119 research outputs found
Oxygen Ion Energization Observed At High Altitudes
We present a case study of significant heating (up to 8 keV) perpendicular to
the geomagnetic field of outflowing oxygen ions at high altitude (12 RE)
above the polar cap. The shape of the distribution functions indicates that
most of the heating occurs locally (within 0.2â0.4 RE in altitude). This
is a clear example of local ion energization at much higher altitude than
usually reported. In contrast to many events at lower altitudes, it is not
likely that the locally observed wave fields can cause the observed ion
energization. Also, it is not likely that the ions have drifted from some
nearby energization region to the point of observation. This suggests that
additional fundamentally different ion energization mechanisms are present at
high altitudes. One possibility is that the magnetic moment of the ions is
not conserved, resulting in slower outflow velocities and longer time for ion
energization
The Hydrogen Exospheric Density Profile Measured with ASPERA-3/NPD
We have evaluated the Lyman-α limb emission from the exospheric hydrogen of Mars measured by the neutral particle detector of the ASPERA-3 instrument on Mars Express in 2004 at low solar activity (solar activity index = 42, F10.7=100). We derive estimates for the hydrogen exobase density, n H = 1010 mâ3, and for the apparent temperature, T > 600 K. We conclude that the limb emission measurement is dominated by a hydrogen component that is considerably hotter than the bulk temperature at the exobase. The derived values for the exosphere density and temperature are compared with similar measurements done by the Mariner space probes in the 1969. The values found with Mars Express and Mariner data are brought in a broader context of exosphere models including the possibility of having two hydrogen components in the Martian exosphere. The present observation of the Martian hydrogen exosphere is the first one at high altitudes during low solar activity, and shows that for low solar activity exospheric densities are not higher than for high solar activit
Evolution of the ion environment of comet 67P during the Rosetta mission as seen by RPC-ICA
Rosetta has followed comet 67P from low activity at more than 3.6 au heliocentric distance to high activity at perihelion (1.24 au) and then out again. We provide a general overview of the evolution of the dynamic ion environment using data from the RPC-ICA ion spectrometer. We discuss where Rosetta was located within the evolving comet magnetosphere. For the initial observations, the solar wind permeated all of the coma. In 2015 mid-April, the solar wind started to disappear from the observation region, to re-appear again in 2015 December. Low-energy cometary ions were seen at first when Rosetta was about 100 km from the nucleus at 3.6 au, and soon after consistently throughout the mission except during the excursions to farther distances from the comet. The observed flux of low-energy ions was relatively constant due to Rosetta's orbit changing with comet activity. Accelerated cometary ions, moving mainly in the antisunward direction gradually became more common as comet activity increased. These accelerated cometary ions kept being observed also after the solar wind disappeared from the location of Rosetta, with somewhat higher fluxes further away from the nucleus. Around perihelion, when Rosetta was relatively deep within the comet magnetosphere, the fluxes of accelerated cometary ions decreased, as did their maximum energy. The disappearance of more energetic cometary ions at close distance during high activity is suggested to be due to a flow pattern where these ions flow around the obstacle of the denser coma or due to charge exchange losses
In Situ Observations of a Magnetosheath High-Speed Jet Triggering Magnetopause Reconnection
Magnetosheath highâspeed jetsâlocalized dynamic pressure enhancements typically of âŒ1 Earth radius in sizeâimpact the dayside magnetopause several times per hour. Here we present the first in situ measurements suggesting that such an impact triggered magnetopause reconnection. We use observations from the five Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms spacecraft in a stringâofâpearls configuration on 7 August 2007. The spacecraft recorded magnetopause inâandâout motion during an impact of a magnetosheath jet (VNâŒâ300 km/s along the magnetopause normal direction). There was no evidence for reconnection for the preimpact crossing, yet three probes observed reconnection after the impact. We infer that the jet impact compressed the originally thick (60â70 di), high magnetic shear (140â160° magnetopause until it was thin enough for reconnection to occur. Magnetosheath highâspeed jets could therefore act as a driver for bursty dayside reconnection
Erratum: Evolution of the ion environment of comet 67P during the Rosetta mission as seen by RPC-ICA
Birth of a comet magnetosphere: A spring of water ions
The Rosetta mission shall accompany comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from a heliocentric distance of >3.6 astronomical units through perihelion passage at 1.25 astronomical units, spanning low and maximum activity levels. Initially, the solar wind permeates the thin comet atmosphere formed from sublimation, until the size and plasma pressure of the ionized atmosphere define its boundaries: A magnetosphere is born. Using the Rosetta Plasma Consortium ion composition analyzer, we trace the evolution from the first detection of water ions to when the atmosphere begins repelling the solar wind (~3.3 astronomical units), and we report the spatial structure of this early interaction. The near-comet water population comprises accelerated ions (<800 electron volts), produced upstream of Rosetta, and lower energy locally produced ions; we estimate the fluxes of both ion species and energetic neutral atoms
Modeling the response of the induced magnetosphere of Venus to changing IMF direction using MESSENGER and Venus Express observations
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95427/1/grl25556.pd
Birth of a comet magnetosphere: A spring of water ions
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/347/6220/aaa0571.fullInternational audienceThe Rosetta mission shall accompany comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from a heliocentric distance of >3.6 astronomical units through perihelion passage at 1.25 astronomical units, spanning low and maximum activity levels. Initially, the solar wind permeates the thin comet atmosphere formed from sublimation, until the size and plasma pressure of the ionized atmosphere define its boundaries: A magnetosphere is born. Using the Rosetta Plasma Consortium ion composition analyzer, we trace the evolution from the first detection of water ions to when the atmosphere begins repelling the solar wind (similar to 3.3 astronomical units), and we report the spatial structure of this early interaction. The near-comet water population comprises accelerated ions (<800 electron volts), produced upstream of Rosetta, and lower energy locally produced ions; we estimate the fluxes of both ion species and energetic neutral atoms
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