Abstract The Cassini/Huygens mission is a collaborative mission of NASA and ESA to study the Saturnian system. Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS)is one of the scientific investigations onboard the Cassini orbiter. It consists of three separate spectrometers: Electron Spectrometer (ELS), Ion Mass Spectrometer (IMS) and Ion Beam Spectrometer (IBS). The University of Oulu has a co-investigator status in the CAPS project, and been mainly involved in simulating the structure and scientific performance of the IBS instrument. IBS is a high resolution hemispherical electrostatic analyser aimed to study the solar wind ions. This thesis contains an Introduction and five original papers. Papers I–III contain a detailed description of the simulation process of the IBS instrument and related results. In Paper I the manufacturing tolerances were calculated in order to verify that the high resolution requirements can be achieved using available manufacturing processes. In Paper II the simulations have been further developed and the instrument properties have been studied in more detail. In Paper III the simulation model is used to help the analysis and interpretation of the laboratory calibrations of the IBS flight model. Papers IV and V study the long-term fluctuations in solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field in the period range of 1–2 years (so called mid-term quasi periodicities, MTQP), using the wavelet transformation method to produce dynamic power spectra. In paper IV the MTQP structure in solar wind speed at 1 AU was studied using the longest available series of geomagnetic activity. It was shown that the long-term occurrence MTQP fluctuations roughly follows the long-term solar activity, suggesting that MTQP fluctuations are closely connected with the solar dynamo activity. Moreover, it was also noted that MTQP activity may offer a possibility for a precursory signal which could be used to predict significant changes in long-term solar activity. While Paper IV presents the temporally longest study of MTQP fluctuations, Paper V gives the spatially widest treatment of the same phenomenon. Paper V studies MTQP fluctuations in solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field measured by four probes in the outer heliosphere. It is shown that two MTQP fluctuations of different periods (1.3 and 1.7 years)co existed during solar cycle 22, while during solar cycle 21 only the 1.7-year band existed. This suggests that the solar dynamo acts differently during even and odd cycles. It is also shown that the two MTQP fluctuations during solar cycle 22 are organized latitudinally. While the 1.3-year periodicity originates from equatorial regions, the 1.7-year fluctuations arise at mid-latitudes. / Original papers Original papers are not included in the electronic version of the dissertation. Vilppola, J. H., Keisala, J. T., Tanskanen, P. J., & Huomo, H. (1993). Optimization of hemispherical electrostatic analyzer manufacturing with respect to resolution requirements. Review of Scientific Instruments, 64(8), 2190–2194. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1143958 Vilppola, J. H., Tanskanen, P. J., Huomo, H., & Barraclough, B. L. (1996). Simulations of the response function of a plasma ion beam spectrometer for the Cassini mission to Saturn. Review of Scientific Instruments, 67(4), 1494–1501. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1146881 Vilppola, J. H., Tanskanen, P. J., Barraclough, B. L., & McComas, D. J. (2001). Comparison between simulations and calibrations of a high resolution electrostatic analyzer. Review of Scientific Instruments, 72(9), 3662–3669. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1392337 Mursula, K., Zieger, B., & Vilppola, J. H. (2003). Mid-term quasi-periodicities in geomagnetic activity during last 15 solar cycles: Connection to solar dynamo strength. Solar Physics, 212(1), 201–207. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1022980029618 Mursula, K., & Vilppola, J. H. (2004). Fluctuations of the Solar Dynamo Observed in the Solar Wind and Interplanetary Magnetic Field at 1 AU and in the Outer Heliosphere. Solar Physics, 221(2), 337–349. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:sola.0000035053.17913.26

1 Title: MHD discontinuities in the solar wind and their relation to processes in the Earth magnetosphere Author: Oleksandr Goncharov Department / Institute: Department of Surface and Plasma Science, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University Supervisor of the doctoral thesis: Prof. RNDr. Jana Safrankova, DrSc Abstract: Collisionless shocks are ubiquitous in the heliosphere from the outer corona to the termination shock. They play an important role in the interaction of the solar wind with the planets because they efficiently convert the energy of the directed ion flow into the energy of heated ions and electrons, the energy of the enhanced magnetic field, and the energy of the accelerated particles. The leading idea of the thesis is to investigate evolution of distinct solar wind features, predominantly interplanetary shocks, within the solar wind, their interaction with the outer magnetospheric boundaries (magnetopause and bow shock), and to follow a path of resulting discontinuities through the magnetosphere up to its far tail. The methodology is based on the statistical evaluation of multispacecraft observations as well as on case studies of particular events. Some experimental investigations are supported with computer modeling. Moreover, an application of fast plasma measurements of the...

