Search Publications
Quasi-periodic polar flares at Jupiter: A signature of pulsed dayside reconnections?
Bonfond, B.; Vogt, M. F.; Gérard, J. -C. +3 more
The most dynamic part of the Jovian UV aurora is located inside the main auroral oval. This region is known to regularly show localized but dramatic enhancements on timescales of several tens of seconds, called polar flares. They have often been associated with the polar cusp, based on their location in the polar cap. The present study is based on…
Excitation of banded whistler waves in the magnetosphere
Gary, S. Peter; Liu, Kaijun; Winske, Dan
Linear kinetic dispersion analysis and a two-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulation are performed to demonstrate a possible excitation mechanism of banded whistler waves in the magnetosphere outside of the plasmapause. Whistler waves in the lower and the upper bands can be generated simultaneously by the whistler anisotropy instab…
Bipolar electric field signatures of reconnection separatrices for a hydrogen plasma at realistic guide fields
Divin, A.; Goldman, M. V.; Newman, D. L. +2 more
In preparation for the MMS mission we ask the question: how common are bipolar signatures linked to the presence of electron holes along separatrices emanating from reconnection regions? To answer this question, we conduct massively parallel simulations for realistic conditions and for the hydrogen mass ratio in boxes larger than considered in sim…
The evolution of Titan's detached haze layer near equinox in 2009
West, Robert A.; Turtle, Elizabeth P.; Lavvas, Panayotis +5 more
Saturn's moon Titan has a massive atmosphere laden with layers of photochemical haze. We report a recent dramatic change in the vertical structure of this haze, with a persistent ‘detached’ layer dropping in altitude from over 500 km to only 380 km between 2007 and 2010. The detached haze layer appears to be a well-defined tracer for Titan's merid…
Evolution of the equatorial oscillation in Saturn's stratosphere between 2005 and 2010 from Cassini/CIRS limb data analysis
Flasar, F. M.; Bézard, B.; Fouchet, T. +2 more
We present an analysis of thermal infrared spectra acquired in limb viewing geometry by Cassini/CIRS in February 2010. We retrieve vertical profiles of Saturn's stratospheric temperature from 20 hPa to 10-2 hPa, at 9 latitudes between 20°N and 20°S. Using the gradient thermal wind equation, we derive a map of the zonal wind field. Both …
On the relation between plasma escape and the Martian crustal magnetic field
Barabash, S.; Lundin, R.; Yamauchi, M. +2 more
Data from ASPERA-3 on Mars Express is used to study the geographic distribution of ionospheric O+ outflow and escape from Mars. Of particular interest is how the ion outflow relates to the crustal magnetic field regions facing the dayside, flank, and nightside of Mars. The most intense O+ fluxes are generated on the dayside a…
A statistical study of the propagation characteristics of whistler waves observed by Cluster
Khotyaintsev, Yuri V.; Agapitov, Oleksiy; Krasnoselskikh, Vladimir +1 more
VLF waves play a crucial role in the dynamics of radiation belts, and are responsible for the loss and the acceleration of energetic electrons. Modeling wave-particle interactions requires the best possible knowledge for how wave energy and wave-normal directions are distributed in L-shells and for the magnetic latitudes of different magnetic acti…
Whistler turbulence forward cascade: Three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations
Chang, Ouliang; Wang, Joseph; Peter Gary, S.
The first fully three-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation of whistler turbulence in a magnetized, homogeneous, collisionless plasma has been carried out. An initial relatively isotropic spectrum of long-wavelength whistlers is imposed upon the system, with an initial electron β = 0.10. As in previous two-dimensional simulations of whistl…
Simultaneous Cassini VIMS and UVIS observations of Saturn's southern aurora: Comparing emissions from H, H2 and H3+ at a high spatial resolution
Brown, R. H.; Baines, K. H.; Badman, S. V. +7 more
Here, for the first time, temporally coincident and spatially overlapping Cassini VIMS and UVIS observations of Saturn's southern aurora are presented. Ultraviolet auroral H and H2 emissions from UVIS are compared to infrared H3+ emission from VIMS. The auroral emission is structured into three arcs - H, H2
Limits of Enceladus's ice shell thickness from tidally driven tiger stripe shear failure
Pappalardo, Robert T.; Olgin, John G.; Smith-Konter, Bridget R.
Enceladus's south polar thermal anomaly and water-rich plumes suggest the existence of a subsurface ocean, which is overlain by an ice shell of uncertain thickness. Our objective is to constrain Enceladus's ice shell thickness, through assessment of tidally driven Coulomb failure of Enceladus's tiger stripe faults. We find that thin to moderate ic…