Search Publications
The magnetohydrodynamic turbulent cascade in the ecliptic solar wind: Study of Ulysses data
Sorriso-Valvo, Luca; Marino, Raffaele; Bruno, Roberto +3 more
The occurrence of a nonlinear turbulent energy cascade in solar wind plasma has been recently established through the observation of an exact law from spacecraft measurements. The main results obtained in the fast, polar wind measured by Ulysses spacecraft are reviewed here. In particular, the turbulent cascade is seen as the mean to provide the e…
State studies of Earth's plasmasphere: A review
Singh, A. K.; Singh, R. P.; Siingh, Devendraa
The plasmasphere sandwiched between the ionosphere and the outer magnetosphere is populated by up flow of ionospheric cold (∼1 eV) and dense plasma along geomagnetic field lines. Recent observations from various instruments onboard IMAGE and CLUSTER spacecrafts have made significant advances in our understanding of plasma density irregularities, p…
Dynamics and circulation regimes of terrestrial planets
Read, P. L.
By the study of simple analogues, either in the form of simplified numerical models or laboratory experiments, considerable insights may be gained as to the likely roles of planetary size, rotation, thermal stratification and other factors in determining the principal length scales, styles of global circulation and dominant waves and instability p…
Multi-spacecraft study of foreshock cavitons upstream of the quasi-parallel bow shock
Kajdič, Primož; Russell, Christopher T.; Blanco-Cano, Xochitl +1 more
In this work we perform the first multi-spacecraft analysis of two foreshock cavitons observed by the Cluster spacecraft. We also study the characteristics of their surrounding regions. Foreshock cavitons are a relatively new type of phenomena in the Earth's foreshock. They appear in regions deep inside the foreshock and are therefore always immer…
Retrieval and tentative indentification of the 3 µm spectral feature in Titan's haze
Sicardy, B.; Courtin, R.; Sim, C. K. +5 more
Recently, an unidentified 3.3-3.4 µm feature found in the solar occultation spectra of the atmosphere of Titan observed by Cassini/VIMS was tentatively attributed to the C-H stretching mode of aliphatic hydrocarbon chains attached to large organic molecules, but without properly extracting the feature from adjacent influences of strong CH
Structured ionospheric outflow during the Cassini T55-T59 Titan flybys
Coates, A. J.; Dougherty, M. K.; Wahlund, J. -E. +7 more
During the final three of the five consecutive and similar Cassini Titan flybys T55-T59 we observe a region characterized by high plasma densities (electron densities of 1-8 cm-3) in the tail/nightside of Titan. This region is observed progressively farther downtail from pass to pass and is interpreted as a plume of ionospheric plasma e…
Comparative study of ion cyclotron waves at Mars, Venus and Earth
Russell, C. T.; Wei, H. Y.; Zhang, T. L. +1 more
Ion cyclotron waves are generated in the solar wind when it picks up freshly ionized planetary exospheric ions. These waves grow from the free energy of the highly anisotropic distribution of fresh pickup ions, and are observed in the spacecraft frame with left-handed polarization and a wave frequency near the ion's gyrofrequency. At Mars and Venu…
Observations of water vapour and carbon monoxide in the Martian atmosphere with the SWC of PFS/MEX
Sindoni, G.; Geminale, A.; Formisano, V.
In the history of Mars exploration its atmosphere and planetary climatology aroused particular interest. In the study of the minor gases abundance in the Martian atmosphere, water vapour became especially important, both because it is the most variable trace gas, and because it is involved in several processes characterizing the planetary atmosphe…
Little variability of methane on Mars induced by adsorption in the regolith
Forget, F.; Lefèvre, F.; Gough, R. +1 more
The mechanisms that can induce short term variations of methane in the Martian atmosphere, and thus explain the observations currently available, are yet to be discovered. Seasonal exchange with the regolith, caused by reversible adsorption, is expected to induce both spatial and time variabilities without the need for additional sources and sinks…
Sulfuric acid aerosols in the atmospheres of the terrestrial planets
Grinspoon, David H.; Toon, Owen B.; McGouldrick, Kevin
Clouds and hazes composed of sulfuric acid are observed to exist or postulated to have once existed on each of the terrestrial planets with atmospheres in our solar system. Venus today maintains a global cover of clouds composed of a sulfuric acid/water solution that extends in altitude from roughly 50 km to roughly 80 km. Terrestrial polar strato…