For research on waves in plasmas

A brief overview of the project, especially its funding history, is given. A bibliography of the 397 research papers supported completely or in part by this grant is given

Auroral plasma waves

A review is given of auroral plasma wave phenomena, starting with the earliest ground-based observations and ending with the most recent satellite observations. Two types of waves are considered, electromagnetic and electrostatic. Electromagnetic waves include auroral kilometric radiation, auroral hiss, ELF noise bands, and low-frequency electric and magnetic noise. Electrostatic waves include upper hybrid resonance emissions, electron cyclotron waves, lower hybrid waves, ion cyclotron waves and broadband electrostatic noise. In each case, a brief overview is given describing the observations, the origin of the instability, and the role of the waves in the physics of the auroral acceleration region

Planetary plasma waves

The primary types of plasma waves observed in the vicinity of the planets Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are described. The observations are organized according to the various types of plasma waves observed, ordered according to decreasing distance from the planet, starting from the sunward side of the planet, and ending in the region near the closest approach. The plasma waves observed include: electron plasma oscillations and ion acoustic waves; trapped continuum radiation; electron cyclotron and upper hybrid waves; whistler-mode emissions; electrostatic ion cyclotron waves; and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves

Continued reduction and analysis of data from the Dynamics Explorer Plasma Wave Instrument

The plasma wave instrument on the Dynamics Explorer 1 spacecraft provided measurements of the electric and magnetic components of plasma waves in the Earth's magnetosphere. Four receiver systems processed signals from five antennas. Sixty-seven theses, scientific papers and reports were prepared from the data generated. Data processing activities and techniques used to analyze the data are described and highlights of discoveries made and research undertaken are tabulated

Intensity of nightside MARSIS AIS surface reflections and implications for low-altitude ionospheric densities

Spacecraft radar sounding signals at frequencies higher than the ionospheric peak plasma frequency are not reflected by the ionosphere. Instead, they make it to the ground where they are reflected by the planetary surface. We analyze the intensity of the surface reflections measured by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) ionospheric radar sounder on board the Mars Express spacecraft. Apart from the surface reflectivity and the spacecraft altitude, the detected intensity of surface reflections is controlled primarily by the signal attenuation during the ionospheric propagation. We focus on the nightside region, where the ionospheric densities in the main layer are too low to cause a significant attenuation and allow sampling of the surface reflections at frequencies down to 3 MHz. The attenuation occurs mainly at altitudes below 100 km, where the electron-neutral collision frequency is a maximum. The intensity of surface reflections can thus serve as a proxy for electron densities at low altitudes not accessible by the direct ionospheric radar sounding. We analyze the intensity of surface reflections as a function of relevant controlling parameters. The intensity of surface reflections is lower at higher solar zenith angles on the nightside and during the periods of larger solar activity. Moreover, it exhibits a seasonal variation that is related to the dust storm occurrence. The intensity of surface reflections is lower in areas of closed magnetic field lines, suggesting that nightside electron densities behave rather differently at low altitudes than at higher altitudes. This is confirmed by comparison with simultaneous observations of the main ionospheric layer

MARSIS remote sounding of localized density structures in the dayside Martian ionosphere:a study of controlling parameters

Enhanced topside electron densities in the dayside Martian ionosphere have been repetitively observed in areas of near-radial crustal magnetic fields, for periods of tens of days, indicating their long-term spatial and temporal stability despite changing solar wind conditions. We perform a statistical study of these density structures using the ionospheric mode of the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) onboard Mars Express. We estimate the apparent extents of these structures relative to the altitude of the surrounding ionosphere. The apex of the density structures often lies higher than the surrounding ionosphere (median vertical extent of 18 km), which indicates upwellings. These structures are much wider than they are high, with latitudinal scales of several degrees. The radar reflector regions are observed above both moderate and strong magnetic anomalies, and their precise locations and latitudinal extents match quite well with the locations and latitudinal extents of magnetic structures of given magnetic polarity (oblique to vertical fields), which happen to be regions where the field lines are open part of the time. The majority of the density structures occur in regions where ionospheric plasma is dominant, indicating closed field regions shielded from shocked solar wind plasm

Large scale motions of Neptune's bow shock: Evidence for control of the shock position by the rotation phase of Neptune's magnetic field

