Search Publications
Transterminator ion flow in the Martian ionosphere
Fedorov, A.; Barabash, S.; Lundin, R. +4 more
The upper ionospheres of Mars and Venus are permeated by the magnetic fields induced by the solar wind. It is a long-standing question whether these fields can put the dense ionospheric plasma into motion. If so, the transterminator flow of the upper ionosphere could explain a significant part of the ion escape from the planets atmospheres. But it…
Abundances of Jupiter's trace hydrocarbons from Voyager and Cassini
Zhang, X.; Irwin, P. G. J.; Teanby, N. A. +5 more
The flybys of Jupiter by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979, and over two decades later by Cassini in 2000, have provided us with unique datasets from two different epochs, allowing the investigation of seasonal change in the atmosphere. In this paper we model zonal averages of thermal infrared spectra from the two instruments, Voyager 1 IRIS and Cass…
Ismenius Cavus, Mars: A deep paleolake with phyllosilicate deposits
Mangold, N.; Le Mouélic, S.; Poulet, F. +2 more
Ismenius Cavus is a basin where several fluvial valleys converge. Three depositional fan deltas are observed at the valleys outlets at similar elevations. These fans suggest long-term fluvial activity accompanied by a lake inside the basin. The elevational difference between the delta plains and the deepest part of the basin floor implies that thi…
Saturn's magnetospheric interaction with Titan as defined by Cassini encounters T9 and T18: New results
Coates, A. J.; Johnson, R. E.; Wahlund, J. -E. +8 more
We present new results of Cassini's T9 flyby with complementary observations from T18. Based on Cassini plasma spectrometer (CAPS) and Cassini magnetometer (MAG), compositional evidence shows the upstream flow for both T9 and T18 appears composed of light ions (H + and H 2+), with external pressures ∼30 times lower…
The sunlit lunar atmosphere: A comprehensive study by CHACE on the Moon Impact Probe of Chandrayaan-1
Sridharan, R.; Ahmed, S. M.; Pratim Das, Tirtha +4 more
The altitudinal/latitudinal profile of the lunar atmospheric composition on the sunlit side was unraveled for the first time by the Chandra's Altitudinal Composition Explorer (CHACE) on the Moon Impact Probe, a standalone micro-satellite that impacted at the lunar south pole, as a part of the first Indian mission to Moon, Chandrayaan-1. Systematic…
The analytic properties of the flapping current sheets in the earth magnetotail
Petrukovich, A. A.; Liu, Z. X.; Rong, Z. J. +2 more
The current sheet in Earth's magnetotail often flaps, and the flapping waves could be induced propagating towards the dawn and dusk flanks, which could make the current sheet dynamic. To explore the dynamic characteristics of current sheet associated with the flapping motion holistically and provide reasonable physical interpretations, detailed di…
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at Mercury: An assessment
Korth, H.; Blomberg, L. G.; Slavin, J. A. +2 more
The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is believed to be an important means for the transfer of energy, plasma, and momentum from the solar wind into planetary magnetospheres, with in situ measurements reported from Earth, Saturn, and Venus. During the first MESSENGER flyby of Mercury, three periodic rotations were observed in the magnetic field data po…
The photochemical model of Titan’s atmosphere and ionosphere: A version without hydrodynamic escape
Krasnopolsky, Vladimir A.
There are observational and theoretical evidences both in favor of and against hydrodynamic escape (HDE) on Titan, and the problem remains unsolved. A test presented here for a static thermosphere does not support HDE on Titan and Triton but favors HDE on Pluto. Cooling of the atmosphere by the HCN rotational lines is limited by rotational relaxat…
Electron temperatures in Saturn’s plasma disc
Wahlund, J. -E.; Gustafsson, G.
We present new results concerning electron temperature ( Te) mapping in the inner magnetosphere of Saturn (<7 R S). The data are obtained by the Langmuir Probe (LP) instrument of the Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) investigation on board Cassini. The study is based on the fourteen first orbits around Saturn, and focus…
The cratering history of asteroid (2867) Steins
Lamy, P.; Keller, H. U.; Mottola, S. +8 more
The cratering history of main belt asteroid (2867) Steins has been investigated using OSIRIS imagery acquired during the Rosetta flyby that took place on the 5th of September 2008. For this purpose, we applied current models describing the formation and evolution of main belt asteroids, that provide the rate and velocity distributions of impactors…