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The near-Earth electromagnetic environment represents a far-from-equilibrium system. The magnetosphere exhibits nonstationary and nonlinear dynamics, especially during magnetic storms. For a broad class of complex phenomena, the dynamics can be interpreted in terms of a superposition of stochastic and deterministic components, occurring at different time scales. The main feature of a magnetic storm is the depression of the horizontal magnetic field component at low latitudes due to the enhancement of the ring current activity. In this work we use the SYM-H geomagnetic index, which is meant for monitoring the global variation of the horizontal component of the Earth’s magnetic field along the equator. The aim of this work is to model the SYM-H dynamics via stochastic differential equations whose parameters are properly retained from data. As a first step we investigate the Markovian character of SYM-H, which accurately satisfies this requirement with 1-min time resolution. This allows us to model the SYM-H dynamics via Kramers–Moyal analysis. We give evidence that a purely diffusive process is not representative of the observed dynamics and then a model based on jump-diffusion processes must be taken into account in order to reproduce correctly the dynamical features of the SYM-H index. In light of recent findings on auroral electrojet dynamics, high-latitude magnetospheric activity also shows a jump-diffusion character on small time scales. A discussion of the future perspective of a comprehensive model of both auroral activity and ring current dynamics based on the multivariate Kramers-Moyal analysis is addressed.* This research has been carried out in the framework of the CAESAR project, supported by the Italian Space Agency and the National Institute of Astrophysics through the ASI-INAF n. 2020-35-HH.0 agreement for the development of the ASPIS prototype of scientific data centre for Space Weather.

Shock waves propagating in the interplanetary space are efficient sources of energetic particles. In situ spacecraft observations, especially particle fluxes which can be used to obtain energy spectra, provide very useful data for the investigation of the acceleration mechanisms occurring at shocks. In this work we analyse the kinetic energy spectra of several proton flux enhancements associated with energetic storm particle (ESP) events observed by various spacecraft. ESP events occurring both in association with and in absence of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) are considered. Moreover, ESP events associated both with quasi-perpendicular and quasi parallel shocks are investigated. Different functional forms (i.e. Weibull function, double power law, and Ellison-Ramaty) are used to fit the observed spectra and the obtained results are discussed in relation to the shock properties and to the magnetic turbulence and intermittency in the upstream and downstream regions. More specifically, the properties of magnetic turbulence and intermittency are analysed by calculating power spectral densities and structure functions of the fluctuations of the magnetic field components and the implications for particle acceleration are examined.This research has been carried out in the framework of the CAESAR project, supported by the Italian Space Agency and the National Institute of Astrophysics through the ASI-INAF n. 2020-35-HH.0 agreement for the development of the ASPIS prototype of scientific data centre for Space Weather.

Most of the energetic particles observed in the heliosphere are accelerated from a few keV up to MeV by shock fronts which are associated with the transit of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The study of energetic storm particle events (ESP) can be very helpful for the investigation of the acceleration processes of particles at the shocks. We considered two ESP events occurring 6-7 September, 2017. The data used to study kinetic energy spectra are proton flux enhancements provided by WIND and ACE spacecraft that are both at the Lagrangian point L1, close to 1 AU along the Sun-Earth direction. The energy ranges are from 70 keV to 70 MeV and from 40 keV to 4.8 MeV, respectively. In order to broaden the range of the analyzed energies, we combine these data with the proton fluxes from SoHO spacecraft, also located at L1, which detects particles with energies from 1.3 MeV to 130 MeV. We used the Weibull functional form, the double power law and the Ellison-Ramaty form to fit the observed spectra. The implications of the obtained results for particle acceleration are discussed, taking also into account the properties of the shocks and of the magnetic turbulence in their surroundings.“This research has been carried out in the framework of the CAESAR project, supported by the Italian Space Agency and the National Institute of Astrophysics through the ASI-INAF n. 2020-35-HH.0 agreement for the development of the ASPIS prototype of scientific data centre for Space Weather.”

