Interplanetary shocks are one of the crucial dynamic processes in the Heliosphere. They accelerate particles into a high energy, generate plasma waves, and could potentially trigger geomagnetic storms in the terrestrial magnetosphere disturbing significantly our technological infrastructures. In this study, two IP shock events are selected to study the temporal variations of the shock parameters using magnetometer and ion plasma measurements of the STEREO$-$A and B, the Wind, Cluster fleet, and the ACE spacecraft. The shock normal vectors are determined using the minimum variance analysis (MVA) and the magnetic coplanarity methods (CP). During the May 07 event, the shock parameters and the shock normal direction are consistent. The shock surface appears to be tilted almost the same degree as the Parker spiral, and the driver could be a CIR. During the April 23 event, the shock parameters do not change significantly except for the shock $θ_{Bn}$ angle, however, the shape of the IP shock appears to be twisted along the transverse direction to the Sun-Earth line as well. The driver of this rippled shock is SIRs/CIRs as well. Being a fast-reverse shock caused this irregularity in shape.
In this paper, we review the preliminary results on the propagation effects and interplanetary consequences of fast and wide coronal mass ejection (CME) events, occurred during 18--25 June 2015, in the Sun-Earth distance range. The interplanetary scintillation (IPS) images reveal that the large-scale structures of CME-driven disturbances filled nearly the entire inner heliosphere with a range of speeds, $\sim$300--1000 {\kmps}. The comparison of speed data sets, from IPS technique results in the inner heliosphere and {\it in-situ} measurements at 1 AU, indicates that the drag force imposed by …
Two recent kHz outer heliospheric radio emissions seen at Voyager 1-What are the interplanetary events that trigger them and where are these events when the radio emissions start?
We present STEREO observations within 1500 proton gyroradii of 12 interplanetary shocks, with long-duration burst mode electric field acquisition by S/WAVES enabling observation of the evolution of waves throughout the entire ramp of interplanetary shocks. The shocks are low Mach number ($M_{f} \sim $1--5), quasi-perpendicular ($θ_{Bn} \geq 45^{\circ}$), with beta ($β$) $\sim $0.2--1.8. High variability in frequency, amplitude, and wave mode is observed upstream, downstream, and in shock ramps. Observations in every region include ion acoustic-like waves, electron cyclotron drift instability d…
Interplanetary (IP) shocks are fundamental building blocks of the heliosphere, and the possibility to observe them \emph{in-situ} is crucial to address important aspects of energy conversion for a variety of astrophysical systems. Steepened waves known as shocklets are known to be important structures of planetary bow shocks, but they are very rarely observed related to IP shocks. We present here the first multi-spacecraft observations of shocklets observed by upstream of an unusually strong IP shock observed on November 3rd 2021 by several spacecraft at L1 and near-Earth solar wind. The same …
An interplanetary (IP) shock wave was recorded crossing the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) constellation on 2018 January 8. Plasma measurements upstream of the shock indicate efficient proton acceleration in the IP shock ramp: 2-7 keV protons are observed upstream for about three minutes (~8000 km) ahead of the IP shock ramp, outrunning the upstream waves. The differential energy flux (DEF) of 2-7 keV protons decays slowly with distance from the ramp towards the upstream region (dropping by about half within 8 Earth radii from the ramp) and is lessened by a factor of about four in the downstr…
The 'Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun' (ARTEMIS) mission provides a unique opportunity to study the structure of interplanetary shocks and the associated generation of plasma waves with frequencies between ~50-8000 Hz due to its long duration electric and magnetic field burst waveform captures. We compare wave properties and occurrence rates at 11 quasi-perpendicular interplanetary shocks with burst data within 10 minutes (~3200 proton gyroradii upstream, ~1900 downstream) of the shock ramp. A perturbed shock is defined as posses…
Interplanetary shocks are one of the proposed sources of suprathermal ion populations (i.e., ions with energies of a few times the solar wind energy). Here, we present results from a series of three-dimensional hybrid simulations of collisionless shocks in the solar wind. We focus on the influence of the shock-normal angle, $θ_{Bn}$, and the shock speed, $V_s$, on producing protons with energies a few to hundreds of times the thermal energy of the upstream plasma. The combined effects of $θ_{Bn}$ and $V_s$ result in shocks with Alfvén Mach numbers in the range 3.0 to 6.0 and fast magnetosonic …
We present a statistical analysis for the characteristics and spatial evolution of the interplanetary discontinuities (IDs) in the solar wind, from 0.13 to 0.9 au, by using the Parker Solar Probe measurements on Orbits 4 and 5. 3948 IDs have been collected, including 2511 rotational discontinuities (RDs) and 557 tangential discontinuities (TDs), with the remnant unidentified. The statistical results show that (1) the ID occurrence rate decreases from 200 events/day at 0.13 au to 1 events/day at 0.9 au, following a spatial scaling r-2.00, (2) the RD to TD ratio decreases quickly with the helioc…
