Sergio Ricardo
Verbeke, C.
Grison, B.
Démoulin, Pascal
Poedts, S.
author Chané, E.
author_facet Chané, E.
Schmieder, B.
Dasso, Sergio Ricardo
Verbeke, C.
Grison, B.
Démoulin, Pascal
Poedts, S.
author_role author
author2 Schmieder, B.
Dasso, Sergio Ricardo
Verbeke, C.
Grison, B.
Démoulin, Pascal
Poedts, S.
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS (MHD)
SOLAR WIND
SUN: CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS (CMES)
SUN: INFRARED
topic MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS (MHD)
SOLAR WIND
SUN: CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS (CMES)
SUN: INFRARED
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Context. From May 24-25, 2002, four spacecraft located in the solar wind at about 1 astronomical unit (au) measured plasma densities one to two orders of magnitude lower than usual. The density was so low that the flow became sub-Alfvénic for four hours, and the Alfvén Mach number was as low as 0.4. Consequently, the Earth lost its bow shock, and two long Alfvén wings were generated. Aims. This is one of the lowest density events ever recorded in the solar wind at 1 au, and the least documented one. Our goal is to understand what caused the very low density. Methods. Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) and in situ data were used to identify whether something unusual occurred that could have generated such low densities Results. The very low density was recorded inside a large interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME), which displayed a long, linearly declining velocity profile, typical of expanding ICMEs. We deduce a normalised radial expansion rate of 1.6. Such a strong expansion, occurring over a long period of time, implies a radial size expansion growing with the distance from the Sun to the power 1.6. This can explain a two-orders-of-magnitude drop in plasma density. Data from LASCO and the Advanced Composition Explorer show that this over-expanding ICME was travelling in the wake of a previous ICME. Conclusions. The very low densities measured in the solar wind in May 2002 were caused by the over-expansion of a large ICME. This over-expansion was made possible because the ICME was travelling in a low-density and high-velocity environment present in the wake of another ICME coming from a nearby region on the Sun and ejected only three hours previously. Such conditions are very unusual, which explains why such very low densities are almost never observed.
Fil: Chané, E.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica
Fil: Schmieder, B.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; Francia. Sorbonne University; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia
Fil: Dasso, Sergio Ricardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciónes Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio. - Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio; Argentina
Fil: Verbeke, C.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica
Fil: Grison, B.. Czech Academy of Sciences; República Checa
Fil: Démoulin, Pascal. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Observatoire de Paris; Francia. Sorbonne University; Francia. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Laboratoire Cogitamus; Francia
Fil: Poedts, S.. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; Bélgica. University of Maria Curie Skłodowska; Polonia
description Context. From May 24-25, 2002, four spacecraft located in the solar wind at about 1 astronomical unit (au) measured plasma densities one to two orders of magnitude lower than usual. The density was so low that the flow became sub-Alfvénic for four hours, and the Alfvén Mach number was as low as 0.4. Consequently, the Earth lost its bow shock, and two long Alfvén wings were generated. Aims. This is one of the lowest density events ever recorded in the solar wind at 1 au, and the least documented one. Our goal is to understand what caused the very low density. Methods. Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph (LASCO) and in situ data were used to identify whether something unusual occurred that could have generated such low densities Results. The very low density was recorded inside a large interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME), which displayed a long, linearly declining velocity profile, typical of expanding ICMEs. We deduce a normalised radial expansion rate of 1.6. Such a strong expansion, occurring over a long period of time, implies a radial size expansion growing with the distance from the Sun to the power 1.6. This can explain a two-orders-of-magnitude drop in plasma density. Data from LASCO and the Advanced Composition Explorer show that this over-expanding ICME was travelling in the wake of a previous ICME. Conclusions. The very low densities measured in the solar wind in May 2002 were caused by the over-expansion of a large ICME. This over-expansion was made possible because the ICME was travelling in a low-density and high-velocity environment present in the wake of another ICME coming from a nearby region on the Sun and ejected only three hours previously. Such conditions are very unusual, which explains why such very low densities are almost never observed.
publishDate 2021
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021-03-26
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/183142
Chané, E.; Schmieder, B.; Dasso, Sergio Ricardo; Verbeke, C.; Grison, B.; et al.; Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth; EDP Sciences; Astronomy and Astrophysics; 647; 26-3-2021; 1-12
0004-6361
1432-0746
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/183142
identifier_str_mv Chané, E.; Schmieder, B.; Dasso, Sergio Ricardo; Verbeke, C.; Grison, B.; et al.; Over-expansion of a coronal mass ejection generates sub-Alfvénic plasma conditions in the solar wind at Earth; EDP Sciences; Astronomy and Astrophysics; 647; 26-3-2021; 1-12
0004-6361
1432-0746
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2021/03/aa39867-20/aa39867-20.html
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1051/0004-6361/202039867
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDP Sciences
publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDP Sciences
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
collection CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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