| 1. |
- Alfvén, Hannes, et al.
(författare)
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Voyager saturnian ring measurements and the early history of the solar-system
- 1986
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 34:2, s. 145-154
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The mass distribution in the Saturnian ring system is investigated and compared with predictions from the plasma cosmogony. According to this theory, the matter in the rings has once been in the form of a magnetized plasma, in which the gravitation is balanced partly by the centrifugal force and partly by the electromagnetic forces. As the plasma is neutralized, the electromagnetic forces disappear and the matter can be shown to fall in to of the original saturnocentric distance. This causes the so called “cosmogonic shadow effect”, which has been demonstrated earlier for the asteroidal belt and in the large scale structure of the Saturnian ring system.The relevance of the cosmogonic shadow effect is investigated for parts of the fine structures of the Saturnian ring system. It is shown that many structures of the present ring system can be understood as shadows and antishadows of cosmogonic origin. These appear in the form of double rings centered around a position a factor 0.64 (slightly less than) closer to Saturn than the causing feature. Voyager data agree with an accuracy better than 1%.
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| 2. |
- Blomberg, Lars
(författare)
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Mercury's magnetosphere, exosphere and surface : Low-frequency field and wave measurements as a diagnostic tool
- 1997
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 45:1, s. 143-148
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Diagnostics that can be made with combined electric and magnetic field measurements at Mercury are reviewed. Fundamental electrodynamic questions which can be answered by means of a Mercury Orbiter are discussed. These include, solar wind-magnetosphere coupling, coupling to low altitude, exospheric or planetary surface conductivity, auroral particle acceleration, and magnetospheric substorms. It is concluded that a comprehensive instrumentation package for low-frequency fields and waves on a future Mercury Orbiter mission may yield significant new information of interest to magnetospheric as well as to planetary physics in general. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Marklund, Göran, et al.
(författare)
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Rocket measurements of electric fields, electron density and temperature during different phases of auroral substorms
- 1981
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 29:2, s. 249-259
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- On 27 January 1979, three rocket payloads were launched from Kiruna, Sweden into different phases of two successive auroral substorrns. Among other experiments, the payloads carried the RIT double probe electric field experiments providing electric field, electron density and temperature data which are presented here. These data supported by rocket particle observations are discussed mainly in association with ground-based observations (magnetometer, TV) and very briefly with GEOS electric field data. The motions of the auroral forms as obtained from auroral pictures are compared with E × B/B2 drifts and the currents calculated from the rocket electric field and density measurements with the equivalent current system deduced from ground-based magnetometer data (Scandinavian Magnetometer Array).
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| 5. |
- SANDAHL, I, et al.
(författare)
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Electron populations above the nightside auroral oval during magnetic quiet times
- 1990
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Pergamon Press. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 38:8, s. 1031-1049
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In several studies of particle morphology above the nightside auroral oval, the electrons have been divided into two separate spatial regions, often called the BPS (from "boundary plasma sheet") and the CPS (from "central plasma sheet") (Winningham et al., 1975, J. geophys. Res. 80, 3148). The names were derived from the source regions suggested by Winningham et al. In many cases this classification has worked well, but there are also many cases in which it has not. In this paper an alternative classification is proposed and explored by investigating the spatial distribution of electrons at altitudes between 2000 and 13,500 km, using particle spectrograms from the Viking satellite. A major difference between the newly proposed and the earlier classification is that spatial regions of populations may overlap in this new scheme. Electrons above the auroral oval could be divided into two populations. The first one is spatially unstructured and has a characteristic energy of a few kiloelectron volts. It is usually trapped in its equatorward part, while it is isotropic in its poleward part. The second one is spatially structured and normally has a characteristic energy of 100 eV or less. It is always present when there are signs of electron acceleration along magnetic field lines. The global distributions of both the structured and the unstructured electrons are ring-shaped. The two regions partially overlap, and the average latitude of the structured electrons is higher than the average latitude of the unstructured electrons. The majority of bright auroras appear in the region of overlap. The average poleward edge of the overlap region seems to coincide with the average poleward edge of region 1 field-aligned currents. We suggest that this boundary maps to the boundary between the central plasma sheet and the plasma sheet boundary layer. We also suggest that the sources for the region where only structured electrons are present are the low-latitude boundary layer and plasma sheet boundary layer. The conclusions concerning source regions are supported by mapping of the particle population regions into the equatorial plane of the magnetosphere using the Tsyganenko (1987, Planet. Space Sci. 35, 1347) magnetic field model. The average boundary between region 1 and region 2 field-aligned currents in the afternoon and evening is approximately at the average equatorward boundary of unstructured electrons. Through the midnight, morning and prenoon sectors it is at the average equatorward boundary of structured electrons.
