Monte Carlo study of interaction between solar wind plasma and Venusian upper atmosphere

Isolated events of proton and alpha particle precipitation in the Venusian atmosphere were recorded with the use of the ASPERA-4 analyzer on board the ESA Venus Express spacecraft. Using a Monte Carlo simulation method for calculation of proton and alpha particle precipitations in the Venusian atmosphere, reflected and upward directed particle fluxes have been found. It has been found that only a vanishing percentage of protons and alpha particles are backscattered to the Venusian exosphere when neglecting the induced magnetic field and under conditions of low solar activity. Accounting for the induced field drastically changes the situation: the backscattered by the atmosphere energy fluxes increase up to 44% for the horizontal magnetic field B = 20 nT, measured for Venus, for the case of precipitating protons, and up to 64%, for alpha particles. The reflected energy fluxes increase to about 100% for both protons and alpha particles as the field grows to 40 nT, i.e., the atmosphere is protected against penetration of solar wind particles.     

Microdunes and other aeolian bedforms on Venus: Wind tunnel simulations

Previous studies confirm that sand can be entrained at the wind velocities recorded on Venus. Present results describe bedforms produced in the Venus Wind Tunnel (VWT) simulating the average Venusian environment. Even at the low wind speeds measured on Venus, dunelike structures form in fine-grained quartz sands (particles 50–200 μm in diameter). The dunelike structures, referred to as microdunes, are considered to be true dunes analogous to those on Earth because they have (1) slip faces, (2) a lack of particle-size sorting, (3) a low ratio of saltation path length to dune length, and (4) internal cross-bedding. The microdunes typically produced in the VWT are 9 cm long and 0.75 cm high. It is proposed that there may be fields of microdunes on Venus that are capable of very fast rates of migration and that they may grow into features much larger than those observed in the VWT. However, neither dunes nor other types of features develop above a wind speed of ～ 1.5 m/sec; at this wind speed, the bed is flat and featureless. Thus, it is predicted that relatively short periods of higher winds may destroy microdunes and other small bedforms which could account for the sparsity of definitive aeolian features observed in Venera images. Some apparent cross-bedding observed in Venera images, however, could represent preserved aeolian structures.     

Venusian saltation

Estimates of the trajectories of saltating particles on Venus show the level of saltation on Ve low when compared to either Earth or Mars. Particles in saltation on Venus obtain maximum heights of only 1 cm over a wide range in particle size and surface wind speeds. Their path lenghts are only a few centimeters at the wind speed of 1 and 2 m/sec. The entire saltation process and particle trajectories are insensitive to changes in surface pressure over the range from 70 to 100 bars and to changes in surface temperature over the range from 600 to 900°K. Secondly, the net rate of surface material transport due to saltation on Venus is small when compared to Earth or Mars. This result is due to the dense Venusian atmosphere. It is estimated that approximately 10 times more surface materials is transported by saltation on Earth than on Venus for dynamically similar conditions. And approximately 250 times more material is moved by the saltation process on Mars than on Venus, again for dynamically similar conditions. Both these estimates apply over a wide range of particle diameter, from 0.01 to 7 mm. Thirdly, the ripple wavelenghts may be small, such that thay may not be detected by the high-resolution radar images of the surface of Venus.     

X-rays from Venus observed with Chandra

X-ray observations of Venus are so challenging that the first detection of Venusian X-rays succeeded only in January 2001, with the Chandra satellite. The X-rays from Venus were found to result from fluorescent scattering of solar X-rays in the Venusian thermosphere. An additional component, caused by charge exchange of highly charged heavy ions in the solar wind with atoms in the Venusian exosphere, was suspected, but could not be unambiguously detected. This was hampered by the fact that the observation occurred during solar maximum, when the solar X-ray flux is highest. In order to investigate the presence of an additional charge exchange component, Venus was observed again in March 2006 and October 2007 with Chandra, taking advantage of the fact that the solar X-ray flux had decreased considerably on its way to solar minimum. In fact, these subsequent observations were able to show that also the Venusian exosphere is emitting X-rays, due to its interaction with the solar wind. Here an overview of all the existing X-ray observations of Venus is presented, including first results from the most recent one, which took place after the arrival of Venus Express, providing the first ever opportunity to combine a remote X-ray observation of a planetary exosphere with simultaneous in situ measurements of the solar wind.     

