A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
CoSEE-Cat: A Comprehensive Solar Energetic Electron event Catalogue obtained from combined in situ and remote-sensing observations from Solar Orbiter: Catalogue description and first statistical results
Authors: Warmuth, A.; Schuller, F.; Gómez-Herrero, R.; Cernuda, I.; Carcaboso, F.; Mason, G. M.; Dresing, N.; Pacheco, D.; Rodríguez-García, L.; Jarry, M.; Kretzschmar, M.; Barczynski, K.; Shukhobodskaia, D.; Rodriguez, L.; Tan, S.; Paipa-Leon, D.; Vilmer, N.; Rouillard, A. P.; Sasso, C.; Giordano, S.; Russano, G.; Grimani, C.; Landini, F.; Mac Cormack, C.; Mitchell, J. A. J.; Fedeli, A.; Vuorinen, L.; Lario, D.; Reid, H. A. S.; Effenberger, F.; Musset, S.; Riebe, K.; Galkin, A.; Makan, K.; Reusch, S.; Vecchio, A.; Dudnik, O.; Krucker, S.; Maksimovic, M.; Rodríguez-Pacheco, J.; Romoli, M.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, R. F.
Publisher: EDP Sciences
Publication year: 2025
Journal:: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Article number: A20
Volume: 701
ISSN: 0004-6361
eISSN: 1432-0746
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202554830
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202554830
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/500428213
Context. The acceleration of particles at the Sun and their propagation through interplanetary space are key topics in heliophysics. Specifically, solar energetic electrons (SEEs) measured in situ can be linked to solar events such as flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) since they are also observed remotely in a broad range of electromagnetic emissions such as in radio and X-rays. Solar Orbiter, equipped with a wide range of remote-sensing and in situ detectors, provides an excellent opportunity to investigate SEEs and their solar origin from the inner heliosphere.
Aims. We aim to record all SEE events measured in situ by Solar Orbiter, and to identify and characterise their potential solar counterparts. The results have been compiled in the Comprehensive Solar Energetic Electron event Catalogue (CoSEE-Cat), which will be updated regularly as the mission progresses. The catalogue contains key parameters of the SEEs, as well as the associated flares, CMEs, and radio bursts. In this paper, we describe the catalogue and provide a first statistical analysis.
Methods. The Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) was used to identify and characterise SEE events, infer the electron release time at the Sun, and determine the composition of related energetic ions. Basic parameters of associated X-ray flares (timing, intensity, source location) were provided by the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX). This was complemented by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI), which added information on eruptive phenomena. CME observations were contributed by the coronagraph Metis and the Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI). Type III radio bursts observed by the Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument provided a link between the SEEs detected at Solar Orbiter and their potential solar sources. The conditions in interplanetary space were characterised using Solar Wind Analyzer (SWA) and Solar Orbiter Magnetometer (MAG) measurements. Finally, data-driven modelling with the Magnetic Connectivity Tool provided an independent estimate of the solar source position of the SEEs.
Results. The first data release of the catalogue contains 303 SEE events observed in the period from November 2020 until the end of December 2022. Based on the timing and magnetic connectivity of their solar counterparts, we find a very clear distinction between events with an impulsive ion composition and ones with a gradual one. These results support the flare-related origin of impulsive events and the association of gradual events with extended structures such as CME-driven shocks or erupting flux ropes. We also show that the commonly observed delays of the solar release times of the SEEs relative to the associated X-ray flares and type III radio burst are at least partially due to propagation effects and not exclusively due to an actual delayed injection. This effect is cumulative with heliocentric distance and is probably related to turbulence and cross-field transport.
Key words: Sun: coronal mass ejections (CMEs) / Sun: flares / Sun: heliosphere / Sun: particle emission / Sun: radio radiation / Sun: X-rays / gamma rays
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Funding information in the publication:
Solar Orbiter is a mission of international cooperation between ESA and NASA, operated by ESA. The STIX instrument is an international collaboration between Switzerland, Poland, France, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Ireland, and Italy. The EPD/Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph (SIS) is a European facility instrument funded by ESA under contract number SOL.ASTR.CON.00004. Solar Orbiter post-launch work at JHU/APL is supported by NASA contract NNN06AA01C and at CAU by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the German Space Agency (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt, e.V., (DLR)), grant number 50OT2002. The UAH team acknowledges the financial support by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades under Project PID2019-104863RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and Project PID2023-150952OB-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by FEDER, UE. The RPW instrument was built under the responsibility of the French space agency CNES and is an international collaboration between France, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, and USA. The EUI instrument was built by CSL, IAS, MPS, MSSL/UCL, PMOD/WRC, ROB, LCF/IO with funding from the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELPSO); the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES); the UK Space Agency (UKSA); the Bundesministerium fur Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWi) through the Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR); and the Swiss Space Office (SSO). Metis was built and operated with funding from the Italian Space Agency (ASI), under contracts to the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) and industrial partners. Metis was built with hardware contributions from Germany (Bundesministerium fur Wirtschaft und Energie through DLR), from the Czech Republic (PRODEX) and from ESA. The Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager (SoloHI) instrument was designed, built, and is now operated by the US Naval Research Laboratory with the support of the NASA Heliophysics Division, Solar Orbiter Collaboration Office under DPR NNG09EK11I. Solar Wind Analyser (SWA) data are derived from scientific sensors which have been designed and created, and are operated under funding provided in numerous contracts from the UK Space Agency (UKSA), the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI), the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES, France), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France), the Czech contribution to the ESA PRODEX programme and NASA. Solar Orbiter SWA work at UCL/MSSL is currently funded under UKSA/STFC grants ST/X002152/1 and ST/W001004/1. Solar Orbiter magnetometer operations are funded by the UK Space Agency (grant ST/X002098/1). Solar Orbiter EUI work at UCL/MSSL is currently funded under UKSA grant ST/X002012/1. The AIP team was supported by the German Space Agency (DLR), grant numbers 50 OT 1904 and 50 OT 2304. A.W. and J.M. also acknowledge funding by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101134999 (SOLER). N.D. is grateful for support by the Academy of Finland (SHOCKSEE, grant No. 346902). D.P. acknowledges the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 42188101 and 42130204). M.K. is acknowledging funding from CNES for the Solar Orbiter/RPW project. N.V and D.P-L acknowledge support from CNES for the Solar Orbiter/STIX project. The ROB team thank the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) for the provision of financial support in the framework of the PRODEX Programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) under contract numbers 4000112292, 4000134088, 4000106864, 4000134474, and 4000136424. L.R.-G. and S. M. acknowledge support through the European Space Agency (ESA) research fellowship programme. Research was sponsored by the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center through a contract with ORAU. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government is authorised to reproduce and distribute reprints for Government purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation herein. F.C. acknowledges the financial support by an appointment to the NASA Postdoctoral Program at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, administered by ORAU through a contract with NASA, and the support of the Solar Orbiter mission. H.R. acknowledges the support from the STFC grant ST/W001004/1. F.E. acknowledges support by the German Science Foundation (DFG) SFB grant 1491 and by the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern, through ISSI International Team project 24-608 (Energetic Particle Transport in Space Plasma Turbulence). This work was supported by the long-term programme of support of the Ukrainian research teams at the Polish Academy of Sciences carried out in collaboration with the U.S. National Academy of Sciences with the financial support of external partners. We thank K.-L. Klein for the insightful comments and suggestions provided.