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| 6. |
- Sorriso-Valvo, Luca, et al.
(författare)
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Intermittency in plasma turbulence
- 2001
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 49:12, s. 1193-1200
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 7. |
- Wurz, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Particle populations in Mercury's magnetosphere
- 2001
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 49:14-15, s. 1643-1653
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Observations by Mariner 10 during its first and third flybys showed that Mercury possesses an intrinsic magnetic field resulting in a small magnetosphere that can keep the solar wind from directly interacting with the planet's surface under usual conditions. Since Mercury occupies a large fraction of its magnetosphere, regions of trapped charged particles in the inner magnetosphere, the plasmasphere and the energetic radiation belts, would all be absent. During the first flyby, energetic particle bursts were detected and interpreted as hermean substroms analogous to the terrestrial magnetosphere. Moreover, during this flyby, ULF waves and field-aligned currents were detected in the data. Earth-based observations of Na, K, and Ca populations in the exosphere strongly suggest the existence of dynamic magnetospheric processes at high latitudes interacting with the planet's surface.
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| 8. |
- Abdellaoui, G., et al.
(författare)
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Meteor studies in the framework of the JEM-EUSO program
- 2017
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 143, s. 245-255
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We summarize the state of the art of a program of UV observations from space of meteor phenomena, a secondary objective of the JEM-EUSO international collaboration. Our preliminary analysis indicates that JEM-EUSO, taking advantage of its large FOV and good sensitivity, should be able to detect meteors down to absolute magnitude close to 7. This means that JEM-EUSO should be able to record a statistically significant flux of meteors, including both sporadic ones, and events produced by different meteor streams. Being unaffected by adverse weather conditions, JEM-EUSO can also be a very important facility for the detection of bright meteors and fireballs, as these events can be detected even in conditions of very high sky background. In the case of bright events, moreover, exhibiting some persistence of the meteor train, preliminary simulations show that it should be possible to exploit the motion of the ISS itself and derive at least a rough 3D reconstruction of the meteor trajectory. Moreover, the observing strategy developed to detect meteors may also be applied to the detection of nuclearites, exotic particles whose existence has been suggested by some theoretical investigations. Nuclearites are expected to move at higher velocities than meteoroids, and to exhibit a wider range of possible trajectories, including particles moving upward after crossing the Earth. Some pilot studies, including the approved Mini-EUSO mission, a precursor of JEM-EUSO, are currently operational or in preparation. We are doing simulations to assess the performance of Mini-EUSO for meteor studies, while a few meteor events have been already detected using the ground-based facility EUSO-TA.
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| 9. |
- Aizawa, S., et al.
(författare)
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Cross-comparison of global simulation models applied to Mercury's dayside magnetosphere
- 2021
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 198
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the first comparison of multiple global simulations of the solar wind interaction with Mercury's dayside magnetosphere, conducted in the framework of the international collaborative project SHOTS - Studies on Hermean magnetosphere Oriented Theories and Simulations. Two 3D magnetohydrodynamic and two 3D hybrid simulation codes are used to investigate the global response of the Hermean magnetosphere without its exosphere to a northward-oriented interplanetary magnetic field. We cross-compare the results of the four codes for a theoretical case and a MESSENGER orbit with similar upstream plasma conditions. The models agree on bowshock and magnetopause locations at 2.1 ± 0.11 and 1.4 ± 0.1 Mercury planetary radii, respectively. The latter locations may be influenced by subtle differences in the treatment of the plasma boundary at the planetary surface. The predicted magnetosheath thickness varies less between the codes. Finally, we also sample the plasma data along virtual trajectories of BepiColombo's Magnetospheric and Planetary Orbiter. Our ability to accurately predict the structure of the Hermean magnetosphere aids the analysis of the onboard plasma measurements of past and future magnetospheric missions.
