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| Magnetic support of the optical emission line filaments in NGC 1275 |
| The giant elliptical galaxy NGC 1275, at the centre of the Perseus cluster, is surrounded by a well-known giant nebulosity of emission-line filaments, which are plausibly in excess of 108 years old. The filaments are dragged out from the centre of the galaxy by radio-emitting 'bubbles' rising buoyantly in the hot intracluster gas, before later falling back. They act as markers of the feedback process by which energy is transferred from the central massive black hole to the surrounding gas. The mechanism by which the filaments are stabilized against tidal shear and dissipation into the surrounding extremely hot (4x107 K) gas has been unclear. Here we report observations that resolve thread-like structures in the filaments. Some threads extend over 6 kpc, yet are only 70 pc wide. We conclude that magnetic fields in the threads, in pressure balance with the surrounding gas, stabilize the filaments, so allowing a large mass of cold gas to accumulate and delay star formation. |
| Publication date: 21 Aug 2008 |
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| Ground-based and Venus Express Coordinated Campaign |
Beyond their intrinsic interest, ground-based observations have proven their usefulness in supporting spacecraft observations of Solar System bodies. Probably the most spectacular illustration ever was provided during the descent of the Huygens Probe on Titan, when the radio astronomy segment detected the "channel A" carrier signal from Huygens and allowed the recovery of the Doppler Wind Experiment that had been compromised by the failure of the corresponding Cassini channel (Lebreton et al., 2005). Furthermore, ground-based science observations performed during or around the Huygens mission provided new, complementary information on Titan's atmosphere and surface, helping to put the Huygens observations into context (Witasse et al., 2006). Another example of a successful ground-based campaign is the Deep Impact event, when numerous Earth-based and Earth-orbiting observatories monitored comet 9P/Tempel 1 when it was hit by the impactor (Meech et al., 2005).
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| Publication date: 15 Aug 2008 |
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| Transport of transient solar wind particles in Earth's cusps |
| An important problem in space physics still not understood well is how the solar wind enters the Earth's magnetosphere. Evidence is presented that transient solar wind particles produced by solar disturbances can appear in the Earth's mid-altitude (~5 RE geocentric) cusps with densities nearly equal to those in the magnetosheath. That these are magnetosheath particles is established by showing they have the same "flattop" electron distributions as magnetosheath electrons behind the bow shock. The transient ions are moving parallel to the magnetic field (B) toward Earth and often coexist with ionospheric particles that are flowing out. The accompanying waves include electromagnetic and broadband electrostatic noise emissions and Bernstein mode waves. Phase-space distributions show a mixture of hot and cold electrons and multiple ion species including field-aligned ionospheric O+ beams. |
| Publication date: 11 Aug 2008 |
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| A magnetic null geometry reconstructed from Cluster spacecraft observations |
| This paper reports for the first time the identification of a magnetic structure around a magnetic null in a magnetic reconnection region in the magnetotail. Magnetic reconnection is one of the fundamental processes in astrophysical and solar-terrestrial plasmas. Though the concept of reconnection has been studied for many years, the process that really occurs has not been fully revealed by direct measurements. In particular, the lack of a description of three-dimensional (3-D) reconnecting magnetic field from observations makes the task more difficult. The Cluster spacecraft array provide an opportunity to reconstruct the 3-D magnetic reconnection structure based on magnetic field vectors simultaneously measured at four positions. The identification of this structure comes from a new method of analysis of in situ measurements proposed here. Applying a fitting model of 10 spherical harmonic functions and a Harris current sheet function, plus a constant field, we reconstruct a 3-D magnetic field configuration around the magnetic null in an reconnection event observed by Cluster in the geo-magnetotail. |
| Publication date: 08 Aug 2008 |
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| Statistical analysis of plasmaspheric plumes with Cluster/WHISPER observations |
