Negative ions in the Enceladus plume

During Cassini’s Enceladus encounter on 12th March 2008, the Cassini Electron Spectrometer, part of the CAPS instrument, detected fluxes of negative ions in the plumes from Enceladus. It is thought that these ions include negatively charged water group cluster ions associated with the plume and forming part of the ‘plume ionosphere’. In this paper we present our observations, argue that these are negative ions, and present preliminary mass identifications. We also suggest mechanisms for production and loss of the ions as constrained by the observations. Due to their short lifetime, we suggest that the ions are produced in or near the water vapour plume, or from the extended source of ice grains in the plume. We suggest that Enceladus now joins the Earth, Comet Halley and Titan as locations in the Solar System where negative ions have been directly observed although the ions observed in each case have distinctly different characteristics.     

Dynamics of Saturn's magnetodisk near Titan's orbit: Comparison of Cassini magnetometer observations from real and virtual Titan flybys

We analyze the variability of the ambient magnetospheric field along Titan's orbit at 20.3 Saturn radii. However, while our preceding study (Simon et al., 2010) focused on Cassini magnetometer observations from the 62 Titan flybys (TA-T62) between October 2004 and October 2009, the present work discusses magnetic field data that were collected near Titan's orbit when the moon was far away. In analogy to the observations during TA-T62, the magnetospheric fields detected during these 79 “virtual” Titan flybys are strongly affected by the presence of Saturn's bowl-shaped and highly dynamic magnetodisk current sheet. We therefore provide a systematic classification of the magnetic field observations as magnetodisk current sheet or lobe-type scenarios. Among the 141 (62 real+79 virtual) crossings of Titan's orbit between July 2004 and December 2009, only 17 encounters (9 real+8 virtual) took place within quiet, magnetodisk lobe-type fields. During another 50 encounters (21 real+29 virtual), rapid transitions between current sheet and lobe fields were observed around the moon's orbital plane. Most of the encounters (54=22 real+32 virtual) occurred when Titan's orbit was embedded in highly distorted current sheet fields, thereby invalidating the frequently applied idealized picture of Titan interacting with a homogeneous and stationary magnetospheric background field. The locations of real and virtual Titan flybys are correlated to each other. Each of the 62 real Titan flybys possesses at least one virtual counterpart that occurred shortly before or after the real encounter and at nearly the same orbital position. A systematic comparison between Cassini magnetometer observations from the real Titan flybys and their virtual companions suggests that there is no clear evidence of Titan exerting a significant level of control on the vertical oscillatory motion of the magnetodisk near its orbit.     

Long term ionospheric electron content variations over Delhi

Ionospheric electron content (IEC) observed at Delhi (geographic co-ordinates: 28.63°N, 77.22°E; geomagnetic co-ordinates: 19.08°N, 148.91E; dip Latitude 24.8°N), India, for the period 1975/80 and 1986/89 belonging to an ascending phase of solar activity during first halves of solar cycles 21 and 22 respectively have been used to study the diurnal, seasonal, solar and magnetic activity variations. The diurnal variation of seasonal mean of IEC on quiet days shows a secondary peak comparable to the daytime peak in equinox and winter in high solar activity. IEC_max (daytime maximum value of IEC, one per day) shows winter anomaly only during high solar activity at Delhi. Further, IEC_max shows positive correlation with F_10.7 up to about 200 flux units at equinox and 240 units both in winter and summer; for greater F_10.7 values, IEC_max is substantially constant in all the seasons. IECmax and magnetic activity (A_p) are found to be positively correlated in summer in high solar activity. Winter IEC_max shows positive correlation with A_p in low solar activity and negative correlation in high solar activity in both the solar cycles. In equinox IEC_max is independent of A_p in both solar cycles in low solar activity. A study of day-to-day variations in IEC_max shows single day and alternate day abnormalities, semi-annual and annual variations controlled by the equatorial electrojet strength, and 27-day periodicity attributable to the solar rotation.     

Drift loss cone instability in the ring current and plasma sheet

The drift loss cone instability, propagating nearly transverse to the ambient magnetic field, is studied in the ring current plasma taking into account the relative driftU between electrons and protons due to density gradients. The growth rates attain maxima and then decrease as the wave number parallel to the magnetic fieldk _II increases. The peak values of the growth rates, maximised with respect tok _II, are enhanced by the increase in number density, electron temperature and loss cone index, and by the decrease in β_t, the ratio of the proton thermal pressure to magnetic field pressure. The unstable frequencies fall in the range of 5 to 30Ω_p with the growth rate γ ≥Ω_p. In the ring current region betweenL=4 and 5, the instability will generate a strong turbulence in the frequency range between 5–500 Hz which can produce fluctuating electric fields 0. 5–5 mV/m and magnetic field 0.8–80mγ. This instability can also occur on the auroral field lines, which connect to the region of intense earthward plasma flow in the distant magnetotail and produce a broad band electrostatic noise.     