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| 10. |
- Alday, Juan, et al.
(författare)
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New constraints on Ganymede's hydrogen corona : Analysis of Lyman-alpha emissions observed by HST/STIS between 1998 and 2014
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 148, s. 35-44
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Far-ultraviolet observations of Ganymede's atmospheric emissions were obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) onboard of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) on several occasions between 1998 and 2014. We analyze the Lyman-alpha emission from four HST campaigns in order to constrain the abundance and variation of atomic hydrogen in Ganymede's atmosphere. We apply a forward model that estimates surface reflection and resonant scattering in an escaping corona of the solar Lyman-alpha flux, taking into account the effects of the hydrogen in the interplanetary medium. The atmospheric emissions around Ganymede's disk derived for the observations taken between 1998 and 2011 are consistent with a hydrogen corona in the density range of (5-8) x 10(3) cm(-3) at the surface. The hydrogen density appears to be generally stable in that period. In 2014, Ganymede's corona brightness is approximately 3 times lower during two observations of Ganymede's trailing hemisphere and hardly detectable at all during two observations of the leading hemisphere. We also investigate extinction of Ganymede's coronal emissions in the Earth's upper atmosphere or geocorona. For small Doppler shifts, resonant scattering in the geocorona of the moon corona emissions can effectively reduce the brightness observed by HST. In the case of the 2014 leading hemisphere observations, an estimated extinction of 80% might explain the non-detection of Ganymede's hydrogen corona. Geocoronal extinction might also explain a previously detected hemispheric difference from Callisto's hydrogen corona.
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| 11. |
- Amador, Elena S., et al.
(författare)
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Synchronous in-field application of life-detection techniques in planetary analog missions
- 2015
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 106, s. 1-10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Field expeditions that simulate the operations of robotic planetary exploration missions at analog sites on Earth can help establish best practices and are therefore a positive contribution to the planetary exploration community. There are many sites in Iceland that possess heritage as planetary exploration analog locations and whose environmental extremes make them suitable for simulating scientific sampling and robotic operations. We conducted a planetary exploration analog mission at two recent lava fields in Iceland, Fimmvorouhals (2010) and Eldfell (1973), using a specially developed field laboratory. We tested the utility of in-field site sampling down selection and tiered analysis operational capabilities with three life detection and characterization techniques: fluorescence microscopy (FM), adenine-triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence assay, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay. The study made use of multiple cycles of sample collection at multiple distance scales and field laboratory analysis using the synchronous fife-detection techniques to heuristically develop the continuing sampling and analysis strategy during the expedition. Here we report the operational lessons learned and provide brief summaries of scientific data. The full scientific data report will follow separately. We found that rapid in-field analysis to determine subsequent sampling decisions is operationally feasible, and that the chosen life detection and characterization techniques are suitable for a terrestrial life-detection field mission. In-field analysis enables the rapid obtainment of scientific data and thus facilitates the collection of the most scientifically relevant samples within a single field expedition, without the need for sample relocation to external laboratories. The operational lessons learned in this study could be applied to future terrestrial field expeditions employing other analytical techniques and to future robotic planetary exploration missions.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
- Bertini, Ivano, et al.