Helium can significantly influence solar wind dynamics. The changes of its relative abundance are usually associated with crossings of the boundaries between adjacent flux tubes. However, the recent studies of the data from the BMSW instrument onboard the Spektr-R spacecraft show that the relative helium abundance could vary also inside the flux tubes. The differential motion of proton and helium solar wind components was suggested as a source of turbulence inside the flux tube. The thesis is devoted to the long-term statistical study of the fast helium abundance variations with respect to parameters of the solar wind and changes of its source region. For this purpose, the plasma data from the instruments onboard the Wind and the Spektr-R spacecraft and magnetic field measurements from Wind were used. Simultaneous changes of the relative helium abundance and solar wind parameters were investigated in the long-term Wind observations as well as in the observations prior to and behind interplanetary shocks. Finally, the study of differences between proton and helium velocities during solar minima and solar maxima was conducted.

Solar wind, a stream of supersonic plasma emanating from the solar corona, serves as an ideal laboratory for a study of high Reynolds number plasma flows. Turbulent processes that govern the dynamics of the so-called inertial range, i.e., the spatial scales smaller than energy injection scales but larger than the scales where the dissipation processes set in, have been studied for decades. At present, it is believed that the large-scale free energy in a form of kinetic and magnetic fluctuations is transferred via turbulent cascade into smaller scales, where kinetic effects become dominant and heating takes place. In order to understand dissipation processes, high-cadence measurements of solar wind parameters are necessary. The bright monitor of the solar wind (BMSW) instrument on board the Spektr-R spacecraft provides such data, and in tandem with high-cadence measurements of the magnetic field from the Wind spacecraft, we are able address the nature of the sub-ion scale fluctuations. The thesis focus on three interconnected topics, (a) what changes are induced by the passage of a collisionless IP shock in the framework of turbulence, (b) study of a decay of the turbulent energy downstream an IP shock, and (c) identifying the dominant mode of the sub-ion scale fluctuations.

The heliosphere and solar magnetic field play an important role in protecting the solar system from harmful, high-energy Galactic radiation. Until recently, the magnetic field had been assumed to be passive, carried outwards by the solar wind. The influence of the solar magnetic field on the plasma has just begun to be understood. Among the consequences, the magnetic field could cause the heliotail to be short, collimating the flow into two lobes instead of the classical long, comet-like tail. In this dissertation, I investigate the role certain aspects of the magnetic field have on the heliosphere and detail how interstellar neutral particles alter its effect on the environment. From the observation by Voyager 1 (V1) and Voyager 2 (V2), it is clear that the plasma environment in the outer heliosphere is not fully understood. I present the first time-dependent model of the outer heliosphere that includes solar-cycle variations of the magnetic field strength. I find that the model can accurately predict the plasma environment at V2 but cannot describe all features observed at V1, suggesting additional processes are present. The effect of including the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) on large-scale modeling of the heliosphere is also studied. The inherent numerical dissipation in the HCS reduces the magnetic field strength in the heliosheath; however, the two-lobe structure of the heliotail remains. Neutral hydrogen has also been shown to greatly affect the location of the heliospheric boundaries. The large mean free path of these neutrals requires them to be described kinetically. To understand how the neutrals affect the influence of the solar magnetic field, I developed the Solar-wind with Hydrogen Ion Exchange and Large-scale Dynamics (SHIELD) model, a kinetic-magnetohydrodynamic model of the outer heliosphere. The model couples a 3D Monte-Carlo model to the magnetohydrodynamic solver. SHIELD reproduces the results of similar models, namely a higher filtration of neutrals into the heliosphere when compared to a fluid description of the atoms. When SHIELD is applied to the heliotail, the two-lobe structure persists even with kinetic neutrals. These results show that the solar magnetic field plays a crucial role in determining the heliospheric structure.

