Polarization Diffusion from Spacetime Uncertainty

A model of Lorentz invariant random fluctuations in photon polarization is presented. The effects are frequency dependent and affect the polarization of photons as they propagate through space. We test for this effect by confronting the model with the latest measurements of polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

MESSENGER observations of induced magnetic fields in Mercury's core

Orbital data from the Magnetometer on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft allow investigation of magnetic fields induced at the top of Mercury's core by time‐varying magnetospheric fields. We used 15 Mercury years of observations of the magnetopause position as well as the magnetic field inside the magnetosphere to establish the presence and magnitude of an annual induction signal. Our results indicate an annual change in the internal axial dipole term, g10, of 7.5 to 9.5 nT. For negligible mantle conductivity, the average annual induction signal provides an estimate of Mercury's core radius to within ±90 km, independent of geodetic results. Larger induction signals during extreme events are expected but are challenging to identify because of reconnection‐driven erosion. Our results indicate that the magnetopause reaches the dayside planetary surface 1.5–4% of the time

Modular model for Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field confined within the average observed magnetopause

Accurate knowledge of Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field is required to understand the sources of the planet's internal field. We present the first model of Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field confined within a magnetopause shape derived from Magnetometer observations by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft. The field of internal origin is approximated by a dipole of magnitude 190 nT RM 3, where RM is Mercury's radius, offset northward by 479 km along the spin axis. External field sources include currents flowing on the magnetopause boundary and in the cross‐tail current sheet. The cross‐tail current is described by a disk‐shaped current near the planet and a sheet current at larger (≳ 5 RM ) antisunward distances. The tail currents are constrained by minimizing the root‐mean‐square (RMS) residual between the model and the magnetic field observed within the magnetosphere. The magnetopause current contributions are derived by shielding the field of each module external to the magnetopause by minimizing the RMS normal component of the magnetic field at the magnetopause. The new model yields improvements over the previously developed paraboloid model in regions that are close to the magnetopause and the nightside magnetic equatorial plane. Magnetic field residuals remain that are distributed systematically over large areas and vary monotonically with magnetic activity. Further advances in empirical descriptions of Mercury's magnetospheric external field will need to account for the dependence of the tail and magnetopause currents on magnetic activity and additional sources within the magnetosphere associated with Birkeland currents and plasma distributions near the dayside magnetopause

Improving solar wind modeling at Mercury: Incorporating transient solar phenomena into the WSA‐ENLIL model with the Cone extension

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and other transient solar phenomena play important roles in magnetospheric and exospheric dynamics. Although a planet may interact only occasionally with the interplanetary consequences of these events, such transient phenomena can result in departures from the background solar wind that often involve more than an order of magnitude greater ram pressure and interplanetary electric field applied to the planetary magnetosphere. For Mercury, an order of magnitude greater ram pressure combined with high Alfvén speeds and reconnection rates can push the magnetopause essentially to the planet's surface, exposing the surface directly to the solar wind flow. In order to understand how the solar wind interacts with Mercury's magnetosphere and exosphere, previous studies have used the Wang‐Sheeley‐Arge (WSA)‐ENLIL solar wind modeling tool to calculate basic and composite solar wind parameters at Mercury's orbital location. This model forecasts only the background solar wind, however, and does not include major transient events. The Cone extension permits the inclusion of CMEs and related solar wind perturbations and thus enables characterization of the effects of strong solar wind disturbances on the Mercury system. The Cone extension is predicated on the assumption of constant angular and radial velocities of CMEs to integrate these phenomena into the WSA‐ENLIL coupled model. Comparisons of the model results with observations by the MESSENGER spacecraft indicate that the WSA‐ENLIL+Cone model more accurately forecasts total solar wind conditions at Mercury and has greater predictive power for magnetospheric and exospheric processes than the WSA‐ENLIL model alone

Constraints on the secular variation of Mercury's magnetic field from the combined analysis of MESSENGER and Mariner 10 data

Observations of Mercury's internal magnetic field from the Magnetometer on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft have revealed a dipole moment of 190 nT R M3 offset about 480 km northward from the planetary equator, where R M is Mercury's radius. We have reanalyzed magnetic field observations acquired by the Mariner 10 spacecraft during its third flyby of Mercury (M10‐III) in 1975 to constrain the secular variation in the internal field over the past 40 years. With the application of techniques developed in the analysis of MESSENGER data, we find that the dipole moment that best fits the M10‐III data is 188 nT R M3 offset 475 km northward from the equator. Our results are consistent with no secular variation, although variations of up to 10%, 16%, and 35%, respectively, are permitted in the zonal coefficients g 10, g 20, and g 30 in a spherical harmonic expansion of the internal field

