The solar wind structure and heliospheric magnetic field in the solar Cycle 23-24 minimum and in the increasing phase of Cycle 24

Details The solar wind structure and heliospheric magnetic field in the solar Cycle 23-24 minimum and in the increasing phase of Cycle 24 The solar wind structure and heliospheric magnetic field in the solar Cycle 23-24 minimum and in the increasing phase of Cycle 24

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsh31d..05g&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SH31D-05

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

[7536] Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy / Solar Activity Cycle

Scientific paper

The solar wind structure and the heliospheric magnetic field were substantially different in the latest solar minimum between solar Cycle 23 and 24 from the previous minimum. Compared with the previous minimum, in the latest solar minimum, the heliospheric magnetic field strength was substantially reduced; the streamer-associated-low-temperature solar wind (streamer-stalk wind) was distributed in a narrower region relative to the heliospheric current sheet (HCS); the slow-proton-speed solar wind was scattered in a wider latitudinal region; and there are more large and steady coronal holes at low latitude. We offer an explanation for the decreased magnetic-field strength and the narrowed streamer-stalk wind based on an analysis of the Ulysses and ACE in-situ observations. Solar-wind composition data are used to demonstrate that there are two distinct structures of solar wind: solar wind likely to originate from the stalk of the streamer belt (the highly elongated loops that underlie the HCS), and solar wind from outside this region. The region outside the streamer-stalk region is noticeably larger in the Cycle 23-24 minimum; however, the increased area can account for the reduction in the heliospheric magnetic-field strength in that minimum. Thus, the total magnetic flux contained in this region is the same in the two minima. To have a further understanding of the solar wind structure and its solar source, we ballistically map the ACE in-situ observation back along a radial trajectory from 1 AU to the solar source surface (r = 2.5Rsun) using the observed proton speeds. Then we track the field line from the source surface to the solar surface using a potential-field-source-surface (PFSS) extrapolation model. So the ACE observations, including the heliospheric magnetic field, the solar wind compositional and dynamic properties at 1AU, can be connected to their coronal sources on the solar surface. Synoptic maps showing this connection will be provided, and based on those maps we will further discuss the evolution of the solar wind and coronal structures throughout the latest solar minimum till the increasing phase of the Cycle 24.

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