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| Dust haze in Valles Marineris observed by HRSC and OMEGA on board Mars Express |
| We present analysis of a bright haze observed inside Valles Marineris, which formed in mid northern spring. The data were collected by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) and the imaging spectrometer, Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité (OMEGA), aboard Mars Express. This study provides a case example of the power of simultaneous multiple emission angle and hyperspectral imaging for study of aerosols and clouds in the Martian atmosphere. The haze appeared thinner after three days and disappeared in nine days. It was limited to a 2-km layer at the bottom of the canyon. The color was redder than the underlying surface. The analysis of the OMEGA spectra indicates that this haze was composed of dust particles. The dust layer appeared brighter with the HRSC stereo channels than the nadir channel due to longer scattering paths. We have estimated the optical depth of the haze by fitting both HRSC and OMEGA data with radiative transfer calculations. The retrieval of the optical depth is very sensitive to the aerosol scattering model used and the reflectance of the surface. Applying an aerosol scattering model derived from sky surveys at a constant elevation by the Imager for Mars Pathfinder, the optical depth of the haze is estimated from HRSC data to be within 1.7 to 2.3 at the wavelength of 0.675 micron. The wavelength dependence is obtained from OMEGA spectrum. It increases to 2.2-2.6 at lambda = 1.35 micron and moderately decreases to 1.2-1.8 at lambda = 2.4 micron. |
| Publication date: 09 Feb 2008 |
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| Modified Gradiometer Technique Applied to Double Star (TC-1) |
| Accepted for publication. Unedited accepted manuscript available online 7 February 2008 as PDF |
| Publication date: 07 Feb 2008 |
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| Slow dust in Enceladus' plume from condensation and wall collisions in tiger stripe fractures |
| One of the spectacular discoveries of the Cassini spacecraft was the plume of water vapour and icy particles (dust) originating near the south pole of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The data imply considerably smaller velocities for the grains than for the vapour, which has been difficult to understand. The gas and dust are too dilute in the plume to interact, so the difference must arise below the surface. Here we report a model for grain condensation and growth in channels of variable width. We show that repeated wall collisions of grains, with re-acceleration by the gas, induce an effective friction, offering a natural explanation for the reduced grain velocity. We derive particle speed and size distributions that reproduce the observed and inferred properties of the dust plume. The gas seems to form near the triple point of water; gas densities corresponding to sublimation from ice at temperatures less than 260 K are generally too low to support the measured particle fluxes. This in turn suggests liquid water below Enceladus' south pole. |
| Publication date: 07 Feb 2008 |
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| Extended SuperDARN and IMAGE observations for northward IMF: Evidence for dual lobe reconnection |
| We present observations of ionospheric convection in the Northern Hemisphere made by the SuperDARN radar network during a 3 h period on 3 December 2001. The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) during the time of observations is predominately northward with the By component changing from positive to slightly negative. During this period Cluster is skimming the southern high latitude dusk magnetopause and reveals that reconnection is going on quasi-continuously with the reconnection site being most of the time tailward of the southern cusp and always near the satellite location (Retinò, et al., 2005). Detailed analysis of the three dimensional distribution function indicates that Cluster samples magnetosheath lines connected with geomagnetic field lines tailward of the cusps in both hemispheres (Bavassano Cattaneo et al., 2006). The evolution of the ionospheric convection measured by SuperDARN, together with IMAGE FUV observations of aurorae and DMSP particle precipitation data, confirms Cluster observations and shows that simultaneous reconnection poleward of both the northern and southern cusps occurs at a variable rate on the dusk part of the magnetosphere when the IMF clock angle is small. |
| Publication date: 06 Feb 2008 |
