Search Publications
The 17 April 2021 widespread solar energetic particle event
Holmström, M.; Grande, M.; Palmerio, E. +46 more
Context. A complex and long-lasting solar eruption on 17 April 2021 produced a widespread solar energetic particle (SEP) event that was observed by five longitudinally well-separated observers in the inner heliosphere that covered distances to the Sun from 0.42 to 1 au: BepiColombo, Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, STEREO A, and near-Earth space…
A mid-infrared study of synthetic glass and crystal mixtures analog to the geochemical terranes on mercury
Helbert, Joern; Hiesinger, Harald; Weber, Iris +8 more
The MERTIS (MErcury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer) onboard of the BepiColombo ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury will map the surface of Mercury in the wavelength range of 7-14 µm and for the interpretation of these spectra a database of analog materials is needed. We analyzed bulk grain size fractions of a series of analog materials…
Electron density revealing the boundaries of Mercury's magnetosphere via serendipitous measurements by SORBET during BepiColombo first and second Mercury swing-bys
Pantellini, F.; Issautier, K.; Kasaba, Y. +3 more
Aims: We aim to establish the boundaries of Mercury's magnetosphere through a comparison of the drops and rises of the electron density revealed by PWI/SORBET, during BepiColombo's first and second swing-bys of Mercury carried out on 1 October 2021 and 23 June 2022, with global 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations.
Methods: SORBET was swit…
An advanced thermal roughness model for airless planetary bodies. Implications for global variations of lunar hydration and mineralogical mapping of Mercury with the MERTIS spectrometer
Hiesinger, Harald; Helbert, Jörn; Wöhler, Christian +1 more
We present a combined reflectance and thermal radiance model for airless planetary bodies. The Hapke model provides the reflected component. The developed thermal model is the first to consistently use rough fractal surfaces, self-scattering, self-heating, and disk-resolved bolometric albedo for entire planets. We validated the model with disk-res…
Mid-IR spectral properties of different surfaces of silicate mixtures before and after excimer laser irradiation
Hiesinger, Harald; Helbert, Jörn; Weber, Iris +6 more
The behaviour of the Christiansen feature (CF) and the Reststrahlen bands (RBs) in mid-infrared (IR) reflectance spectra on various silicate mixtures as pressed pellets and powders was investigated in high-vacuum. In addition, the influence of micrometeorite bombardment simulated with an excimer laser was studied. The mixtures cover a wide range o…
Effects of Temperature on Visible and Infrared Spectra of Mercury Minerals Analogues
Langevin, Yves; Poulet, François; Perna, Davide +12 more
Mercury's peculiar orbit around the Sun (3:2 spin-orbit resonance) and lack of atmosphere result in one the widest temperature ranges experienced at the surface of a planetary body in the solar system. Temperature variations affect the physical and, therefore, spectral properties of minerals to varying degrees; thus, it is crucial to study them in…
The Dynamic Evolution of Multipoint Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections Observed with BepiColombo, Tianwen-1, and MAVEN
Zhang, Zhiyong; Zhang, Tielong; Su, Zhenpeng +28 more
We present two multipoint interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) detected by the Tianwen-1 and Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft at Mars and the BepiColombo (0.56 au ~0.67 au) upstream of Mars from 2021 December 5 to 31. This is the first time that BepiColombo is used as an upstream solar wind monitor ahead of Mars and that …
Tropospheric Delay Calibration System Performance During the First Two BepiColombo Solar Conjunctions
Cappuccio, Paolo; Iess, Luciano; Tortora, Paolo +8 more
Media propagation delay and delay-rate induced by the water vapor within the Earth's troposphere represent one of the main error sources for radiometric measurements in deep space. In preparation for the BepiColombo and JUICE missions, the European Space Agency has installed and operates the prototype of a tropospheric delay calibration system (TD…
Spacecraft radial alignments for investigations of the evolution of solar wind turbulence: A review
Telloni, Daniele
With the launch of the Parker Solar Probe, BepiColombo, and Solar Orbiter missions in the three-year period 2018 - 2020 , the investigation of the evolution of solar wind turbulence, dynamics, and structures in the inner heliosphere has become more readily feasible, thanks to the increasing availability of orbital configurations suitable for multi…
High-energy particle enhancements in the solar wind upstream Mercury during the first BepiColombo flyby: SERENA/PICAM and MPO-MAG observations
Kallio, E.; Barabash, S.; Livi, S. +27 more
Context. The first BepiColombo Mercury flyby offered the unique opportunity to simultaneously characterize the plasma and the magnetic field properties of the solar wind in the vicinity of the innermost planet of the Solar System (0.4 AU).
Aims: In this study, we use plasma observations by SERENA/PICAM and magnetic field measurements by MPO-M…