Bernard V. Jackson, P. Paul Hick, Mario M. Bisi,

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The UCSD Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) and
Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) Web Database
Bernard V. Jackson, P. Paul Hick, Mario M. Bisi,
Andrew Buffington, and John M. Clover
Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences,
University of California, San Diego 9500 Gilman
Drive 0424, La Jolla, CA 92093-0424,
U.S.A E-Mail bvjackson_at_ucsd.edu Tel
1-858-534-3358
1. Interplanetary Scintillation
MWA radio array (artists conception)
Intensity Interplanetary Scintillation (IPS) at
these radio frequencies is the rapid variation in
radio signal from a compact source produced by
small-scale (100-200 km) variations in the solar
wind density. These density variations produce a
pattern velocity on the surface of the Earth of
similar size and are transported across the
Earths surface at solar wind speeds.
STELab radio array Intensity pattern
on the Earths surface
USCD currently maintains a near real time website
that analyses and displays IPS data from the
STELab (Solar Terrestrial Environment Laboratory)
radio arrays (the one near Mt Fuji is shown
above). This modeling effort capability is also
available at the CCMC.
2. UCSD IPS Web pages
Velocity values for the solar wind can be
inferred from the pattern velocity speed by
correlating the bright and dark motion of the
pattern across the surface of the Earth and
expressing this as a line of sight value.
USCD http//ips.ucsd.edu
Density values for the solar wind can be inferred
from the scintillation level (g-level) or rapid
intensity fluctuations of IPS observations
relative to a nominal value. A greater amplitude
variation generally means a higher density along
the line of sight.
The UCSD Web site, operated in real time,
displays the results of the IPS 3D analyses in
real time as these data are made available at the
end of the day in Toyokawa, Japan.
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3. The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI)
The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI) (Jackson et
al., 2004) was launched from the Vandenberg Air
Force Base (AFB), 6 January 2003. It records
whole-sky data each 102-minute polar orbit from
840 km altitude.
SMEI is aboard zenith-nadir pointing Coriolis
Satellite. It rotates once per orbit, and views
three strips of sky away from Earth using CCD
camera technology see http//smei.ucsd.edu/.
SMEI data are also used here for 3D
reconstructions.
4. UCSD SMEI Web pages
Higher-level data products from the SMEI data
base are also available such as sky maps from
which a long term base has been removed,
differences from these, reconstructed sky maps,
comparisons of these, remote observer views, and
ecliptic cuts. These are run as movie sequences
to show heliospheric outflow, and are currently
available only for select time intervals. As our
data reconstructions become more sophisticated,
we update these analyses with the most current
results available.
USCD http//smei.ucsd.edu
4.b. SMEI Higher level Data Products
4.a. SMEI Sky Map Data Base
The current UCSD Web page system allows access to
the indexed sky maps from the complete SMEI data
set. An IDL-driven display allows single maps and
differences to be presented individually from
this data base.
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5. Three-Dimensional (3D) Reconstructions (CCMC
Model)
Heliospheric Computer-Aided Tomography (C.A.T.)
analyses (left) showing the line-of-sight
distribution on the inner solar wind Carrington
Coordinate boundary for each sky location during
mid-July 2000 from STELab IPS observations
(right). Line-of-sight weighting and location are
inverted on this boundary to form a better 3D
solar wind model to fit observational parameters.
STELab IPS
3D reconstructions for our current STELab
co-rotational model have a solar-rotation time
cadence with 10 x 10 latitudinal and
longitudinal heliographic digital resolution.
3D reconstructions with our time-dependent IPS
model have a one-day cadence and 20 x 20
digital resolution for current STELab IPS data.
These resolutions are predicated by the numbers
of lines of sight available for the
reconstructions.
Heliospheric C.A.T. Analyses Line-of-sight
weighting values for each sky location (IPS right
and SMEI right and below).
Higher resolutions using IPS data Higher 3D
resolutions are available. When these analyses
are used with Ooty IPS data 10 x 10 at half-
and one-day cadences are possible. A new array
being constructed in Toyokawa, Japan by the
STELab group also holds the possibility for
continuous year-round observations of a
significantly larger number of radio sources
daily.
When SMEI Thomson-scattering analyses are used,
the numbers of lines of sight increase greatly so
that density reconstructions can be far-better
resolved with a half-day cadence and digital
resolution of 6.7 x 6.7.
The traceback matrix In the traceback matrix
(depicted below) the location of the upper level
data point (starred) is an interpolation in x of
?x2 and the unit x distance ?x3 distance or (1
?x3). Similarly, the value of ?t at the starred
point is interpolated by the same spatial
distance. Each 3D traceback matrix contains a
regular grid of values S?x, S?y, S?t, S?v, and
S?m that locates the origin of each point in the
grid at each time, and its change in velocity and
density from the heliospheric inner solar wind
boundary. The traceback matrix allows any
heliospheric model to be used as kernel in the
UCSD C.A.T. analysis.
The ORT telescope near Ootacamund (Ooty), India.
The ORT is an off-axis parabolic cylinder 530 m
long and 30 m wide (159,000 m2 operating at a
frequency of 326.5 MHz with a bandwidth of 15 MHz
New STELab array in Toyokawa, Japan
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IPS
6. Current results
WHI period and STEREO
Real-time forecast analyses
UCSD real-time IPS analysis
In situ comparison with Wind spacecraft
velocities (no IPS data before 04/05)
Real-time trace to Earth and forecast of
structure onset of density and velocity changes.
Real-time trace to Ulysses during the recent
close passage of the Sun (also to all the inner
planets).
Ecliptic cuts of solar wind velocity (scale to
left) during the WHI period. The solar wind
speed forms an organized structure during this
interval.
Although these IPS analyses operate in real time
(above and left), they are more accurate (as
shown above and right) when used from archival
data sets because more radio sources are
available to depict the same structure.
SMEI
(From Jackson et al., 2008.)
28 May 2003 CME event sequence
In situ comparison
Remote observer views
Wind
ACE
Mass determination
Halo CME 3D reconstruction brightness
In situ comparison using lines of sight 90º
Meridional cut
Ecliptic cut
Wind
HAF 3D model brightness comparison at the same
time
7. Summary and Future
24 January 2007 CME and Comet plasma and dust 3D
reconstruction