(författare)
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Search for satellites near (21) Lutetia using OSIRIS/Rosetta images
- 2012
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 66:1, s. 64-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- On 2010 July 10 the ESA Rosetta mission flew by the large asteroid (21) Lutetia. One of the scientific goals of the onboard OSIRIS instrument was the search for satellites of the asteroid, with more than 20 images specifically dedicated to this topic. An observational campaign was devised with a selection of filters and exposure times tailored to maximize the possibility of detecting small companions and determining their bound orbits. Data were analyzed with suitable methods to remove cosmic ray hits and known background objects, in order to search for persistent detections of potential interesting flux sources. We found no unambiguous detections of a satellite larger than similar to 160 m inside the entire sphere of gravitational influence. Our search confirmed the absence of bound companions larger than similar to 30 m inside 20 primary radii. These limits are a factor of similar to 30 smaller than the values reported so far from large ground-based telescopes using adaptive optics and from the Hubble Space Telescope.
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| 14. |
- Blanc, Michel, et al.
(författare)
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Joint Europa Mission (JEM) : a multi-scale study of Europa to characterize its habitability and search for extant life
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 193
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Europa is the closest and probably the most promising target to search for extant life in the Solar System, based on complementary evidence that it may fulfil the key criteria for habitability: the Galileo discovery of a sub-surface ocean; the many indications that the ice shell is active and may be partly permeable to transfer of chemical species, biomolecules and elementary forms of life; the identification of candidate thermal and chemical energy sources necessary to drive a metabolic activity near the ocean floor. In this article we are proposing that ESA collaborates with NASA to design and fly jointly an ambitious and exciting planetary mission, which we call the Joint Europa Mission (JEM), to reach two objectives: perform a full characterization of Europa's habitability with the capabilities of a Europa orbiter, and search for bio-signatures in the environment of Europa (surface, subsurface and exosphere) by the combination of an orbiter and a lander. JEM can build on the advanced understanding of this system which the missions preceding JEM will provide: Juno, JUICE and Europa Clipper, and on the Europa lander concept currently designed by NASA (Maize, report to OPAG, 2019). We propose the following overarching goals for our Joint Europa Mission (JEM): Understand Europa as a complex system responding to Jupiter system forcing, characterize the habitability of its potential biosphere, and search for life at its surface and in its sub-surface and exosphere. We address these goals by a combination of five Priority Scientific Objectives, each with focused measurement objectives providing detailed constraints on the science payloads and on the platforms used by the mission. The JEM observation strategy will combine three types of scientific measurement sequences: measurements on a high-latitude, low-altitude Europan orbit; in-situ measurements to be performed at the surface, using a soft lander; and measurements during the final descent to Europa's surface. The implementation of these three observation sequences will rest on the combination of two science platforms: a soft lander to perform all scientific measurements at the surface and sub-surface at a selected landing site, and an orbiter to perform the orbital survey and descent sequences. We describe a science payload for the lander and orbiter that will meet our science objectives. We propose an innovative distribution of roles for NASA and ESA; while NASA would provide an SLS launcher, the lander stack and most of the mission operations, ESA would provide the carrier-orbiter-relay platform and a stand-alone astrobiology module for the characterization of life at Europa's surface: the Astrobiology We Laboratory (AWL). Following this approach, JEM will be a major exciting joint venture to the outer Solar System of NASA and ESA, working together toward one of the most exciting scientific endeavours of the 21st century: to search for life beyond our own planet.
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| 15. |
- Blöcker, Aljona, et al.
