Chapter 7 Solar and Heliospheric Physics and Interdisciplinary Research with LHAASO

In the following sub-sections, studies of solar-heliospheric effects on cosmic rays, investigating a possible link between cosmic ray flux and Earth’s climate, and detection of MeV-range γ-rays from thunderstorms with the data from LHAASO will be discussed; geophysical research with environmental neutrons will be introduced, and some Monte Carlo simulation results about effects of thunderstorm electric fields on LHAASO observations of cosmic rays will be given.

Modeling the magnetic structure of CMEs in the inner heliosphere based on data-driven time-dependent simulations of active region evolution

<p>Characterizing the detailed structure of the magnetic field in the active corona is of crucial importance for determining the chain of events from the formation to the destabilisation and subsequent eruption and propagation of coronal structures in the heliosphere. A comprehensive methodology to address these dynamic processes is needed in order to advance our capabilities to predict the properties of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in interplanetary space and thereby for increasing the accuracy of space weather predictions. A promising toolset to provide the key missing information on the magnetic structure of CMEs are time-dependent data-driven simulations of active region magnetic fields. This methodology permits self-consistent modeling of the evolution of the coronal magnetic field from the emergence of flux to the birth of the eruption and beyond. </p><p>In this presentation, we discuss our modeling efforts in which time-dependent data-driven coronal modeling together with heliospheric physics-based modeling are employed to study and characterize CMEs, in particular their magnetic structure, at various stages in their evolution from the Sun to Earth. </p>

The Solar Orbiter mission

Aims. Solar Orbiter, the first mission of ESA’s Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 programme and a mission of international collaboration between ESA and NASA, will explore the Sun and heliosphere from close up and out of the ecliptic plane. It was launched on 10 February 2020 04:03 UTC from Cape Canaveral and aims to address key questions of solar and heliospheric physics pertaining to how the Sun creates and controls the Heliosphere, and why solar activity changes with time. To answer these, the mission carries six remote-sensing instruments to observe the Sun and the solar corona, and four in-situ instruments to measure the solar wind, energetic particles, and electromagnetic fields. In this paper, we describe the science objectives of the mission, and how these will be addressed by the joint observations of the instruments onboard. Methods. The paper first summarises the mission-level science objectives, followed by an overview of the spacecraft and payload. We report the observables and performance figures of each instrument, as well as the trajectory design. This is followed by a summary of the science operations concept. The paper concludes with a more detailed description of the science objectives. Results. Solar Orbiter will combine in-situ measurements in the heliosphere with high-resolution remote-sensing observations of the Sun to address fundamental questions of solar and heliospheric physics. The performance of the Solar Orbiter payload meets the requirements derived from the mission’s science objectives. Its science return will be augmented further by coordinated observations with other space missions and ground-based observatories.

Some kinematics of halo coronal mass ejections

We present an investigation of halo coronal mass ejections (HCMEs) kinematics and other facts about the HCMEs. The study of HCMEs is very important because HCMEs are regarded as the main causes of heliospheric and geomagnetic disturbances. In this study, we have investigated 313 HCMEs observed during 1996-2012 by LASCO, coronal holes, and solar flares. We find that HCMEs are of two types: accelerated HCMEs and decelerated HCMEs. The mean space speed of HCMEs is 1283 km/s while the mean speed of decelerated HCMEs and accelerated HCMEs is 1349 km/s and 1174 km/s, respectively. The investigation shows that 1 (0.3%) HCME was associated with class A SXR, 14 (4.7%) HCMEs were associated with class B SXR-flares, 87 (29.4%) HCMEs were associated with class C SXR-flares, 125 (42.2%) HCMEs were associated with class M SXR-flares and 69 (23.3%) HCMEs were associated with class X SXR-flares. The speed of HCMEs increases with the importance of solar SXR-flares. The various results obtained in the present analysis are discussed in the light of the existing scenario of heliospheric physics.

Measuring relative abundances in the solar corona with optimised linear combinations of spectral lines

Context. Elemental abundances in some coronal structures differ significantly from photospheric abundances, with a dependence on the first ionization potential (FIP) of the element. Measuring these FIP-dependent abundance biases is important for coronal and heliospheric physics. Aims. We aim to build a method for optimal determination of FIP biases in the corona from spectroscopic observations in a way that is in practice independent from differential emission measure (DEM) inversions. Methods. We optimised linear combinations of spectroscopic lines of low-FIP and high-FIP elements so that the ratio of the corresponding radiances yields the relative FIP bias with good accuracy for any DEM in a small set of typical DEMs. Results. These optimised linear combinations of lines allow retrieval of a test FIP bias map with good accuracy for all DEMs in the map. The results also compare well with a FIP bias map obtained from observations using a DEM-dependent method. Conclusions. The method provides a convenient, fast, and accurate way of computing relative FIP bias maps. It can be used to optimise the use of existing observations and the design of new observations and instruments.