Cosmic Research
Cosmic Research is a peer-reviewed journal that encompasses all subjects of space science and technology, including ballistics and flight dynamics of Earth’s artificial satellites and automatic interplanetary stations, problems of transatmospheric descent, design and structure of spacecraft and scientific research instrumentation, life support systems and radiation safety of manned spacecrafts, exploration of Earth from space, exploration of near space, exploration of Sun, planets, secondary planets, and the interplanetary medium, exploration of stars, nebulae, interstellar medium, galaxies, and quasars from spacecraft, and various astrophysical problems related to space exploration. Cosmic Research is no longer solely a translation journal. It publishes manuscripts originally submitted in English and translated works. The sources of content are indicated at the article level. The peer review policy of the journal is independent of the manuscript source, ensuring a fair and unbiased evaluation process for all submissions. As part of its aim to become an international publication, the journal welcomes submissions in English from all countries.
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The journal follows the Springer Nature Peer Review Policy, Process and Guidance, Springer Nature Journal Editors' Code of Conduct, and COPE's Ethical Guidelines for Peer-reviewers.
Approximately 30% of the manuscripts are rejected without review based on formal criteria as they do not comply with the submission guidelines. Each manuscript is assigned to at least one peer reviewer. The journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. The period from submission to the first decision is usually at most 45 days. The approximate rejection rate is 30%. The final decision on the acceptance of a manuscript for publication is made by the Deputy Editor-in-Chief or by the responsible editor.
If Editors, including the Editor-in-Chief, publish in the journal, they do not participate in the decision-making process for manuscripts where they are listed as co-authors.
Special issues published in the journal follow the same procedures as all other issues. If not stated otherwise, special issues are prepared by the members of the editorial board without guest editors.
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Vol 57, No 6 (2019)
- Year: 2019
- Articles: 9
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/0010-9525/issue/view/9191
Article
Physical Mechanism of a Solar Flare Based on the Accumulation of the Energy in the Magnetic Field of the Current Sheet in the Solar Corona
Abstract
During a solar flare, the magnetic energy of ~1032 erg is released in a few dozens of minutes. The invariability of the magnetic field on the solar surface during flares proves the appearance of a flare in the corona. An analysis of the dynamics of the electron temperature of the solar atmosphere provides independent evidence of the coronal origin of the flare. The appearance of the flare in the corona is explained by the release of the energy accumulated in the magnetic field of the current sheet. To study the flare situation, numerical MHD simulation was performed for a real active region. The simulation results showed the appearance of a current sheet, which position coincides with the position of the observed source of thermal X-ray emission. A methodology for calculations in real time scale has been developed. Based on the mechanism of energy release in the current sheet, an electrodynamic model of a solar flare is proposed, which explains its main observed manifestations. Sources of hard X-ray emission appear due to deceleration in the lower dense layers of the solar atmosphere of electron beams accelerated in field-aligned currents. The acceleration of solar cosmic rays occurs in the current sheet by the electric field E = –V × B/c, and not in shock waves.
389-406
Solar Corona as Indicator of Differential Rotation of Subphotospheric Layers
Abstract
In our earlier work [2–4], we proposed using the coronal magnetic field as an implicit tracer when studying the properties of differential rotation of the solar corona. At present, this is virtually the only way to study the rotation of the Sun at large heliocentric distances up to the source surface. In the present work, calculations of the coronal magnetic field have been extended over a longer time interval, till December 31, 2015. It is shown that the solar corona rotates differentially at all heliocentric distances up to the source surface. The differential rotation gradient decreases with distance. As we approach the source surface, the corona rotation becomes more rigid, but even at large heliocentric distances it remains slightly differential. We believe that the differential rotation of the solar corona reflects the rotation of deep subphotospheric layers. In this case, the behavior of the coronal rotation characteristics can be used as indicator of differential rotation of the subphotospheric layers. We have compared the changes in the coronal rotation characteristics with distance with helioseismic data and obtained a satisfactory agreement. Cycle variations in the differential rotation of subphotospheric layers have been investigated for the first time.
407-412
Comparing the Features of Generation of CMEs Moving with Different Speed in the Field of View of the LASCO Coronagraphs
Abstract
This study is aimed at finding an answer to the following question: are there any fundamental differences in the generation of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) with different speeds, especially low and high speeds, detected in the field of view of LASCO coronagraphs? Fast CMEs are conventionally understood as mass ejections with a linear projection velocity in LASCO field of view \({{V}_{{LIN}}}\) > 1500 km/s; slow CMEs are those with \({{V}_{{LIN}}}\) ≤ 600 km/s. CMEs with \({{V}_{{LIN}}}\) between 600 and 1500 km/s are referred to as mass ejections with intermediate speed. The results of the analysis are presented by the example of three halo-type CME events (fast, slow, and intermediate) with sources in the sunspot groups removed from the center of the solar disk by no more than 45°. For analysis, we used data from SDO/AIA telescopes and the SDO/HMI instrument, as well as the LASCO C2 and C3 coronagraphs. The properties of active regions in which CMEs with different speeds have occurred are compared. The morphological features of the formation of the selected mass ejections based on the observations in the extreme ultraviolet lines are compared with features of their kinematics. Using the data of vector measurements of the photospheric magnetic field with the SDO/HMI instrument over the regions of CME formation, the altitude distributions of the magnetic field are calculated in the nonlinear force-free approximation. The analysis of these distributions showed that before the onset of a CME-related flare, the rate of altitude variation in the magnetic field above the CME generation site is noticeably different for all selected events.
