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Yamauchi et al. 2002
Yamauchi, Y., Suess, S.T. and Sakurai, T. (2002). Relation between Pressure Balance Structures and polar plumes from Ulysses high latitude observations. Geophysical Research Letters 29: doi: 10.1029/2001GL013820. issn: 0094-8276.

Ulysses observations have shown that pressure balance structures (PBSs) are a common feature in high-latitude, fast solar wind near solar minimum. Previous studies of Ulysses/SWOOPS plasma data suggest these PBSs may be remnants of coronal polar plumes. Here we find support for this suggestion in an analysis of PBS magnetic structure. We used Ulysses magnetometer data and applied a minimum variance analysis to magnetic discontinuities in PBSs. We found that PBSs preferentially contain tangential discontinuities, as opposed to rotational discontinuities and to non-PBS regions in the solar wind. This suggests that PBSs contain structures like current sheets or plasmoids that may be associated with network activity at the base of plumes.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Interplanetary Physics, Discontinuities, Interplanetary Physics, Sources of the solar wind, Solar Physics, Astrophysics, and Astronomy, Coronal holes, Solar Physics, Astrophysics, and Astronomy, Magnetic fields
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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