| Plasmaspheric plumes have been routinely observed by the four Cluster spacecraft. This paper presents a statistical analysis of plumes observed during five years (from 1 February 2001 to 1 February 2006) based on four-point measurements of the plasmasphere (outside 4 Earth radii) as it is sampled by the spacecraft in a narrow local time sector before and after perigee. Plasmaspheric plumes can be identified from electron density profiles derived from the electron plasma frequency determined by the WHISPER wave sounder onboard Cluster. As the WHISPER instrument has a limited frequency range (2-80 kHz) only plumes with densities below 80 cm-3 can be identified in this way. Their occurrence is studied as a function of several geomagnetic indices (Kp, am and Dst). Their transverse equatorial size, magnetic local time distribution, L position and density variation are discussed. Plasmaspheric plumes are observed mostly for moderate Kp and never for small Dst. They are found mainly in the afternoon and pre-midnight MLT sectors. Comparisons are also made between the density profiles of the plumes as they are crossed on the in- and outbound legs of the orbit, before and after perigee crossing, respectively. |
| Publication date: 06 Aug 2008 |
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| Diagnosis of magnetic structures and intermittency in space-plasma turbulence using the technique of surrogate data |
| Intermittency is usually identified in turbulent flows as non-Gaussian tails of the probability density functions (PDFs) of the turbulent field derivatives. Here we investigate the role of phase coherence among the Fourier modes in creating intermittency in magnetized space plasmas using the technique of surrogate data. We apply the technique to two examples: (i) synthetic data and (ii) magnetic field fluctuations recorded in the terrestrial magnetosheath by the Cluster spacecraft. We use a set of four series of data, one observed and three surrogate, and their PDFs and moments (q<=4) as discriminating statistics. We show that the technique allows for detecting coherent structures and estimating their scales. We show furthermore that the phases, but not the amplitudes, create the non-Gaussian tails of the PDFs. We show also that the surrogate data used cannot account for asymmetries of the PDFs of the observed data. This enables us to confirm a scenario of turbulent cascade of mirror structures proposed in previous publications, by showing the existence of an approximately constant energy flux in the inertial range. |
| Publication date: 05 Aug 2008 |
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| Characteristic Parameters of Drift Vortices Coupled to Alfvén Waves in an Inhomogeneous Space Plasma |
| We present detailed measurements of ion scale vortices of drift type coupled to Alfvén waves in an inhomogeneous and collisionless space magnetoplasma. The two free parameters of a dipolar vortex, intensity and spatial radius, are measured. The vortices are driven by a strong density gradient on a boundary layer with scale size of the same order as the vortex diameter. Observations of vortices off the gradient show that symmetry-breaking conditions in a real inhomogeneous plasma can lead not only to cross-field but also to cross-boundary anomalous transport of particles and energy. |
| Publication date: 04 Aug 2008 |
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| Convective high-speed flow and field-aligned high-speed flows explored by TC-1 |
| From June 1, 2004 to October 31, 2006, a total 465 high-speed flow events are observed by the TC-1 satellite in the near-Earth region (-13 RE < x < -9 RE, |Y|<10 RE, |Z|<5 RE). Based on the angle between the flow and the magnetic field, the high-speed flow events are further divided into two types, that is, field-aligned high-speed flow (FAHF) in the plasma sheet boundary and convective bursty bulk flow (BBF) in the center plasma sheet. Among the total 465 high-speed flow events, there are 371 FAHFs, and 94 BBFs. The CHF are mainly concentrated in the plasma sheet, the intersection angle between the flow and the magnetic field is larger, the magnetic field intensity is relatively weak. The FHF are mainly distributed near the boundary layer of the plasma sheet, the intersection angle between the flow and magnetic field is smaller, and the magnetic field intensity is relatively strong. The convective BBFs have an important effect on the substorm. |
| Publication date: 02 Aug 2008 |
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| ESA's report to the 37th COSPAR meeting - LISA Pathfinder section |
| ESA's report to the 37th COSPAR meeting (13-20 July 2008) covers the missions of the Science Programme of ESA. This section contains the report on the LISA Pathfinder mission. |
| Publication date: 01 Aug 2008 |
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| Spatium 22: Solar Magnetism - Discovery and Investigation |
| The present issue of Spatium is devoted to solar magnetism. Baffled by the thought that a hot gaseous Sun should have a magnetic field, such ideas came up only very late.
