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Automated interplanetary shock detection and its application to Wind observations
Author(s) -
Kruparova O.,
Maksimovic M.,
Šafránková J.,
Němeček Z.,
Santolik O.,
Krupar V.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/jgra.50468
Subject(s) - solar wind , algorithm , interplanetary spaceflight , shock (circulatory) , classification of discontinuities , physics , computer science , astrophysics , meteorology , magnetic field , mathematics , mathematical analysis , medicine , quantum mechanics
We present an automated two‐step detection algorithm for identification of interplanetary (IP) shocks regardless their type in a real‐time data stream. This algorithm is aimed for implementation on board the future Solar Orbiter mission for triggering the transmission of the high‐resolution data to the Earth. The first step of the algorithm is based on a determination of a quality factor, Q indicating abrupt changes of plasma parameters (proton density and bulk velocity) and magnetic field strength. We test two sets of weighting coefficients for Q determination and propose the second step consisting of three additional constraints that increase the effectiveness of the algorithm. We checked the algorithm using Wind (at 1 AU) and Helios (at distances from 0.29 to 1 AU) data and compared obtained results with already existing lists of IP shocks. The efficiency of the presented algorithm for the Wind shock lists varies from 60% to 84% for two Q thresholds. The final shock candidate list provided by the presented algorithm contains the real IP shocks, as well as different discontinuities. The detection rate of the IP shocks equals to 64% and 29% for two Q thresholds. The algorithm detected all IP shocks associated with the solar wind transient structures triggering intense ( D s t <−100 nT) geomagnetic storms.