Abstract
We study the heliospheric current sheet structure during the 1979–1982 time period, which includes the sunspot maximum of solar cycle 21 and the 1980 reversal of the polar magnetic field of the Sun. We examine the evolution of the large-scale configuration of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS), as calculated by Hoeksema (1991), and its extent in heliographic latitude during this time period.
We study the fine-scale characteristics of its structure near sector boundaries (SB) detected in the vicinity of the Earth, using interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind velocity data, as well as temperature measurements (mainly from IMP data). We observe small vortices (eddies) of the order of 0.2 to 0.4 AU in diameter, with time scales of several hours to days. Vortices appear frequently in the plasma near the so-called ‘thick’ sectors. The local orientation of the sector boundaries is distorted by the presence of vortices. The appearance of vortices is evident in the interplanetary magnetic field, plasma velocity, density, and temperature data.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bavassano, B. and Bruno, R.: 1989, J. Geophys. Res. 94, 168.
Behannon, K. W. and Burlaga, L. F.: 1983, J. Geophys. Res. 88, 7837.
Behannon, K. W., Neubauer, R. M., and Barnstorf, H.: 1981, J. Geophys. Res. 86, 3273.
Behannon, K. W., Burlaga, L. F., Hoeksema, J. T., and Klein, L. W.: 1989, J. Geophys. Res. 94, 1245.
Burlaga, L. F.: 1990, J. Geophys. Res. 95, 4333.
Burlaga, L. F., Lemaire, J. F., and Turner, J. M.: 1977, J. Geophys. Res. 82, 3191.
Chandrasekhar, S.: 1961, Hydrodynamic and Hydromagnetic Stability, Dover Publ., New York.
Geranios, A.: 1982, Astrophys. Space Sci. 81, 103.
Geranios, A.: 1987, Planetary Space Sci. 35, 722.
Hoeksema, J. T.: 1989, Adv. Space Res. 9, 4141.
Hoeksema, J. T.: 1991, in E. Marsch and R. Schwenn (eds.), ‘Large-Scale Structure of the Heliospheric Magnetic Field: 1976–1991’, Solar Wind Seven, p. 191.
Hoeksema, J. T., Wilcox, J. M., and Scherrer, P. H.: 1983, J. Geophys. Res. 88, 9910.
Klein, L. and Burlaga, L. F.: 1980, J. Geophys. Res. 85, 2269.
Landau, L. D. and Lifschitz, E. M.: 1959, Electrodynamics of Continuous Media, Addison-Wesley, London.
Moussas, X. and Tritakis, B.: 1982, Solar Phys. 75, 361.
Moussas, X., Polygiannakis, J. M., Kakouris, A., and Alevizos A.: 1996, Solar Phys., submitted.
Olmsted, C. and Akasofu, S. I.: 1986, J. Geophys. Res. 91, 13689.
Politano, H., Pouquet, A., and Sulem, P. L.: 1995, Plasma Physics, in press.
Polygiannakis, J. M. and Moussas, X.: 1996, Solar Phys. 166, 423.
Rosenberg, R. L. and Coleman, P. J.: 1969, J. Geophys. Res. 74, 5611.
Sharma, A. C. and Srivastava, K. M.: 1992, J. Geophys. Res. 97, 1294.
Smith, E. J., Tsurutani, B. T., and Rosenberg, R. L.: 1978, J. Geophys. Res. 83, 717.
Thomas, B. T. and Smith, E. J.: 1981, J. Geophys. Res. 86, 11105.
Villante, U., Bruno, R., Mariani, F., Burlaga, L. F., and Ness, N. F.: 1979, J. Geophys. Res. 84, 6641.
Wilcox, J. M. and Ness, N. F.: 1965, J. Geophys. Res. 70, 5793.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Drillia, G.A., Moussas, X. Vortices near the wavy heliospheric current sheet. Sol Phys 166, 403–413 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00149406
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00149406