Probing the Magnetic Polarity Structure of the Heliospheric Current Sheet
Abstract
We use solar wind heat-flux electrons to determine the solar magnetic polarities of the inter-Planetary magnetic field (IMF) close to the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) around the time of the last solar minimum in 1995-1996. At that time the tilt angle of the HCS was very low and solar activity was minimal, allowing the Wind spacecraft-to probe the polarities of the fields close to the HCS during a time relatively free of transient interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). During the three periods we examined, all solar polarity boundaries predicted from Stanford source surface (SS) maps were observed. During 34 days in which the SS magnetic neutral line skimmed within 3 deg of the ecliptic, only six tangential excursions into opposite solar polarities were observed. The distribution of the durations of magnetic polarity sectors was very similar to that reported earlier for solar maximum in 1978-1982, showing no increase in sectors which might be expected for a spacecraft trajectory roughly tangential to a corrugated HCS separating regions of opposite polarity.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 13, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA423038
Entities
People
- D. E. Larson
- N. U. Crooker
- Stephen W. Kahler
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory