Search Publications
Diamagnetic depression observations at Saturn's magnetospheric cusp by the Cassini spacecraft
Coates, Andrew J.; Krupp, Norbert; Arridge, Christopher S. +4 more
The magnetospheric cusp is a region where shocked solar wind plasma can enter a planetary magnetosphere, after magnetic reconnection has occurred at the dayside magnetopause or in the lobes. The dense plasma that enters the high-latitude magnetosphere creates diamagnetic effects whereby a depression is observed in the magnetic field. We present ob…
Characteristics of ionospheric flux rope at the terminator observed by Venus Express
Zhang, T. L.; Chen, Y. Q.; Wang, G. Q. +1 more
We investigate the characteristics of the magnetic flux rope in the Venusian ionosphere near the terminator observed by the Venus Express while previous works about flux rope by PVO are mainly in the subsolar region. The probability to observe the flux rope becomes larger as solar activity strengthens. A statistical work during solar maximum prese…
Dawn Auroral Breakup at Saturn Initiated by Auroral Arcs: UVIS/Cassini Beginning of Grand Finale Phase
Badman, S. V.; Bonfond, B.; Gérard, J. -C. +4 more
We present Cassini auroral observations obtained on 11 November 2016 with the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph at the beginning of the F-ring orbits and the Grand Finale phase of the mission. The spacecraft made a close approach to Saturn's southern pole and offered a remarkable view of the dayside and nightside aurora. With this sequence we ident…
Characterization of Jupiter's secondary auroral oval and its response to hot plasma injections
Woodfield, E. E.; Gray, R. L.; Badman, S. V. +1 more
We present Jovian auroral observations from the 2014 January Hubble Space Telescope (HST) campaign and characterize the auroral second oval feature with particular attention to the response to hot plasma injections. The location of the second oval feature lies between the Ganymede and Europa moon footprint contours between 150 and 240° system III …
The role of plasma slowdown in the generation of Rhea's Alfvén wings
Dougherty, Michele K.; Russell, Christopher T.; Fatemi, Shahab +5 more
Alfvén wings are known to form when a conducting or mass-loading object slows down a flowing plasma in its vicinity. Alfvén wings are not expected to be generated when an inert moon such as Rhea interacts with Saturn's magnetosphere, where the plasma impacting the moon is absorbed and the magnetic flux passes unimpeded through the moon. However, i…
Low-frequency oscillatory flow signatures and high-speed flows in the Earth's magnetotail
Nilsson, H.; Hamrin, M.; Norqvist, P. +6 more
Using plasma sheet data from Cluster 1 spacecraft from 2001 till 2011, we statistically investigate oscillatory signatures in the plasma bulk flow. These periodic oscillations are compared to high-speed and quiet flows. Periodic oscillations are observed approximately 8% of the time, while high-speed flows and quiet flows are observed around 0.5% …
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…