Search Publications
Backscattered solar wind protons by Phobos
Fedorov, A.; Barabash, S.; Lundin, R. +5 more
We report Mars Express (MEX) measurements showing that the regolith-covered Phobos surface backscatters 0.5%-10% of the impinging solar wind protons. Backscattered protons with an energy corresponding to 30%-40% of the solar wind energy injected in the flow are picked up by the solar wind and may cause field disturbances and wave activity. Since a…
Surface charging of Saturn's plasma-absorbing moons
Krupp, N.; Jones, G. H.; Roussos, E. +1 more
Recent results from the study of the interaction of Earth's moon with the solar wind have highlighted lunar surface charging as an important physical process not only for the local interaction of the surface and the impinging plasma but also for charged dust ejection and transport. Excluding Earth's moon, however, such studies have been limited to…
Properties of the thermal ion plasma near Rhea as measured by the Cassini plasma spectrometer
Persoon, A. M.; Wilson, R. J.; Tokar, R. L. +1 more
Rhea is the second largest Saturnian satellite orbiting at 8.74 Saturn radii within the magnetosphere's near corotating thermal plasma. Rhea's orbital speed is less than the corotation speed, so the thermal plasma forms a wake in the direction of Rhea's orbital motion. During 26 November 2005, Cassini passed within 500 km of Rhea and through this …
Inductive electric fields in the inner magnetosphere during geomagnetically active periods
Mende, S. B.; Zheng, Y.; Brandt, P. C. +3 more
The present study examines the characteristics of electric fields in the nightside inner magnetosphere during geomagnetically active periods. Electric field and magnetic field measurements made by the Cluster spacecraft on their perigee passes are used. The results are summarized as follows: (1) The duskward electric field component EY …
Interaction of Saturn's magnetosphere and its moons: 2. Shape of the Enceladus plume
Russell, C. T.; Khurana, K. K.; Gombosi, T. I. +3 more
The Saturnian moons in the inner magnetosphere are immersed in a plasma disk that rotates much faster than the moon's Keplerian speed. The interaction of the rotating plasma with the moons results in a disturbance in the Saturnian magnetospheric plasma that depends on the nature of obstacle that the moon represents. In particular at Enceladus, suc…
Energetic neutral atoms from Titan: Particle simulations in draped magnetic and electric fields
Saur, Joachim; Simon, Sven; Strobel, Darrell F. +2 more
Titan's atmosphere emits energetic neutral atoms (ENAs), which are being monitored for the first time by the Cassini spacecraft. These ENAs are generated by charge exchange processes of energetic ions with neutrals from Titan's atmosphere. In this work we investigate the morphology of the ENA emission from Titan's atmosphere with a three-dimension…
Magnetospheric feedback in solar wind energy transfer
Janhunen, P.; Lester, M.; Milan, S. E. +4 more
The solar wind kinetic energy fueling all dynamical processes within the near-Earth space is extracted in a dynamo process at the magnetopause. This direct energy transfer from the solar wind into the magnetosphere depends on the orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) as well as other solar wind parameters, such as the IMF magnitud…
Statistical study of low-frequency magnetic field fluctuations near Venus under the different interplanetary magnetic field orientations
Zhang, T. L.; Wang, C.; Baumjohann, W. +4 more
The magnetic field fluctuations near Venus are investigated in the frequency range 0.03-0.3 Hz on the basis of the measurements observed by Venus Express from April 2006 to December 2008. The data are sorted by the angle between interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and solar wind flow. The spatial distributions of fluctuation properties under the d…
Interaction of Saturn's magnetosphere and its moons: 3. Time variation of the Enceladus plume
Russell, C. T.; Khurana, K. K.; Gombosi, T. I. +3 more
The major momentum-loading source in Saturn's magnetosphere, Enceladus, has been studied with seven Cassini flybys between 2005 and 2008. In this paper, we first use parameter tests with our 3-D magnetohydrodynamic simulation to demonstrate and determine the sensitivity of the interaction to both electron impact rates and charge-exchange rates. We…
Waves at the electron plasma frequency associated with solar wind magnetic holes: STEREO/Cluster observations
Henri, P.; Soucek, J.; Mangeney, A. +1 more
Magnetic depressions are common structures of the interplanetary medium. These magnetic holes can be just isolated dips of the amplitude of the field or they can be associated with discontinuities in the field orientation (tangential or rotational). Electrostatic waves at the plasma frequency (Langmuir waves) are often observed in these magnetic s…