It was George Ellery Hale who suggested solar magnetism in 1908. This edition of Spatium is a written version of the fascinating public lecture that was held by Professor Eugene Parker at the University of Bern on 23 January 2008, as part of the ISSI workshop on solar magnetism. |
| Publication date: 01 Aug 2008 |
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| The identification of liquid ethane in Titan's Ontario Lacus |
| Titan was once thought to have global oceans of light hydrocarbons on its surface, but after 40 close flybys of Titan by the Cassini spacecraft, it has become clear that no such oceans exist. There are, however, features similar to terrestrial lakes and seas, and widespread evidence for fluvial erosion, presumably driven by precipitation of liquid methane from Titan's dense, nitrogen-dominated atmosphere. Here we report infrared spectroscopic data, obtained by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on board the Cassini spacecraft, that strongly indicate that ethane, probably in liquid solution with methane, nitrogen and other low-molecular-mass hydrocarbons, is contained within Titan's Ontario Lacus. |
| Publication date: 31 Jul 2008 |
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| Electron trapping around a magnetic null |
| Magnetic reconnection is an important process in astrophysical, space and laboratory plasmas. The magnetic null pair structure is theoretically suggested to be a crucial feature of the three-dimensional magnetic reconnection. The physics around the null pair, however, has not been explored in combination with the magnetic field configuration deduced from in situ observations. Here, we report the identification of the configuration around a null pair and simultaneous electron dynamics near one null of the pair, observed by four Cluster spacecraft in the geo-magnetotail. Further, we propose a new scenario of electron dynamics in the null region, suggesting that electrons are temporarily trapped in the central reconnection region including electron diffusion region resulting in an electron density peak, accelerated possibly by parallel electric field and electron pressure gradient, and reflected from the magnetic cusp mirrors leading to the bi-directional energetic electron beams, which excite the observed high frequency electrostatic waves. |
| Publication date: 29 Jul 2008 |
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| Manufacturing and verification of ZnS and Ge prisms for the JWST MIRI imager |
| In "Advanced Optical and Mechanical Technologies in Telescopes and Instrumentation", edited by Eli Atad-Ettedgui, Dietrich Lemke, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 7018, 701823, (2008), doi: 10.1117/12.789148 The JWST Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is designed to meet the JWST science requirements for mid-IR capabilities and includes an Imager MIRIM provided by CEA (France). A double-prism assembly (DPA) allows MIRIM to perform low-resolution spectroscopy. The MIRIM DPA shall meet a number of challenging requirements in terms of optical and mechanical constraints, especially severe optical tolerances, limited envelope and very high vibration loads.
The University of Cologne (Germany) and the Centre Spatial de Liege (Belgium) are responsible for design, manufacturing, integration, and testing of the prism assembly. A companion paper (Fischer et al. 2008) is presenting the science drivers and mechanical design of the DPA, while this paper is focusing on optical manufacturing and overall verification processes.
The first part of this paper describes the manufacturing of Zinc-sulphide and Germanium prisms and techniques to ensure an accurate positioning of the prisms in their holder. (1) The delicate manufacturing of Ge and ZnS materials and (2) the severe specifications on the bearing and optical surfaces flatness and the tolerance on the prism optical angles make this process innovating. The specifications verification is carried out using mechanical and optical measurements; the implemented techniques are described in this paper.
The second part concerns the qualification program of the double-prism assembly, including the prisms, the holder and the prisms anti-reflective coatings qualification. Both predictions and actual test results are shown. |
| Publication date: 25 Jul 2008 |
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| NIRSpec OA development process of SiC components |
| "Advanced Optical and Mechanical Technologies in Telescopes and Instrumentation". Edited by Atad-Ettedgui, Eli; Lemke, Dietrich. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 7018, pp. 70180R-70180R-13 (2008)
The NIRSpec OA (optical assembly) design largely relies on SiC components. The properties of the SiC material and very tight stability budgets required a dedicated development process. Starting from validation of design principles by breadboard testing, this paper describes the development process up to the SM test of the NIRSpec optical assembly. From breadboard testing the design of the mounting interface was established. The test programme also included gluing processes, torque free mounting of mirrors and verification of stability of friction joints. The basic design rules for the mirrors to cope with distortion of mirror surfaces due to bi-metallic bending effects and flatness deficiencies were derived. A modular design using 3 TMAs (Three Mirror Anastigmats) was followed for the OA. From the overall design, budget allocations and design loads for the TMAs were determined. The detailed design process was then driven by distortion budget allocations derived from optical analysis. Due to stringent stability requirements and high mechanical loads, most elements needed several design iterations to meet the budget allocations. Finally, distortions and displacements of the optical elements under the predictable in-orbit conditions were calculated and used in the optical model. The effects can be partially compensated by adjustment. The budget allocation was then revised to account for non-predictable effects only.
