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SuperSID - a small-version AWESOME for educational

and research use By Deborah Scherrer

Stanford University

Solar Center

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Overview

What is this project?

What can the instrument do, and not do

SuperSID data

Tracking solar phenomena

SuperSID research

Obtaining instruments

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The Project

Built upon previous SID - inexpensive space weather monitoring instruments for high schools

Development funded by NSF – Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling

Distribution funded by NASA – International Heliophysical Year

Complement to AWESOME research instruments

500 distributed worldwide

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Centralized Data Repository

Hosted at Stanford

Accessible to anyone with internet

Sites ftp data (software provided)

Data freely available to all and valuable to solar & ionospheric researchers

http://sid.stanford.edu/database-browser

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Package includes extensive educational resources

Manual, installation CD, presentations, etc.

Curriculum Guide

Research Guide

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SuperSID Instruments Simple VLF radio receivers that track

same VLF transmissions that AWESOME does

Similar to AWESOME although smaller sampling rate, less sensitive

Relies on computer sound card to handle sampling

Narrowband data only Inexpensive (~$50) Designed to primarily track solar-

induced changes to the ionosphere, but adaptable to other ionospheric phenomena as well

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SuperSID Data SuperSID takes 96000 samples/sec,

calculates the spectrum, extracts the signal strength at interesting frequencies (~5-7 data points), then drops the 96000 samples in the buffer (to save disk space and hard drive, because SuperSIDs run continuously for months).

Once every 5 seconds, SuperSID samples and saves signal strength for each interesting transmitter SuperSID receives VLF signals from

multiple transmitters, as does AWESOME

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Keeping Time

AWESOMEs use GPS for time stamps SuperSIDs use the system clock

However, some high-end audio cards have trigger inputs that could be synchronized with an external clock (GPS)

One could also expand SuperSID capabilities to work with National Instrument boards (needs additional ~$300). This would not be difficult to add.

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SuperSID vs.

AWESOME

AWESOME 's hardware is superior to SuperSID, but is costly

SuperSID is inexpensive and suitable for enhancing an AWESOME network or for use as educational instruments in high schools and universities

SuperSID software taps into several important open sources (e.g. Python, MatPlotLib) for numerical analysis, graphics, and networking – making it inexpensive and extensible for academic environments.

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Site Requirements

SuperSID consists of a preamp, an antenna, plus a computer with sound card

Access to power

PC with 1 gHz CPU, 128 meg RAM, CD reader, MS Windows (W2000 or newer) or Linux operating system

HD (96kHz) sound card desirable but will work in Europe, Asia, Africa with 48 kHz

Simple antenna

Relatively quiet site (but not as quiet as needed for AWESOME)

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0

0.5

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07:0

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Normal 24 Hr. Data (No flares)

Local Noon

Sunrise

Sunset Nighttime

Nighttime

Daytime

Time in UT

Colors and labels added

Data from a single transmitter

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GOES-12 weather satellite – detects X-rays directly from Sun

Data indications of solar flares

Unlike AWESOME, the SuperSIDs usually detect flares as an increase in

signal strength

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Solar Flare Detection

M2.8 class solar flare on 1 June 2007

Note that 2 sites picked up the flare as a decrease, rather than increase, in signal strength. This is due to destructive

interference of the VLF waves.

7 sites picked up this flare

Problem – very little solar activity in last 2 years because of long minimum in solar cycle

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Flares can be

tracked back

to the solar active region that produced

them

#Event Begin Max End Obs Q Type Loc/Frq Particulars Reg#

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1960 + 1727 1736 1744 G12 5 XRA 1-8A C4.5 3.1E-03 0424

1990 + 1930 1946 1954 G12 5 XRA 1-8A C5.9 5.9E-03 0424

2000 + 2112 2134 2140 G12 5 XRA 1-8A C3.8 3.1E-03 0424

2040 + 2341 2354 0002 G12 5 XRA 1-8A M1.3 8.5E-03 0424

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the Farside (backside) of Sun

Active region 0424

…and even tracked back to

Farside data from the MDI instrument on board NASA/ESA’s SOlar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft

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How does the Sun affect the

ionosphere & magnetosphere?

Through normal day-

night ionization

Through solar flares

Through the solar wind

Through coronal mass

ejections (CMEs)

The solar cycle affects all

these

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Day- Night Ionization

During the nighttime, when the Sun is down, cosmic rays ionize only the F layer. Hence, at night, VLF waves bounce off the F layer. Produces

good, strong VLF signal.

During the daytime, the Sun ionizes the F and E layers, and creates the D layer. Hence, during the day, VLF waves bounce off the E layer but lose energy penetrating the D layer. The VLF signal is weakened.

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Solar Flares disrupt this normal

pattern

Solar flare consists of X-ray and UV energy

This high energy ionizes the D layer

VLF waves now bounce off D, without losing energy penetrating through the D layer

Produces stronger VLF signal

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Day, night, and flares changing

ionization

Solar Flare (daytime) Day Night

Strong VLF signal Strong VLF signal Weak VLF signal

– energy lost while

transitting D layer

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Solar Flares

Huge flare of 28 October 2003

“Speckles” are high energy

particles hitting the CCD

When magnetic fields associated with Active

Regions erupt through the Sun’s surface, then tangle, disconnect, and reconnect, they can

release solar flares bright in EUV, X-rays, and

particle radiation.

Solar flares affect the

Earth’s ionosphere

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What causes solar flares?

Magnetic field lines poke through the solar surface,

producing sunspots. The field lines tangle and

disconnect, producting Coronal Mass Ejections. When

the field lines reconnect, energy is transferred to the

surface and a flare may appear.

Caveat: according to

current understanding

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Sample Research Projects

Sunrise/sunset phenomena & changes over time, season, latitude, distance from transmitter, site, weather, etc.

Identifying solar flares, tracking back to Sun, perhaps predicting

Antenna design

Unusual events – thunderstorms, meteor showers, CMEs, GRBs, planetary waves, earthquakes

Electrical interference Eclipses

Correlation with local events (e.g. photovoltaic power plant increases associated with flares, local hospital admissions, etc.)

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Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms detected by German

students (with a short distance between the transmitter, DHO, and

school)

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Dawn

Dusk

January 2007

December 2007

Summer solstice

1 June

Nighttime

Solar Flares

Missing data

UT Time

Transmitter maintenance outtages

Planetary waves?

Ionospheric Research

One year of SID data, collected by Don Rice, solar researcher

UT Time (00-24)

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Obtaining Instruments

Distribution through the

Society of Amateur Radio

Astronomers (SARA)

Send email to

supersid@radio-astronomy.org

Attendees of the ISWI/MAGDAS Summer School can obtain a SuperSID instrument at no cost (only the cost of shpping)

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Thank You

What are your questions?