First imaging of corotating interaction regions using the STEREO spacecraft

Rouillard, A. P.; Davies, J. A.; Forsyth, R. J.; Rees, A.; Davis, C. J.; Harrison, R. A.; Lockwood, Mike; Bewsher, D.; Crothers, S. R.; Eyles, C. J.; Hapgood, M. A.; Perry, C. H.

doi:10.1029/2008gl033767

Cited by 185 publications

(288 citation statements)

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“…with t the time since launch of the plasma element, r sc the orbital distance of the observer from the Sun, and V r the radial speed of the plasma point (Rouillard et al, 2008). For a given φ and V r , it is possible to calculate the theoretical variation of elongation with time (i.e.…”

Section: Fixed-φ Fitting (Fpf)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing the Effect of Spacecraft Motion on Single-Spacecraft Solar Wind Tracking Techniques

2014

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Recent advances in wide-angle imaging by the Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) on board the Coriolis spacecraft and more recently by the Heliospheric Imagers (HI) aboard NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO), have enabled solar wind transients to be imaged and tracked from the Sun to 1 AU and beyond. In this paper we consider two of the techniques that have been used to determine the propagation characteristics of solar wind transients based on single-spacecraft observations, in particular propagation direction and radial speed. These techniques usually assume that the observing spacecraft remains stationary for the duration of observation of the solar wind transient. We determine the inaccuracy introduced by this assumption for the two STEREO spacecraft and find that it can be significant, and it can lead to an overestimation of the transient velocity as seen from STEREO-A and an underestimation as seen by STEREO-B. This has implications for the prediction or solar wind transients at 1 AU and hence is important for the study of space weather.

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Section: Fixed-φ Fitting (Fpf)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…CIR-entrained blobs (e.g. Rouillard et al, 2008) and narrow CMEs. For more discussion of this technique see e.g.…”

Section: Fixed-φ Fitting (Fpf)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Effect of Spacecraft Motion on Single-Spacecraft Solar Wind Tracking Techniques

2014

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“…To study the details of these small-scale transients, we need high-resolution observations, as these transients commonly take up only a few pixels in current LASCO and SEC-CHI coronagraph observations (Sheeley et al 2008;Rouillard et al 2008Rouillard et al , 2009. WISPR is designed with a 6.4 arcmin resolution so that it can image and trace the streamer blobs, within its FOV, to large heights and with a resolution equivalent to or better than that of the LASCO or SECCHI coronagraphs.…”

Section: Science Question 2: 'How Do the Observed Structures In The Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe Plus (WISPR)

et al. 2015

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mission designed to orbit as close as 7 million km (9.86 solar radii) from Sun center. WISPR employs a 95 • radial by 58 • transverse field of view to image the fine-scale structure of the solar corona, derive the 3D structure of the large-scale corona, and determine whether a dust-free zone exists near the Sun. WISPR is the smallest heliospheric imager to date yet it comprises two nested wide-field telescopes with large-format (2 K × 2 K) APS CMOS detectors to optimize the performance for their respective fields of view and to minimize the risk of dust damage, which may be considerable close to the Sun. The WISPR electronics are very flexible allowing the collection of individual images at cadences up to 1 second at perihelion or the summing of multiple images to increase the signal-to-noise when the spacecraft is further from the Sun. The dependency of the Thomson scattering emission of the corona on the imaging geometry dictates that WISPR will be very sensitive to the emission from plasma close to the spacecraft in contrast to the situation for imaging from Earth orbit. WISPR will be the first 'local' imager providing a crucial link between the large-scale corona and the in-situ measurements.

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“…Even for an observer at a fixed longitude, a different part of the CME will contribute to the imaged radiance at any given time (Xiong et al 2013). Various techniques have been developed that enable the spatial locations and propagation directions of CMEs to be inferred, based on fitting their moving radiance patterns (e.g., Sheeley et al 2008;Rouillard et al 2008;Thernisien et al 2009;Liu et al 2010;Lugaz et al 2010;Möstl et al 2011;Davies et al 2012). However, the determination of interplanetary CME kinematics, and propagation direction in particular, is somewhat ambiguous (Howard & Tappin 2009;Davis et al 2010;Davies et al 2012;Howard & DeForest 2012;Xiong et al 2013;Lugaz & Kintner 2013).…”

Section: Heliospheric White Light Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Coordinated Observations in Polarized White Light and Faraday Rotation to Probe the Spatial Position and Magnetic Field of an Interplanetary Sheath

Xiong

Davies

Feng

et al. 2013

ApJ

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Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can be continuously tracked through a large portion of the inner heliosphere by direct imaging in visible and radio wavebands. White light (WL) signatures of solar wind transients, such as CMEs, result from Thomson scattering of sunlight by free electrons and therefore depend on both viewing geometry and electron density. The Faraday rotation (FR) of radio waves from extragalactic pulsars and quasars, which arises due to the presence of such solar wind features, depends on the line-of-sight magnetic field component B and the electron density. To understand coordinated WL and FR observations of CMEs, we perform forward magnetohydrodynamic modeling of an Earth-directed shock and synthesize the signatures that would be remotely sensed at a number of widely distributed vantage points in the inner heliosphere. Removal of the background solar wind contribution reveals the shock-associated enhancements in WL and FR. While the efficiency of Thomson scattering depends on scattering angle, WL radiance I decreases with heliocentric distance r roughly according to the expression I ∝ r −3 . The sheath region downstream of the Earth-directed shock is well viewed from the L4 and L5 Lagrangian points, demonstrating the benefits of these points in terms of space weather forecasting. The spatial position of the main scattering site r sheath and the mass of plasma at that position M sheath can be inferred from the polarization of the shock-associated enhancement in WL radiance. From the FR measurements, the local B sheath at r sheath can then be estimated. Simultaneous observations in polarized WL and FR can not only be used to detect CMEs, but also to diagnose their plasma and magnetic field properties.

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First imaging of corotating interaction regions using the STEREO spacecraft

Cited by 185 publications

References 20 publications

Assessing the Effect of Spacecraft Motion on Single-Spacecraft Solar Wind Tracking Techniques

Assessing the Effect of Spacecraft Motion on Single-Spacecraft Solar Wind Tracking Techniques

The Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe Plus (WISPR)

Using Coordinated Observations in Polarized White Light and Faraday Rotation to Probe the Spatial Position and Magnetic Field of an Interplanetary Sheath

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