About Hypothesis of the Superconducting Origin of the Saturn’s Rings

Hypothesis of possible superconductivity of the iced matter of the rings of Saturn (based on the data of Voyager and Pioneer space missions) allow us to explain many phenomena which have not been adequately understood earlier. Introducing into planetary physics force of magnetic levitation of the superconducting iced particle of the rings, which interact with magnetosphere of the planet, becomes to be possible to explain origin, evolution, and dynamics of the rings; to show how the consequent precipitation of the rings’ matter upon the planet was concluded; how the rings began their rotation; how they were compressed by the magnetic field into the thin disc, and how this disc was fractured into hundreds of thousands of separated rings; why in the ring B do exist “spokes”; why magnetic field lines have distortion near by ring F; why there is a variable azimuth brightness of the ring A; why the rings reflected radio waves so efficiently; why exists strong electromagnetic radiation of the rings in the 20.4 kHz–40.2 MHz range and Saturnian kilometric radiation; why there is anomalous reflection of circularly polarized microwaves; why there are spectral anomalies of the thermal radiation of the rings; why the matter of the various rings does not mix but preserves its small-scale color differences; why there is an atmosphere of unknown origin nearby the rings of Saturn; why there are waves of density and bending waves within Saturn’s rings; why planetary rings in the solar system appear only after the Belt of Asteroids (and may be the Belt of Asteroids itself is a ring for the Sun); why our planet Earth has no rings of its own.     

Magnetic Fields for the Laboratory Simulation of Astrophysical Objects

Strong magnetic fields were generated using a fast pulsed power generator, to investigate the interaction of plasma flows with magnetic fields and magnetized background plasmas. The inductive loads used in these experiments were designed using a filament and a finite element modeling approaches. Magnetic fields up to 2 MG (200 T) were measured by using the Faraday rotation technique.     

Variability of Extended Bipolar Regions

Using NSO/Kitt Peak synoptic charts from 1975 to 2003, we group the main solar magnetic fields into two categories: one for active regions (ARs) and the other for extended bipolar regions (EBRs). Comparing them, we find that there exist three typical characteristics in the variability of EBRs: First, there exists a correlation between ARs and EBRs. The phase of EBR flux has a delay nearly two CRs. Second, we find that the EBR flux has two prominent periods at 1.79 years and 3.21 years. The 1.79-year period seems to only belong to large-scale magnetic features. Lastly, the North – South asymmetry of EBR flux is not very significant on a time scale of one solar cycle. However, during solar maxima, its dominance is found to shift from one hemisphere to the other.     

Multispacecraft Observations of Magnetic Clouds and Their Solar Origins between 19 and 23 May 2007

We analyze a series of complex interplanetary events and their solar origins that occurred between 19 and 23 May 2007 using observations by the STEREO and Wind satellites. The analyses demonstrate the new opportunities offered by the STEREO multispacecraft configuration for diagnosing the structure of in situ events and relating them to their solar sources. The investigated period was characterized by two high-speed solar wind streams and magnetic clouds observed in the vicinity of the sector boundary. The observing satellites were separated by a longitudinal distance comparable to the typical radial extent of magnetic clouds at 1 AU (fraction of an AU), and, indeed, clear differences were evident in the records from these spacecraft. Two partial-halo coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were launched from the same active region less than a day apart, the first on 19 May and the second on 20 May 2007. The clear signatures of the magnetic cloud associated with the first CME were observed by STEREO B and Wind while only STEREO A recorded clear signatures of the magnetic cloud associated with the latter CME. Both magnetic clouds appeared to have interacted strongly with the ambient solar wind and the data showed evidence that they were a part of the coronal streamer belt. Wind and STEREO B also recorded a shocklike disturbance propagating inside a magnetic cloud that compressed the field and plasma at the cloud’s trailing portion. The results illustrate how distant multisatellite observations can reveal the complex structure of the extension of the coronal streamer into interplanetary space even during the solar activity minimum. Electronic Supplementary Material  The online version of this article () contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Dependence of the Characteristics of Solar Wind Discontinuities and Shocks with Heliolatitude and Radial Distance

The distribution of the shocks in the heliosphere and their characteristic variations are investigated using Ulysses observations. The jumps in solar wind velocity, IMF magnitude, and proton density across the shocks and discontinuities are evaluated and used to characterize them. The distribution of these discontinuities with respect to heliolatitude ± 80° and with radial distance 1 to 5 AU are analyzed during solar minimum and solar maximum to understand their global behavior. It is noticed that the jumps in solar wind parameters associated with shocks and discontinuities are more prominent during the second orbit of Ulysses, which coincided with the maximum phase of solar activity.     