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| An assessment of the role of the centrifugal acceleration mechanism in high altitude polar cap oxygen ion outflow |
| The role of the centrifugal acceleration mechanism for ion outflow at high altitude above the polar cap has been investigated. Magnetometer data from the four Cluster spacecraft has been used to obtain an estimate of magnetic field gradients. This is combined with ion moment data of the convection drift and the field-aligned particle velocity. Thus all spatial terms in the expression for the centrifugal acceleration are directly obtained from observations. The temporal variation of the unit vector of the magnetic field is estimated by predicting consecutive measurement-points through the use of observed estimates of the magnetic field gradients, and subtracting this from the consecutively observed value. The calculation has been performed for observations of outflowing O+ beams in January to May for the years 2001-2003, and covers an altitude range of about 5 to 12 RE. The accumulated centrifugal acceleration during each orbit is compared with the observed parallel velocities to get an estimate of the relative role of the centrifugal acceleration. Finally the observed spatial terms (parallel and perpendicular) of the centrifugal acceleration are compared with the results obtained when the magnetic field data was taken from the Tsyganenko T89 model instead. It is found that the centrifugal acceleration mechanism is significant, and may explain a large fraction of the parallel velocities observed at high altitude above the polar cap. The magnetic field model results underestimate the centrifugal acceleration at the highest altitudes investigated and show some systematic differences as compared to the observations in the lower altitude ranges investigated. - Remainder of abstract truncated - |
| Publication date: 04 Feb 2008 |
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| EISCAT and Cluster observations in the vicinity of the dynamical polar cap boundary |
| The dynamics of the polar cap boundary and auroral oval in the nightside ionosphere are studied during late expansion and recovery of a substorm from the region between Tromsø (66.6° cgmLat) and Longyearbyen (75.2° cgmLat) on 27 February 2004 by using the coordinated EISCAT incoherent scatter radar, MIRACLE magnetometer and Cluster satellite measurements. During the late substorm expansion/early recovery phase, the polar cap boundary (PCB) made zig-zag-type motion with amplitude of 2.5° cgmLat and period of about 30 min near magnetic midnight. We suggest that the poleward motions of the PCB were produced by bursts of enhanced reconnection at the near-Earth neutral line (NENL). The subsequent equatorward motions of the PCB would then represent the recovery of the merging line towards the equilibrium state (Cowley and Lockwood, 1992). The observed bursts of enhanced westward electrojet just equatorward of the polar cap boundary during poleward expansions were produced plausibly by particles accelerated in the vicinity of the neutral line and thus lend evidence to the Cowley-Lockwood paradigm.
- Remainder of abstract truncated - |
| Publication date: 04 Feb 2008 |
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| Observed tail current systems associated with bursty bulk flows and auroral streamers during a period of multiple substorms |
| We present a multi-instrument study of a substorm bursty bulk flow (BBF) and auroral streamer. During a substorm on 25 August 2003, which was one of a series of substorms that occurred between 00:00 and 05:00 UT, the Cluster spacecraft encountered a BBF event travelling Earthwards and duskwards with a velocity of ~500 kms-1 some nine minutes after the onset of the substorm. Coincident with this event the IMAGE spacecraft detected an auroral streamer in the substorm auroral bulge in the Southern Hemisphere near the footpoints of the Cluster spacecraft. Using FluxGate Magnetometer (FGM) data from the four Cluster spacecraft, we determine the field-aligned currents in the BBF, using the curlometer technique, to have been ~5 mA km-2. When projected into the ionosphere, these currents give ionospheric field-aligned currents of ~18 A km-2, which is comparable with previously observed ionospheric field-aligned currents associated with BBFs and auroral streamers. The observations of the BBF are consistent with the plasma "bubble" model of Chen and Wolf (1993). Furthermore, we show that the observations of the BBF are consistent with the creation of the BBF by the reconnection of open field lines Earthward of a substorm associated near-Earth neutral line.
