Erratum: The solar orbiter radio and plasma waves (RPW) instrument (Astronomy and Astrophysics (2020) 642 (A12) DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201936214)

The erratum concerns Fig. 9 entitled "Antenna radio-electrical properties" for which some of the parameters are not correct. The new figure with new parameters is provided in Fig. 1 of this corrigendum. Fig. 1. Corrected Antenna radio-electrical properties. (Figure Presented)

Ionospheric density variations recorded before the 2010 Mw 8.8 earthquake in Chile

International audience[1] We present a study of plasma density variations observed by the DEMETER spacecraft in the vicinity of a very powerful earthquake in Chile. This earthquake of moment magnitude 8.8 occurred on 27 February 2010 with an epicenter located at 35.85°S, 72.72°W. Data recorded 10–20 days before the main shock along orbits close to the future epicenter show increasing plasma densities. In a second step, a statistical analysis with DEMETER data has been performed using the first 3 months of the years 2007–2010 to monitor density variations in the vicinity of the epicenter at the same local time and seasonal conditions. This study shows that a large increase of the plasma density is very uncommon at this location and at this time and that the increases observed during the days before the main shock could be considered as possible short‐term precursors of this powerful earthquake

EMIC waves observed by the low-altitude satellite DEMETER during the November 2004 magnetic storm

International audienceThis paper presents an analysis of ULF (0–20 Hz) waves observed by the low-altitude satellite Detection of ElectroMagnetic Emissions Transmitted from Earthquake Regions (DEMETER) during the magnetic storm of November 2004. Since these ULF waves are measured by both electric and magnetic antennas, they may be identified as electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves. While EMIC waves have been previously observed in the low-altitude ionosphere, this is the first time that they are observed for such extensive time periods and at such high frequencies. A common feature of these emissions is that their observation region in the low-altitude ionosphere extends continuously from the high-latitude southern trough in one side up to the high-latitude northern trough. The analysis of wave propagation points to the possible source region placed in the inner magnetosphere (L∼2–3). Observed wave frequencies indicate that waves must be generated much farther from the Earth compared to the satellite orbit. Exceptionally high frequencies of about 10 Hz can be explained by the source region placed in the deep inner magnetosphere at L ∼2.5. We hypothesize that these waves are generated below the local helium gyrofrequency and propagate over a large range of wave normal angles to reach low altitudes at L ∼1.11. In order to investigate this scenario, a future study based on ray tracing simulations will be necessary

Unexpected Very Low Frequency (VLF) Radio Events Recorded by the Ionospheric Satellite DEMETER

International audienceDEMETER was a low Earth orbiting microsatellite in operation between July 2004 and December 2010. Its scientific objective was the study of ionospheric perturbations in relation to seismic activity and man-made activities. Its payload was designed to measure electromagnetic waves over a large frequency range as well as ionospheric plasma parameters (electron and ion densities, fluxes of energetic charged particles). This paper will show both expected and unusual events recorded by the satellite when it was in operation. These latter events have been selected from the DEMETER database because they are rare or even have never been observed before, because they have a very high intensity, or because they are related to abnormalities of the experiments under particular plasma conditions. Some events are related to man-made radio waves emitted by VLF ground-based transmitters or power line harmonic radiation. Natural waves, such as atypical quasi-periodic emissions or uncommon whistlers, are also shown

Solar Orbiter Radio and Plasma Waves – Time Domain Sampler: In-flight performance and first results

International audienceContext. The Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument on board Solar Orbiter has been operating nearly continuously since the launch in February 2020. The Time Domain Sampler (TDS) receiver of the RPW instrument is dedicated to waveform measurements of plasma waves and dust impact signatures in an intermediate frequency range from 0.2 to 200 kHz.Aims. This article presents the first data from the RPW-TDS receiver and discusses the in-flight performance of the instrument and, in particular, the on-board wave and dust detection algorithm. We present the TDS data products and its scientific operation. We demonstrate the content of the dataset on several examples. In particular, we study the distribution of solar Langmuir waves in the first year of observations and one Type III burst event.Methods. The on-board detection algorithm is described in detail in this article and classifies the observed waveform snapshots, identifying plasma waves and dust impacts based on the ratio of their maximum amplitude to their median and on the spectral bandwidth. The algorithm allows TDS to downlink the most scientifically relevant waveforms and to perform an on-board statistical characterization of the processed data.Results. The detection algorithm of TDS is shown to perform very well in its detection of plasma waves and dust impacts with a high accuracy. The initial analysis of statistical data returned by TDS shows that sporadic Langmuir waves that are not associated with Type III events are routinely observed in the inner heliosphere, with a clear increase in occurrence rate closer to the Sun. We also present an example of RPW observations during an encounter of the source region of a Type III burst, which exploits the on-board calculated histograms data

Primary joint statistical seismic influence on ionospheric parameters recorded by the CSES and DEMETER satellites

