Investigation of the relationship between geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters based on a novel neural network (potential learning)

Abstract Predicting geomagnetic conditions based on in-situ solar wind observations allows us to evade disasters caused by large electromagnetic disturbances originating from the Sun to save lives and protect economic activity. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between the K p inde...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ryozo Kitajima, Motoharu Nowada, Ryotaro Kamimura
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2022-09-01
Series:Earth, Planets and Space
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-022-01697-0
_version_ 1811253580028444672
author Ryozo Kitajima
Motoharu Nowada
Ryotaro Kamimura
author_facet Ryozo Kitajima
Motoharu Nowada
Ryotaro Kamimura
author_sort Ryozo Kitajima
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Predicting geomagnetic conditions based on in-situ solar wind observations allows us to evade disasters caused by large electromagnetic disturbances originating from the Sun to save lives and protect economic activity. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between the K p index, representing global magnetospheric activity level, and solar wind conditions using an interpretable neural network known as potential learning (PL). Data analyses based on neural networks are often difficult to interpret; however, PL learns by focusing on the “potentiality of input neurons” and can identify which inputs are significantly utilized by the network. Using the full advantage of PL, we extracted the influential solar wind parameters that disturb the magnetosphere under southward Interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions. The input parameters of PL were the three components of the IMF (Bx, By, Bz), solar wind flow speed (Vx), and proton number density (Np) in geocentric solar magnetospheric (GSM) coordinates obtained from the OMNI solar wind database between 1998 and 2019. Furthermore, we classified these input parameters into two groups (targets), depending on the K p level: K p  = 6–9 (positive target) and K p  = 0 to 1 + (negative target). Negative target samples were randomly selected to ensure that numbers of positive and negative targets were equal. The PL results revealed that solar wind flow speed is an influential parameter for increasing K p under southward IMF conditions, which was in good agreement with previous reports on the statistical relationship between the K p index and solar wind velocity, and the K p formulation based on the IMF and solar wind plasma parameters. Based on this new neural network, we aim to construct a more correct and parameter-dependent space weather forecasting model. Graphical Abstract
first_indexed 2024-04-12T16:53:08Z
format Article
id doaj.art-ccc7a565754340388c0147a50b5cc911
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1880-5981
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-12T16:53:08Z
publishDate 2022-09-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Earth, Planets and Space
spelling doaj.art-ccc7a565754340388c0147a50b5cc9112022-12-22T03:24:20ZengSpringerOpenEarth, Planets and Space1880-59812022-09-017411910.1186/s40623-022-01697-0Investigation of the relationship between geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters based on a novel neural network (potential learning)Ryozo Kitajima0Motoharu Nowada1Ryotaro Kamimura2Department of Engineering, Tokyo Polytechnic UniversityShandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar-Terrestrial Environment, Institute of Space Sciences, Shandong UniversityIT Education Center, Tokai UniversityAbstract Predicting geomagnetic conditions based on in-situ solar wind observations allows us to evade disasters caused by large electromagnetic disturbances originating from the Sun to save lives and protect economic activity. In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between the K p index, representing global magnetospheric activity level, and solar wind conditions using an interpretable neural network known as potential learning (PL). Data analyses based on neural networks are often difficult to interpret; however, PL learns by focusing on the “potentiality of input neurons” and can identify which inputs are significantly utilized by the network. Using the full advantage of PL, we extracted the influential solar wind parameters that disturb the magnetosphere under southward Interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions. The input parameters of PL were the three components of the IMF (Bx, By, Bz), solar wind flow speed (Vx), and proton number density (Np) in geocentric solar magnetospheric (GSM) coordinates obtained from the OMNI solar wind database between 1998 and 2019. Furthermore, we classified these input parameters into two groups (targets), depending on the K p level: K p  = 6–9 (positive target) and K p  = 0 to 1 + (negative target). Negative target samples were randomly selected to ensure that numbers of positive and negative targets were equal. The PL results revealed that solar wind flow speed is an influential parameter for increasing K p under southward IMF conditions, which was in good agreement with previous reports on the statistical relationship between the K p index and solar wind velocity, and the K p formulation based on the IMF and solar wind plasma parameters. Based on this new neural network, we aim to construct a more correct and parameter-dependent space weather forecasting model. Graphical Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-022-01697-0Space weather modelingSolar wind conditionsGeomagnetic activityNeural networkData classification
spellingShingle Ryozo Kitajima
Motoharu Nowada
Ryotaro Kamimura
Investigation of the relationship between geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters based on a novel neural network (potential learning)
Earth, Planets and Space
Space weather modeling
Solar wind conditions
Geomagnetic activity
Neural network
Data classification
title Investigation of the relationship between geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters based on a novel neural network (potential learning)
title_full Investigation of the relationship between geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters based on a novel neural network (potential learning)
title_fullStr Investigation of the relationship between geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters based on a novel neural network (potential learning)
title_full_unstemmed Investigation of the relationship between geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters based on a novel neural network (potential learning)
title_short Investigation of the relationship between geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters based on a novel neural network (potential learning)
title_sort investigation of the relationship between geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters based on a novel neural network potential learning
topic Space weather modeling
Solar wind conditions
Geomagnetic activity
Neural network
Data classification
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-022-01697-0
work_keys_str_mv AT ryozokitajima investigationoftherelationshipbetweengeomagneticactivityandsolarwindparametersbasedonanovelneuralnetworkpotentiallearning
AT motoharunowada investigationoftherelationshipbetweengeomagneticactivityandsolarwindparametersbasedonanovelneuralnetworkpotentiallearning
AT ryotarokamimura investigationoftherelationshipbetweengeomagneticactivityandsolarwindparametersbasedonanovelneuralnetworkpotentiallearning