Ion and neutral sources and sinks within Saturn's inner magnetosphere: Cassini results

Using ion-electron fluid parameters derived from Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) observations within Saturn's inner magnetosphere as presented in Sittler et al. [2006a. Cassini observations of Saturn's inner plasmasphere: Saturn orbit insertion results. Planet. Space Sci., 54, 1197-1210], one can estimate the ion total flux tube content, N_IONL², for protons, H⁺, and water group ions, W⁺, as a function of radial distance or dipole L shell. In Sittler et al. [2005. Preliminary results on Saturn's inner plasmasphere as observed by Cassini: comparison with Voyager. Geophys. Res. Lett. 32(14), L14S04), it was shown that protons and water group ions dominated the plasmasphere composition. Using the ion-electron fluid parameters as boundary condition for each L shell traversed by the Cassini spacecraft, we self-consistently solve for the ambipolar electric field and the ion distribution along each of those field lines. Temperature anisotropies from Voyager plasma observations are used with (T_⊥/T_∥)_W⁺∼5 and (T_⊥/T_∥)_H⁺∼2. The radio and plasma wave science (RPWS) electron density observations from previous publications are used to indirectly confirm usage of the above temperature anisotropies for water group ions and protons. In the case of electrons we assume they are isotropic due to their short scattering time scales. When the above is done, our calculation show N_IONL² for H⁺ and W⁺ peaking near Dione's L shell with values similar to that found from Voyager plasma observations. We are able to show that water molecules are the dominant source of ions within Saturn's inner magnetosphere. We estimate the ion production rate S_ION∼10²⁷ ions/s as function of dipole L using N_H⁺, N_W⁺ and the time scale for ion loss due to radial transport τ_D and ion-electron recombination τ_REC. The ion production shows localized peaks near the L shells of Tethys, Dione and Rhea, but not Enceladus. We then estimate the neutral production rate, S_W, from our ion production rate, S_ION, and the time scale for loss of neutrals by ionization, τ_ION, and charge exchange, τ_CH. The estimated source rate for water molecules shows a pronounced peak near Enceladus’ L shell L∼4, with a value S_W∼2×10²⁸ mol/s.     

Observation of saturnian stream particles in the interplanetary space

In January 2004 the dust instrument on the Cassini spacecraft detected the first high-velocity grain expelled from Saturn - a so-called stream particle. Prior to Cassini’s arrival at Saturn in July 2004 the instrument registered 801 faint impacts, whose impact signals showed the characteristic features of a high-velocity impact by a tiny grain. The impact rates as well as the directionality of the stream particles clearly correlate with the sector structure of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The Cosmic Dust Analyser (CDA) registered stream particles dominantly during periods when the IMF direction was tangential to the solar wind flow and in the prograde direction. This finding provides clear evidence for a continuous outflow of tiny dust grains with similar properties from the saturnian system. Within the compressed part of co-rotating interaction regions (CIRs) of the IMF, characterized by enhanced magnetic field strength and compressed solar wind plasma, CDA observed impact bursts of faster stream particles. We find that the bursts result from the stream particles being sped up inside the compressed CIR regions. Our analysis of the stream-particle dynamics inside rarefaction regions of the IMF implies that saturnian stream particles have sizes between 2 and 9 nm and exit the saturnian systems closely aligned with the planet’s ring plane with speeds in excess of 70 km s⁻¹.     

Lithospheric drift on early Mars: Evidence in the magnetic field

The crustal magnetic anomalies on Mars may represent hot spot tracks resulting from lithospheric drift on ancient Mars. As evidence, an analysis of lineation patterns derived from the ΔBr magnetic map is presented. The ΔBr map, largely free of external magnetic field effects, allows excellent detail of the magnetic anomaly pattern, particularly in areas of Mars where the field is relatively weak. Using cluster analysis, we show that the elongated anomalies in the martian magnetic field form concentric small circles (parallels of latitude) about two distinct north pole locations. If these pole locations represent ancient spin axes, then tidal force on the early lithosphere by former satellites in retrograde orbits may have pulled the lithosphere in an east-west direction over hot mantle plumes. With an active martian core dynamo, this may have resulted in the observed magnetic anomaly pattern of concentric small circles. As further evidence, we observe that, of the 15 martian giant impact basins that were possibly formed while the core dynamo was active, seven lie along the equators of our two proposed paleopoles. We also find that four other re-magnetized giant impact basins lie along a great circle about the mean magnetic paleopole of Mars. These 11 impact basins, likely the result of fallen retrograde satellite fragments, indicate that Mars once had moons large enough to cause tidal drag on the early martian lithosphere. The results of this study suggest that the magnetic signatures of this tidal interaction have been preserved to the present day.     

Prediction of the South China Sea Dipole Using SSA-MEM

ABSTRACT

A dipole structure appears in the sea surface height off the central coast of Vietnam during boreal summer in the South China Sea. This dipole, which possesses a chlorophyll signature associated with higher phytoplankton concentrations arising from nutrient upwelling, is important for the productivity of local fisheries. Multi-satellite sea level anomalies are used to investigate the life cycle of the dipole structure. By applying empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, the third EOF mode (EOF 3) is found to represent the major variations of the dipole structure. By removing the temporal noise of EOF 3, a South China Sea dipole index is defined. This index captures the life cycle of the dipole including its generation, mature strength, and final termination. Both one-dimensional and two-dimensional forecasts are generated using a statistical forecasting method that combines singular-spectrum analysis and the maximum entropy method. The appearance of the dipole structure can be predicted with an accuracy of 78% at one-month lead times and an accuracy of 61% at one-year lead times.