(författare)
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Variability of Io's poynting flux : A parameter study using MHD simulations
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 192
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Io's plasma interaction creates an electromagnetic coupling between Io and Jupiter through Alfvén waves triggering the generation of auroral footprints in Jupiter's southern and northern hemispheres. The brightness of Io's footprints undergoes periodic variations that are primarily modulated by Io's local plasma interaction through the Poynting flux radiated away from the moon. The periodic pattern with two maxima near 110∘ and 290∘ Jovian longitude where Io crosses the dense plasma sheet is generally understood. However, some characteristics, like the 2-4 times stronger brightening of the southern footprint near Jovian longitude 110∘ or the lack of response to Io's eclipse passage, are not fully understood. We systematically study variations in Io's plasma interaction and the Poynting flux using a 3D magnetohydrodynamic model, performing a series of simulations with different upstream plasma conditions and models of Io's atmosphere. Our results indicate that the strong Jovian magnetic field near 110∘ plays a more important role than previously estimated for the strong brightening there. We find that the Poynting flux is not fully saturated for a wide range of possible atmospheric densities (6 ×1018 - 6 ×1021 m-2) and that density changes in the atmosphere by a factor of > 3, as possibly happening during Io's eclipse passage, lead to a change of the Poynting flux by > 20%. Assuming that these expected changes in Poynting flux also apply to the footprints, the non-detection of a dimming in the footprint during the eclipse by Juno-UVS suggests that Io's global atmospheric density decreases by a factor of < 2.5. We show that for smaller atmospheric scale heights (i.e. a more confined atmosphere), changes in the atmospheric density have less effect on the Poynting flux. The missing response of the footprint to the eclipse hence might also be consistent with a density decrease by a factor of > 3, if the effective atmospheric scale height is small (< 120 km). Finally, we provide new analytical approximations that can be used for analyzing the effect of the local interaction responsible for the footprint variability in future studies.
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| 16. |
- Carlsson, Ella, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of IMF draping direction and crustal magnetic field location on Martian ion beams
- 2008
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 56:6, s. 861-867
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Data from the Ion Mass Analyzer (IMA) sensor of the ASPERA-3 instrument suite onboard Mars Express and data from the Magnetometer/Electron Reflectometer (MAG/ER) on Mars Global Surveyor have been analyzed to determine whether ion beam events (IBEs) are correlated with the direction of the draped interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) or the proximity of strong crustal magnetic fields to the subsolar point. We examined 150 IBEs and found that they are organized by IMF draping direction. However, no clear dependence on the subsolar longitude of the strongest magnetic anomaly is evident, making it uncertain whether crustal magnetic fields have an effect on the formation of the beams. We also examined data from the IMA sensor of the ASPERA-4 instrument suite on Venus Express and found that IBEs are observed at Venus as well, which indicates the morphology of the Martian and Venusian magnetotails are similar.
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| 17. |
- Carlsson, Ella
(författare)
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Mars Express and Venus Express multi-point observations of geoeffective solar flare events in December 2006
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 56, s. 873-880
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In December 2006, a single active region produced a series of proton solar flares, with X-ray class up to the X9.0 level, starting on 5December 2006 at 10:35 UT. A feature of this X9.0 flare is that associated MeV particles were observed at Venus and Mars by VenusExpress (VEX) and Mars Express (MEX), which were 801 and 1251 east of the flare site, respectively, in addition to the Earth, whichwas 791 west of the flare site. On December 5, 2006, the plasma instruments ASPERA-3 and ASPERA-4 on board MEX and VEXdetected a large enhancement in their respective background count levels. This is a typical signature of solar energetic particle (SEP)events, i.e., intensive MeV particle fluxes. The timings of these enhancements were consistent with the estimated field-aligned travel timeof particles associated with the X9.0 flare that followed the Parker spiral to reach Venus and Mars. Coronal mass ejection (CME)
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| 18. |
- Cavalie, T., et al.
(författare)
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Odin space telescope monitoring of water vapor in the stratosphere of Jupiter
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 61:1, s. 3-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Odin space telescope has monitored the H2O (1(10)-1(01)) line in Jupiter's stratosphere over the 2003-2009 period. When comparing these data with previous spectra obtained with SWAS and Odin over the 1999-2002 period, we see no significant variations in the line-to-continuum ratio of the H2O line over the whole period. We have however tentatively identified a decrease by similar to 15% of the line-to-continuum ratio between 2002 and 2007-2009, indicating that there was less H2O in the stratosphere of Jupiter in 2007-2009 than anticipated. We have tested the IDP (interplanetary dust particles) and SL9 (Shoemaker-Levy 9) 1D time-dependent models presented in Cavalie et al. [2008, Observation of water vapor in the stratosphere 613 of Jupiter with the Odin space telescope. Planetary and Space Science 56,1573-1584]. We present a series of scenarios that lead to satisfactory fits of the whole data set (1999-2002 and 2003-2009 periods) based on IDP and SL9 models. The evolution of Jupiter's stratospheric H2O that we have tentatively observed has however to be confirmed by Herschel/HIFI observations. If the decrease of the line-to-continuum ratio is confirmed by future observations, it would be a direct evidence that Jupiter's H2O comes from SW. In addition, this study shows that new constraints on Jupiter's eddy diffusion coefficient profile could be obtained (in the pressure ranges that are probed) from the monitoring of SW species in its stratosphere.
