Large-scale properties of the solar wind in the inner heliosphere
Abstract
Since the solar wind phenomenon has been revealed and confirmed, one of the most intriguing problems was to understand processes in the solar atmosphere and their relation with the solar wind characteristics at different distances from the Sun. Analysis of multi-spacecraft measurements of plasma parameters and the interplanetary magnetic field provides us with knowledge about the heliosphere from global to small scales. Comparisons of observations with models, describing small-scale processes, usually give more positive results than in the case of models comparison with the solar wind properties at the scales larger than several proton gyroradii. For example, Parker-like models face with big problems in their attempts to predict the solar wind plasma and, especially, the behaviour of the interplanetary magnetic field. Observations show that the radial component of the interplanetary magnetic field depends on heliolatitude and radially decreases with a slope of -5/3 instead of the predicted slope of -2 (Khabarova, Obridko, ApJ, 2012; Khabarova, Astronomy Reports, 2013). This may be determined by small-scale processes occurring in some vicinity of the heliospheric current sheet and related to the magnetic reconnection (Zharkova, Khabarova, ApJ, 2012). In this report we present results of data analysis of eight spacecraft to study variations of plasma, the electric and magnetic field with distance and heliolatitude. begin{enumerate}
Zharkova V., Khabarova O., Particle Acceleration in the Reconnecting Heliospheric Current Sheet: Solar Wind Data Versus 3D PIC Simulations, Astrophysical Journal, 2012, V.752, 1, 35 doi:10.1088/0004-637X/752/1/35 begin{enumerate} Khabarova Olga, and Obridko Vladimir, Puzzles of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field in the Inner Heliosphere, 2012, Astrophysical Journal, 761, 2, 82, doi:10.1088/0004-637X/761/2/82 begin{enumerate} Khabarova Olga V., The interplanetary magnetic field: radial and latitudinal dependences. Astronomy Reports, 2013, Vol. 57, No. 11, pp. 844-859, DOI: 10.1134/S1063772913110024- Publication:
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40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014cosp...40E1457K