The acceleration of thermal solar wind protons at spherical interplanetary shocks driven by coronal mass ejections is investigated. The solar wind velocity distribution is represented using $κ$-functions, which are transformed in response to simulated shock transitions in the fixed-frame flow speed, plasma number density, and temperature. These heated solar wind distributions are specified as source spectra at the shock from which particles with sufficient energy can be injected into the diffusive shock acceleration process. It is shown that for shock-accelerated spectra to display the classic…
Context. Among others, shocks are known to be accelerators of energetic charged particles. However, many questions regarding the acceleration efficiency and the required conditions are not fully understood. In particular, the acceleration of electrons by shocks is often questioned. Aims. In this study we determine the efficiency of interplanetary shocks for $<$100 keV electrons, and for ions at $\sim$0.1 and $\sim$2 MeV energies, as measured by the Solar Electron and Proton Telescope (SEPT) instruments aboard the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft. Methods. We emp…
We present a survey of interplanetary (IP) shocks using Wind and ACE satellite data from January 1995 to December 2013 to study how IP shock geoeffectiveness is controlled by IP shock impact angles. A shock list covering one and a half solar cycle is compiled. The yearly number of IP shocks is found to correlate well with the monthly sunspot number. We use data from SuperMAG, a large chain with more than 300 geomagnetic stations, to study geoeffectiveness triggered by IP shocks. The SuperMAG SML index, an enhanced version of the familiar AL index, is used in our statistical analysis. The jumps…
Long periods of strong southward magnetic fields are known to be the primary cause of intense geomagnetic storms. The majority of such events are caused by the passage over Earth of a magnetic ejecta. Irrespective of the interplanetary cause, fast-forward shocks often precede such strong southward B$_{z}$ periods. Here, we first look at all long periods of strong southward magnetic fields as well as fast-forward shocks measured by the \textit{Wind} spacecraft in a 22.4-year span. We find that 76{\%} of strong southward B$_{z}$ periods are preceded within 48 hours by at least a fast-forward sho…
The dynamic evolution of coronal mass ejection (CME) in interplanetary space generates highly turbulent, compressed and heated shock-sheath. This region furnishes a unique environment to study the turbulent fluctuations at the small scales and serve an opportunity for unfolding the physical mechanisms by which the turbulence is dissipated and plasma is heated. How does the turbulence in the magnetized plasma control the energy transport process in space and astrophysical plasmas is an attractive and challenging open problem of the 21st century. The literature discusses three types of incompres…
We use OpenGGCM global MHD simulations to study the nightside magnetospheric, magnetotail, and ionospheric responses to interplanetary (IP) fa st forward shocks. Three cases are presented in this study: two inclined oblique shocks, here after IOS-1 and IOS-2, where the latter has a Mach number twice stronger than the former. Both shocks have impact angles of 30$^o$ in relation to the Sun-Earth line. Lastly, we choose a frontal perpendicular shock, FPS, whose shock normal is along the Sun-Earth line, with the same Mach number as IOS-1. We find that, in the IOS-1 case, due to the north-south asy…
Aims: We statistically investigate the plasma and magnetic field characteristics of the upstream regions of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and their evolution as function of distance to the Sun in the inner heliosphere. We use a sample of 40 well-observed ICMEs from Helios 1/2 (0.3-1au) and 5 from Parker Solar Probe (0.32-0.75au). For each event we identify four main density structures, namely shock, sheath, leading edge (LE), and magnetic ejecta (ME) itself. Methods: We derive separately for each structure averaged plasma and magnetic field parameter values as well as duration …
Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (ICME) shocks are known to accelerate particles and contribute significantly to Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events. We have performed Magnetohydrodynamic-Particle in Cell (MHD-PIC) simulations of ICME shocks to understand the acceleration mechanism. These shocks vary in Alfvénic Mach numbers as well as in magnetic field orientations (parallel \& quasi-perpendicular). We find that Diffusive Shock Acceleration (DSA) plays a significant role in accelerating particles in a parallel ICME shock. In contrast, Shock Drift Acceleration (SDA) plays a pivotal role …
Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation of the Interaction between Interplanetary Strong Shock and Magnetic Cloud and its Consequent Geoeffectiveness 2: Oblique Collision
Comment on "Sizes and relative geoeffectiveness of interplanetary coronal mass ejections and the preceding shock sheaths during intense storms in 1996-2005" by J. Zhang et al
