Predictive Science Inc., San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
Science. 2013 Jun 7;340(6137):1196-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1236550.
On 15 and 16 December 2011, Sun-grazing comet C/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) passed deep within the solar corona, effectively probing a region that has never been visited by spacecraft. Imaged from multiple perspectives, extreme ultraviolet observations of Lovejoy's tail showed substantial changes in direction, intensity, magnitude, and persistence. To understand this unique signature, we combined a state-of-the-art magnetohydrodynamic model of the solar corona and a model for the motion of emitting cometary tail ions in an embedded plasma. The observed tail motions reveal the inhomogeneous magnetic field of the solar corona. We show how these motions constrain field and plasma properties along the trajectory, and how they can be used to meaningfully distinguish between two classes of magnetic field models.
2011 年 12 月 15 日和 16 日，掠日彗星 C/2011 W3（洛夫乔伊）穿过太阳日冕深处，有效地探测了一个从未被航天器访问过的区域。从多个角度对洛夫乔伊彗尾的极紫外线观测显示，其方向、强度、大小和持续性都发生了显著变化。为了理解这一独特的特征，我们结合了最先进的太阳日冕磁流体力学模型和嵌入等离子体中发射彗星尾离子运动的模型。观测到的彗尾运动揭示了太阳日冕的非均匀磁场。我们展示了这些运动如何限制沿轨迹的场和等离子体特性，以及它们如何用于有意义地区分两类磁场模型。
