Search Publications
A comet-like escape of ionospheric plasma from Mars
Barabash, S.; Lundin, R.; Holmström, M. +4 more
New measurements of the ion escape from Mars display a mantle of low-energy ionospheric ions swept from the dayside over the terminator, expanding into the tail in a comet-like fashion. The finding is based on data obtained with new energy settings for the ASPERA-3 ion mass analyzer (IMA), enabling us to also measure cold ionospheric ions. By incl…
Characteristic size and shape of the mirror mode structures in the solar wind at 0.72 AU
Russell, C. T.; Zhang, T. L.; Glassmeier, K. -H. +10 more
We investigate the structure of mirror modes in the solar wind at 0.72 AU using Venus Express magnetic field measurements. The mirror mode structure is identified as the presence of magnetic depression or magnetic ``holes'' in the solar wind with little or no directional change across them. We determine the characteristic size and shape of these s…
Solar forcing and planetary ion escape from Mars
Fedorov, A.; Barabash, S.; Lundin, R. +4 more
The variability of planetary ion escape from Mars is studied using data from the Ion Mass Analyzer, IMA, on Mars Express (MEX). 42 orbits were selected during 17 months for different solar wind conditions, focusing on the low energy (~30 - 800 eV) heavy ion (e.g. O+, O2 + and CO2 +) outflow. A…
UV Io footprint leading spot: A key feature for understanding the UV Io footprint multiplicity?
Saur, J.; Bonfond, B.; Gérard, J. -C. +3 more
The electromagnetic interaction between Io and the Jovian magnetosphere generates a UV auroral footprint in both Jovian hemispheres. Multiple spots were observed in the northern Jovian hemisphere when Io was in the northern part of the plasma torus and vice-versa for the South. Based on recent Hubble Space Telescope (HST) measurements, we report h…
Structure and dynamics of the solar wind/ionosphere interface on Mars: MEX-ASPERA-3 and MEX-MARSIS observations
Barabash, S.; Lundin, R.; Woch, J. +8 more
The measurements of the local plasma parameters of the ionospheric and solar wind plasmas and the magnetic field strength carried out by the ASPERA-3 and MARSIS experiments onboard Mars Express (MEX) in the subsolar region of the induced Martian magnetosphere provide us with a first test of the pressure balance across the solar wind/ionosphere int…
Evidence for temporal variability of Enceladus' gas jets: Modeling of Cassini observations
Dougherty, Michele K.; Saur, Joachim; Simon, Sven +5 more
Time variability of Enceladus' gas plume is deduced from a joint investigation of Cassini spacecraft magnetic field data obtained during the first three flybys E0, E1 and E2 and neutral density measurements during the E2 flyby with a model that describes Enceladus' plasma interaction with individual jets. We infer a total plume content of ~7 × 10<…
Recent in-situ observations of magnetic reconnection in near-Earth space
Paschmann, Götz
The paper presents a brief review of recent in-situ observations of reconnection in space, with emphasis on results pertaining to the question of anti-parallel versus component reconnection, the implied spatial and temporal scales, the location of the reconnection sites, particle acceleration, reconnection rates, the dependence on plasma β, and th…
Enceladus: An estimate of heat flux and lithospheric thickness from flexurally supported topography
Neukum, Gerhard; Thomas, Peter C.; Hussmann, Hauke +4 more
We have identified flexural uplift along a rift zone of the Harran Sulci, Enceladus, using Cassini images and stereo-derived topography. On the assumption that the upraised topography is related to a flexed elastic plate, shape modeling yields an effective lithospheric thickness of 0.3 km and, combined with the strength envelope, a mechanical lith…
Phyllosilicate and sulfate-hematite deposits within Miyamoto crater in southern Sinus Meridiani, Mars
Clark, R. N.; Arvidson, R. E.; Morris, R. V. +13 more
Orbital topographic, image, and spectral data show that sulfate- and hematite-bearing plains deposits similar to those explored by the MER rover Opportunity unconformably overlie the northeastern portion of the 160 km in diameter Miyamoto crater. Crater floor materials exhumed to the west of the contact exhibit CRISM and OMEGA NIR spectral signatu…
Conservation of open solar magnetic flux and the floor in the heliospheric magnetic field
St. Cyr, O. C.; Owens, M. J.; Crooker, N. U. +5 more
The near-Earth heliospheric magnetic field intensity, |B|, exhibits a strong solar cycle variation, but returns to the same ``floor'' value each solar minimum. The current minimum, however, has seen |B| drop below previous minima, bringing in to question the existence of a floor, or at the very least requiring a re-assessment of its value. In this…