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Low Frequency Waves at and Upstream of Collisionless Shocks
Wilson, L. B.
This chapter focuses on the range of low frequency electromagnetic modes observed at and upstream of collisionless shocks in the heliosphere. It discusses a specific class of whistler mode wave observed immediately upstream of collisionless shock ramps, called a whistler precursor. Though these modes have been (and are often) observed upstream of …
Ultra-Low-Frequency Waves at Venus and Mars
Dubinin, E.; Fraenz, M.
Mars and Venus have no global magnetic field. The solar wind interacts directly with their ionospheres and atmospheres, inducing magnetospheres by a pileup of the interplanetary magnetic field. The first measurements of the ultra-low-frequency activity on Mars were made by the Phobos-2 spacecraft. This chapter investigates the wave observations re…
The Acceleration Region of Stable Auroral Arcs
Karlsson, T.
Plasma Wave Observations at Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn
Gurnett, D. A.; Hospodarsky, G. B.; Kurth, W. S. +5 more
Plasma wave emissions have been detected at all of the planets that have been visited by spacecraft equipped with plasma wave instruments (Mercury will be explored by the plasma wave instrument on BepiColombo Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter in 2022.). Many of these emissions are believed to play a role in the acceleration of energetic particles, es…
Cold Ion Outflow as a Source of Plasma for the Magnetosphere
Nilsson, H.; André, M.; Haaland, S. E. +9 more
Atmospheric composition, chemistry, and clouds
Esposito, Larry W.; Yung, Yuk L.; Mills, Franklin P.
Venus' atmosphere has a rich chemistry involving interactions among sulfur, chlorine, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen radicals. The chemical regimes in the atmosphere range from ion-neutral reactions in the ionosphere to photochemistry in the middle atmosphere to thermal equilibrium chemistry and surface-atmosphere reactions in the lower atmosphere…
Astrobiology and Venus exploration
Bullock, Mark A.; Grinspoon, David H.
For hundreds of years prior to the space age, Venus was considered among the most likely homes for extraterrestrial life. Since planetary exploration began, Venus has not been considered a promising target for Astrobiological exploration. However, Venus should be central to such an exploration program for several reasons. At present Venus is the o…
Radiation in the atmosphere of Venus
Bullock, Mark A.; Crisp, David; Taylor, Fredric W. +3 more
This chapter reviews the observations of the radiative fluxes inside and outside the Venusian atmosphere, along with the available data about the planetary energy balance and the distribution of sources and sinks of radiative energy. We also briefly address the role of the heat budget on the atmospheric temperature structure, global circulation, t…
Geochemistry of Venus' Surface: Current limitations as future opportunities
Treiman, Allan H.
Geochemical data about Venus' surface materials are quite limited and of poor precision. The Venera and VEGA lander missions (sources of the available data) were engineering and scientific triumphs, but their chemical analyses of the Venus surface do not permit detailed confident interpretation, such as are routine for terrestrial analyses and MER…
Tectonic and thermal evolution of Venus and the role of volatiles: Implications for understanding the terrestrial planets
Sotin, Christophe; Stofan, Ellen R.; Smrekar, Suzanne E. +5 more
Venus is similar to Earth in size and bulk composition. The dramatic differences between the two planets indicate that planetary size alone does not control geologic evolution. Earth's geology is dominated by plate tectonics, or active lid convection. The crater retention age of Venus demonstrates that the planet has been very geologically active …