Search Publications
Global view of inner magnetosphere composition during storm time
Ilie, R.; Glocer, A.; Skoug, R. M. +2 more
Plasma dynamics in the inner magnetosphere are greatly affected by variations in the ion composition. The ratio of hydrogen to oxygen has been shown to be highly dependent on geomagnetic activity. To investigate this dependence, we examine the timing of the injection and subsequent evolution of O+ in the ring current during the storm of…
Association of solar wind proton flux extremes with pseudostreamers
Zhao, L.; Fisk, L. A.; Gibson, S. E.
We investigate the characteristics and solar origins of a subpopulation of the solar wind that possesses extreme values of proton flux. Ulysses observations including solar wind magnetic flux, proton flux, number density and velocity, and ionic composition are examined in this study. We find that the departures of solar wind proton flux from its c…
Inverted-V and low-energy broadband electron acceleration features of multiple auroras within a large-scale surge
Karlsson, Tomas; Fazakerley, Andrew; Nilsson, Hans +9 more
Results are presented from a Cluster C2 satellite crossing through the acceleration region of multiple auroral structures within a large-scale surge, simultaneously monitored by DMSP F17 imager data. The magnetic and electric field data are consistent with the auroral distribution at large and medium scales. We identify the quasi-static accelerati…
Generation of periodic signatures at Saturn through Titan's interaction with the centrifugal interchange instability
Winglee, R. M.; Harnett, E.; Snowden, D. +3 more
The origin of the periodicities in the radio, plasma, and magnetic fields of Saturn has long been debated. Given the high degree of alignment of Saturn's dipole with its rotation axis, no strong rotational periodicities are expected. However, Cassini data demonstrated the existence of such periodicities not only in Saturn's kilometric radio emissi…
Nighttime ionosphere caused by meteoroid ablation and solar wind electron-proton-hydrogen impact on Mars: MEX observation and modeling
Haider, S. A.; Pandya, B. M.; Molina-Cuberos, G. J.
report that radio science (RS) experiment onboard Mars Express (MEX) has observed three plasma layers in the nighttime ionosphere of Mars at altitudes ~80-100 km, ~120 km, and ~160 km, which are reproduced by model calculation due to impact of meteoroid, solar wind proton, and electron, respectively. The densities of 21 ions (Mg+, Fe
Saturn suprathermal O2+ and mass-28+ molecular ions: Long-term seasonal and solar variation
Krimigis, S. M.; Mitchell, D. G.; Hamilton, D. C. +3 more
Suprathermal singly charged molecular ions, O2+ (at ~32 Da/e) and the Mass-28 ion group 28M+ (ions at ~28 Da/e, with possible contributions from C2H5+, HCNH+, N2+, and/or CO+), are present throughout Saturn's ~4-20 Rs (1 Saturn …
Primary and secondary compressible Kelvin-Helmholtz surface wave instabilities on the Earth's magnetopause
Turkakin, H.; Mann, I. R.; Rankin, R.
Primary and secondary Kelvin-Helmholtz surface wave modes on the Earth's magnetopause are studied within the framework of warm plasma ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) across an infinitely thin magnetopause tangential discontinuity (TD). With the increase of background flow velocity, a Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) unstable boundary separating…
Verification of the GUMICS-4 global MHD code using empirical relationships
Janhunen, P.; Gordeev, E.; Sergeev, V. +4 more
Global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling is a powerful tool in space physics research. There are several advanced and still developing global MHD codes that are widely used to simulate plasma processes in solar wind magnetosphere-ionosphere system. The verification of global simulation codes is an important but a difficult problem. We present an …
Observations of interstellar helium pickup ions in the inner heliosphere
Gloeckler, George; Zurbuchen, Thomas H.; Fisk, Lennard A. +5 more
During the MESSENGER spacecraft's interplanetary trajectory to Mercury, the Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) measured the first helium pickup ion distributions at a heliocentric distance (R) ranging between 0.3 and 0.7 AU. From several transits of MESSENGER through the interstellar helium gravitational focusing cone, we map the cone structu…
CO Cameron band and CO2+ UV doublet emissions in the dayglow of Venus: Role of CO in the Cameron band production
Bhardwaj, Anil; Jain, Sonal Kumar
The present study deals with the model calculations of CO Cameron band and CO2+ ultraviolet doublet emissions in the dayglow of Venus. The overhead and limb intensities of CO Cameron band and CO2+ UV doublet emissions are calculated for low, moderate, and high solar activity conditions. Using updated cross sections, the impact of different e-CO cr…