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The Space Physics Environment Data Analysis System in Python
Miyoshi, Yoshizumi; Le Contel, Olivier; Matsuda, Shoya +13 more
In this article, we describe the free, open-source Python-based Space Physics Environment Data Analysis System (PySPEDAS), a platform for multi-mission, multi-instrument retrieval, analysis, and visualization of Heliophysics data. PySPEDAS currently contains load routines for data from 23 space missions, as well as a variety of data from ground-ba…
Kelvin-Helmholtz Vortices as an Interplay of Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling
Russell, C. T.; Escoubet, C. P.; Torbert, R. B. +11 more
The solar wind-magnetosphere interaction drives diverse physical processes on the flanks of Earth's magnetopause, and in turn these processes couple to the ionosphere. We investigate simultaneous multipoint in-situ spacecraft and ground-based measurements to determine the role of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves at the Earth's magnetopause and the low-latit…
Implications of Kappa Suprathermal Halo of the Solar Wind Electrons
Pierrard, Viviane; Lazar, Marian; Stverak, Stepan
The electron velocity distributions measured in-situ in space plasmas reveal two central populations, a low-energy and highly dense (quasi-)thermal core, and a more diffuse but hotter suprathermal halo. Even if the core contributes much more to the total number density than the suprathermal particles, the energetic electrons play an important role…
Auroral kilometric radiation—The electron cyclotron maser paradigm
Treumann, R. A.; Baumjohann, Wolfgang
Auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) is the paradigm of intense radio emission from planetary magnetospheres. Being close to the electron gyro frequency and/or its lower harmonics, its observation indicates the non-thermal state of the source plasma. Emission is produced when the plasma enters a state of energetic excitation which results in deforma…
Magnetospheric responses to solar wind Pc5 density fluctuations: Results from 2D hybrid Vlasov simulation
Alho, Markku; Johlander, Andreas; Pfau-Kempf, Yann +17 more
Ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves are routinely observed in Earth's dayside magnetosphere. Here we investigate the influence of externally-driven density variations in the near-Earth space in the ULF regime using global 2D simulations performed with the hybrid-Vlasov model Vlasiator. With the new time-varying boundary setup, we introduce a monochrom…
Direct Evidence of Magnetic Reconnection Onset via the Tearing Instability
Verscharen, Daniel; Walsh, Andrew P.; Forsyth, Colin +4 more
Magnetic reconnection is a sporadic process responsible for energy release in space and laboratory plasmas. It is believed that the tearing mode instability may be responsible for the onset of reconnection in the magnetotail. However, due to its elusive nature, there is an absence of in-situ observations of the tearing instability prior to magneti…
Multi-Spacecraft Observations of Fluctuations Occurring Along the Dusk Flank Magnetopause, and Testing the Connection to an Observed Ionospheric Bead
Wing, Simon; Petrinec, Steven M.; Zhang, Yongliang +1 more
During 2018 November 06, 11:30—18:00 UT, the MMS constellation, the Cluster set of spacecraft, and the Geotail spacecraft were all situated near the dusk flank magnetopause. Large scale fluctuations were observed by the available and operating science instruments at these various spacecraft (i.e., magnetic field, plasma moment, and energy flux mea…
Daring to think of the impossible: The story of Vlasiator
Palmroth, Minna
Vlasiator is the world's first global Eulerian hybrid-Vlasov simulation code, going beyond magnetohydrodynamics in the solar wind—magnetosphere—ionosphere system. This paper gives the story of Vlasiator. An important enabler of Vlasiator is the rapid increase of computational resources over the last decade, but also the open-minded, courageous for…
Linear Theory of Electromagnetic Ion Beam Instabilities in the Earth's Forshock: Peter Gary's Contributions (1981–1991)
Wilson, Lynn B., III; Winske, Dan
We discuss Peter Gary's contributions to the understanding of the origin and properties of ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves in the Earth's foreshock during the period when the International Sun Earth Explorer spacecraft (ISEE-1 and -2) provided unique data about the plasma and wave environment in this region. Peter's work concerning the linear theo…
Relation between Magnetosonic Waves and Pitch Angle Anisotropy of Warm Protons
Li, W.; Jaynes, A. N.; Ma, Q. +3 more
In the past decade, many observations of transversely heated low energy protons were reported in the inner magnetosphere. Interestingly, most of the time heated protons were observed along with magnetosonic waves. Due to the strong correlation, it was often assumed that magnetosonic waves were responsible for the heating of low energy protons. By …