Lunar and Venusian radar bright rings

Twenty-one lunar craters have radar bright ring appearances which are analogous to eleven complete ring features in the earth-based 12.5 cm observations of Venus. Radar ring diameters and widths for the lunar and Venusian features overlap for sizes from 45 to 100 km. Radar bright areas for the lunar craters are associated with the slopes of the inner and outer rim walls, while level crater floors and level ejecta fields beyond the raised portion of the rim have average radar backscatter. We propose that the radar bright areas of the Venusian rings are also associated with the slopes on the rims of craters.The lunar craters have evolved to radar bright rings via mass wasting of crater rim walls and via post impact flooding of crater floors. Aeolian deposits of fine-grained material on Venusian crater floors may produce radar scattering effects similar to lunar crater floor flooding. These Venusian aeolian deposits may preferentially cover blocky crater floors producing a radar bright ring appearance.We propose that the Venusian features with complete bright ring appearances and sizes less than 100 km are impact craters. They have the same sizes as lunar craters and could have evolved to radar bright rings via analogous surface processes.     

In-situ Observations of a Co-rotating Interaction Region at Venus Identified by IPS and STEREO

This paper reports on the first combination of results from in-situ plasma measurements at Venus, using data from Venus Express, and remote sensing data from observations of interplanetary scintillation (IPS). In so doing, we demonstrate the value of combining remote sensing and in-situ techniques for the purpose of investigating interaction between solar wind, under several different conditions, and the Venusian magnetosphere. The ion mass analyser instrument (IMA) is used to investigate solar wind interaction with the Venusian magnetosphere in the presence of two different solar wind phenomena; a co-rotating interaction region (CIR) and a coronal mass ejection (CME). The CIR, detected with IPS and sampled in-situ at Venus is found to dramatically affect upstream solar wind conditions. These case studies demonstrate how combining results from these different data sources can be of considerable value when investigating such phenomena.     

Aeolian regime of the surface of Venus

Recent probes of the planet Venus reveal a probable surface temperature exceeding 700K and a pressure exceeding 100 atm. A very dusty lower atmosphere may exist which is composed of micron-sized particles kept airborne by mild turbulence and a gentle circulation of deep adiabatic currents. A study of surface conditions responsible for generation and persistence of surface dust clouds is of fundamental importance in the radiative and dynamic properties of the atmosphere. Also spurious radar echoes may be caused by suspended particulate matter, thus explaining the high relief reported by radar altimeters.Equations describing transportation and deposition of dust and sand have been solved for the surface conditions of Venus. It is concluded that the minimum wind velocity for initiating grain movement is about one order of magnitude smaller than on Earth. In addition, this minimum wind velocity occurs for smaller particles on Venus than on Earth. Once the particles are raised, they can be maintained aloft for longer periods of time and over a larger size range on Venus.Surface structures such as ripples evolved from aeolian deposition are likely to be of smaller vertical dimensions but larger horizontally when compared with equivalent structures on Earth.     

Mesospheric vertical thermal structure and winds on Venus from HHSMT CO spectral-line observations

We report vertical thermal structure and wind velocities in the Venusian mesosphere retrieved from carbon monoxide (¹²CO J=2-1 and ¹³CO J=2-1) spectral line observations obtained with the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope (HHSMT). We observed the mesosphere of Venus from two days after the second Messenger flyby of Venus (on 5 June 2007 at 23:10 UTC) during five days. Day-to-day and day-to-night temperature variations and short-term fluctuations of the mesospheric zonal flow were evident in our data. The extensive layer of warm air detected recently by SPICAV at 90-100 km altitude is also detected in the temperature profiles reported here.These data were part of a coordinated ground-based Venus observational campaign in support of the ESA Venus Express mission. Furthermore, this study attempts to cross-calibrate space- and ground-based observations, to constrain radiative transfer and retrieval algorithms for planetary atmospheres, and to contribute to a more thorough understanding of the global patterns of circulation of the Venusian atmosphere.     

Geology of terrestrial planets with dynamic atmospheres

Geological exploration of the solar system shows that solid-surfaced planets and satellites are subject to endogenic processes (volcanism and tectonism) and exogenic processes (impact cratering and gradation). The present appearance of planetary suffaces is the result of the complex interplay of these processes and is the linked to the evolution of planets and their environments. Terrestrial planets that have dynamic atmospheres are Earth, Mars, and Venus. Atmospheric interaction with the surfaces of these planets, oraeolian activity, is a form of gradation. The manifestation of aeolian activity is the weathering and erosion of rocks into sediments, transportation of the weathered debris (mostly sand and dust) by the wind, and deposition of windblown material. Wind-eroded features include small-scale ventifacts (wind-sculptured rocks) and large-scale landforms such as yardangs. Wind depositional features include dunes, drifts, and mantles of windblown sediments. These and other aeolian features are observed on Earth, Mars, and Venus.     

