Interplanetary scintillation observations of interaction regions in the solar wind

• Published in: Annales Geophysicae
• Main Authors: A. R. Breen, P. J. Moran, C. A. Varley, W. P. Wilkinson, P. J. S. Williams, W. A. Coles, A. Lecinski, J. Markkanen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 1998
• Subjects: Science; Q; Physics; QC1-999; Geophysics. Cosmic physics; QC801-809; EISCAT
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00585-998-1265-5; https://doaj.org/article/fb959a8318da474fab8a89243eafee69

Co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs) between fast and slow streams of plasma are a prominent feature of the solar wind. Measurements of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) using the three widely separated antennas of the EISCAT facility have been used to detect the compression regions at the leading edges of interaction regions and to determine the location and velocity of the structure. Observations show that interaction regions have developed as close to the Sun as 25–30 solar radii, a result supported by theoretical modelling which shows that the conditions needed for CIRs to develop exist inside 30 solar radii. Key words. EISCAT · Interplanetary scintillation · Solar Wind