• The IPS 3D reconstruction model is currently
  available to be run at the CCMC.
• Two models exist for the IPS a corotating model
  and a time-dependent model.
• These models are run at UCSD in real time daily
  as IPS data are made available for use from
  STELab, Japan. These forecasts and analyses they
  provide are used in space weather forecasting and
  for checking the model and heliospheric physics
  parameters.
• A similar time-dependent model is available for
  use with SMEI data allowing these
• far more abundant data to provide much greater 3D
  structure resolution and robust measurements of
  density. This model will shortly be available at
  the CCMC.
• We continue to upgrade our model and these
  analyses as we learn more about more them in
  comparison with other data sets as they become
  available.

From comet
Ecliptic plane cuts
14-19 January 2007 CME and higher resolution
available with enhanced PC modeling techniques
Primary References Jackson, B.V., A.
Buffington, P.P. Hick, R.C. Altrock, S. Figueroa,
P. Holladay, J.C. Johnston, S.W. Kahler, J.
Mozer, S. Price, R.R. Radick, R. Sagalyn, D.
Sinclair, G.M. Simnett, C.J. Eyles, M.P. Cooke,
S. J. Tappin, T. Kuchar, D. Mizumo, D.F. Webb, P.
Anderson, S.L. Keil, R. Gold, and N.R. Waltham
(2004), The Solar Mass Ejection Imager (SMEI)
mission, Solar Phys. 225, 177. Jackson, B.V.,
M.M. Bisi, P.P. Hick, A. Buffington, J.M. Clover,
and W. Sun (2008), Solar Mass Ejection Imager
(SMEI) 3D Reconstruction of the 27-28 May 2003
CME Sequence, Journal of Geophysical Research
(submitted).