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| Publication date: 25 Jul 2008 |
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| Performance of the JWST/MIRI Si:As detectors |
| In "High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy III", edited by David A. Dorn, Andrew D. Holland, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 7021, 70210O, (2008), doi: 10.1117/12.789606
The Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is a 5 to 28 micron imager and spectrometer that is slated to fly aboard the JWST in 2013. Each of the flight arrays is a 1024x1024 pixel Si:As impurity band conductor detector array, developed by RaytheonVision Systems. JPL, in conjunction with the MIRI science team, has selected the three flight arrays along with their spares. We briefly summarize the development of these devices, then describe the measured performance of the flight arrays along with supplemental data from sister flight-like parts. |
| Publication date: 24 Jul 2008 |
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| High-precision cryogenic wheel mechanisms for the JWST NIRSpec instrument |
| Advanced Optical and Mechanical Technologies in Telescopes and Instrumentation. Edited by Atad-Ettedgui, Eli; Lemke, Dietrich. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 7018, pp. 701821-701821-12 (2008)
The Grating and Filter Wheel Mechanisms of the JWST NIRSpec instrument allow for reconfiguration of the spectrograph in space in a number of NIR sub-bands and spectral resolutions. Challenging requirements need to be met simultaneously including high launch loads, the large temperature shift to cryo-space, high position repeatability and minimum deformation of the mounted optics. The design concept of the NIRSpec wheel mechanisms is based on the ISOPHOT Filter Wheels but with significant enhancements to support much larger optics. A well-balanced set of design parameters was to be found and a considerable effort was spent to adjust the hardware within narrow tolerances. |
| Publication date: 23 Jul 2008 |
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| JWST NIRSpec mechanical design |
| Advanced Optical and Mechanical Technologies in Telescopes and Instrumentation. Edited by Atad-Ettedgui, Eli; Lemke, Dietrich. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 7018, pp. 70181Y-70181Y-15 (2008)
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) mission is a collaborative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and is considered as the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The European contribution consists in providing the Ariane 5 launcher and two out of the four instruments: a combined mid-infrared camera/spectrograph (MIRI) and a near infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec). This article will address the mechanical aspects of NIRSpec by providing an overview of the design drivers and the related solutions for the structure, the thermal design and the mechanisms so as to achieve the required stringent optical performances. The industrial set-up and the project development status will also be presented. |
| Publication date: 23 Jul 2008 |
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| Characterization of the detector subsystem for the near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec) on the James Webb Space Telescope |
| High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy III. Edited by Dorn, David A.; Holland, Andrew D. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 7021, pp. 702127-702127-12 (2008)
We present interim results from the characterization test development for the Detector Subsystem of the Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec). NIRSpec will be the primary near-infrared spectrograph on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The Detector Subsystem consists of a Focal Plane Assembly containing two Teledyne HAWAII-2RG arrays, two Teledyne SIDECAR cryogenic application specific integrated circuits, and a warm Focal Plane Electronics box. The Detector Characterization Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center will perform the Detector Subsystem characterization tests. In this paper, we update the initial test results obtained with engineering grade components. |
| Publication date: 22 Jul 2008 |
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| Development of a focal plane module for JWST/MIRI |
| In "High Energy, Optical, and Infrared Detectors for Astronomy III", edited by David A. Dorn, Andrew D. Holland, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 7021, 70210N, (2008), doi: 10.1117/12.789726
We present the development of a Focal Plane Module (FPM) for the Mid-Infrared Instrument on JWST. MIRI will include three FPMs, two for the spectrometer channels and one for the imager channel. The FPMs are designed to support the detectors at an operating temperature of 6.7 K with high temperature stability and precision alignment while being capable of surviving the launch environment. The flight units will be built and will undergo a rigorous test program in the first half of 2008. This paper includes a description of the full test program and will present the results. |
| Publication date: 22 Jul 2008 |
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| Hydrated silicate minerals on Mars observed by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter CRISM instrument |
| Phyllosilicates, a class of hydrous mineral first definitively identified on Mars by the OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, L'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activitié) instrument, preserve a record of the interaction of water with rocks on Mars. Global mapping showed that phyllosilicates are widespread but are apparently restricted to ancient terrains and a relatively narrow range of mineralogy (Fe/Mg and Al smectite clays). This was interpreted to indicate that phyllosilicate formation occurred during the Noachian (the earliest geological era of Mars), and that the conditions necessary for phyllosilicate formation (moderate to high pH and high water activity) were specific to surface environments during the earliest era of Mars's history. Here we report results from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) of phyllosilicate-rich regions. We expand the diversity of phyllosilicate mineralogy with the identification of kaolinite, chlorite and illite or muscovite, and a new class of hydrated silicate (hydrated silica). We observe diverse Fe/Mg-OH phyllosilicates and find that smectites such as nontronite and saponite are the most common, but chlorites are also present in some locations. Stratigraphic relationships in the Nili Fossae region show olivine-rich materials overlying phyllosilicate-bearing units, indicating the cessation of aqueous alteration before emplacement of the olivine-bearing unit. Hundreds of detections of Fe/Mg phyllosilicate in rims, ejecta and central peaks of craters in the southern highland Noachian cratered terrain indicate excavation of altered crust from depth. We also find phyllosilicate in sedimentary deposits clearly laid by water. These results point to a rich diversity of Noachian environments conducive to habitability. |
| Publication date: 16 Jul 2008 |
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