| 1. |
- Orsini, S., et al.
(författare)
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Inner southern magnetosphere observation of Mercury via SERENA ion sensors in BepiColombo mission
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2041-1723. ; 13:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mercury’s southern inner magnetosphere is an unexplored region as it was not observed by earlier space missions. In October 2021, BepiColombo mission has passed through this region during its first Mercury flyby. Here, we describe the observations of SERENA ion sensors nearby and inside Mercury’s magnetosphere. An intermittent high-energy signal, possibly due to an interplanetary magnetic flux rope, has been observed downstream Mercury, together with low energy solar wind. Low energy ions, possibly due to satellite outgassing, were detected outside the magnetosphere. The dayside magnetopause and bow-shock crossing were much closer to the planet than expected, signature of a highly eroded magnetosphere. Different ion populations have been observed inside the magnetosphere, like low latitude boundary layer at magnetopause inbound and partial ring current at dawn close to the planet. These observations are important for understanding the weak magnetosphere behavior so close to the Sun, revealing details never reached before.
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| 2. |
- Bockelee-Morvan, D., et al.
(författare)
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Composition and thermal properties of Ganymede's surface from JWST/NIRSpec and MIRI observations
- 2024
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 681, s. A27-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. We present the first spectroscopic observations of Ganymede by the James Webb Space Telescope undertaken in August 2022 as part of the proposal "ERS observations of the Jovian system as a demonstration of JWST's capabilities for Solar System science".Aims. We aimed to investigate the composition and thermal properties of the surface, and to study the relationships of ice and non-water-ice materials and their distribution.Methods. NIRSpec IFU (2.9-5.3 mu m) and MIRI MRS (4.9-28.5 mu m) observations were performed on both the leading and trailing hemispheres of Ganymede, with a spectral resolution of similar to 2700 and a spatial sampling of 0.1 to 0.17 '' (while the Ganymede size was similar to 1.68 ''). We characterized the spectral signatures and their spatial distribution on the surface. The distribution of brightness temperatures was analyzed with standard thermophysical modeling including surface roughness.Results. Reflectance spectra show signatures of water ice, CO2, and H2O2. An absorption feature at 5.9 mu m, with a shoulder at 6.5 mu m, is revealed, and is tentatively assigned to sulfuric acid hydrates. The CO2 4.26-mu m band shows latitudinal and longitudinal variations in depth, shape, and position over the two hemispheres, unveiling different CO2 physical states. In the ice-rich polar regions, which are the most exposed to Jupiter's plasma irradiation, the CO2 band is redshifted with respect to other terrains. In the boreal region of the leading hemisphere, the CO2 band is dominated by a high wavelength component at similar to 4.27 mu m, consistent with CO2 trapped in amorphous water ice. At equatorial latitudes (and especially on dark terrains), the observed band is broader and shifted toward the blue, suggesting CO2 adsorbed on non-icy materials, such as minerals or salts. Maps of the H2O Fresnel peak area correlate with Bond albedo maps and follow the distribution of water ice inferred from H2O absorption bands. Amorphous ice is detected in the ice-rich polar regions, and is especially abundant on the northern polar cap of the leading hemisphere. Leading and trailing polar regions exhibit different H2O, CO2, and H2O2 spectral properties. However, in both hemispheres the north polar cap ice appears to be more processed than the south polar cap. A longitudinal modification of the H2O ice molecular structure and/or nanometer- and micrometer-scale texture, of diurnal or geographic origin, is observed in both hemispheres. Ice frost is tentatively observed on the morning limb of the trailing hemisphere, which possibly formed during the night from the recondensation of water subliming from the warmer subsurface. Reflectance spectra of the dark terrains are compatible with the presence of Na- and Mg-sulfate salts, sulfuric acid hydrates, and possibly phyllosilicates mixed with fine-grained opaque minerals, with a highly porous texture. Latitude and local time variations of the brightness temperatures indicate a rough surface with mean slope angles of 15 degrees-25 degrees and a low thermal inertia Gamma = 20 - 40 J m(-2) s(-0.5) K-1, consistent with a porous surface, with no obvious difference between the leading and trailing sides.
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| 3. |
- Mckenzie, M., et al.
(författare)
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The complex stellar system M 22 : constraining the chemical enrichment from AGB stars using magnesium isotope ratios
- 2023
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 527:3, s. 7940-7955
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The complex star cluster M 22 (NGC 6656) provides a unique opportunity for studying the slow neutron capture (s-)process nucleosynthesis at low metallicity due to its two stellar groups with distinct iron-peak and neutron capture element abundances. Previous studies attribute these abundance differences to pollution from 3 − 6 M asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars which produce significant quantities of the neutron-rich Mg isotopes 25Mg and 26Mg. We report the first-ever measurements of Mg isotopic abundance ratios at [Fe/H] ∼ −2 in a globular cluster-like system using very high-resolution and signal-to-noise spectra (R = 110 000, S/N = 300 per pixel at 514 nm) from the VLT/UVES spectrograph for six stars; three in each s-process group. Despite the presence of star-to-star variations in 24Mg, 25Mg, and 26Mg, we find no correlation with heavy element abundances, implying that the nucleosynthetic source of s-process enrichment must not influence Mg isotope ratios. Instead, a key result of this work is that we identify correlations between 26Mg/24Mg and some light elements. Using a custom suite of AGB nucleosynthesis yields tailored to the metallicity of M 22, we find that low mass (∼ 1−3 M) AGB stars are capable of reproducing the observed s-process abundances of M 22 and that the absence of any difference in Mg isotope ratios between the two s-process groups precludes AGBs with masses above ∼ 3 M. This places tighter constraints on possible formation scenarios and suggests an age difference of at least ∼ 280−480 Myr between the two populations which is independent of isochrone fitting.
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| 4. |
- Milillo, A., et al.
(författare)
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Investigating Mercury's Environment with the Two-Spacecraft BepiColombo Mission
- 2020
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Ingår i: Space Science Reviews. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0038-6308 .- 1572-9672. ; 216:5
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission will provide simultaneous measurements from two spacecraft, offering an unprecedented opportunity to investigate magnetospheric and exospheric dynamics at Mercury as well as their interactions with the solar wind, radiation, and interplanetary dust. Many scientific instruments onboard the two spacecraft will be completely, or partially devoted to study the near-space environment of Mercury as well as the complex processes that govern it. Many issues remain unsolved even after the MESSENGER mission that ended in 2015. The specific orbits of the two spacecraft, MPO and Mio, and the comprehensive scientific payload allow a wider range of scientific questions to be addressed than those that could be achieved by the individual instruments acting alone, or by previous missions. These joint observations are of key importance because many phenomena in Mercury's environment are highly temporally and spatially variable. Examples of possible coordinated observations are described in this article, analysing the required geometrical conditions, pointing, resolutions and operation timing of different BepiColombo instruments sensors.
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