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process that changes magnetic field configuration and converts a magnetic energy to flow energy and plasma heating. It can be found in a plasma with frozen magnetic field lines at boundaries where different magnetic field topologies encounter each other and thin current sheets are created as it is typical in the solar wind. In the thesis, we have used spacecraft measurements of solar wind plasma and magnetic field to found magnetic reconnection exhausts. We analyze and compare them with theoretical predictions. The results of the statistical analysis oriented on re-distribution of the magnetic energy in reconnection showed that both a portion of the energy deposited into heat as well as the energy spent on an acceleration of the exhaust plasma increase with the magnetic shear angle in accord with the increase of the magnetic flux available for reconnection. Moreover, we identify unusual events in the solar wind; we found magnetic reconnection exhausts accompanied by one or two side jets and explained their possible causes.

Spectral indices and flatness scaling exponents corresponding to solar wind plasma measurements before, during and after a coronal mass ejection (CME) detected by NASA's Wind spacecraft on September 2014 have been obtained. The Politano-Pouquet (PP) law for isotropic and incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence has been validated over a series of selected time intervals. The performed analysis showed that turbulence was well established within most of such intervals and several mean energy transfer rates were computed. Furthermore, the results detailed in this essay suggest possible correlations between the aforementioned energy transfer rates and the spectral indices and flatness scaling exponents, and also between enhanced intermittencies and large values of the mean energy transfer rates.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第20375号 / 工博第4312号 / 新制||工||1668(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科電気工学専攻 / (主査)教授 山川 宏, 教授 引原 隆士, 准教授 海老原 祐輔 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第21069号 / 工博第4433号 / 新制||工||1689(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科電気工学専攻 / (主査)教授 山川 宏, 教授 松尾 哲司, 准教授 海老原 祐輔 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

Throughout the solar cycle and predominantly during the declining phase, Stream Interaction Regions (SIRs) drive space weather on Earth. SIRs occur when the Sun’s rotation aligns a fast solar wind stream behind a slow solar wind stream. Both fast wind and slow wind are compressed and heated, forming a pressure ridge driven by the dynamic pressure of the fast wind. In the frame advecting with the SIR, the high pressure region is bound by a forward wave, which propagates away from the Sun, and reverse wave which propagates sunwards. The pressure waves steepen into shocks with increasing heliospheric distance, the shocks usually form beyond Earth’s orbit. Located between the waves, the stream interface is a tangential discontinuity separating streams that were originally fast from slow. While the general mechanism for the formation and evolution of SIRs is relatively well known, the implications of the 3D structure in the inner heliosphere have not been well understood, in part due to the sparsity of in situ observations outside of the ecliptic plane. In this dissertation, I have used the heliospheric adaptation of the Lyon-Fedder- Mobarry (LFM-helio) MHD model to simulate both idealized and realistic SIR structures in order to validate the model against in situ measurements and to elucidate which characteristics of the solar wind influence the evolution of SIRs. The LFM-helio is shown to accurately reproduce the solar wind conditions at various heliospheric distances. The simulations produced SIRs which agree with in situ observations. The simulations were used to show that the large scale shape of high speed streams driving SIRs affect the amount of heating, compression, and flow deflection. Further, for even small latitudinal separations, SIR evolution depends on the latitudinal structure of the High Speed Stream driving the SIR. Increasing the temperature at the inner boundary of the LFM-helio results in a solar wind that is globally faster and that produces SIRs exhibiting less compressive heating. Increasing the magnetic field strength uniformly at the inner boundary has an effect on the dynamical evolution SIRs whereas increasing the magnetic field strength in proportion to the solar wind speed latitudinally compresses the extent of the band of slow wind, modifying the global structure of the heliosphere.