Solar Energetic Particles (SEP) events are interesting from a scientific perspective as they are the product of a broad set of physical processes from the corona out through the extent of the heliosphere, and provide insight into processes of particle acceleration and transport that are widely applicable in astrophysics. From the operations perspective, SEP events pose a radiation hazard for aviation, electronics in space, and human space exploration, in particular for missions outside of the Earth’s protective magnetosphere including to the Moon and Mars. Thus, it is critical to imific understanding of SEP events and use this understanding to develop and improve SEP forecasting capabilities to support operations. Many SEP models exist or are in development using a wide variety of approaches and with differing goals. These include computationally intensive physics-based models, fast and light empirical models, machine learning-based models, and mixed-model approaches. The aim of this paper is to summarize all of the SEP models currently developed in the scientific community, including a description of model approach, inputs and outputs, free parameters, and any published validations or comparisons with data.

The Parker Solar Probe mission provides a unique opportunity to characterize several features of the solar wind at different heliocentric distances. Recent findings have shown a transition in the inertial range spectral and scaling properties around 0.4-0.5 au when moving away from the Sun. Here we provide, for the first time, how to reconcile these observational results on the radial evolution of the magnetic and velocity field fluctuations with two scenarios drawn from the magnetohydrodynamic theory. The observed breakdown is the result of the radial evolution of magnetic field fluctuations and plasma thermal expansion affecting the distribution between magnetic and velocity fluctuations. The two scenarios point towards an evolving nature of the coupling between fields that can be also reconciled with Kraichnan and Kolmogorov pictures of turbulence. Our findings have important implications for turbulence studies and modeling approaches., 9 pages, 4 figures

In the framework of statistical time series analysis of complex dynamics, we present a multiscale characterization of solar wind turbulence in the near-earth environment. The data analysis, based on the Markov process theory, is meant to estimate the Kramers–Moyal coefficients associated with the measured magnetic field fluctuations. In fact, when the scale-to-scale dynamics can be successfully described as a Markov process, first- and second-order Kramers–Moyal coefficients provide a complete description of the dynamics in terms of Langevin stochastic process. The analysis is carried out using high-resolution magnetic field measurements gathered by Cluster during a fast solar wind period on January 20, 2007. This analysis extends recent findings in the near-Sun environment with the aim of testing the universality of the Markovian nature of the magnetic field fluctuations in the sub-ion/kinetic domain.

Scale-invariance has rapidly established itself as one of the most used concepts in space plasmas to uncover underlying physical mechanisms via the scaling-law behavior of the statistical properties of field fluctuations. In this work, we characterize the scaling properties of the magnetic field fluctuations in a sub-alfvénic region in contrast with those of the nearby super-alfvénic zone during the ninth Parker Solar Probe perihelion. With our observations, (i) evidence of an extended self-similarity (ESS) for both the inertial and the sub-ion/kinetic regimes during both solar wind intervals is provided, (ii) a multifractal nature of field fluctuations is observed across inertial scales for both solar wind intervals, and (iii) a mono-fractal structure of the small-scale dynamics is reported. The main novelty is that a universal character is found at the sub-ion/kinetic scale, where a unique rescaling exponent describes the high-order statistics of fluctuations during both wind intervals. Conversely, a multitude of scaling symmetries is observed at the inertial scale with a similar fractal topology and geometrical structures between the magnetic field components in the ecliptic plane and perpendicular to it, in contrast with a different level of intermittency, more pronounced during the super-alfvénic interval rather than the sub-alfvénic one, along the perpendicular direction to the ecliptic plane. The above features are interpreted in terms of the possible underlying heating and/or acceleration mechanisms in the solar corona resulting from turbulence and current sheet formation.

The recent Chinese Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES-01) provides a good opportunity to investigate some features of plasma properties and its motion in the topside ionosphere. Using simultaneous measurements from the electric field detector and the magnetometers onboard CSES-01, we investigate some properties of the plasma E × B drift velocity for a case study during a crossing of the Southern auroral region in the topside ionosphere. In detail, we analyze the spectral and scaling features of the plasma drift velocity and provide evidence of the turbulent character of the E × B drift. Our results provide an evidence of the occurrence of 2D E × B intermittent convective turbulence for the plasma motion in the topside ionospheric F2 auroral region at scales from tens of meters to tens of kilometers. The intermittent character of the observed turbulence suggests that the macro-scale intermittent structure is isomorphic with a quasi-1D fractal structure, as happens, for example, in the case of a filamentary or thin-tube-like structure. Furthermore, in the analyzed range of scales we found that both magnetohydrodynamic and kinetic processes may affect the plasma dynamics at spatial scales below 2 km. The results are discussed and compared with previous results reported in the literature.