We derive fast forward interplanetary (IP) shock speeds and impact angles to study the geoeffectivness of 461 IP shocks that occurred from January 1995 to December 2013 using ACE and WIND spacecraft data. The geomagnetic activity is inferred from the SuperMAG project data. SuperMAG is a large chain which employs more than 300 ground stations to compute enhanced versions of the traditional geomagnetic indices. The SuperMAG auroral electroject SME index, an enhanced version of the traditional AE index, is used as an auroral power (AP) indicator. AP intensity jumps triggered by shock impacts are …
The main sources of solar energetic particle (SEP) events are solar flares and shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). While it is generally accepted that energetic protons can be accelerated by shocks, whether or not these shocks can also efficiently accelerate solar energetic electrons is still debated. In this study we present observations of the extremely widespread SEP event of 26 Dec 2013. To the knowledge of the authors, this is the widest longitudinal SEP distribution ever observed together with unusually long-lasting energetic electron anisotropies at all observer positions. F…
We show for the first time that different types of suprathermal ion distributions may exist upstream of a single interplanetary shock. ACE and the two ARTEMIS satellites observed a shock on 8 October 2013. The ARTEMIS P1 and P2 spacecraft first observed field-aligned ions (P1) and gyrating ions (P2) arriving from the shock. These were followed by intermediate ions and later by a diffuse population. At the location of the P2 the shock exhibited an Alfvénic Mach number of M$_A$=5.7 and was marginally quasi-perpendicular, ($θ_{Bn}$=47$^\circ$). At P1 spacecraft the shock was weaker (M$_A$=4.9) an…
Forward modelling to determine the observational signatures of white-light imaging and interplanetary scintillation for the propagation of an interplanetary shock in the ecliptic plane
We examine the structure, propagation and expansion of the shock associated with the 2012 July 23 extreme coronal mass ejection (CME). Characteristics of the shock determined from multi-point imaging observations are compared to in situ measurements at different locations and a complex radio type II burst, which according to our definition has multiple branches that may not all be fundamental-harmonic related. The white-light shock signature can be modeled reasonably well by a spherical structure and was expanding backward even on the opposite side of the Sun. The expansion of the shock, which…
We investigate the kinetic properties of a typical fast-mode shock inside an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) observed on 1998 August 6 at 1 AU, including particle distributions and wave analysis with the in situ measurements from Wind. Key results are obtained concerning the shock and the shock-ICME interaction at kinetic scales: (1) gyrating ions, which may provide energy dissipation at the shock in addition to wave-particle interactions, are observed around the shock ramp; (2) despite the enhanced proton temperature anisotropy of the shocked plasma, the low plasma beta inside the…
The electromotive force (EMF) describes how the evolution and generation of a large-scale magnetic field is influenced by small-scale turbulence. Recent studies of in-situ measurements have shown a significant peak in the EMF while a coronal mass ejection (CME) shock front passes by the spacecraft. The goal of this study is to use the EMF as an indicator for the arrival of CME shock fronts. With Helios spacecraft measurements we carry out a statistical study on the EMF during CMEs in the inner heliosphere. We develop an automated shock front detection algorithm using the EMF as the main detect…
Using test particle simulations we study particle acceleration at highly perpendicular ($θ_{Bn}\geq 75^\circ$) shocks under conditions of modeling magnetic turbulence. We adopt a backward-in-time method to solve the Newton-Lorentz equation using the observed shock parameters for quasi-perpendicular interplanetary shocks, and compare the simulation results with $ACE$/EPAM observations to obtain the injection energy and timescale of particle acceleration. With our modeling and observations we find that a large upstream speed is responsible for efficient particle acceleration. Our results also sh…
We study periods of elevated energetic particle intensities observed by STEREO-A when the partial pressure exerted by energetic ($\geq$83 keV) protons ($P_{EP}$) is larger than the pressure exerted by the interplanetary magnetic field ($P_{B}$). In the majority of cases, these periods are associated with the passage of interplanetary shocks. Periods when $P_{EP}$ exceeds $P_{B}$ by more than one order of magnitude are observed in the upstream region of fast interplanetary shocks where depressed magnetic field regions coincide with increases of the energetic particle intensities. When solar win…
Experimental investigations of the fine plasma structure of interplanetary shocks are extremely difficult to conduct due to their small thickness and high speed relative to the spacecraft. We study the variations in the parameters of twice-ionized helium ions (4He++ ions or α-particles) in the solar wind plasma during the passage of interplanetary shocks and Earth's bow shock. We use data with high time resolution gathered by the BMSW (Bright Monitor of Solar Wind) instrument installed on the SPEKTR-R satellite, which operated between August 2011 and 2019. The MHD parameters of He++ ions (the …