Upstream proton cyclotron waves at Venus

Data from the magnetometer MAG aboard the Venus Express S/C are investigated for the occurrence of cyclotron wave phenomena upstream of the Venus bow shock. For an unmagnetized planet such as Venus and Mars the neutral exosphere extends into the on-flowing solar wind and pick-up processes can play an important role in the removal of particles from the atmosphere. At Mars upstream proton cyclotron waves were observed but at Venus they were not yet detected. From the MAG data of the first 4 months in orbit we report the occurrence of proton cyclotron waves well upstream from the planet, both outside and inside of the planetary foreshock region; pick-up protons generate specific cyclotron waves already far from the bow shock. This provides direct evidence that the solar wind is removing hydrogen from the Venus exosphere. Determining the role the solar wind plays in the escape of particles from the total planetary atmosphere is an important step towards understanding the evolution of the environmental conditions on Venus. The continual observations of the Venus Express mission will allow mapping the volume of escape more accurately, and determine better the present rate of hydrogen loss.     

The reaction products of solar hydrogen and components of the high atmosphere of Venus—A possible source of the Venusian clouds

A theory concerning the origin and composition of the Venusian clouds is presented. Hydrogen from the solar wind reacts with components of the upper atmosphere, principally CO and N₂. The initial reaction products are protected upon entering the dark hemisphere of Venus, and the long night (1400 hr) provides ample time for polymerization, condensation, and subsidence to lower levels of the atmosphere. A continuous source from above, coupled with regenerative processes from the hot regions below, fulfills the requirements for maintaining a perpetual cloud layer.     

Cometary water on Venus: Impact modelling and possible evidence

The present small amount of water in the atmosphere of Venus, in connection with the estimated short time scale of water loss from this planet, has lead to the hypothesis that the water concentration in the Venusian atmosphere is in a dynamical equilibrium, where the losses are counter-balanced by a suitable water source. The main candidate water sources are: (a) outgassing from the Venusian surface, due to volcanic activity and (b) cometary impacts. The lack of observational evidence of cometary impacts is usually attributed either to the rarity of such events or to the fact that presently their observational signature is not well understood. In this paper we report on a photographic evidence of a short duration dark feature on Venus, which was observed on 18 May 1988. After eliminating the possibilities of a film defect and an interference from an artificial Earth satellite or an interplanetary object, we conclude that this feature was the signature of an event that took place on the upper haze layer of the Venusian atmosphere. We propose that this event was actually the impact of a small (~10¹⁰ gr) comet-like object, consisting mainly of water, on Venus. This impact caused the temporary evaporation ot the sol H₂SO₄ particles of the upper haze layer and, consequently, a decrease of the albedo of the region around the point of entrance of the comet in the Venusian cloud layers. This region of lower albedo appears as a dark feature in the reported photograph. Our model accounts for the short duration of the feature as well as for its shape.     

Evidence for a low-altitude origin of lightning on Venus

Radio emissions attributed to lightning on Venus have been recorded by Venera 11 and 12 and by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter. The Venera descent records are compared to patterns of radio propagation within the Venusian atmosphere and an explanation is found for some timing trends that, if correct, indicates the lightning was below 33 km in altitude.     

Large,solid particles in the clouds of Venus: Do they exist?

The discovery of large, solid particles in the clouds of Venus is one of the most significant findings of Pioneer Venus because it means that a substantial mass of the clouds is composed of a material other than sulfuric acid. The evidence which suggests that solid particles form a distinctive size mode is reexamined. The mode is defined by a discontinuity between two size ranges of the Pioneer Venus particle size spectrometer. This discontinuity could represent a real size mode. However, it could also be an artifact of the measurement technique. R. G. Knollenberg (1984) discusses several possible instrumental effects which might have caused this discontinuity. It is hypothesized herein that such effects did occur and that the large particles are really the tail of the mode 2 sulfuric acid particle size distribution and are not a separate mode of solid particles. Using such a revised size distribution, it is shown that all of the Pioneer Venus and Venera optical data from the lower clouds can be explained with sulfuric acid droplets without introducing any solid particles. As a by-product of this analysis, it is also found that the upper clouds of Venus must contain a material with a higher refractive index than sulfuric acid. A small quantity of sulfur could account for this observation.     

