Ernesto Aguilar-Rodriguez

Interplanetary shocks and foreshocks observed by STEREO during 2007–2010

Interplanetary shocks in the heliosphere modify the solar wind through which they pass. In particular, shocks play an important role in particle acceleration. During the extended solar minimum (2007–2010) STEREO observed 65 forward shocks driven by stream interactions (SI), with magnetosonic Mach numbers Mms ≈ 1.1–4.0 and shock normal angles θBN ~ 20–87°. We analyze the waves associated with these shocks and find that the region upstream can be permeated by whistler waves (f ~ 1 Hz) and/or ultra low frequency (ULF) waves (f ~ 10−2–10−1 Hz). While whistlers appear to be generated at the shock, the origin of ULF waves is most probably associated with local kinetic ion instabilities. We find that when the Mach number (Mms) is low and the shock is quasi-perpendicular ( θBN > 45°) whistler waves remain close to the shock. As Mms increases, the shock profile changes and can develop a foot and overshoot associated with ion reflection and gyration. Whistler precursors can be superposed on the foot region, so that some quasi-perpendicular shocks have characteristics of both subcritical and supercritical shocks. When the shock is quasi-parallel ( θBN < 45°) a large foreshock with suprathermal ions and waves can form. Upstream, there are whistler trains at higher frequencies whose characteristics can be slightly modified probably by reflected and/or leaked ions and by almost circularly polarized waves at lower frequencies that may be locally generated by ion instabilities. In contrast with planetary bow shocks, most of the upstream waves studied here are mainly transverse and no steepening occurs. Some quasi-perpendicular shocks (45° <  θBN < 60°) are preceded by ULF waves and ion foreshocks. Fluctuations downstream of quasi-parallel shocks tend to have larger amplitudes than waves in the sheath of quasi-perpendicular shocks. We compare SI-driven shock properties with those of shocks generated by interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). During the same years, STEREO observed 20 ICME-driven shocks with Mms ≈ 1.2–4.0 and θBN ~ 38–85°. We find that shocks driven by ICMEs tend to have larger proton foreshocks (dr ~ 0.1 AU) than shocks driven by stream interactions (dr ≤ 0.05 AU). This difference of ion foreshock size should be linked to shock age: ICME-driven shocks form at shorter distances to the Sun and therefore can energize particles for longer times as they propagate to 1 AU, while stream interaction shocks form closer to Earths orbit and have been accelerating ions for a shorter interval of time.

A universal characteristic of type II radio bursts

[1] We present a study on the spectral properties of interplanetary type II radio bursts observed by the Radio and Plasma Wave (WAVES) experiment on board the Wind spacecraft. We investigated the relative bandwidth of the type II radio bursts observed by WAVES from 1997 up to 2003. We obtained three sets of events, based on the frequency domain of occurrence: 109 events in the low-frequency domain (30 KHz to 1000 kHz, detected by the RAD1 receiver), 216 events in the high-frequency domain (1-14 MHz, observed by the RAD2 receiver), and 73 events that spanned both domains (RAD1 and RAD2). Statistical results show that the average bandwidth-to-frequency ratio (BFR) was 0.28 ± 0.15, 0.26 ± 0.16, and 0.32 ± 0.15 for RAD1, RAD2, and RAD1 + RAD2, respectively. We compared our results with those obtained for ISEE-3 type II bursts and found a difference in the average BFR, which seems to be due to a selection effect. The BFR of the WAVES type II bursts is similar to that of metric type II bursts reported in published works. This suggests that the BFR is a universal characteristic, irrespective of the spectral domain. Finally, we also studied the BFR evolution with heliocentric distance using white-light observation of the associated coronal mass ejections. We found that the BFR remains roughly constant in the SOHO/LASCO field of view (i.e., from 2.1 to 32 solar radii), while the bandwidth itself decreases.

Low‐frequency waves within isolated magnetic clouds and complex structures: STEREO observations

Complex Structures (CSs) formed by the interaction of magnetic cloud (MC)-like structures with other transients (e.g., another MC, a stream interaction region, or a fast stream of solar wind) were frequently observed in the interplanetary space by STEREO spacecraft during the solar minimum 23 and the rising phase of the solar cycle 24. Here we report the presence of low-frequency waves (LFWs) inside some isolated MCs (IMCs) and inside the CSs observed by STEREO during such period (2007–2011). It is important to study in detail the properties of waves in space plasmas since particle distribution functions can be modified by wave-particle interactions. We compare wave characteristics within IMCs with those waves observed inside CSs. Both left-handed (LH) and right-handed (RH), near-circularly polarized, transverse and almost parallel-propagating LFWs (around the proton cyclotron frequency) were sporadically observed inside both IMCs and CSs. In contrast, compressive mirror-mode waves (MMs) were observed only within CSs. We studied local plasma conditions inside the IMCs and CSs to gain insight about wave origin: most of the MMs within CSs were observed in regions with enhanced plasma beta (β>1); the majority of the LH waves were found in low beta plasmas (β<1), and the RH waves were predominantly observed at moderate betas (0.4<β≤2). These observations are in agreement with linear kinetic theory predictions for the growth of the mirror, the LH ion cyclotron, and the RH ion firehose instability, respectively. It is possible that the waves were generated locally inside the IMCs and CSs via temperature anisotropies. The plasma beta enhancements that were frequently observed inside the CSs may be the result of compressions and heating taking place inside the interacting structures.

Study of Interplanetary Shocks Using Multi‐Spacecraft Observations

We investigate the characteristics of interplanetary (IP) shock waves associated with a stream interaction region (SIR) observed during April 21–24, 2007 by STEREO‐A/B, WIND and ACE spacecraft. During the years 2007–2008 STEREO‐A observed 43 and STEREO‐B crossed 41 shocks. As IP shocks propagate, they encounter solar wind with different characteristics (density, speed) and different orientations of the ambient magnetic field. Hence, it is expected that shock profiles will vary strongly through the space. We use magnetic field and plasma data to study shock structure, strength and orientation. In this example of a SIR we find that the characteristics of the shocks change dramatically from one region to another, the shock structure can be quasi‐perpendicular as observed in one spacecraft and quasi‐parallel when crossed at other point. Low frequency waves with different characteristics appear upstream and downstream of forward and reverse shocks. In this example the region upstream of the forward quasi‐perpe...