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Whistler mode waves upstream of Saturn
Gurnett, D. A.; Dougherty, M. K.; Kurth, W. S. +3 more
Whistler mode waves are generated within and can propagate upstream of collisionless shocks. They are known to play a role in electron thermodynamics/acceleration and, under certain conditions, are markedly observed as wave trains preceding the shock ramp. In this paper, we take advantage of Cassini's presence at 10 AU to explore the importance of…
Seasonal effect for polar cap sunward plasma flows at strongly northward IMF Bz
Koustov, A. V.; Yakymenko, K. N.; Ponomarenko, P. V.
We use Super Dual Auroral Radar Network data to study polar cap ionospheric flow under strongly dominant positive interplanetary magnetic field Bz component. We show that the near-noon flow along the magnetic meridian is predominantly sunward in summer. The sunward velocity increase with intensification of the external driver (the rever…
Statistical study of low-frequency magnetic field fluctuations near Venus during the solar cycle
Zhang, T. L.; Wang, G. Q.; Xiao, S. D.
We statistically investigate the solar cycle dependence of the magnetic field fluctuations in the frequency range 30-300 MHz based on Venus Express data. We present the spatial distributions of fluctuation properties during three typical periods of the solar cycle, and a comparative study is also performed. With the increase of solar activity, the…
Ionospheric Electron Densities at Mars: Comparison of Mars Express Ionospheric Sounding and MAVEN Local Measurements
Gurnett, D. A.; Němec, F.; Morgan, D. D. +5 more
We present the first direct comparison of Martian ionospheric electron densities measured by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) topside radar sounder on board the Mars Express spacecraft and by the Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW) instrument on board the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) spa…
CMEs' Speed, Travel Time, and Temperature: A Thermodynamic Approach
Flandes, Alberto; Lara, Alejandro; Durand-Manterola, Hector J. +2 more
Due to their important role in space weather, coronal mass ejections or CMEs have been thoroughly studied in order to forecast their speed and transit time from the Sun to the Earth. We present a thermodynamic analytical model that describes the dynamics of CMEs. The thermodynamic approach has some advantages with respect to the hydrodynamic appro…
Energetic Electron Periodicities During the Cassini Grand Finale
Krupp, N.; Roussos, E.; Mitchell, D. G. +2 more
The Cassini F ring and Proximal orbits took the spacecraft closer to Saturn than any previous mission and allowed determination of energetic charged particles (E > 20 keV) in the inner magnetosphere of the planet. The periodicities of the energetic electrons show a remarkable consistency when analyzed using Lomb periodograms. From the beginning…
Solar Illumination Control of the Polar Wind
André, M.; Poedts, S.; Eriksson, A. I. +5 more
Polar wind outflow is an important process through which the ionosphere supplies plasma to the magnetosphere. The main source of energy driving the polar wind is solar illumination of the ionosphere. As a result, many studies have found a relation between polar wind flux densities and solar EUV intensity, but less is known about their relation to …
The formation of superdense plasma sheet in association with the IMF turning from northward to southward
Lavraud, Benoit; Thomsen, Michelle F.; Liang, En-Wei +3 more
We have studied two events in which relatively superdense plasma appeared near geosynchronous orbit after the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) changed from a long period of northward condition to southward condition. We used the magnetosphere MHD model Open Geospace General Circulation Model to simulate these two events and compared the simulat…
Energy-banded ions in Saturn's magnetosphere
Thomsen, M. F.; Jackman, C. M.; Kurth, W. S. +3 more
Using data from the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer ion mass spectrometer, we report the first observation of energy-banded ions at Saturn. Observed near midnight at relatively high magnetic latitudes, the banded ions are dominantly H+, and they occupy the range of energies typically associated with the thermal pickup distribution in the in…
Electron temperature anisotropy associated to field-aligned currents in the Earth's magnetosphere inferred from Rosetta MIP-RPC observations during 2009 flyby
Henri, P.; Hamelin, M.; Béghin, C. +3 more
A new approach is proposed for data interpretation of the Mutual Impedance Probe (MIP) instrument from the Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC) during the 2009 Earth's flyby gravity assist through the magnetosphere, from dusk to dawn regions. The spacecraft trajectory of ±8 RE (Earth's radius) was crossing several structures of field-aligned…