Ionospheric conductance distribution and MHD wave structure: observation and model

The ionosphere influences magnetohydrodynamic waves in the magnetosphere by damping because of Joule heating and by varying the wave structure itself. There are different eigenvalues and eigensolutions of the three dimensional toroidal wave equation if the height integrated Pedersen conductivity exceeds a critical value, namely the wave conductance of the magnetosphere. As a result a jump in frequency can be observed in ULF pulsation records. This effect mainly occurs in regions with gradients in the Pedersen conductances, as in the auroral oval or the dawn and dusk areas. A pulsation event recorded by the geostationary GOES-6 satellite is presented. We explain the observed change in frequency as a change in the wave structure while crossing the terminator. Furthermore, selected results of numerical simulations in a dipole magnetosphere with realistic ionospheric conditions are discussed. These are in good agreement with the observational data.     

火星磁层探测结果的分析研究

重点介绍和分析了国际上对火星磁层探测所取得的资料，并与地球和太阳系其他一些行星磁层进行了对比，简单介绍了火星磁层的理论研究概况，指出了目前火星磁层研究中的主要问题。     

基于Van Allen Probes EMFISIS波动仪器观测的内磁层下频带哨声合声波全球分布的统计分析

基于Van Allen Probes近三年的EMFISIS仪器波动观测数据,对内磁层下频带哨声模合声波幅度的全球分布特性对地磁活动水平的依赖性进行了详细的统计分析,着重研究下频带合声波平均场强幅度随磁壳值L、磁地方时、地磁纬度的分布特征及不同强度区间的合声波的发生概率.结果表明,下频带合声波的波动强度与地磁活动密切正相关,处于强磁扰期间的合声波具有更大的振幅,其发生率与地磁活动强度具有同样的正相关特性.下频带合声波主要发生于午夜至下午的磁地方时区间,其余的磁地方时时段下频带合声波较弱.赤道面附近的下频带合声波主要分布在夜侧至黎明这一时段内,随着磁纬度的增加逐步向日侧扩展.下频带合声波在午夜侧(21-03 MLT)主要出现在15°的磁纬范围内,在晨侧(03-09 MLT)可以到达15°磁纬甚至更高纬度.下频带合声波主要发生于L=~4.5的附近区域.随着地磁活动的增加,下频带合声波所覆盖的L-shell空间区域增大,趋势为向高、低L值区域同时扩展.建立的下频带哨声合声波的全球分布模型将有助于进一步深入理解该重要磁层波动对辐射带电子的波粒作用散射效应和对辐射带动力学过程的定量贡献.     

地球磁层的磁场模型

1958年卫星探测发现了磁层,至今已有半个世纪,对磁层电场、电流体系、磁场、粒子分布和等离子体波的探测研究构成了空间物理的重要内容,其结果是各种磁层模型的出现.本文简要综述磁层磁场建模的基本原理、方法和发展历史,对十几种重要的磁层模型的特点、局限性和适用范围进行了对比分析,以Tyganenko模型为例,讨论了磁层模型发展的趋势.     

The interaction of the stellar wind with an extrasolar planet—3D hybrid and drift-kinetic simulations

To be able to simulate the interaction of extrasolar planets with the stellar wind, a number of planetary parameters are required. Some of these (like planetary mass and radius) can be obtained directly from observational data. Other properties are not known very precisely. For example, up to now, there is no observation providing information on the strength of planetary magnetic moments. However, there is good reason to expect only very small magnetic moments for planets in very close orbits around their stars (like HD 209458 b and OGLE-TR-56 b). Thus, as a first step towards a more complete treatment, it seems reasonable to treat the interaction of the stellar wind with an unmagnetized planet. Calculations were performed for a nonconducting as well as for a weakly conducting planet. The interaction with the stellar wind and the resulting induced magnetosphere was simulated using a three dimensional hybrid code as well as in the drift-kinetic approximation. The effect of a interplanetary magnetic field oriented perpendicular to the incoming stellar wind was included. In the case of a weakly conducting body an asymmetrical Mach cone is formed, whereas for a nonconducting body no Mach cone is observed. These investigations will serve as the first step in the search for particular effects occurring at extrasolar planets, which could possibly lead to observable effects, e.g. radio emission. The results are also relevant for plasma structures near weakly conducting, unmagnetized bodies like the Earth's moon.