Non-thermal pickup ions (PUIs) are created in the solar wind (SW) by charge-exchange between SW ions (SWIs) and slow interstellar neutral atoms. It has long been theorized, but not directly observed, that PUIs should be preferentially heated at quasi-perpendicular shocks compared to thermal SWIs. We present in situ observations of interstellar hydrogen (H+) PUIs at an interplanetary shock by the New Horizons' Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument at ~34 au from the Sun. At this shock, H+ PUIs are only a few percent of the total proton density but contain most of the internal particle press…
We study how a high-speed solar wind stream embedded in a slow solar wind influences the spread of solar energetic protons in interplanetary space. To model the energetic protons, we used a recently developed particle transport code that computes particle distributions in the heliosphere by solving the focused transport equation in a stochastic manner. The particles are propagated in a solar wind containing a CIR, which was generated by the heliospheric magnetohydrodynamic model, EUHFORIA. We study four cases in which we assume a delta injection of 4 MeV protons spread uniformly over different…
The acceleration of charged particles by interplanetary shocks can drain a non-negligible fraction of the upstream ram pressure. For a sample of shocks observed in-situ at 1 AU by the ACE and Wind spacecraft, time-series of the non-Maxwellian components (supra-thermal and higher-energy) of the ion and electron energy spectra were acquired for each event. These were averaged for one hour before and after the time of the shock passage to determine their partial pressure. Using the MHD Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions, we find that the fraction of the total upstream energy flux transferred to non…
Galactic cosmic rays (CRs) inside the heliosphere are affected by solar modulation. To investigate this phenomenon and its underlying physical mechanisms, we have performed a data-driven analysis of the temporal dependence of the CR proton flux over the solar cycle. The modulation effect was modeled by means of stochastic simulations of cosmic particles in the heliosphere. The model were constrained using measurements of CR protons made by AMS-02 and PAMELA experiments on monthly basis from 2006 to 2017. With a global statistical analysis of these data, we have determined the key model paramet…
The turbulence and spatial nonuniformity of the guide magnetic field cause two competitive effects, namely, the scattering effect and the adiabatic focusing effect, respectively. In this work, we numerically solve the five-dimensional Fokker-Planck transport equation to investigate the radial evolutions of these important effects undergone by the solar energetic particles (SEPs) propagating through interplanetary space. We analyze the interplay process between the scattering and adiabatic focusing effects in the context of three-dimensional propagation, with special attention to the scenario o…
We present a catalogue of 35 interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) observed by the Juno spacecraft and at least one other spacecraft during its cruise phase to Jupiter. We identify events observed by MESSENGER, Venus Express, Wind, and STEREO with magnetic features that can be matched unambiguously with those observed by Juno. A multi-spacecraft study of ICME properties between 0.3 and 2.2 AU is conducted: we firstly investigate the global expansion by tracking the variation in magnetic field strength with increasing heliocentric distance of individual ICME events, finding significant …
The magnetopause marks the outer edge of the Earth's magnetosphere and a distinct boundary between solar wind and magnetospheric plasma populations. In this letter, we use global magnetohydrodynamic simulations to examine the response of the terrestrial magnetopause to fast-forward interplanetary shocks of various strengths and compare to theoretical predictions. The theory and simulations indicate the magnetopause response can be characterised by three distinct phases; an initial acceleration as inertial forces are overcome, a rapid compressive phase comprising the majority of the distance tr…
The activity of the Sun alternates between a solar minimum and a solar maximum, the former corresponding to a period of "quieter" status of the heliosphere. During solar minimum, it is in principle more straightforward to follow eruptive events and solar wind structures from their birth at the Sun throughout their interplanetary journey. In this paper, we report analysis of the origin, evolution, and heliospheric impact of a series of solar transient events that took place during the second half of August 2018, i.e. in the midst of the late declining phase of Solar Cycle 24. In particular, we …
We present the first observational evidence of the irregular surface of interplanetary (IP) shocks by using multi-spacecraft observations of the Cluster mission. In total we discuss observations of four IP shocks that exhibit moderate Alfvénic Mach numbers (M$_A\leq$6.5). Three of them are high-$β$ shocks with upstream $β$ = 2.2--3.7. During the times when these shocks were observed, the Cluster spacecraft formed constellations with inter-spacecraft separations ranging from less than one upstream ion inertial length (d$_i$) up to 100~d$_i$. Expressed in kilometers, the distances ranged between…
