Christian Drews

Composition of inner-source heavy pickup ions at 1 AU: SOHO/CELIAS/CTOF observations Implications for the production mechanisms

Context. Pickup ions in the inner heliosphere mainly originate in two sources, one interstellar and one in the inner solar system. In contrast to the interstellar source that is comparatively well understood, the nature of the inner source has not been clearly identified. Former results obtained with the Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer on-board the Ulysses spacecraft revealed that the composition of inner-source pickup ions is similar, but not equal, to the elemental solar-wind composition. These observations su ered from very low counting statistics of roughly one C + count per day. Aims. Because the composition of inner-source pickup ions could lead to identifying their origin, we used data from the Charge-TimeOf-Flight sensor on-board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. It o ers a large geometry factor that results in about 100 C + counts per day combined with an excellent mass-per-charge resolution. These features enable a precise determination of the inner-source heavy pickup ion composition at 1 AU. To address the production mechanisms of inner-source pickup ions, we set up a toy model based on the production scenario involving the passage of solar-wind ions through thin dust grains to explain the observed deviations of the inner-source PUI and the elemental solar-wind composition. Methods. An in-flight calibration of the sensor allows identification of heavy pickup ions from pulse height analysis data by their mass-per-charge. A statistical analysis was performed to derive the inner-source heavy pickup ion relative abundances of N + , O + , Ne + , Mg + , Mg 2+ , and Si + compared to C + . Results. Our results for the inner-source pickup ion composition are in good agreement with previous studies and confirm the deviations from the solar-wind composition. The large geometry factor of the Charge-Time-of-Flight sensor even allowed the abundance ratios of the two most prominent pickup ions, C + and O + , to be investigated at varying solar-wind speeds. We found that the O + /C + ratio increases systematically with higher solar-wind speeds. This observation is an unprecedented feature characterising the production of inner-source pickup ions. Comparing our observations to the toy model results, we find that both the deviation from the solar-wind composition and the solar-wind-speed dependent O + /C + ratio can be explained.

Anisotropy of the He+, C+, N+, O+, and Ne+ pickup ion velocity distribution functions

Context. Interstellar and inner-source pickup ions (PUIs) are produced by the ionization of neutral atoms that originate either outside or inside the heliosphere. Just after ionization, the singly charged ions are picked up by the magnetized solar wind plasma and develop strong anisotropic toroidal features in their velocity distribution functions (VDF). As the plasma parcel moves outwards with the solar wind, the pickup ion VDF gets more and more affected by resonant wave-particle interactions, changing heliospheric conditions, and plasma drifts, which lead to a gradual isotropization of the pickup ion VDF. Past investigations of the pickup ion torus distribution were limited to He pickup ions at 1 astronomical unit (AU). Aims. The aim of this study is to quantify the state of anisotropy of the He, C, N, O, and Ne pickup ion VDF at 1 AU. Changes between the state of anisotropy between PUIs of different mass-per-charges can be used to estimate the significance of resonant waveparticle interactions for the isotropization of their VDF, and to investigate the numerous simplifications that are generally made for the description of the phase-space transport of PUIs. Methods. Pulse height analysis data by the PLAsma and SupraThermal Ion Composition instrument (PLASTIC) on board the Solar Terrestrial RElations Observatory Ahead (STEREO A) is used to obtain velocity-spectra of He, C, N, O, and Ne relative to the solar wind, f (wsw). The wsw-spectra are sorted by two different configurations of the local magnetic field – one in which the torus distribution lies within the instrument’s aperture, φ⊥, and one in which the torus distribution lies exclusively outside the instrument’s field of view, φ‖. The ratio of the PUI spectra between φ⊥ and φ‖ is used to determine the degree of anisotropy of the PUI VDF. Results. The data shows that the formation of a torus distribution at 1 AU is significantly more prominent for O (and N) than for He (and Ne). This cannot be explained by resonant wave-particle interactions as the sole mechanism for the isotropization of the PUI VDF. The anisotropy of the O VDF compared to He is highly fluctuating but consistently higher over an observation period of six years and therefore unlikely to be related to either specific heliospheric conditions or solar activity variations. To our surprise, we also found a clear signature of a C torus distribution at 1 AU very similar to the one of He, although as an inner-source PUI, C should have a considerably different spectral and spatial injection pattern than interstellar PUIs.

High-time resolution measurements of solar wind heavy ions with SOHO/CELIAS/CTOF

The Charge Time-Of-Flight (CTOF) mass spectrometer as part of the Charge, ELement and Isotope Analysis System (CELIAS) onboard the SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is designed to measure the kinetic properties and elemental/ionic composition of solar wind ions heavier than protons, which we refer to as heavy ions. This is achieved by the combined measurements of the energy-per-charge, the time-of-flight and the energy of incident ions. The CTOF instrument combines a remarkable time-of-flight resolution with a large effective area and a high measurement cadence. This allows to determine the Velocity Distribution Functions (VDFs) of a wide range of heavy ions with 5-minute time resolution which ensures that the complete VDF is measured under nearly identical solar wind and magnetic field conditions. For the measurement period between Day Of Year (DOY) 150 and 220 in 1996, which covers a large part of the instrument’s short life time, we analyzed VDFs of solar wind iron Fe8+, Fe9+ and Fe10+ for diff...