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| Publication date: 04 Feb 2008 |
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| Spatium 21: The Earth's Ozone Layer |
| This issue of Spatium is devoted to the story of the ozone hole. It aims at familiarizing the reader with the crucial importance of the ozone layer for all living organisms on Earth, and to enhance his/her motivation to contribute to what we owe to future generations: a planet Earth that is capable of supporting the peaceful evolution of mankind. |
| Publication date: 01 Feb 2008 |
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| Spectral Identification of an Ancient Supernova using Light Echoes in the LMC |
| We report the successful identification of the type of the supernova responsible for the supernova remnant SNR 0509-675 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using Gemini spectra of surrounding light echoes. The ability to classify outbursts associated with centuries-old remnants provides a new window into several aspects of supernova research and is likely to be successful in providing new constraints on additional LMC supernovae as well as their historical counterparts in the Milky Way Galaxy (MWG). The combined spectrum of echo light from SNR 0509-675 shows broad emission and absorption lines consistent with a supernova (SN) spectrum. We create a spectral library consisting of 28 SNe Ia and 6 SN Ib/c that are time-integrated, dust-scattered by LMC dust, and reddened by the LMC and MWG. We fit these SN templates to the observed light echo spectrum using chi² minimization as well as correlation techniques, and we find that overluminous 91T-like SNe Ia with delta m15<0.9 match the observed spectrum best. |
| Publication date: 01 Feb 2008 |
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| The Persistence of Memory, or How the X-Ray Spectrum of SNR 0509-67.5 Reveals the Brightness of its Parent Type Ia Supernova |
| We examine the dynamics and X-ray spectrum of the young Type Ia supernova remnant 0509-67.5 in the context of the recent results obtained from the optical spectroscopy of its light echo. Our goal is to estimate the kinetic energy of the supernova explosion using Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the supernova remnant, thus placing the birth event of 0509-67.5 in the sequence of dim to bright Type Ia supernovae. We base our analysis on a standard grid of one-dimensional delayed detonation explosion models, together with hydrodynamic and X-ray spectral calculations of the supernova remnant evolution. From the remnant dynamics and the properties of the O, Si, S, and Fe emission in its X-ray spectrum we conclude that 0509-67.5 was originated ~400 years ago by a bright, highly energetic Type Ia explosion similar to SN 1991T. Our best model has a kinetic energy of 1.4x1051 erg and synthesizes 0.97 Msun of 56Ni. These results are in excellent agreement with the age estimate and spectroscopy from the light echo. We have thus established the first connection between a Type Ia supernova and its supernova remnant based on a detailed quantitative analysis of both objects. |
| Publication date: 01 Feb 2008 |
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| High-latitude Earth's magnetopause outside the cusp: Cluster observations |
| We investigated the ambient plasma and magnetic field conditions at high latitudes, as well as the macroparameters of the magnetopause. For this purpose we used Cluster spacecraft plasma and magnetic field data when all the interspacecraft distances were less than 300 km. We analyzed 154 magnetosheath-magnetosphere transitions which allow to distinguish different boundaries between the magnetosphere and the magnetosheath. First, we found transitions similar to the low-latitude boundary layer, the plasma mantle, and cusp-associated transitions. Second, we estimated the length of these transitions. Third, we found with high statistical evidence sub-Alfvénic magnetosheath plasma flows just above the plasma mantle. These flows are supposed to stabilize magnetopause reconnection. Fourth, we carried out an analysis of the magnetopause pressure balance. We found a group of 24 transitions during which both the thermal and the magnetic magnetosheath pressure exceeded the magnetospheric pressure, providing conditions for unusual magnetopause formation. Fifth, for 52 magnetopause crossings we obtained the orientation as well as distributions of velocity, thickness, and current density of the magnetopause. It was found that the magnetopause with an attached plasma mantle moves slower, is thinner, and reaches higher current densities than the one with an adjacent low-latitude-like boundary layer. A comparison with the magnetopause at low latitudes revealed that the high-latitude magnetopause is about two times thicker. |
| Publication date: 31 Jan 2008 |
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| Magnetic double gradient mechanism for flapping oscillations of a current sheet |
| A new kind of magnetohydrodynamic waves are analyzed for a current sheet in a presence of a small normal magnetic field component varying along the sheet. As a background, two simplified models of a current sheet are considered with a uniform and nonuniform current distributions in the current sheet. On a basis of these two models, the flapping-type waves are obtained which are related to a coexistence of two gradients of the tangential and normal magnetic field components along the normal and tangential directions with respect to the current sheet. A stable situation for the current sheet is associated with a positive result of the multiplication of the two magnetic gradients, and unstable (wave growth) condition corresponds to a negative result of the product. In the stable region, the "kink"-like wave mode is interpreted as so called flapping waves observed in the Earth's magnetotail current sheet. |
