Quadratic magnetic gradients from seven- and nine-spacecraft constellations
<p>To uncover the dynamics of magnetized plasma, it is crucial to determine the geometric structure of the magnetic field, which depends on its linear and quadratic spatial gradients. Estimating the linear magnetic gradient requires at least 4 simultaneous magnetic measurements, while calculat...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Annales Geophysicae |
| Online Access: | https://angeo.copernicus.org/articles/43/115/2025/angeo-43-115-2025.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832579308722323456 |
|---|---|
| author | C. Shen G. Zeng R. Kieokaew Y. Zhou |
| author_facet | C. Shen G. Zeng R. Kieokaew Y. Zhou |
| author_sort | C. Shen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>To uncover the dynamics of magnetized plasma, it is crucial to determine the geometric structure of the magnetic field, which depends on its linear and quadratic spatial gradients. Estimating the linear magnetic gradient requires at least 4 simultaneous magnetic measurements, while calculating the quadratic gradients generally requires at least 10. This study focuses on deriving both linear and quadratic spatial gradients of the magnetic field using data from the nine-spacecraft (9S/C) HelioSwarm or seven-spacecraft (7S/C) Plasma Observatory constellations. Time series magnetic measurements, combined with transformations between reference frames, were employed to determine the apparent velocity of the magnetic structure and the quadratic magnetic gradient components along the direction of motion. The linear gradient and remaining components of the quadratic gradient were derived using the least-squares method with iterative calculations applied to ensure precision. The validity of the approach was demonstrated using magnetic flux ropes and dipole magnetic field models. The findings indicate that constellations with at least seven spacecraft in nonplanar configurations can successfully yield linear and quadratic spatial gradients of the magnetic field.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ce11f463f54e46fe9203623d90bcad9c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0992-7689 1432-0576 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Annales Geophysicae |
| spelling | doaj-art-ce11f463f54e46fe9203623d90bcad9c2025-01-30T12:22:14ZengCopernicus PublicationsAnnales Geophysicae0992-76891432-05762025-01-014311513510.5194/angeo-43-115-2025Quadratic magnetic gradients from seven- and nine-spacecraft constellationsC. Shen0G. Zeng1R. Kieokaew2Y. Zhou3School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, ChinaSchool of Mathematics and Physics, Jingchu University of Technology, Jingmen, ChinaInstitut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP), Toulouse, FranceSchool of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China<p>To uncover the dynamics of magnetized plasma, it is crucial to determine the geometric structure of the magnetic field, which depends on its linear and quadratic spatial gradients. Estimating the linear magnetic gradient requires at least 4 simultaneous magnetic measurements, while calculating the quadratic gradients generally requires at least 10. This study focuses on deriving both linear and quadratic spatial gradients of the magnetic field using data from the nine-spacecraft (9S/C) HelioSwarm or seven-spacecraft (7S/C) Plasma Observatory constellations. Time series magnetic measurements, combined with transformations between reference frames, were employed to determine the apparent velocity of the magnetic structure and the quadratic magnetic gradient components along the direction of motion. The linear gradient and remaining components of the quadratic gradient were derived using the least-squares method with iterative calculations applied to ensure precision. The validity of the approach was demonstrated using magnetic flux ropes and dipole magnetic field models. The findings indicate that constellations with at least seven spacecraft in nonplanar configurations can successfully yield linear and quadratic spatial gradients of the magnetic field.</p>https://angeo.copernicus.org/articles/43/115/2025/angeo-43-115-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | C. Shen G. Zeng R. Kieokaew Y. Zhou Quadratic magnetic gradients from seven- and nine-spacecraft constellations Annales Geophysicae |
| title | Quadratic magnetic gradients from seven- and nine-spacecraft constellations |
| title_full | Quadratic magnetic gradients from seven- and nine-spacecraft constellations |
| title_fullStr | Quadratic magnetic gradients from seven- and nine-spacecraft constellations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Quadratic magnetic gradients from seven- and nine-spacecraft constellations |
| title_short | Quadratic magnetic gradients from seven- and nine-spacecraft constellations |
| title_sort | quadratic magnetic gradients from seven and nine spacecraft constellations |
| url | https://angeo.copernicus.org/articles/43/115/2025/angeo-43-115-2025.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cshen quadraticmagneticgradientsfromsevenandninespacecraftconstellations AT gzeng quadraticmagneticgradientsfromsevenandninespacecraftconstellations AT rkieokaew quadraticmagneticgradientsfromsevenandninespacecraftconstellations AT yzhou quadraticmagneticgradientsfromsevenandninespacecraftconstellations |