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| 19. |
- Cremonese, G., et al.
(författare)
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Techniques and methods in ground-based observation of Mercury
- 2010
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 58:1-2, s. 61-78
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Modern telescopes and equipments have permitted excellent ground-based observations of Mercury, despite its proximity to the Sun. This is one of the main reasons why it has been observed using different techniques from high-resolution spectroscopy to high-resolution imaging from visible to infrared up to radio wavelengths. Because there is no obscuration from a thick atmosphere, the surface and exosphere have been imaged and the surface studied by infrared spectroscopy. This manuscript describes the techniques used to obtain information and new data of Mercury giving an overview of advantages and difficulties, and describes important scientific discoveries made with specific telescopic instrumentation.
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| 20. |
- De Keyser, J., et al.
(författare)
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In situ plasma and neutral gas observation time windows during a comet flyby : Application to the Comet Interceptor mission
- 2024
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 244
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A comet flyby, like the one planned for ESA's Comet Interceptor mission, places stringent requirements on spacecraft resources. To plan the time line of in situ plasma and neutral gas observations during the flyby, the size of the comet magnetosphere and neutral coma must be estimated well. For given solar irradiance and solar wind conditions, comet composition, and neutral gas expansion speed, the size of gas coma and magnetosphere during the flyby can be estimated from the gas production rate and the flyby geometry. Combined with flyby velocity, the time spent in these regions can be inferred and a data acquisition plan can be elaborated for each instrument, compatible with the limited data storage capacity. The sizes of magnetosphere and gas coma are found from a statistical analysis based on the probability distributions of gas production rate, flyby velocity, and solar wind conditions. The size of the magnetosphere as measured by bow shock standoff distance is 105-106 km near 1 au in the unlikely case of a Halley-type target comet, down to a nonexistent bow shock for targets with low activity. This translates into durations up to 103-104 seconds. These estimates can be narrowed down when a target is identified far from the Sun, and even more so as its activity can be predicted more reliably closer to the Sun. Plasma and neutral gas instruments on the Comet Interceptor main spacecraft can monitor the entire flyby by using an adaptive data acquisition strategy in the context of a record-and-playback scenario. For probes released from the main spacecraft, the inter-satellite communication link limits the data return. For a slow flyby of an active comet, the probes may not yet be released during the inbound bow shock crossing.
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| 21. |
- Drolshagen, E., et al.
(författare)
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Distance determination method of dust particles using Rosetta OSIRIS NAC and WAC data
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 143, s. 256-264
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ESA Rosetta spacecraft has been tracking its target, the Jupiter-family comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, in close vicinity for over two years. It hosts the OSIRIS instruments: the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System composed of two cameras, see e.g. Keller et al. (2007). In some imaging sequences dedicated to observe dust particles in the comet's coma, the two cameras took images at the same time. The aim of this work is to use these simultaneous double camera observations to calculate the dust particles' distance to the spacecraft. As the two cameras are mounted on the spacecraft with an offset of 70 cm, the distance of particles observed by both cameras can be determined by a shift of the particles' apparent trails on the images. This paper presents first results of the ongoing work, introducing the distance determination method for the OSIRIS instrument and the analysis of an example particle. We note that this method works for particles in the range of about 500-6000 m from the spacecraft.
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| 22. |
- Dubinin, E., et al.