| Publication date: 31 Jan 2008 |
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| Observations of the development of electron temperature anisotropies in Earth's magnetosheath |
| Electron velocity distributions in Earth's magnetosheath exhibit a number of nonequilibrium characteristics, including a flat-topped shape at thermal energies and anisotropies relative to the magnetic field, with Tperp. e > Tparallel e. These features are related to processes at the bow shock and within the magnetosheath. In the present investigation we focus our attention on the development of the electron temperature anisotropy in the magnetosheath, employing the simultaneous multispacecraft data obtained by the Plasma Electron and Current Experiment (PEACE) on board Cluster. Such studies remove the temporal ambiguities introduced by single-spacecraft analyses. We find that the electron velocity space distributions just behind the bow shock are nearly isotropic with a slight Tperp. e > Tparallel e anisotropy, whereas deeper into the magnetosheath the electrons exhibit a significant Tperp. e > Tparallel e anisotropy. We find observational evidence for two processes that contribute to the sheath anisotropy. There is a clear decrease of suprathermal electrons at 0° and 180° pitch angles, suggesting that this population suffers losses (e.g., into the upstream region) related to the global configuration. Additionally, an ongoing local mechanism inflates the 90° pitch angle suprathermal electron population. |
| Publication date: 31 Jan 2008 |
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| Depth of a strong jovian jet from a planetary-scale disturbance driven by storms |
| The atmospheres of the gas giant planets (Jupiter and Saturn) contain jets that dominate the circulation at visible levels. The power source for these jets (solar radiation, internal heat, or both) and their vertical structure below the upper cloud are major open questions in the atmospheric circulation and meteorology of giant planets. Several observations and in situ measurements found intense winds at a depth of 24 bar, and have been interpreted as supporting an internal heat source. This issue remains controversial, in part because of effects from the local meteorology. Here we report observations and modelling of two plumes in Jupiter's atmosphere that erupted at the same latitude as the strongest jet (23° N). The plumes reached a height of 30 km above the surrounding clouds, moved faster than any other feature (169 m s-1), and left in their wake a turbulent planetary-scale disturbance containing red aerosols. On the basis of dynamical modelling, we conclude that the data are consistent only with a wind that extends well below the level where solar radiation is deposited. |
| Publication date: 24 Jan 2008 |
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| Electron flat-top distributions around the magnetic reconnection region |
| Cluster multisatellite observations provide snapshots of electron distributions around the magnetic neutral line. An isotropic flat-top-type electron distribution in phase space is frequently observed around the X line, together with large ion velocities and a Hall quadrupole-like magnetic field inside the hot and tenuous plasma sheet in the magnetotail. The flat-top distributions are also associated with a finite magnetic field in the direction normal to the neutral sheet, and the cross-tail current density is sometimes very small. These results indicate that the flat-top-type distribution is mainly located near the outer boundary of the ion diffusion region in the plasma sheet outflow region, before reaching the pileup region with large normal component of the magnetic field. Simultaneously with the flat-top distributions, strong field-aligned electron beams mainly toward the X line are occasionally observed. This type of beam is mainly observed in the off-equatorial plasma sheet and also appears well inside the plasma sheet. Typical energies of the beam are 410 keV, which is comparable to the upper edge of flat-top energy. These highly accelerated electron distributions have a steep decrease in phase space density at the high-energy end, and it is found that they are not correlated with the increase of the higher-energy electrons related to suprathermal acceleration (>30 keV). This result indicates that the electron acceleration processes for the flat-top-type distributions are different from the suprathermal components, both of which are beyond the conventional MHD outflow acceleration and considered to be associated with some kinetic processes. |
| Publication date: 24 Jan 2008 |
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| Hard X-ray emission from eta Carinae |
Context. If relativistic particle acceleration takes place in colliding-wind binaries, hard X-rays and gamma-rays are expected through inverse Compton emission, but to date these have never been unambiguously detected.
Aims. To detect this emission, observations of eta Carinae were performed with INTEGRAL, leveraging its high spatial resolution.
Methods. Deep hard X-ray images of the region of eta Car were constructed in several energy bands.
Results. The hard X-ray emission previously detected by BeppoSax around eta Car originates from at least 3 different point sources. The emission of eta Car itself can be isolated for the first time, and its spectrum unambiguously analyzed. The X-ray emission of eta Car in the 22-100 keV energy range is very hard (Gamma ~ 1±0.4 ) and its luminosity is 7x1033erg s-1.
