Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 1994
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1994jgr....99....1b&link_type=abstract
Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 99, no. A1, p. 1-9
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
31
Astronomical Models, Current Sheets, Heliosphere, Solar Corona, Solar Magnetic Field, International Sun Earth Explorer 3, Slopes, Statistical Analysis, Stellar Mass Ejection
Scientific paper
The orientation of the heliospheric current sheet predicted from a source surface model is compared with the orientation determined from minimum-variance analysis of International Sun-Earth Explorer (ISEE) 3 magnetic field data at 1 AU near solar maximum. Of the 37 cases analyzed, 28 have minimum variance normals that lie orthogonal to the predicted Parker spiral direction. For these cases, the correlation coefficient between the predicted and measured inclinations is 0.6. However, for the subset of 14 cases for which transient signatures (either interplanetary shocks or bidirectional electrons) are absent, the agreement in inclinations improves dramatically, with a correlation coefficient of 0.96. These results validate not only the use of the source surface model as a predictor but also the previously questioned usefulness of minimum variance analysis across complex sector boundaries. In addition, the results imply that interplanetary dynamics have little effect on current sheet inclination at 1 AU. The dependence of the correlation on transient occurrence suggests that the leading edge of a coronal mass ejection (CME), where transient signatures are detected, disrupts the heliospheric current sheet but that the sheet re-forms between the trailing legs of the CME. In this way the global structure of the heliosphere, reflected both in the source surface maps and in the interplanetary sector structure, can be maintained even when the CME occurrence rate is high.
Burton Marcia E.
Crooker Nancy U.
Siscoe George L.
Smith Edward. J.
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