Observations of the He+ pickup ion torus velocity distribution function with SOHO/CELIAS/CTOF

Interstellar PickUp Ions (PUIs) are created from neutrals coming from the interstellar medium that get ionized inside the heliosphere. Once ionized, the freshly created ions are injected into the magnetized solar wind plasma with a highly anisotropic torus-shaped Velocity Distribution Function (VDF). It has been commonly assumed that wave-particle interactions rapidly destroy this torus by isotropizing the distribution in one hemisphere of velocity space. However, recent observations of a He+ torus distribution using PLASTIC on STEREO showed that the assumption of a rapid isotropization is oversimplified. The aim of this work is to complement these studies. Using He+ data from the Charge Time-Of-Flight (CTOF) sensor of the Charge, ELement, and Isotope Analysis System (CELIAS) on-board the SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and magnetic field data from the Magnetic Field Investigation (MFI) magnetometer of the WIND spacecraft, we derive the projected 1-D VDF of He+ for different magnetic field confi...

Investigation of solar wind source regions using Ulysses composition data and a PFSS model

In this work we study the source regions for different solar wind types. While it is well known that the fast solar wind originates from inside Coronal Holes, the source regions for the slow solar wind are still under debate. For our study we use Ulysses compositional and plasma measurements and map them back to the solar corona. Here we use a potential field source surface model to model the coronal magnetic field. On the source surface we assign individual open field lines to the ballistic foot points of Ulysses. We do not only consider the photospheric origin of these field lines, but rather attempt to trace them across several height levels through the corona. We calculate the proximity of the field lines to the coronal hole border for every height level. The results are height profiles of these field lines. By applying velocity and charge state ratio filters to the height profiles, we can demonstrate that slow wind is produced close to the coronal hole border. In particular, we find that not only the...

Challenges in the determination of the interstellar flow longitude from the pickup ion cutoff

Context. The interstellar flow longitude corresponds to the Sun’s direction of movement relative to the local interstellar medium. Thus, it constitutes a fundamental parameter for our understanding of the heliosphere and, in particular, its interaction with its surroundings, which is currently investigated by the Interstellar Boundary EXplorer (IBEX). One possibility to derive this parameter is based on pickup ions (PUIs) that are former neutral ions that have been ionized in the inner heliosphere. The neutrals enter the heliosphere as an interstellar wind from the direction of the Sun’s movement against the partially ionized interstellar medium. PUIs carry information about the spatial variation of their neutral parent population (density and flow vector field) in their velocity distribution function. From the symmetry of the longitudinal flow velocity distribution, the interstellar flow longitude can be derived. Aim. The aim of this paper is to identify and eliminate systematic errors that are connected to this approach of measuring the interstellar flow longitude; we want to minimize any systematic influences on the result of this analysis and give a reasonable estimate for the uncertainty. Methods. We use He + data measured by the PLAsma and SupraThermal Ion Composition (PLASTIC) sensor on the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory Ahead (STEREO A) spacecraft. We analyze a recent approach, identify sources of systematic errors, and propose solutions to eliminate them. Furthermore, a method is introduced to estimate the error associated with this approach. Additionally, we investigate how the selection of interplanetary magnetic field angles, which is closely connected to the pickup ion velocity distribution function, affects the result for the interstellar flow longitude. Results. We find that the revised analysis used to address part of the expected systematic effects obtains significantly different results than presented in the previous study. In particular, the derived uncertainties are considerably larger. Furthermore, an unexpected systematic trend of the resulting interstellar flow longitude with the selection of interplanetary magnetic field orientation is uncovered.

Interstellar flow direction from pickup ion cut-off dependence on longitude, flow and solar wind speed

The precise interstellar neutral (ISN) flow direction is important because of its strong leverage on the plane subtended by the ISN and magnetic field vectors, which controls the heliospheric shape and interaction with the interstellar medium. IBEX measurements provide a very precise relation between ISN flow longitude and speed via the hyperbolic trajectory equation, forming a 4-dimensional tube in the ISN parameter space, with substantially larger uncertainty along this tube and thus for the longitude alone. As demonstrated before, the interstellar pickup ion (PUI) cut-off speed is a function of the ratio of the radial ISN flow component and the solar wind speed at the observer location. The former is largest precisely upwind and decreases symmetrically with the angle from the upwind direction. Using this functional dependence and the observed solar wind speed, the PUI cut-off can be constructed solely as a function of the ISN flow longitude. From ACE SWICS and STEREO PLASTIC, data sets that span 18+ ye...

On the anisotropy of the He+ velocity distribution function

Shortly after their ionization, PickUp Ions (PUIs) develop a highly anisotropic toroidal Velocity Distribution Function (VDF) due to their interaction with the magnetized solar wind plasma. In this study we present a method to quantify the anisotropic state of pickup ion velocity distribution functions via in-situ PUI observations. The ratio R(wsw) = f (wsw)⊥/f (wsw)|| is obtained by sorting the observed PUI velocity spectra, f (wsw), into two different magnetic regimes, one magnetic field orientation, Φ⊥, in which the PUI torus distribution lies inside the instrument’s field of view (Φ⊥), and one in which the torus distribution lies exclusively outside the instrument’s aperture (Φ‖). Because R(wsw) is a measure of the relative flux increase induced by PUIs that are distributed anisotropically compared to PUIs distributed isotropically in phase space, we can quantify the anisotropy of the pickup ion VDF via this approach. The method is then applied to the example of He+ observation by STEREO PLASTIC in an...