Search Publications
Survey of ion plasma parameters in Saturn's magnetosphere
Thomsen, M. F.; Tokar, R. L.; Reisenfeld, D. B. +6 more
A survey of the bulk plasma ion properties observed by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer instrument over roughly the first 4.5 years of its mission in orbit around Saturn is presented. The moments (density, temperature, and flow velocity) of the plasma distributions below 50 keV have been computed by numerical integration of the observed counts in t…
Average properties of the magnetic reconnection ion diffusion region in the Earth's magnetotail: The 2001-2005 Cluster observations and comparison with simulations
Eastwood, J. P.; Phan, T. D.; Øieroset, M. +1 more
Magnetic reconnection plays a key role in the circulation of plasma through the Earth's magnetosphere. As such, the Earth's magnetotail is an excellent natural laboratory for the study of reconnection and in particular the diffusion region. To address important questions concerning observational occurrence rates and average properties, the Cluster…
A three-dimensional asymmetric magnetopause model
Wang, Y. L.; Zhang, X. X.; Lin, R. L. +2 more
A new three-dimensional asymmetric magnetopause model has been developed for corrected GSM coordinates and parameterized by the solar wind dynamic and magnetic pressures (Pd + Pm), the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz, and the dipole tilt angle. On the basis of the magnetopause crossings from Geotail, IMP 8, …
A study of solar energetic particle events of 1997-2006: Their composition and associations
Cane, H. V.; Richardson, I. G.; von Rosenvinge, T. T.
We examined the properties and associations of 280 solar proton events that extended above 25 MeV and occurred in the years 1997-2006. The properties include early peak intensities of five species over several energy ranges and the intensity-time profiles. Solar event associations were made for as many events as possible. The solar parameters dete…
A new form of Saturn's magnetopause using a dynamic pressure balance model, based on in situ, multi-instrument Cassini measurements
Coates, A. J.; Krupp, N.; Dougherty, M. K. +9 more
The shape and location of a planetary magnetopause can be determined by balancing the solar wind dynamic pressure with the magnetic and thermal pressures found inside the boundary. Previous studies have found the kronian magnetosphere to show rigidity (like that of Earth) as well as compressibility (like that of Jupiter) in terms of its dynamics. …
Reconstruction of solar spectral irradiance since the Maunder minimum
Solanki, S. K.; Krivova, N. A.; Vieira, L. E. A.
Solar irradiance is the main external driver of the Earth's climate. Whereas the total solar irradiance is the main source of energy input into the climate system, solar UV irradiance exerts control over chemical and physical processes in the Earth's upper atmosphere. The time series of accurate irradiance measurements are, however, relatively sho…
Conjugate ground and multisatellite observations of compression-related EMIC Pc1 waves and associated proton precipitation
Glassmeier, K. -H.; Matsui, H.; Fornacon, K. -H. +10 more
We present coordinated ground satellite observations of solar wind compression-related dayside electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves from 25 September 2005. On the ground, dayside structured EMIC wave activity was observed by the CARISMA and STEP magnetometer arrays for several hours during the period of maximum compression. The EMIC waves we…
Theory and observation of electromagnetic ion cyclotron triggered emissions in the magnetosphere
Dandouras, Iannis; Masson, Arnaud; Omura, Yoshiharu +5 more
We develop a nonlinear wave growth theory of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) triggered emissions observed in the inner magnetosphere. We first derive the basic wave equations from Maxwell's equations and the momentum equations for the electrons and ions. We then obtain equations that describe the nonlinear dynamics of resonant protons interac…
Enceladus plume variability and the neutral gas densities in Saturn's magnetosphere
Johnson, R. E.; Mitchell, D. G.; Smith, H. T. +3 more
Neutral particle dominance over charged particles in Saturn's magnetosphere was evident prior to Cassini's arrival at Saturn in 2004. The observation of active plumes emanating from the south pole of Enceladus suggests that this small moon is likely to be the principal source of neutrals in Saturn's magnetosphere. Cassini has flown through the plu…
Features of separatrix regions in magnetic reconnection: Comparison of 2-D particle-in-cell simulations and Cluster observations
Wang, Shui; Huang, Can; Vaivads, Andris +4 more
In collisionless magnetic reconnection, the in-plane Hall currents are carried mainly by the magnetized electrons. The in-plane Hall currents are directed toward the X line along the magnetic field lines just inside the separatrices and away from the X line along the separatrices. Such a current system leads to the quadrupole out-of-plane magnetic…