skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Poedts, S"

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Context.In recent decades, serious efforts have been made in the analytical and numerical modeling of solar radio bursts generated by the electron beam interacting with the background plasma, including the dynamic spectra with decreasing frequency over time/space. These are type II and type III radio bursts, with the fundamental components at the local plasma frequency (ωp = 2πfp) and the harmonics (nωp = 2πnfp). Synthetic spectra built for a number of radio events were able to reproduce the decreasing frequency profiles reasonably well, despite the limitations of the approximate analytical theory. Aims.We propose new modeling of dynamic radio emission spectra using weak-turbulence (WT) theory. This novel approach also aims at a self-consistent and quantitative evaluation of radio emissions, based on first-principles modeling of electron beam plasma instabilities and nonlinear wave interaction. Methods.We performed the WT simulation, which has the ability to quantitatively describe the standard plasma emission involving the nonlinear interaction of Langmuir (L), ion-sound (S), and transverse electromagnetic (T) waves. The composite dynamic spectra are constructed for type II- and type III-like events, against the background electron density model that behaves as an inverse square of the distance from the solar source. Results.The new dynamic spectra are obtained distinctly, with a rapid frequency shift for type III emissions (generated by fast electron beams from coronal sources), as well as a less steep frequency drop for type II spectra (whose sources move away from the Sun along with interplanetary shocks). Upon making a qualitative comparison with typical solar radio emission events, we find that our first-principle-based synthetic dynamic spectra are in good agreement. Conclusions.The findings of the present study demonstrate that the theoretical approach taken in this paper can be further applied to obtain (i) quantitatively relevant predictions and replications of the observed dynamic spectra of radio bursts, and (ii) more realistic large-scale models of the solar radio source, for example the type II and type III source models computed from the large-scale magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations or even from direct spacecraft observations. 
    more » « less
    Free, publicly-accessible full text available April 1, 2026
  2. Context.In situ observations by the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) have revealed new properties of the proton velocity distributions (VDs), including hammerhead features that suggest a non-isotropic broadening of the beams. Aims.The present work proposes a very plausible explanation for the formation of hammerhead proton populations through the action of a proton firehose-like instability triggered by the proton beam. Methods.We investigated a self-generated firehose-like instability driven by the relative drift of ion populations using a simplified moment-based quasi-linear (QL) theory. While simpler and faster than advanced numerical simulations, this toy model provided rapid insights and concisely highlighted the role of plasma micro-instabilities in relaxing the observed anisotropies of particle VDs in the solar wind and space plasmas. Results.The QL theory proposed here shows that the resulting transverse waves are right-hand polarized and have two consequences on the protons: (i) They reduce the relative drift between the beam and the core, but above all, (ii) they induce a strong perpendicular temperature anisotropy specific to the observed hammerhead ion beam. Moreover, the long-run QL results suggest that these hammerhead distributions are rather transitory states that are still subject to relaxation mechanisms, in which instabilities such as the one discussed here are very likely involved. This foundational work motivates future detailed studies using advanced methods. 
    more » « less
    Free, publicly-accessible full text available December 1, 2025
  3. Context.Predicting geomagnetic events starts with an understanding of the Sun-Earth chain phenomena in which (interplanetary) coronal mass ejections (CMEs) play an important role in bringing about intense geomagnetic storms. It is not always straightforward to determine the solar source of an interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) detected at 1 au. Aims.The aim of this study is to test by a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation the chain of a series of CME events detected from L1 back to the Sun in order to determine the relationship between remote and in situ CMEs. Methods.We analysed both remote-sensing observations and in situ measurements of a well-defined magnetic cloud (MC) detected at L1 occurring on 28 June 2013. The MHD modelling is provided by the 3D MHD European Heliospheric FORecasting Information Asset (EUHFORIA) simulation model. Results.After computing the background solar wind, we tested the trajectories of six CMEs occurring in a time window of five days before a well-defined MC at L1 that may act as the candidate of the MC. We modelled each CME using the cone model. The test involving all the CMEs indicated that the main driver of the well-defined, long-duration MC was a slow CME. For the corresponding MC, we retrieved the arrival time and the observed proton density. Conclusions.EUHFORIA confirms the results obtained in the George Mason data catalogue concerning this chain of events. However, their proposed solar source of the CME is disputable. The slow CME at the origin of the MC could have its solar source in a small, emerging region at the border of a filament channel at latitude and longitude equal to +14 degrees. 
    more » « less
  4. null (Ed.)