Search Publications
Plasma transition at the flanks of the Venus ionosheath: Evidence from the Venus Express data
Barabash, S.; Lundin, R.; Zhang, T. L. +6 more
Measurements conducted with the Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA-4) instrument in the Venus Express spacecraft reveal the presence of a plasma transition within a boundary layer that extends along at the flanks of the Venus ionosheath and where the solar wind exhibits changes similar to those reported from previous missions (M…
Ion cyclotron harmonics in the Saturn downward current auroral region
Schippers, P.; Gurnett, D. A.; Coates, A. J. +3 more
Observations of intense upgoing electron beams and diffuse ion beams have been reported during a pass by Cassini in a downward current auroral region, nearby a source region of Saturn kilometric radiation. Using the Cassini Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument low frequency waveform receiver and the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer Investiga…
Modeling of Jupiter's auroral curtain and upper atmospheric thermal structure
Clarke, J. T.; Cohen, I. J.
A three-dimensional simulation that takes into account the altitude extent of auroral emission along the line of sight has been applied to the analysis of auroral images of Jupiter taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The simulation's input auroral emission profile with altitude was expanded by an emission scale height factor ranging from n …
Cluster energetic electron survey of the high-altitude cusp and adjacent regions
Fritz, T. A.; Walsh, B. M.
A statistical study of the energetic electron population (E > 37 keV) in the high-altitude cusp and surrounding regions is conducted with 7 years of data from the Cluster spacecraft. The progression of Cluster's orbit during this period allows for a wide range of latitude on the dayside magnetosphere to be surveyed. Locations of the spacecraft …
Space charge effects and arc properties of simulated lightning on Venus
Robledo-Martinez, A.; Sobral, H.; Ruiz-Meza, A.
An experimental investigation of the physical properties of lightning on Venus was carried out by applying fast impulses to a pressurized (1-2.8 atm) CO2-N2 gas mix. The maximum current employed in the experiments was 2.8 kA. It was found that the pressure has a marked effect on the measured electric field. This effect is mos…
Effect of heavy ions on coupling between density structures and electromagnetic waves in the auroral zone
Streltsov, A. V.
This paper presents the results from a numerical study of the effects of multiple ion species on the development of small-scale, intense electromagnetic waves and density structures that are frequently observed in the auroral ionosphere in the vicinity of discrete auroral arcs. The study is based on a multifluid MHD model describing nonlinear coup…
Study of nonthermal continuum patches: Wave propagation and plasmapause study
Vallières, Xavier; Grimald, S.; El-Lemdani-Mazouz, F. +3 more
Nonthermal continuum (NTC) radiation is believed to be emitted at the plasmapause and near the magnetic equator. We present a particular type of NTC radiation, referred to as NTC patch, which appears over a wide frequency range and within a relatively short time interval. NTC patches are observed in all magnetospheric plasma environments of the Cl…
Evolution of large-scale magnetosonic structures to trains of solitary waves
Stasiewicz, K.; Thidé, B.; Cheng, C. Z. +1 more
Large-amplitude magnetic pulsations on ion inertial length scales are often observed in space plasmas, but their theoretical explanation is still controversial. We discuss a possible mechanism, different from ideas based on the classical plasma instabilities, for the generation of these pulsations. It is demonstrated that a competition between dis…
Observations of a high-latitude stable electron auroral emission at ∼16 MLT during a large substorm
Cattell, C.; Dombeck, J.; Preiwisch, A. +8 more
During an interval when the interplanetary magnetic field was large and primarily duskward and southward, a stable region of auroral emission was observed on 17 August 2001 by IMAGE at ∼16 magnetic local time, poleward of the main aurora, for 1 h, from before the onset of a large substorm through the recovery phase. In a region where ions showed t…
Interactions of the heliospheric current and plasma sheets with the bow shock: Cluster and Polar observations in the magnetosheath
Russell, Christopher T.; Farrugia, Charles J.; Scudder, Jack D. +7 more
On 12 March 2001, the Polar and Cluster spacecraft were at subsolar and cusp latitudes in the dayside magnetosheath, respectively, where they monitored the passage by Earth of a large-scale planar structure containing the high-density heliospheric plasma sheet (HPS) and the embedded current sheet. Over significant intervals, as the magnetic hole o…