The Voyager 2 spacecraft observed high levels of Langmuir waves before the inbound crossing of Neptune's bow shock, thereby signifying magnetic connection of the bow shock. The Langmuir waves occurred in multiple bursts throughout two distinct periods separated by an 85 minute absence of wave activity. The times of onsets, peaks, and disappearances of the waves were used together with the magnetic field directions and spacecraft position, to perform a 'remote-sensing' analysis of the shape and location of Neptune's bow shock prior to the inbound bow shock crossing. The bow shock is assumed to have a parabolidal shape with a nose location and flaring parameter determined independently for each wave event. The remote-sensing analysis give a shock position consistent with the time of the inbound shock crossing. The flaring parameter of the shock remains approximately constant throughout each period of wave activity but differs by a factor of 10 between the two periods. The absence of waves between two periods of wave activity coincides with a large rotation of the magnetic field and a large increase in the solar wind ram pressure' both these effects lead to magnetic disconnection of the spacecraft from shock. The planetwards motion of the shock's nose from 38.5 R(sub N) to 34.5 R(sub N) during the second time period occurred while the solar wind ram pressure remained constant to within 15 percent. This second period of planetwards motion of the shock is therefore strong evidence for Neptune's bow shock moving in response to the rotation of Neptune's oblique, tilted magnetic dipole. Normalizing the ram pressure, the remotely-sensed shock moves sunwards during the first wave period and planetwards in the second wave period. The maximum standoff distance occurs while the dipole axis is close to being perpendicular to the Sun-Neptune direction. The remote-sensing analysis provides strong evidence that the location of Neptune's bow shock is controlled by Neptune's rotation phase

Whistler mode waves upstream of Saturn

Whistler-mode waves are generated within and can propagate upstream of collisionless shocks. They are known to play a role in electron thermodynamics/acceleration and, under certain conditions, are markedly observed as wave trains preceding the shock ramp. In this paper, we take advantage of Cassini's presence at ~10 AU to explore the importance of whistler-mode waves in a parameter regime typically characterized by higher Mach number (median of ~14) shocks, as well as a significantly different IMF structure, compared to near Earth. We identify electromagnetic precursors preceding a small subset of bow shock crossings with properties which are consistent with whistler-mode waves. We find these monochromatic, low-frequency, circularly-polarized waves to have a typical frequency range of 0.2 - 0.4 Hz in the spacecraft frame. This is due to the lower ion and electron cyclotron frequencies near Saturn, between which whistler waves can develop. The waves are also observed as predominantly right-handed in the spacecraft frame, the opposite sense to what is typically observed near Earth. This is attributed to the weaker Doppler shift, owing to the large angle between the solar wind velocity and magnetic field vectors at 10 AU. Our results on the low occurrence of whistler waves upstream of Saturn also underpins the predominantly supercritical bow shock of Saturn.Comment: Published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics (January 2017) 21 pages, 4 figure

A case study of a density structure over a vertical magnetic field region in the Martian ionosphere

One of the discoveries made by the radar sounder on the Mars Express spacecraft is the existence of magnetically controlled structures in the ionosphere of Mars, which result in bulges in the ionospheric electron density contours. These bulges lead in turn to oblique echoes, which show up as hyperbola-shaped features in the echograms. A hyperbola-shaped feature observed over an isolated region of strong crustal magnetic field is associated with a plasma cavity in the upper ionosphere and a corresponding density enhancement in the lower levels of the ionosphere. We suggest that along open magnetic field lines, the solar wind electrons are accelerated downward and the ionospheric ions are accelerated upward in a manner similar to the field line-driven auroral acceleration at Earth. This heating due to precipitating electrons may cause an increase in the scale height and may drive a loss of ionospheric plasma at high altitudes

Oblique reflections in the Mars Express MARSIS data set:stable density structures in the Martian ionosphere

The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) onboard the European Space Agency's Mars Express (MEX) spacecraft routinely detects evidence of localized plasma density structures in the Martian dayside ionosphere. Such structures, likely taking the form of spatially extended elevations in the plasma density at a given altitude, give rise to oblique reflections in the Active Ionospheric Sounder data. These structures are likely related to the highly varied Martian crustal magnetic field. In this study we use the polar orbit of MEX to investigate the repeatability of the ionospheric structures producing these anomalous reflections, examining data taken in sequences of multiple orbits which pass over the same regions of the Martian surface under similar solar illuminations, within intervals lasting tens of days. Presenting three such examples, or case studies, we show for the first time that these oblique reflections are often incredibly stable, indicating that the underlying ionospheric structures are reliably reformed in the same locations and with qualitatively similar parameters. The visibility, or lack thereof, of a given oblique reflection on a single orbit can generally be attributed to variations in the crustal field within the ionosphere along the spacecraft trajectory. We show that, within these examples, oblique reflections are generally detected whenever the spacecraft passes over regions of intense near-radial crustal magnetic fields (i.e., with a “cusp-like” configuration). The apparent stability of these structures is an important feature that must be accounted for in models of their origin