413-422
Disturbed Flows in the Inner Solar Wind and Near Earth’s Orbit
Abstract
Coronal mass ejections from active regions on the Sun can be observed as series of individual events separated in time in the inner solar wind and near-Earth plasma. To find such events we have analyzed experimental data of dual-frequency solar wind radio sounding by the Rosetta and Mars Express spacecraft. The cycles of experiments performed in 2010 and 2011 measured the frequency fluctuations of X- and S-band signals. The temporal variations in the level of frequency fluctuations measured in the inner solar wind have been compared with the time variations in average plasma parameters recorded near Earth’s orbit. Since radio-sounding cycles were sufficiently long, we have managed to record events where significant amplifications of frequency fluctuations in the inner solar wind and increases in the plasma concentration near Earth’s orbit are associated with flare processes in the same active region on the Sun. Here, the amplifications of frequency fluctuations on the east limb occur earlier than near Earth’s orbit, and those on the west limb occur later. The time shift for the west limb turns out to be less than for the east limb. The sign of the time shift and the ratios between its numerical values depend on active region displacement relative to the central meridian due to the rotation of the Sun.
423-433
Small-Scale Plasma Fluctuations in Fast and Slow Solar Wind Streams
Abstract
This study gives a comparison of characteristics of small-scale ion flux fluctuations based on measurements of the SPEKTR-R spacecraft in slow and fast solar wind streams. Fast quasi-stationary streams and fast disturbed streams, associated with transient phenomena in the solar corona, are considered separately. The use of high-time-resolution data from the Bright Monitor of Solar Wind (BMSW) instrument makes it possible to analyze plasma fluctuations in a wide range of scales, including small scales, where kinetic effects can make a significant contribution. It is shown in the study that the nature of small-scale fluctuations can significantly differ in fast streams with the same mean solar wind velocity but having a different nature.
434-442
Turbulent Cascade in the Magnetosheath Affected by the Solar Wind’s Plasma Turbulence
Abstract
Cosmic plasma represents a natural laboratory for studying turbulence in a wide range of scales. Rapid measurements of the ion flux by the Bright Monitor of the Solar Wind (BMSW) instrument on the Spektr-R satellite make it possible to investigate the characteristics of the plasma turbulence in the solar wind and the magnetosheath at ion and sub-ion scales. This study analyzes the question, in what manner do turbulent cascade characteristics, at these scales in the magnetosheath, depend on the characteristics of the solar wind’s plasma turbulence in front of Earth’s bow shock (BS). Several crosses of Earth’s BS by the Spektr-R satellite are analyzed. A comparison of the shapes of the spectra of ion flux fluctuations and exponents of power-law functions, which describe the spectra at kinetic and magnetohydrodynamic scales in front of and behind Earth’s BS is carried out. It is shown that, directly behind Earth’s BS on magnetohydrodynamic scales, the spectra deviate from the form predicted by the developed turbulence theories and observed in the solar wind. This feature of the spectra indicates the redistribution of energy in the turbulent cascade immediately behind the near-Earth shock wave. At kinetic scales, steeper spectra are usually observed behind the near-Earth shock wave front than in the solar wind, but their slope is determined by the properties of the turbulent cascade in the incident flow. It is shown that the strongest difference between turbulence characteristics in front of and behind Earth’s BS is observed during solar wind flow periods associated with the regions of compression before interplanetary manifestations of coronal mass ejections.
443-450
Properties of the Ionosphere during an Extreme Storm
Abstract
Based on an analysis of the F2-layer critical frequency (foF2) at Irkutsk station during the extreme storm of March 13–15, 1989, it is found that geomagnetic activity index aa is a more adequate indicator than ap for foF2 during the maximum of an extreme storm. This is related to the existence of the upper limit of changes in ap (ap = 400) and this fact imposes some limitations on using the ap index for extreme events. In the initial period of the recovery phase of the considered storm, a rapid decrease of geomagnetic activity occurred. A strong deviation of the experimental values of foF2 from the values calculated by the semi-empirical model, which considers the dependences of the thermospheric temperature and composition on geomagnetic activity by the NRLMSISE-00 atmospheric model, was observed during that period. It is assumed that this could be related to the effect of disturbance of thermospheric wind velocity due to the rapid decrease of geomagnetic activity. This assumption is rather qualitative and requires a special study.
451-458
Periodic Orbits of N Bodies on a Sphere
Abstract
Gravitational interactions of N bodies are considered, which form a structure distributed over a sphere. A method and program for creating such structures are developed based on an exact solution to the problem of the axisymmetric interaction of N bodies. Studies on creating the structures are conducted, and their dynamics and evolution are investigated. On this basis, the dynamics and evolution of globular star clusters are explained.
459-470
Brief Communications
Estimation of the Size of an Electric Current with High Helium Abundance inside a Magnetic Cloud
Abstract
In a recent paper [1], based on the data from the OMNI solar wind measurement database and our catalog of large-scale solar wind phenomena (ftp://ftp.iki.rssi.ru/pub/omni/ [2]), it was shown that magnetic clouds contain an electric current with an elevated content of helium ions in the center of the event interval, while in Ejecta such structures are not observed. From simple geometric considerations, an upper estimate is obtained for the size of the cross section of the electric current, which is equal to ~10% of the linear size of the cross section of the magnetic cloud.
471-472