Venus gravity field: Pioneer Venus orbiter navigation results

The gravity field of Venus has been modeled by a spherical harmonic expansion of the potential to degree and order seven. The estimates of these coefficients were obtained by combining information from 43 short arcs (4 hr) of line-of-sight Doppler data centered at periapsis. The data arcs were distributed in longitude and time over more than two circulations of Venus by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter subperiapsis point which was confined to the band of latitudes from 14°N to 17°N. Convergence of the solution has been assured by iterating upon the initial estimate. All estimates were performed with zero a priori information on the gravity coefficients. Since the altitude of periapsis for most of the orbits was within the sensible Venusian atmosphere, drag effects on the estimated harmonics have been removed using an exponential atmosphere density model. Estimates of the mass parameter (GM) of Venus using this dataset are also evaluated.     

Influence of IMF draping direction and crustal magnetic field location on Martian ion beams

Data from the Ion Mass Analyzer (IMA) sensor of the ASPERA-3 instrument suite onboard Mars Express and data from the Magnetometer/Electron Reflectometer (MAG/ER) on Mars Global Surveyor have been analyzed to determine whether ion beam events (IBEs) are correlated with the direction of the draped interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) or the proximity of strong crustal magnetic fields to the subsolar point. We examined 150 IBEs and found that they are organized by IMF draping direction. However, no clear dependence on the subsolar longitude of the strongest magnetic anomaly is evident, making it uncertain whether crustal magnetic fields have an effect on the formation of the beams. We also examined data from the IMA sensor of the ASPERA-4 instrument suite on Venus Express and found that IBEs are observed at Venus as well, which indicates the morphology of the Martian and Venusian magnetotails are similar.     

Disappearing ionospheres on the nightside of Venus

Instruments on the Pioneer Venus Orbiter have detected a substantial ionosphere on the nightside of Venus during most orbits. However, during some orbits the nightside ionosphere seems to have almost disappeared, existing only as irregular patches of low-density plasma. The solar wind dynamic pressure on these occasions is greater than average. We have correlated data from several instruments (Langmuir probe, ion mass spectrometer, retarding potential analyzer, magnetometer, and plasma analyzer) for a number of orbits during which the nightside ionosphere had disappeared. The magnetic field tends to be coherent, horizontal, and larger than usual, and the electron and ion temperatures are much larger than they usually are on the nightside. We suggest mechanisms which might explain the reasons for the disappearance of the ionosphere when the solar wind dynamic pressure is large.     

Formation of the plasma mantle in the Venusian magnetosphere

A model of the interaction of the solar wind with Venus is proposed including magnetic barrier formation, ionopause structure, plasma dynamics in the magnetic barrier, and the formation of the Venusian tail (wake). It is shown that under stationary conditions the ionopause is practically an equipotential boundary and its current is determined by a diamagnetic drift. The source of the plasma mantle can be provided by photoions appearing in the magnetic barrier and convecting toward the wake as a result of both magnetic pressure gradient and magnetic tension. The formation of the magnetic tail is determined by convection of magnetic barrier flux tubes in which the solar-wind plasma is replaced by ions of planetary origin. Compared to observational data the proposed model gives somewhat overestimated values of ion convective velocity and magnetic barrier thickness near the terminator and underestimated values of number density and magnetic field strength in the tail. Accordingly this suggests the possible influence of the anomalous ionization effects in the solar wind—Venus interaction.     

Planet-C: Venus Climate Orbiter mission of Japan

The Venus Climate Orbiter mission (PLANET-C), one of the future planetary missions of Japan, aims at understanding the atmospheric circulation of Venus. Meteorological information will be obtained by globally mapping clouds and minor constituents successively with four cameras at ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths, detecting lightning with a high-speed imager, and observing the vertical structure of the atmosphere with radio science technique. The equatorial elongated orbit with westward revolution fits the observation of the movement and temporal variation of the atmosphere which as a whole rotates westward. The systematic, continuous imaging observations will provide us with an unprecedented large data set of the Venusian atmospheric dynamics. Additional targets of the mission are the exploration of the ground surface and the observation of zodiacal light. The mission will complement the ESA's Venus Express, which also explores the Venusian environment with different approaches.