Search Publications
Oxygen torus in the deep inner magnetosphere and its contribution to recurrent process of O+-rich ring current formation
Singer, H. J.; Takahashi, K.; Nosé, M. +1 more
Using the magnetic field and plasma wave data obtained by the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES), we search for enhancements of O+ ion density in the deep inner magnetosphere known as "the oxygen torus". We examine 4 events on the dayside in which toroidal standing Alfvén waves appear clearly. From the frequency of…
Nightside reconnection at Jupiter: Auroral and magnetic field observations from 26 July 1998
Bonfond, B.; Vogt, M. F.; Grodent, D. +3 more
In this study we present ultraviolet and infrared auroral data from 26 July 1998, and we show the presence of transient auroral polar spots observed throughout the postdusk to predawn local time sector. The polar dawn spots, which are transient polar features observed in the dawn sector poleward of the main emission, were previously associated wit…
Nightside ionosphere of Mars studied with local electron densities: A general overview and electron density depressions
Gurnett, D. A.; Winningham, J. D.; Frahm, R. A. +3 more
The radar sounder Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) on the Mars Express spacecraft provides local electron densities from electron plasma oscillations. Here, we use the local electron densities to study the nightside ionosphere of Mars. In this study, in which local densities were sampled to a minimum altitude of…
Two types of tangential magnetopause current sheets: Cluster observations and theory
Nakamura, R.; Baumjohann, W.; Artemyev, A. V. +1 more
Early magnetopause observations revealed that the magnetic field can rotate across tangential current sheets in the form of C-and S-shaped hodograms. We use the four-spacecraft magnetopause crossings by Cluster in order to study the structure of the C- and S-sheets. We show that both current sheets can be described by analytical equilibria. We emp…
Planetary period oscillations in Saturn's magnetosphere: Evidence in magnetic field phase data for rotational modulation of Saturn kilometric radiation emissions
Dougherty, M. K.; Cecconi, B.; Lamy, L. +4 more
Initial Voyager observations of Saturn kilometric radiation (SKR) indicated that the modulations in emitted power near the ∼11 h planetary rotation period are “strobe like,” varying with a phase independent of observer position, while subsequent Cassini studies of related oscillations in the magnetospheric magnetic field and plasma parameters have…
Generation of electrostatic solitary waves in the plasma sheet boundary layer
Lakhina, G. S.; Pickett, J. S.; Singh, S. V. +1 more
Generation of electrostatic solitary waves (ESWs) in the plasma sheet boundary layer in terms of electron-acoustic solitons and double layers is proposed. The plasma sheet boundary layer is treated as a multicomponent magnetized plasma consisting of background electrons, counter-streaming electron beams and ions. The model is based on the multiflu…
Density cavity in magnetic reconnection diffusion region in the presence of guide field
Deng, X. H.; Huang, S. Y.; Yuan, Z. G. +2 more
Understanding the structure of the diffusion region of magnetic reconnection is crucial to pinpoint the mechanism of energy conversion from magnetic field to plasma. Characteristics of a diffusion region with guide field (i.e., component reconnection) may be significantly different from those of a diffusion region without guide field (i.e., antipa…
The water vapor plumes of Enceladus
Dong, Y.; Waite, J. H.; Hill, T. W. +2 more
The Cassini E3, E5, and E7 encounters with Enceladus probed the south polar plumes, where the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measured neutral H2O molecular densities up to ∼109 cm-3. We have constructed a physical model for the expected water density in the plumes, based on supersonic radial outflow from …
The production of Titan's ultraviolet nitrogen airglow
Esposito, Larry W.; Gustin, Jacques; Bradley, E. Todd +11 more
The Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) observed Titan's dayside limb in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and far ultraviolet (FUV) on 22 June 2009 from a mean distance of 23 Titan radii. These high-quality observations reveal the same EUV and FUV emissions arising from photoelectron excitation and photofragmentation of molecular nitrogen…
Electron heating at Saturn's bow shock
Coates, A. J.; Dougherty, M. K.; Thomsen, M. F. +7 more
Collisionless shock waves are a widespread phenomenon in both solar system and astrophysical contexts. The nature of energy dissipation at such shocks is of particular interest, especially at high Mach numbers. We use data taken by the Cassini spacecraft to investigate electron heating at Saturn's bow shock, one of the strongest collisionless shoc…