Search Publications
The Schumann resonance: A tool for exploring the atmospheric environment and the subsurface of the planets and their satellites
López-Moreno, J. J.; Berthelier, J. -J.; Molina-Cuberos, G. J. +7 more
The propagation of extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic waves and resonance phenomena in the Earth atmosphere has been extensively studied, in relation with ionospheric dynamics, and thunderstorm and lightning activities. A similar investigation can be performed for any other planet and satellite environment, provided this body is wrapped…
Asteroid exosphere: A simulation for the ROSETTA flyby targets (2867) Steins and (21) Lutetia
Wurz, P.; Altwegg, K.; Schläppi, B.
Asteroids (2867) Steins and (21) Lutetia are two flyby targets of ESA's cornerstone mission Rosetta. Since Rosetta is a cometary mission, some of the instruments are designed to investigate the surroundings of small bodies. To prepare the operation of these instruments, in our case the ROSINA instrument, for the asteroid flyby's, we adapted a Mont…
Properties and dynamics of Jupiter's gossamer rings from Galileo, Voyager, Hubble and Keck images
de Pater, Imke; Hamilton, Douglas P.; Showalter, Mark R. +2 more
We present a comprehensive examination of Jupiter's "gossamer" rings based on images from Voyager, Galileo, the Hubble Space Telescope and the W.M. Keck Telescope. We compare our results to the simple dynamical model of Burns et al. [Burns, J.A., Showalter, M.R., Hamilton, D.P., Nicholson, P.D., de Pater, I., Ockert-Bell, M., Thomas, P., 1999. Sci…
First observation of 628 CO 2 isotopologue band at 3.3 µm in the atmosphere of Venus by solar occultation from Venus Express
Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Vandaele, Ann Carine; Montmessin, F. +5 more
The new ESA Venus Express orbiter is the first mission applying the probing technique of solar and stellar occultation to the atmosphere of Venus, with the SPICAV/SOIR instrument. SOIR is a new type of spectrometer used for solar occultations in the range 2.2-4.3 µm. Thanks to a high spectral resolving power R∼15,000-20,000 (unprecedented in…
Radio occultation measurements and MGCM simulations of Kelvin waves on Mars
Pätzold, M.; Wilson, R. J.; Hinson, D. P. +3 more
We have derived new results concerning thermal tides on Mars from a combination of radio occultation measurements and numerical simulations by a Mars General Circulation Model (MGCM). This investigation exploits a set of concurrent observations by Mars Express (MEX) and Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) in mid-2004, when the season on Mars was midspring …
PFS/MEX observations of the condensing CO 2 south polar cap of Mars
Forget, F.; Grassi, D.; Formisano, V. +3 more
The condensing CO 2 south polar cap of Mars and the mechanisms of the CO 2 ice accumulation have been studied through the analysis of spectra acquired by the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) during the first two years of ESA's Mars Express (MEX) mission. This dataset spans more than half a martian year, from Ls∼330° to Ls…
Geomorphological evidence of water level changes in Nepenthes Mensae, Mars
de Pablo, Miguel Ángel; Pacifici, Andrea
In the western sector of Nepenthes Mensae, Mars, there are some geomorphological features that could be related to a standing water sheet in the area, such as fluvial terraces, deltas and shorelines. A detailed analysis of these features reveals two variations in water level, probably related to tectonic processes, as suggested by the existence of…
Energetic electron signatures of Saturn's smaller moons: Evidence of an arc of material at Methone
Krupp, N.; Woch, J.; Jones, G. H. +6 more
We present several energetic charged particle microsignatures of two Lagrange moons, Telesto and Helene, measured by the MIMI/LEMMS instrument. These small moons absorb charged particles but their effects are usually obscured by Tethys and Dione, the two larger saturnian satellites that occupy the same orbits. The scales and structures of these mi…
The variation of Io's auroral footprint brightness with the location of Io in the plasma torus
Clarke, John T.; Serio, Andrew W.
Ultraviolet and near-infrared observations of auroral emissions from the footprint of Io's magnetic Flux Tube (IFT) mapping to Jupiter's ionosphere have been interpreted via a combination of the unipolar inductor model [Goldreich, P., Lynden-Bell, D., 1969. Astrophys. J. 156, 59-78] and the multiply-reflected Alfvén wave model [ Belcher, J.W., 198…
Evidence of electrical activity on Titan drawn from the Schumann resonances sent by Huygens probe
Morente, Juan A.; Portí, Jorge A.; Navarro, Enrique A. +1 more
A procedure is shown for extracting weak resonances from the responses of electromagnetic systems excited by electric discharges. The procedure, based on analysis of the late-time system response, is first checked using an analytical function and later with the data for the electric field generated by the computational simulation of Titan's atmosp…