The Shape of Mercury\u27s Magnetopause: The Picture From MESSENGER Magnetometer Observations and Future Prospects for BepiColombo

The MErcury Surface, Space Environment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft orbited Mercury between March 2011 and April 2015, typically passing through the magnetosphere, magnetosheath, and interplanetary magnetic field, on each orbit. Using data from the Magnetometer, we identify magnetopause crossings for the complete orbital mission and model the average boundary shape. We find that Mercury\u27s average magnetopause is well modeled by both an axisymmetric shape and a three-dimensional shape containing indentations in the cusp regions and a magnetotail that is wider in the north-south versus east-west direction. Examination of MESSENGER data and the use of simulated crossings show that coverage is very limited in the cusp region. Parameters describing the indentation are poorly constrained, and model fits may be biased due to the combination of orbital geometry and magnetospheric dynamics. The distribution of MESSENGER data inside the magnetopause, together with minimum variance analysis of a representative subset of magnetopause crossings, hints at the presence of a cusp indentation, though likely shallower than that estimated from the observed crossing positions. The BepiColombo spacecraft will arrive at Mercury in 2025. We simulate expected data coverage and magnetopause crossings using both axisymmetric and three-dimensional magnetopause models. BepiColombo will improve our understanding of the magnetopause shape by providing data over the southern hemisphere and regions of the northern cusp indentation not covered by MESSENGER. There is also the potential for simultaneous measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field and magnetopause position

Geological and geophysical constraints on Itokawa’s past spin periods

Itokawa has two distinct terrain types, rough highlands, and smooth lowlands. The lowlands formed by the movement of fine-grained materials from the highlands into topographic lows, covering up large boulders and producing a smooth surface. The topography of asteroids is a function of the shape, interior density, and spin rate. Itokawa, like many near-earth objects, may have experienced changes in its spin period due to YORP. Changes in spin period compared with the current 12.13 h period, may result in changes in the location of topographic lows and thus the concentration of fines in the lows. Under faster spin periods, ∼8 h or less, the northern topographic low, currently Sagamihara, changes location, but the southern lowland, Muses-Sea, stays in the same location. Above ∼8 h the topographic lows match the current geographic extent of the fine-grain lowlands. Current estimates of the timescale of regolith migration based on seismic shaking span several orders of magnitude. However, if these can be further refined, the location of the northern lowlands could be used as a constraint on the past spin rates of Itokawa The methods used in this study could be applied to other asteroids and may place an independent constraint on past spin periods

Constraints on the secular variation of Mercury\u27s magnetic field from the combined analysis of MESSENGER and Mariner 10 data

Observations of Mercury\u27s internal magnetic field from the Magnetometer on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft have revealed a dipole moment of 190 nT RM3 offset about 480 km northward from the planetary equator, where RM is Mercury\u27s radius. We have reanalyzed magnetic field observations acquired by the Mariner 10 spacecraft during its third flyby of Mercury (M10-III) in 1975 to constrain the secular variation in the internal field over the past 40 years. With the application of techniques developed in the analysis of MESSENGER data, we find that the dipole moment that best fits the M10-III data is 188 nT RM3 offset 475 km northward from the equator. Our results are consistent with no secular variation, although variations of up to 10%, 16%, and 35%, respectively, are permitted in the zonal coefficients g10, g20, and g30 in a spherical harmonic expansion of the internal field

MESSENGER observations of induced magnetic fields in Mercury\u27s core

Orbital data from the Magnetometer on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft allow investigation of magnetic fields induced at the top of Mercury\u27s core by time-varying magnetospheric fields. We used 15 Mercury years of observations of the magnetopause position as well as the magnetic field inside the magnetosphere to establish the presence and magnitude of an annual induction signal. Our results indicate an annual change in the internal axial dipole term, g10, of 7.5 to 9.5 nT. For negligible mantle conductivity, the average annual induction signal provides an estimate of Mercury\u27s core radius to within ±90 km, independent of geodetic results. Larger induction signals during extreme events are expected but are challenging to identify because of reconnection-driven erosion. Our results indicate that the magnetopause reaches the dayside planetary surface 1.5–4% of the time