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Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) are prominent drivers of space weather disturbances and mainly lead to intense or extreme geomagnetic storms. The reported studies suggested that the planar ICME sheath and planar magnetic clouds (MCs) cause extreme storms. Here, we investigated the severe two-step geomagnetic storm ($Dst \sim -187$ nT) of 25$^{th}$ solar cycle. Our analysis demonstrates flattened (pancaked) ICME structures, i.e., quasi-planar magnetic structures (PMS). The study corroborates our earlier reported finding that the less adiabatic expansion in quasi-PMS transformed ICME enhanced the strength of the southward magnetic field component. It contributes to the efficient transfer of plasma and energy in the Earth's magnetosphere to cause the observed severe storm.

Alfv\'en waves (AWs) are inevitable in space and astrophysical plasma. Their crucial role in various physical processes, occurring in plasma, has triggered intense research in solar-terrestrial physics. Simulation studies have proposed the generation of AWs along the surface of a cylindrical flux rope, referred to as Surface AWs (SAWs); however the observational verification of this distinct wave has been elusive to date. We report the first \textit{in-situ} observation of SAWs in an interplanetary coronal mass ejection flux rope. We apply the Wal\'en test to identify them. The Elsa\"sser variables are used to estimate the characterization of these SAWs. They may be excited by the movement of the flux rope's foot points or by instabilities along the plasma magnetic cloud's boundaries. Here, the change in plasma density or field strength in the surface-aligned magnetic field may trigger SAWs.

The dynamic evolution of coronal mass ejection (CME) in interplanetary space generates highly turbulent, compressed, and heated shock-sheath. This region furnishes a unique environment to study the turbulent fluctuations at the small scales and serve an opportunity for unfolding the physical mechanisms by which the turbulence is dissipated and plasma is heated. How does the turbulence in the magnetized plasma control the energy transport process in space and astrophysical plasmas is an attractive and challenging open problem of the 21st century. For this, the literature discusses three types of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) waves/ fluctuations in magnetized plasma as the magnetosonic (fast), Alfv'enic (intermediate), and sonic (slow). The magnetosonic type is most common in the interplanetary medium. However, Alfv'enic waves/fluctuations have not been identified to date in the ICME sheath. The steepening of the Alfv'en wave can form a rotational discontinuity that leads to an Alfv'enic shock. But, the questions were raised on their existence based on the theoretical ground. Here, we demonstrate the observable in-situ evidence of Alfv'en waves inside turbulent shock-sheath at 1 AU using three different methods desciribed in the literature. We also estimate Els"asser variables, normalized cross helicity, normalized residual energy and which indicate outward flow of Alfv'en waves. Power spectrum analysis of IMF indicates the existence of Alfv'enic turbulence in ICME shock-sheath. The study has strong implications in the domain of interplanetary space plasma, its interaction with planetary plasma, and astrophysical plasma., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1810.06004

The Alfv\'en wave (AW) is the most common fluctuation present within the emitted solar wind from the Sun. Moreover, the interaction between interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) and high-speed stream (HSS) has been observed on several occasions. However, can such interaction generate an AW? What will be the nature of AW in such a scenario remains an open question. To answer it, we have investigated an ICME-HSS interaction event observed on 21st October 1999 at 1 AU by Wind spacecraft. We have used the Wal\'en test to identify AW and estimated Elsasser variables to find the characteristics of the AWs. We explicitly find that ICME were dominant with Sunward AWs, whereas the trailing HSS has strong anti-Sunward AW. We suggest that the ICME-HSS interaction deforms the MC of the ICME, resulting in the AWs inside the MC. In addition, the existence of reconnection within the ICME early stage can also be the leading cause of the origin of AW within it.

The Forbush decrease (FD) and Geomagnetic storm (GS) are the two distinct space weather events having common causing agents like interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) or corotating interacting region (CIR). Generally, an ICME causes high amplitude FDs and extreme GSs. However, the interlinks between extreme GS and strong FDs are poorly studied. Here, we demonstrate five ICME induced extreme storms and their effects on respective FD profiles. We observed the sudden storm commencement of the GS coincides with the FD onset. Interestingly, we also noted a gradual increase in neutron counts during the main and recovery phases of GS. The maximum enhancement in neutron counts coincides with the minimum value of the Sym-H index. The enhancement is visible primarily in all the neutron monitors but significantly pronounced in high-energy neutrons compared to low-energy neutrons. The weakening of Earth's magnetic shield due to ICME-Magnetosphere interaction allows more cosmic rays to reach the ground. Thus, we conclude that the geomagnetic storm conditions highly influence the FD profile along with the external causing agent. Therefore, it is essential to include the effect of geomagnetic field variation in the models that are used to reproduce the FD profile., Comment: Submitted to MNRAS