Search Publications
Do Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) Events Influence the Formation of the V0 Layer in the Venusian Ionosphere?
Choudhary, R. K.; Imamura, T.; Sánchez-Cano, Beatriz +2 more
This study investigates the potential impact of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) on the V0 layer of the Venus ionosphere. Electron density profiles obtained from radio occultation experiments conducted by the Venus Express (VEX) and Akatsuki missions were utilized for this purpose. Background data from the Analyzer of Space Plasma and E…
Impact of the Turbulent Vertical Mixing on Chemical and Cloud Species in the Venus Cloud Layer
Marcq, Emmanuel; Stolzenbach, Aurélien; Lefèvre, Franck +3 more
The Venusian atmosphere hosts a 10 km deep convective layer that has been studied by various spacecrafts. However, the impact of the strong vertical mixing on the chemistry of this region is still unknown. This study presents the first realistic coupling between resolved small-scale turbulence and a chemical network. The resulting vertical mixing …
Solar Control of the Pickup Ion Plume in the Dayside Magnetosheath of Venus
Xu, Qi; Zuo, Pingbing; Xu, Xiaojun +3 more
Using the 8.5-year Venus Express measurements, we demonstrate the asymmetric plasma distributions in the Venusian magnetosheath. An escaping plume is formed by pickup oxygen ions in the hemisphere where the motional electric field points outward from Venus, while the velocity of solar wind protons is faster in the opposite hemisphere. The pickup O…
A Survey of Strong Electric Potential Drops in the Ionosphere of Venus
Zhang, Tielong; Futaana, Yoshifumi; Collinson, Glyn A. +6 more
Every planet or moon with an ionosphere is thought to generate a weak electrical potential which helps ions overcome gravity and escape to space. A pilot study at Venus by Collinson et al. (2016, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068327) indicated a planetary potential an order of magnitude stronger t…
Shocklets and Short Large Amplitude Magnetic Structures (SLAMS) in the High Mach Foreshock of Venus
Raptis, Savvas; Karlsson, Tomas; Plaschke, Ferdinand +16 more
Shocklets and short large-amplitude magnetic structures (SLAMS) are steepened magnetic fluctuations commonly found in Earth's upstream foreshock. Here we present Venus Express observations from the 26th of February 2009 establishing their existence in the steady-state foreshock of Venus, building on a past study which found SLAMS during a substant…
Gravity Wave Modulations at the Lower Altitudes of Venus Ionosphere
Choudhary, R. K.; Imamura, T.; Ambili, K. M. +2 more
Using measurements from radio science experiments onboard Venus Express and Akatsuki orbiter, we explore factors that control the occurrence and spatial structure of the electron density enhancement at lower altitudes (V0 layer) in the Venus ionosphere. Results suggest that the Gravity Waves (GWs) play a crucial role in determining the …
Parker Solar Probe Imaging of the Night Side of Venus
Lustig-Yaeger, Jacob; Vourlidas, Angelos; Stenborg, Guillermo +14 more
We present images of Venus from the Wide-Field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR) telescope on board the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) spacecraft, obtained during PSP's third and fourth flybys of Venus on 2020 July 11 and 2021 February 20, respectively. Thermal emission from the surface is observed on the night side, representing the shortest wavele…
A Revised Understanding of the Structure of the Venusian Magnetotail From a High-Altitude Intercept With a Tail Ray by Parker Solar Probe
Collinson, Glyn A.; Ramstad, Robin; Frahm, Rudy +5 more
One of the major discoveries of NASA's 1979-1991 Pioneer Venus Orbiter is that the nightside ionosphere becomes filamentary at high altitude, forming comet-like tail rays. Pioneer Venus Orbiter could not establish how much farther into the wake of Venus tail rays extend, nor understand how they form. Here we present plasma and fields data from the…
Global Venus Solar Wind Coupling and Oxygen Ion Escape
Fedorov, A.; Barabash, S.; Futaana, Y. +5 more
The present day Venusian atmosphere is dry, yet, in its earlier history a significant amount of water evidently existed. One important water loss process comes from the energy and momentum transfer from the solar wind to the atmospheric particles. Here, we used measurements from the Ion Mass Analyzer onboard Venus Express to derive a relation betw…
Magnetic Topology at Venus: New Insights Into the Venus Plasma Environment
Xu, Shaosui; Frahm, Rudy A.; Luhmann, Janet G. +2 more
This study provides the first characterization of magnetic topology (i.e., the magnetic connectivity to the collisional ionosphere) at Venus, which might give new insights into the Venusian space environment on topics such as the penetration of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) into the ionosphere, planetary ion outflow and inflow, and auror…