(författare)
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Martian ionosphere observed by Mars Express. 1. Influence of the crustal magnetic fields
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 124, s. 62-75
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present multi-instrument observations of the effects of the crustal magnetic field on the Martian ionosphere at different altitudes and solar zenith angles by Mars Express. Total electron content (TEC) at solar zenith angles 55 degrees >= SZA >= 105 degrees over the ionosphere with crustal sources increases with the strength of the magnetic field. A similar trend is observed in a dependence of the local electron density in the upper ionosphere on the crustal magnetic field. On the nightside, at SZA >= 110 degrees, the opposite trend of TEC increase with decrease in the magnetic field value is observed. A dependence on the magnetic field inclination also varies between the day and night sides. TEC decreases for vertical field inclination at 90 degrees >= SZA >= 70 degrees and increases at SZA >= 110 degrees. This effect becomes stronger for larger magnetic field values. A different dependence of the local electron densities in the upper ionosphere at small and high SZA is observed too. An ionospheric exhaust for vertical field inclination in the regions with strong crustal sources is probably caused by escape to space along open field lines which arise due to reconnection that is confirmed by the case studies. The existence of such localized ionospheric depressions is also observed by the in-situ plasma observations. In contrast, on the nightside downward plasma transport and electron precipitation along the field lines produce patches of enhanced ionization.
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| 23. |
- Dubinin, E., et al.
(författare)
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Martian ionosphere observed by Mars Express. 2. Influence of solar irradiance on upper ionosphere and escape fluxes
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 145, s. 1-8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present multi-instrument observations of the effects of solar irradiance on the upper Martian ionosphere and escape fluxes based on Mars Express measurements obtained over almost 12 years. It is shown that the variations in the upper ionosphere caused by solar irradiance lead to significant changes in the trans-terminator fluxes of low-energy ions and total ion losses through the tail. The observed dependence of the electron number density in the upper ionosphere at altitudes above 300 km on solar irradiance implies that the ionosphere at such altitudes was denser by a factor of ten during the periods of solar maxima in solar cycles 22-23. Correspondingly, the trans terminator fluxes of cold ions and escape fluxes through the tail were also significantly higher. We estimate an increase of total ion losses through the tail during these solar maxima by a factor of 5-6.
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| 24. |
- Edberg, Niklas J. T., et al.
(författare)
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Simultaneous measurements of Martian plasma boundaries by Rosetta and Mars Express
- 2009
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 57:8-9, s. 1085-1096
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the first two-spacecraft near-simultaneous observations of the Martian bow shock (BS), magnetic pileup boundary (MPB) and photo-electron boundary (PEB) obtained by the plasma instruments onboard Rosetta and Mars Express during the Rosetta Mars fly by on February 25, 2007. Our observations are compared with shape models for the BS and MPB derived from previous statistical studies. The MPB is found at its expected position but the BS for this event is found significantly closer to the planet than expected for the rather slow and moderately dense solar wind. Cross-calibration of the density measurements on the two spacecraft gives a density profile through the magnetosheath, indicating an increasing solar wind flux during the Rosetta passage which is consistent with the multiple BS crossings at the Rosetta exit.
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| 25. |
- Edberg, Niklas J. T., et al.
(författare)
-
Structured ionospheric outflow during the Cassini T55-T59 Titan flybys
- 2011
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Ingår i: Planetary and Space Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0032-0633 .- 1873-5088. ; 59:8, s. 788-797
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the final three of the five consecutive and similar Cassini Titan flybys T55-T59 we observe a region characterized by high plasma densities (electron densities of 1-8 cm(-3)) in the tail/nightside of Titan. This region is observed progressively farther downtail from pass to pass and is interpreted as a plume of ionospheric plasma escaping Titan, which appears steady in both location and time. The ions in this plasma plume are moving in the direction away from Titan and are a mixture of both light and heavy ions with composition revealing that their origin are in Titan's ionosphere, while the electrons are more isotropically distributed. Magnetic field measurements indicate the presence of a current sheet at the inner edge of this region. We discuss the mechanisms behind this outflow, and suggest that it could be caused by ambipolar diffusion, magnetic moment pumping or dispersive Alfven waves.
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