Ionospheric photoelectrons at Venus: Initial observations by ASPERA-4

Abstract We report the detection of electrons due to photo-ionization of atomic oxygen and carbon dioxide in the Venus atmosphere by solar helium 30.4 nm photons. The detection was by the Analyzer of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA-4) Electron Spectrometer (ELS) on the Venus Express (VEx) European Space Agency (ESA) mission. Characteristic peaks in energy for such photoelectrons have been predicted by Venus atmosphere/ionosphere models. The ELS energy resolution (DE/E$7%) means that these are the first detailed measurements of such electrons. Considerations of ion production and transport in the atmosphere of Venus suggest that the observed photoelectron peaks are due primarily to ionization of atomic oxygen.

Solar proton damage in high-purity germanium detectors

High-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors used in space for gamma-ray spectroscopy in astrophysics and planetary exploration are known to be damaged by energetic particles. For interplanetary missions close to the Sun such as Messenger or BepiColombo to explore planet Mercury, solar protons represent an important source of damage. In this work, irradiation tests were performed on two large-volume coaxial n-type HPGe detectors with mono-energetic beams of 50-60 MeV protons. One of the detectors, designed for spatial applications, was incrementally exposed to a proton fluence up to 7.5 x 1010 p/cm2 and the other to a unique fluence of 10(10) p/cm(2.) The results showed that the degradation of the energy resolution appeared for fluences higher than 5 x 108 p/cm(2). Moreover, a loss in detection efficiency was observed for fluences above 1010 p/cm(2). Annealings above 80 degrees C allowed the recovery of the initial resolution but not the initial efficiency. By extrapolating the results beyond the experimental conditions, this study also establishes the limits for the use of spaceborne HPGc detectors in harsh low-energy proton environment. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The ion experiment onboard the Interball-Aurora satellite; initial results on velocity-dispersed structures in the cleft and inside the auroral oval

The Toulouse ION experiment flown on the Russian Interball-Aurora mission performs simultaneous ion and electron measurements. Two mass spectrometers looking in opposing directions perpendicular to the satellite spin axis, which points toward the sun, measure ions in the mass and energy ranges 1–32 amu and ~0–14 000 eV. Two electron spectrometers also looking in opposing directions perform measurements in the energy range ~10 eV–20 000 eV. The Interball-Aurora spacecraft was launched on 29 August 1996 into a 62.8° inclination orbit with an apogee of ~3 RE. The satellite orbital period is 6 h, so that every four orbits the satellite sweeps about the same region of the auroral zone; the orbit plane drifts around the pole in ~9 months. We present a description of the ION experiment and discuss initial measurements performed in the cusp near noon, in the polar cleft at dusk, and inside the proton aurora at dawn. Ion-dispersed energy structures resulting from time-of-flight effects are observed both in the polar cleft at ~16 hours MLT and in the dawnside proton aurora close to 06 hours MLT. Magnetosheath plasma injections in the polar cleft, which appear as overlapping energy bands in particle energy-time spectrograms, are traced backwards in time using a particle trajectory model using 3D electric and magnetic field models. We found that the cleft ion source is located at distances of the order of 18 RE from the earth at about 19 MLT, i.e., on the flank of the magnetopause. These observations are in agreement with flux transfer events (FTE) occurring not only on the front part of the magnetopause but also in a region extending at least to dusk. We also show that, during quiet magnetic conditions, time-of-flight ion dispersions can also be measured inside the dawn proton aurora. A method similar to that used for the cleft is applied to these auroral energy dispersion signatures. Unexpectedly, the ion source is found to be at distances of the order of 60–80 RE, at the dawn flank of the magnetosphere. These results are discussed in terms of possible entry, acceleration, and precipitation mechanisms.Key words. Magnetospheric physics · Auroral phenomena · Energetic particles · Magnetopause · cusp · and boundary layers · Interball-Aurora satellite

The INTERBALL-Tail ELECTRON experiment: initial results on the low-latitude boundary layer of the dawn magnetosphere

The Toulouse electron spectrometer flown on the Russian project INTERBALL-Tail performs electron measurements from 10 to 26 000 eV over a 4<pi> solid angle in a satellite rotation period. The INTERBALL-Tail probe was launched on 3 August 1995 together with a subsatellite into a 65° inclination orbit with an apogee of about 30 RE. The INTERBALL mission also includes a polar spacecraft launched in August 1996 for correlated studies of the outer magnetosphere and of the auroral regions. We present new observations concerning the low-latitude boundary layers (LLBL) of the magnetosphere obtained near the dawn magnetic meridian. LLBL are encountered at the interface between two plasma regimes, the magnetosheath and the dayside extension of the plasma sheet. Unexpectedly, the radial extent of the region where LLBL electrons can be sporadically detected as plasma clouds can reach up to 5 RE inside the magnetopause. The LLBL core electrons have an average energy of the order of 100 eV and are systematically field-aligned and counterstreaming. As a trend, the temperature of the LLBL electrons increases with decreasing distance to Earth. Along the satellite orbit, the apparent time of occurrence of LLBL electrons can vary from about 5 to 20 min from one pass to another. An initial first comparison between electron- and magnetic-field measurements indicates that the LLBL clouds coincide with a strong increase in the magnetic field (by up to a factor of 2). The resulting strong magnetic field gradient can explain why the plasma-sheet electron flux in the keV range is strongly depressed in LLBL occurrence regions (up to a factor of \sim10). We also show that LLBL electron encounters are related to field-aligned current structures and that wide LLBL correspond to northward interplanetary magnetic field. Evidence for LLBL/plasma-sheet electron leakage into the magnetosheath during southward IMF is also presented

The MAVEN Solar Wind Electron Analyzer

International audienceThe MAVEN Solar Wind Electron Analyzer (SWEA) is a symmetric hemispheric electrostatic analyzer with deflectors that is designed to measure the energy and angular distributions of 3-4600-eV electrons in the Mars environment. This energy range is important for impact ionization of planetary atmospheric species, and encompasses the solar wind core and halo populations, shock-energized electrons, auroral electrons, and ionospheric primary photoelectrons. The instrument is mounted at the end of a 1.5-meter boom to provide a clear field of view that spans nearly 80 % of the sky with ∼20° resolution. With an energy resolution of 17 % (Δ E/E), SWEA readily distinguishes electrons of solar wind and ionospheric origin. Combined with a 2-second measurement cadence and on-board real-time pitch angle mapping, SWEA determines magnetic topology with high (∼8-km) spatial resolution, so that local measurements of the plasma and magnetic field can be placed into global context