Conclusions. The observed emission is in agreement with the predictions of inverse Compton models, and corresponds to about 0.1% of the energy available in the wind collision. Eta Car is expected to be detected in the GeV energy range. |
| Publication date: 20 Jan 2008 |
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| Million-Degree Plasma Pervading the Extended Orion Nebula |
| Most stars form as members of large associations within dense, very cold (10 to 100 Kelvin) molecular clouds. The nearby giant molecular cloud in Orion hosts several thousand stars of ages less than a few million years, many of which are located in or around the famous Orion Nebula, a prominent gas structure illuminated and ionized by a small group of massive stars (the Trapezium). We present x-ray observations obtained with the X-ray Multi-Mirror satellite XMM-Newton, revealing that a hot plasma with a temperature of 1.7 to 2.1 million kelvin pervades the southwest extension of the nebula. The plasma flows into the adjacent interstellar medium. This x-ray outflow phenomenon must be widespread throughout our Galaxy. |
| Publication date: 18 Jan 2008 |
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| Asteroids 2867 Steins and 21 Lutetia: surface composition from far infrared observations with the Spitzer space telescope |
Aims.The aim of this paper is to investigate the surface composition of the two asteroids 21 Lutetia and 2867 Steins, targets of the Rosetta space mission.
Methods.We observed the two asteroids through their full rotational periods with the Infrared Spectrograph of the Spitzer Space Telescope to investigate the surface properties. The analysis of their thermal emission spectra was carried out to detect emissivity features that diagnose the surface composition.
Results. For both asteroids, the Christiansen peak, the Reststrahlen, and the Transparency features were detected. The thermal emissivity shows a clear analogy to carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, in particular to the CO-CV types for 21 Lutetia, while for 2867 Steins, already suggested as belonging to the E-type asteroids, the similarity to the enstatite achondrite meteorite is confirmed. |
| Publication date: 15 Jan 2008 |
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| Observation of energetic electrons within magnetic islands |
| Magnetic reconnection is the underlying process that releases impulsively an enormous amount of magnetic energy in solar flares, flares on strongly magnetized neutron stars and substorms in the Earth's magnetosphere. Studies of energy release during solar flares, in particular, indicate that up to 50% of the released energy is carried by accelerated 20-100 keV suprathermal electrons. How so many electrons can gain so much energy during reconnection has been a long-standing question. A recent theoretical study suggests that volume-filling contracting magnetic islands formed during reconnection can produce a large number of energetic electrons. Here we report the first evidence of the link between energetic electrons and magnetic islands during reconnection in the Earth's magnetosphere. The results indicate that energetic electron fluxes peak at sites of compressed density within islands, which imposes a new constraint on theories of electron acceleration. |
| Publication date: 15 Jan 2008 |
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| Flux transfer events simultaneously observed by Polar and Cluster: Flux rope in the subsolar region and flux tube addition to the polar cusp |
| In this paper we present observational evidence of a flux transfer event observed simultaneously at low-latitude by Polar and at high-latitude by Cluster. This event occurs on 21 March 2002, when both Cluster and Polar are located near local noon but with a large latitudinal separation. During the event, Cluster is moving outbound from the polar cusp to the magnetosheath and Polar is in the magnetosheath near the equatorial magnetopause. The observations show that a flux transfer event occurs between the equator and the northern cusp. Polar and Cluster observe the FTE's two open flux tubes: Polar encounters the southward moving flux tube near the equator and Cluster encounters the northward moving flux tube at high latitude. The low-latitude FTE appears to be a flux rope with helical magnetic field lines as it has a strong core field and the magnetic field component in the boundary normal direction exhibits a strong bipolar variation. Unlike the low-latitude FTE, the high-latitude FTE observed by Cluster does not exhibit the characteristic bipolar perturbation in the magnetic field. However, the plasma data clearly reveal its open flux tube configuration. It shows that the magnetic field lines have straightened inside the FTE and become more aligned to the neighboring flux tubes as it moves to the cusp. Enhanced electrostatic fluctuations have been observed within the FTE core, both at low and high latitudes. This event provides a unique opportunity to understand high-latitude FTE signatures and the nature of time-varying reconnection. It shows that existing FTE models cannot accommodate all the features in global observations, and coordinated measurements from largely spaced multiple spacecraft place important constraints which are crucial to the development and refinement of FTE models. |
| Publication date: 12 Jan 2008 |
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