Fluctuations of magnetic field in space plasmas at sub-protonic scales have been supposed to be the result of a turbulence process involving different wave modes (EMHD, KAW, …). However, the observed spectral and scaling features seem to be non-universal. Furthermore, there is a wide evidence for the occurrence of a global scale invariance. Now, the complex nature of the fluctuations at these scales could be due to the interweaving of fluid and kinetic processes that might alter the usual scenario expected for the occurrence of strong turbulence. Here, using high-resolution data from the Parker’ Solar Probe mission we attempt an analysis of the scaling features of magnetic field fluctuations at sub-protonic scales using different approaches: i) the structure function analysis, ii) the singularity spectrum analysis and the rank-ordered multifractal analysis. The aim of these multiple approaches is to unveil the inherent complexity of fluctuation field at sub-protonic scale and to understand the controversial issues related to the occurrence of intermittency at these scales. We acknowledge financial support by Italian MIUR-PRIN grant 2017APKP7T on Circumterrestrial Environment: Impact of Sun-Earth Interaction.

When the interplanetary magnetic field is characterized by nearly-southward conditions, the near-Earth magnetospheric environment and, specifically, the plasma circulation and the magnetospheric-ionospheric current systems undergo to some dynamical changes to dissipate the excess of energy-momentum and mass transfer from interplanetary medium to the magnetosphere. Geomagnetic storms and magnetospheric substorms are the macroscopic manifestation of such a response and their relation is one of the critical issues of the magnetospheric dynamics. In this framework, a very old and widely debated topic is the storm-substorm relations, such as for instance the role of substorms in developing a storms. In recent years, some novel methods developed in the ambit of the information theory, such us the transfer entropy, have been applied to unveil the directionality of the information flow between storms and substorms (De Michelis et al., 2011, Stumpo et al, 2020). However, these results have been partially criticised suggesting that there is not a clear net transfer of information between substorms to storms. However, the use of information theory methods which relies on time averages could hide the dynamics of the information flow. Indeed, the absence of a net information exchange between storms and substorms may be due to the fact that it is enhanced only during activity periods, so that it may be canceled out if transfer entropy is computed by averaging together quiet and activity periods.Here, we attempt an instantaneous estimation of the magnetospheric internal transfer of information during the occurrence of geomagnetic storms using an ensemble-based transfer entropy analysis. In detail using some geomagnetic indices as proxies of magnetospheric-ionosphere dynamics during geomagnetic storms, we investigate the directionality of the information flow within the magnetosphere-ionosphere system during the occurrence of periods of magnetic storms and substorms.This work received funding by Italian MIUR-PRIN grant 2017APKP7T on Circumterrestrial Environment: Impact of Sun-Earth Interaction.

Earth's magnetospheric dynamics displays dynamical complexity during magnetic substorms and storms. This complex dynamics includes both stochastic and deterministic features, which manifest at different timescales. In this work, we investigate the stochastic properties of the magnetospheric substorm dynamics by analysing the Markovian character of the SuperMAG SME time series, which is used as a proxy of the energy deposition rate in the auroral regions. In detail, performing the Chapman-Kolmogorov test, the SME dynamics appears to satisfy the Markov condition below 100 minutes. Moreover, the Kramer-Moyal analysis allows to highlight that a purely diffusive process is not representative of the magnetospheric dynamics, as the fourth order Kramers-Moyal coefficient does not vanish. As a consequence, we show that a model comprising both diffusion and Poisson-jump processes is more suitable to reproduce the SME dynamical features at small scales. A discussion of the similarities and differences between this model and the actual SME properties is provided with a special emphasis on the metastability of the Earth’s magnetospheric dynamics. Finally, the relevance of our results in the framework of Space Weather is also addressed.

The direct role of successive intense magnetospheric substorms in injecting/energizing particles into the storm-time ring current is still debated and controversial. Whereas in the recent past it has been observed the absence of a net information flow between magnetic storms and substorms, previous in-situ satellite observations have evidenced that ionospheric-origin ions dominate the population of the ring current during the main phase of geomagnetic storms. As a matter of fact, the controversy arises mainly by the use of sophisticated data-driven techniques somewhat contradicting in-situ measurements. In this framework, the main aim of this work is to attempt an adaption of the powerful information-theoretic approach, i.e., the transfer entropy, in a consistent way with physics modeling and observations and to explore the possible motivations behind the underlying contradictions that emerge when these techniques are used. Our idea is to characterize the dynamics of the information flow within the magnetosphere-ionosphere system using a database of geomagnetic storms instead of considering a long time series of geomagnetic indices. We found a net information flow between the external driver and the geomagnetic indices and also between high and low latitude indices themselves, which turns out to be very well localized during the different phases of a magnetic storm.

Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are large-scale solar wind disturbances propagating from the Sun and causing a depression of the galactic-cosmic ray (GCR) intensity known as Forbush decrease (FD). IC- MEs generally contain coherent plasma structures called magnetic clouds (MCs). A unique and powerful data analysis tool allowing for the study of the quasi-3-D configuration of a MC is the Grad-Shafranov (GS) recons - truction. The aim of this work is to investigate the role played by the MC configuration in the formation of a FD. A suited full-orbit test-particle simulation has been developed in order to evaluate FD amplitude and time pro- file produced by the MC obtained with the GS reconstruction. Particle trajectories are computed starting from an isotropic flux outside the MC region. In addition, particle diffusion has been modeled by superimposing a small-angle scattering over the unperturbed charged particle motion at each time step. The model allows us to investigate the MC effect on GCR propagation and to study the energy dependence of the physical processes in - volved, as it provides an estimate of ground-based GCR counts observations at different latitudes. A comparison between model results and both space-based cosmic-ray measurements in L1 and ground-based observations suggests a major role of drifts in producing the FD and a reduced contribution of GCR particle diffusion.

Scale-invariance has rapidly established itself as one of the most used concepts in space plasmas to uncover underlying physical mechanisms via the scaling-law behavior of the statistical properties of field fluctuations. In this work, we characterize the scaling properties of the magnetic field fluctuations in a sub-alfvénic region in contrast with those of the nearby super-alfvénic zone during the ninth Parker Solar Probe perihelion. With our observations, (i) evidence of an extended self-similarity (ESS) for both the inertial and the sub-ion/kinetic regimes during both solar wind intervals is provided, (ii) a multifractal nature of field fluctuations is observed across inertial scales for both solar wind intervals, and (iii) a mono-fractal structure of the small-scale dynamics is reported. The main novelty is that a universal character is found at the sub-ion/kinetic scale, where a unique rescaling exponent describes the high-order statistics of fluctuations during both wind intervals. Conversely, a multitude of scaling symmetries is observed at the inertial scale with a similar fractal topology and geometrical structures between the magnetic field components in the ecliptic plane and perpendicular to it, in contrast with a different level of intermittency, more pronounced during the super-alfvénic interval rather than the sub-alfvénic one, along the perpendicular direction to the ecliptic plane. The above features are interpreted in terms of the possible underlying heating and/or acceleration mechanisms in the solar corona resulting from turbulence and current sheet formation.

Shortly after reaching the first perihelion, the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) onboard Solar Orbiter measured a low-energy ( 17 MeV/nuc ion measurements. On the other hand, no electron increases were detected. As seen from 1 au, there is no clear evidence of solar activity from the visible disk that could be associated with the origin of this ion event. We hypothesize about the origin of this event as due to either a possible solar eruption occurring behind the visible part of the Sun or to an interplanetary spatial structure. We use interplanetary magnetic field data from the Solar Orbiter Magnetometer (MAG), solar wind electron density derived from measurements of the Solar Orbiter Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument to specify the in-situ solar wind conditions where the ion event was observed. In addition, we use solar wind plasma measurements from the Solar Orbiter Solar Wind Analyser (SWA) suite gathered during the following solar rotation, for comparison purposes. In order to seek for possible associated solar sources, we use images from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument onboard Solar Orbiter. Together with the lack of electron observations and Type III radio bursts, the simultaneous response of the ion intensity-time profiles at various energies indicates an interplanetary source for the particles. The two-step FD shape observed during this event suggests that the first step early on June 18 was due to a transient structure, whereas the second step on June 19, together with the ~50 –1000 keV/nuc ion enhancement, was due to a solar wind stream interaction region. The observation of a similar FD in the next solar rotation favours this interpretation, although a more complex structure cannot be discarded due to the lack of concurrent solar wind temperature and velocity observations.Different parts of this research have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 870405 (EUHFORIA 2.0) and grant agreement No 01004159 (SERPENTINE).

Galactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles will induce spurious Coulomb forces on free-falling, gold-platinum test-masses on board the future interferometers for low-frequency gravitational wave detection in space. The European Space Agency mission LISA Pathfinder (LPF) was aimed to test the performance of instruments that will be placed on board LISA (Laser Interferometric Space Antenna), expected to be launched in 2034. Free-falling test-mass charging was measured on board LPF in 2016–2017. Simulations of this charging process were carried out before the mission launch with GEANT4 and Fluka Monte Carlo tools. A very good agreement was found between net charging measurements and simulations, while the shot noise, associated with the charging process, resulted 3–4 times larger than expected. New dedicated simulations aiming to study in detail the low-energy electron emission from metal electrodes surrounding the test-masses reveal that the mismatch between measurements and former simulations may be due to the lack of propagation of electrons with energies smaller than the average ionization potential in the Monte Carlo tools mentioned above. Preliminary results are presented and discussed here.

The role of high-energy particles in limiting the performance of on-board instruments was studied for the European Space Agency (ESA) Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder (LPF) and ESA/National Astronautics and Space Administration Solar Orbiter missions. Particle detectors (PD) placed on board the LPF spacecraft allowed for testing the reliability of pre-launch predictions of galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) energy spectra and for studying the modulation of proton and helium overall flux above 70 MeV n &minus, 1 on a day-by-day basis. GCR flux variations up to approximately 15% in less than a month were observed with LPF orbiting around the Lagrange point L1 between 2016 and 2017. These variations appeared barely detected or undetected in neutron monitors. In this work the LPF data and contemporaneous observations carried out with the magnetic spectrometer AMS-02 experiment are considered to show the effects of GCR flux short-term variations with respect to monthly averaged measurements. Moreover, it is shown that subsequent large-scale interplanetary structures cause a continuous modulation of GCR fluxes. As a result, small Forbush decreases cannot be considered good proxies for the transit of interplanetary coronal mass ejections and for geomagnetic storm forecasting.

International audience; Non-recurrent short-term variations of the galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) flux above 70 MeV n−1 were observed between 2016 February 18 and 2017 July 3 on board the European Space Agency LISA Pathfinder (LPF) mission orbiting around the Lagrange point L1 at 1.5 × 106 km from Earth. The energy dependence of three Forbush decreases is studied and reported here. A comparison of these observations with others carried out in space down to the energy of a few tens of MeV n−1 shows that the same GCR flux parameterization applies to events of different intensity during the main phase. FD observations in L1 with LPF and geomagnetic storm occurrence are also presented. Finally, the characteristics of GCR flux non-recurrent variations (peaks and depressions) of duration

The interplanetary medium variability has been extensively studied by means of different approaches showing the existence of a wide variety of dynamical features, such as self-similarity, self-organization, turbulence and intermittency, and so on. Recently, by means of Parker solar probe measurements, it has been found that solar wind magnetic field fluctuations in the inertial range show a clear transition near 0.4 AU, both in terms of spectral features and multifractal properties. This breakdown of the scaling features has been interpreted as the evidence of a dynamical phase transition. Here, by using the Klimontovich S-theorem, we investigate how the process of self-organization is under way through the inner heliosphere, going deeper into the characterization of this dynamical phase transition by measuring the evolution of entropic-based measures through the inner heliosphere.

The final publication is available at IOS Press through http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aaa774 Galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) energy spectra observed in the inner heliosphere are modulated by the solar activity, the solar polarity and structures of solar and interplanetary origin. A high counting rate particle detector (PD) aboard LISA Pathfinder, meant for subsystems diagnostics, was devoted to the measurement of GCR and solar energetic particle integral fluxes above 70 MeV n-1 up to 6500 counts s-1. PD data were gathered with a sampling time of 15 s. Characteristics and energy dependence of GCR flux recurrent depressions and of a Forbush decrease dated 2016 August 2 are reported here. The capability of interplanetary missions, carrying PDs for instrument performance purposes, in monitoring the passage of interplanetary coronal mass ejections is also discussed.

Recurrent and non-recurrent galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) flux short-term variations, including three Forbush decreases, were observed with a particle detector aboard the European Space Agency mission LISA Pathfinder (LPF) orbiting around the Lagrangian point L1 between 2016 February 18 and 2017 July 3. The comparison of neutron monitor observations gathered at different geographic latitudes with contemporaneous LPF measurements provide precious clues about the energy-dependence of both recurrent and non-recurrent GCR flux short-term variations. A detailed study of the correlation between interplanetary structures and cosmic-ray short-term variations in 2016-2017 was also carried out and the results are presented here.