International audienceOppositely to a previous statistical work using a single time resolution of the total ion density measured onboard the DEMETER satellite, this work deals with statistical seismo‐ionospheric influences by comparing different parameters and various time resolutions. The O+ density and electron density recorded by the CSES satellite for more than one year and by the DEMETER satellite for about 6.5 years have been utilized to globally search ionospheric perturbations with different time resolutions. A comparison is automatically done by software between the occurrence of these ionospheric perturbations determined by different data sets, and the occurrence of earthquakes under the conditions that these perturbations occur at less than 1500 km and up to 15 days before the earthquakes. Combined with statistical results given by both satellites, it is shown that the detection rate r of earthquakes increases as the data time resolution and the earthquake magnitude increase and as the focal depth decreases. On average, the number of perturbations is higher the day of the earthquake, and then smoothly decreases the days before, which is independent of either ionospheric parameters or time resolutions. The number of right alarms is high near the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly area but its relationship with seismic activities is weak. The ion density tends to be more sensitive to seismic activities than the electron density but this needs further investigations. This study shows that the CSES satellite could effectively register ionospheric perturbations due to strong EQs as the DEMETER satellite does

First-year ion-acoustic wave observations in the solar wind by the RPW/TDS instrument on board Solar Orbiter

International audienceContext. Electric field measurements of the Time Domain Sampler (TDS) receiver, part of the Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument on board Solar Orbiter, often exhibit very intense broadband wave emissions at frequencies below 20 kHz in the spacecraft frame. During the first year of the mission, the RPW/TDS instrument was operating from the first perihelion in mid-June 2020 and through the first flyby of Venus in late December 2020. Aims: In this paper, we present a year-long study of electrostatic fluctuations observed in the solar wind at an interval of heliocentric distances from 0.5 to 1 AU. The RPW/TDS observations provide a nearly continuous data set for a statistical study of intense waves below the local plasma frequency. Methods: The on-board and continuously collected and processed properties of waveform snapshots allow for the mapping plasma waves at frequencies between 200 Hz and 20 kHz. We used the triggered waveform snapshots and a Doppler-shifted solution of the dispersion relation for wave mode identification in order to carry out a detailed spectral and polarization analysis. Results: Electrostatic ion-acoustic waves are the most common wave emissions observed between the local electron and proton plasma frequency by the TDS receiver during the first year of the mission. The occurrence rate of ion-acoustic waves peaks around perihelion at distances of 0.5 AU and decreases with increasing distances, with only a few waves detected per day at 0.9 AU. Waves are more likely to be observed when the local proton moments and magnetic field are highly variable. A more detailed analysis of more than 10 000 triggered waveform snapshots shows the mean wave frequency at about 3 kHz and wave amplitude about 2.5 mV m−1. The wave amplitude varies as R−1.38 with the heliocentric distance. The relative phase distribution between two components of the E-field projected in the Y − Z Spacecraft Reference Frame (SRF) plane shows a mostly linear wave polarization. Electric field fluctuations are closely aligned with the directions of the ambient field lines. Only a small number (3%) of ion-acoustic waves are observed at larger magnetic discontinuities

Kinetic electrostatic waves and their association with current structures in the solar wind

13 pages, 12 figuresInternational audienceContext. A variety of kinetic electrostatic and electromagnetic waves develop in the solar wind and the relationship between these waves and larger scale structures, such as current sheets and ongoing turbulence, remain a topic of investigation. Similarly, the instabilities producing ion-acoustic waves in the solar wind are still an open question. Aims. The goals of this paper are to investigate electrostatic Langmuir and ion-acoustic waves in the solar wind at 0.5 AU and determine whether current sheets and associated streaming instabilities can produce the observed waves. The relationship between these waves and currents observed in the solar wind is investigated statistically. Methods. Solar Orbiter’s Radio and Plasma Waves instrument suite provides high-resolution snapshots of the fluctuating electric field. The Low Frequency Receiver resolves the waveforms of ion-acoustic waves and the Time Domain Sampler resolves the waveforms of both ion-acoustic and Langmuir waves. Using these waveform data, we determine when these waves are observed in relation to current structures in the solar wind, estimated from the background magnetic field. Results. Langmuir and ion-acoustic waves are frequently observed in the solar wind. Ion-acoustic waves are observed about 1% of the time at 0.5 AU. The waves are more likely to be observed in regions of enhanced currents. However, the waves typically do not occur at current structures themselves. The observed currents in the solar wind are too small to drive instability by the relative drift between single ion and electron populations. When multi-component ion or electron distributions are present, the observed currents may be sufficient for instabilities to occur. Ion beams are the most plausible source of ion-acoustic waves in the solar wind. The spacecraft potential is confirmed to be a reliable probe of the background electron density when comparing the peak frequencies of Langmuir waves with the plasma frequency calculated from the spacecraft potential