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Abstract The use of supervised methods in space science have demonstrated powerful capability in classification tasks, but purely unsupervised methods have been less utilized for the classification of spacecraft observations. We use a combination of unsupervised methods, being principal component analysis, Self‐Organizing Maps, and hierarchical agglomerative clustering, to classify THEMIS and MMS observations as having occurred in the magnetosphere, magnetosheath, or the solar wind. The resulting classification are validated visually by analyzing the distribution of classifications and studying individual time series as well as by comparison to the labeled data set of a previous model, against which ours has an accuracy of 99.4. The model has a variety of applications beyond region classification such as deeper hierarchical analysis, magnetopause and bow shock crossing identification, and identification of bursty bulk flows, hot flow anomalies, and foreshock bubbles. 

Abstract We examine Ulysses magnetic field observations from 1993 to 1996 as the spacecraft made its first fast-latitude scan from the southern to the northern hemisphere. Most of the observations we use are representative of high-latitude solar minimum conditions. We examine magnetic field power spectra characteristics of interplanetary turbulence at high frequencies, where the spectrum breaks from an inertial range into the ion dissipation range. The onset and spectral index of the dissipation spectrum are consistent with low-latitude observations at 1 au. Both ranges have a ratio of power in perpendicular magnetic field components to parallel components near 3. The power spectrum ratio test developed by Bieber et al. for single-spacecraft analyses that determines the underlying anisotropy of the wave vectors yields only marginally more energy associated with field-aligned wave vectors than perpendicular wave vectors when comparing the inertial and dissipation-range spectra. The lack of significant change in the anisotropies between the inertial and dissipation ranges contrasts strongly with the turbulence found typically for 1 au near-ecliptic observations, where significant differences in both anisotropies are observed. 

Abstract Interstellar neutral atoms enter the heliosphere at a relatively slow speed corresponding to the motion of the Sun through the local interstellar medium, which is approximately 25 km s⁻¹. Neutral hydrogen atoms enter from the approximate location of the Voyager spacecraft and are eventually ionized primarily by collision with thermal solar wind ions. An earlier analysis by Hollick et al. examined low-frequency magnetic waves observed by the Voyager spacecraft from launch through 1990 that are thought to arise from the scattering of newborn interstellar pickup H⁺and He⁺. We report an analysis of Voyager 1 observations in 1991, which is the last year of high-resolution magnetic field data that are publicly available, and find 70 examples of low-frequency waves with the characteristics that suggest excitation by pickup H⁺and 10 examples of waves consistent with excitation by pickup He⁺. We find a particularly dense cluster of observations at the tail end of what is thought to be a Merged Interaction Region (MIR) that was previously studied by Burlaga & Ness using Voyager 2 observations. This is not unexpected if the MIR is followed by a large rarefaction region, as they tend to be regions of reduced turbulence levels that permit the growth of the waves over the long time periods that are generally required of this instability. 

Abstract We have examined Ulysses magnetic field measurements for the years 1993 through 1996 as the spacecraft moved sunward from 5 au at high southern latitudes, passing through perihelion during the first fast-latitude scan to achieve high northern latitudes, and finally returning to 5 au. These years represent near-solar-minimum activity, providing a clear measure of high-latitude solar-wind turbulence. We apply a series of tests to the data, examining both the magnetic variance anisotropy and the underlying wavevector anisotropy, finding them to be consistent with past 1 au observations. The variance anisotropy depends upon both the thermal proton temperature parameter and the amplitude of the magnetic power spectrum, while the underlying wavevector anisotropy is dominated by the component perpendicular to the mean magnetic field. We also examine the amplitude of the magnetic power spectrum as well as the associated turbulent transport of energy to small scales that results in the heating of the thermal plasma. The measured turbulence is found to be stronger than that seen at low latitudes by the Voyager spacecraft as it traverses the distance from 1 to 5 au during the years approaching solar maximum. If the high- and low-latitude sources are comparable, this would indicate that while the heating processes are active in both regions, the turbulence has had less decay time in the transport of energy to small scales. Alternatively, it may also be that the high-latitude source is stronger. 

Abstract We have surveyed magnetic field data from the Ulysses spacecraft and found examples of magnetic waves with the expected characteristics that point to excitation by newborn pickup He⁺. With interstellar neutrals as the likely source for the pickup ions, we have modeled the ion production rates and used them to produce wave excitation rates that we compare to the background turbulence rates. The source ions are thought to be always present, but the waves are seen when growth rates are comparable to or exceed the turbulence rates. With the exception of the fast latitude scans, and unlike the waves excited by newborn interstellar pickup H⁺, the waves are seen throughout the Ulysses orbit.