scholarly journals Sunward Strahl: A Method to Unambiguously Determine Open Solar Flux from In Situ Spacecraft Measurements Using Suprathermal Electron Data

2017 ◽  
Vol 122 (11) ◽  
pp. 10,980-10,989 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Owens ◽  
M. Lockwood ◽  
P. Riley ◽  
J. Linker
1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Markham ◽  
J. E. Cosgrove ◽  
C. M. Nelson ◽  
A. S. Bonanno ◽  
R. E. Schlief ◽  
...  

The capability to perform in-situ, on-line monitoring of processes induced by concentrated solar flux will enhance the development and utilization of solar technologies. Temperature measurements and chemical concentration measurements provide an understanding of the ongoing chemistry, process limits, and process reproducibility. A Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer was optically coupled to a quartz flow reactor at the High Flux Solar Furnace of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO. In-situ emission/transmission spectroscopy was utilized to simultaneously monitor steam temperature and the concentration of formed hydrogen bromide during the solar flux induced reaction of steam and bromine. The photochemical process is being investigated for the production of industrial quantities of hydrogen and oxygen, where downstream electrolysis of the formed hydrogen bromide provides the hydrogen and regenerates bromine. Steam temperature was measured to increase upon the addition of bromine to the reactor. Gas temperature increases of 200°C to 400°C were observed. Hydrogen bromide concentrations up to ten percent of the reactor gas volume were measured. The FT-IR system provided quantitative information of two critical parameters of the measured process and serves to accelerate this technology area.


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 2137-2146 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Y. C. Cueva ◽  
E. R. de Paula ◽  
A. E. Kherani

Abstract. Equatorial Spread F (ESF) is a manifestation of ionospheric interchange instabilities in the nighttime equatorial F region. These instabilities generate plasma density irregularities with scale sizes ranging from centimetres to thousands of kilometres. The irregularities can be detected from a variety of instruments such as digisonde, coherent and incoherent scatter radars, in situ space probes, and airglow photometers. In the present study, occurrence statistics of the ESF, based on various parameters are presented using data obtained from the VHF radars located at three longitudinally separated equatorial stations: Christmas Island (2° N, 202.6° E, 2.9° N dip latitude), São Luís (2.59° S, 315.8° E, 0.5° S dip latitude) and Jicamarca (12° S, 283.1° E, 0.6° N dip latitude). The ESF parameters presented here are the onset altitude, onset time (onset refers to first appearance of signal in the radar field of view) of the bottom-type and plume, and the peak altitude of the plume. Recent studies have used these parameters to classify the spread F occurrence characteristics. The present study reveals novel features namely, the dependence of ESF parameters on the seasonal, solar flux, declination angle and longitudinal dependence from the three radar sites. In addition, we also present an empirical model to determine the nature of these ESF parameters as a function of the solar flux which may enable us to forecast (with 30 min to 1 h tolerance) the plume occurrence at any longitude located in between São Luís and Christmas Island.


2009 ◽  
Vol 700 (2) ◽  
pp. 937-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lockwood ◽  
A. P. Rouillard ◽  
I. D. Finch

2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1395-1405 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lockwood ◽  
R. B. Forsyth ◽  
A. Balogh ◽  
D. J. McComas

Abstract. Results from all phases of the orbits of the Ulysses spacecraft have shown that the magnitude of the radial component of the heliospheric field is approximately independent of heliographic latitude. This result allows the use of near-Earth observations to compute the total open flux of the Sun. For example, using satellite observations of the interplanetary magnetic field, the average open solar flux was shown to have risen by 29% between 1963 and 1987 and using the aa geomagnetic index it was found to have doubled during the 20th century. It is therefore important to assess fully the accuracy of the result and to check that it applies to all phases of the solar cycle. The first perihelion pass of the Ulysses spacecraft was close to sunspot minimum, and recent data from the second perihelion pass show that the result also holds at solar maximum. The high level of correlation between the open flux derived from the various methods strongly supports the Ulysses discovery that the radial field component is independent of latitude. We show here that the errors introduced into open solar flux estimates by assuming that the heliospheric field's radial component is independent of latitude are similar for the two passes and are of order 25% for daily values, falling to 5% for averaging timescales of 27 days or greater. We compare here the results of four methods for estimating the open solar flux with results from the first and second perehelion passes by Ulysses. We find that the errors are lowest (1–5% for averages over the entire perehelion passes lasting near 320 days), for near-Earth methods, based on either interplanetary magnetic field observations or the aa geomagnetic activity index. The corresponding errors for the Solanki et al. (2000) model are of the order of 9–15% and for the PFSS method, based on solar magnetograms, are of the order of 13–47%. The model of Solanki et al. is based on the continuity equation of open flux, and uses the sunspot number to quantify the rate of open flux emergence. It predicts that the average open solar flux has been decreasing since 1987, as is observed in the variation of all the estimates of the open flux. This decline combines with the solar cycle variation to produce an open flux during the second (sunspot maximum) perihelion pass of Ulysses which is only slightly larger than that during the first (sunspot minimum) perihelion pass. Key words. Interplanetary physics (interplanetary magnetic fields) – Solar physics, astrophysics and astronomy (magnetic fields)


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 330-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Nadal ◽  
N. Barros ◽  
L. Peres ◽  
V. Goetz ◽  
M. Respaud ◽  
...  

We proposed a one step, green and efficient approach to synthesize plasmonic nanocomposites over large surfaces and with controlled morphologies.


2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 383-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lockwood ◽  
H. Nevanlinna ◽  
L. Barnard ◽  
M. J. Owens ◽  
R. G. Harrison ◽  
...  

Abstract. In the concluding paper of this tetralogy, we here use the different geomagnetic activity indices to reconstruct the near-Earth interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and solar wind flow speed, as well as the open solar flux (OSF) from 1845 to the present day. The differences in how the various indices vary with near-Earth interplanetary parameters, which are here exploited to separate the effects of the IMF and solar wind speed, are shown to be statistically significant at the 93% level or above. Reconstructions are made using four combinations of different indices, compiled using different data and different algorithms, and the results are almost identical for all parameters. The correction to the aa index required is discussed by comparison with the Ap index from a more extensive network of mid-latitude stations. Data from the Helsinki magnetometer station is used to extend the aa index back to 1845 and the results confirmed by comparison with the nearby St Petersburg observatory. The optimum variations, using all available long-term geomagnetic indices, of the near-Earth IMF and solar wind speed, and of the open solar flux, are presented; all with ±2σ uncertainties computed using the Monte Carlo technique outlined in the earlier papers. The open solar flux variation derived is shown to be very similar indeed to that obtained using the method of Lockwood et al. (1999).


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