Engineering topics

Fuselier, S. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Fuselier, S. A..

At least 73 records · Page 4

NASA NTRS1989

Entry and acceleration of He(+) in the low latitude boundary layer

AMPTE/CCE He(+) and H(+) observations in the magnetosphere, low latitude boundary layer, and magnetosheath reveal that cold plasmaspheric He(+) distributions from the outer magnetosphere convect into the low latitude boundary layer. In the boundary layer, the cold He(+) is accelerated and heated to a few keV. The data are resolved in sufficient detail to show that the process of pickup of the cold He(+) distribution in the boundary layer H(+) flow may not be adequate to explain the observed He(+) distributions in the boundary layer.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1989

High-speed flows of H(+) and He(2+) ions at the magnetosphere

Observations of high-speed flows of H(+) and He(2+) ions obtained by the hot plasma composition experiment on AMPTE/CCE provide direct support for the single-particle approach to acceleration in current layers. These high-speed flows are attributed to single-fluid momentum balance across a magnetopause with a normal magnetic field and a tangential electric field. The flow speeds of the two ion species are found to be approximately equal.

Paschmann, G.↗

NASA NTRS1989

The velocity distributions of cometary protons picked up by the solar wind

Velocity space distributions of picked up cometary protons were measured by the ion mass spectrometer on the Giotto spacecraft upstream of the Halley bow shock. Large pitch angle anisotropies were observed at all distances greater than 1.2 x 10 to the 6th km from the comet. As expected, pitch angle diffusion was much more rapid than energy diffusion. When the field was quasi-parallel to the solar wind velocity vector, it was possible to discern the effect of pitch angle scattering by sunward propagating, field-aligned hydromagnetic waves, but there is evidence for other scattering modes as well. For quasi-perpendicular geometries, the pitch angle distribution was very asymmetric with phase space density peaks near pitch angles of 180 deg. It is suggested that the asymmetric pitch angle distribution may be caused by global rather than local wave-particle interactions. Just outside the shock, the pitch angle distribution was nearly isotropic and the radius of the pickup shell increased significantly.

Neugebauer, M.↗

NASA NTRS1988

AMPTE/CCE observations of shell-like He(2+) and O(6+) distributions in the magnetosheath

Simultaneous observations of solar wind He(2+) and O(6+) shell-like distributions in the magnetosheath were obtained by the AMPTE CCE on November 1, 1984. It is found that the present distributions are centered on the downstream H(+) bulk velocity and have radii proportional to the mass/charge ratio. The results support an electrostatic cross-shock potential model.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Cometary H2(+) and solar wind He(2+) dynamics across the Halley cometopause

Two Mass/Charge (M/Q) of about 2 distributions were observed by the Giotto Ion Mass Spectrometer/High Energy Range Spectrometer (IMS/HERS) during the encounter with comet Halley. The first, present throughout the encounter, is identified as solar wind He(2+). The second, detectable only within about 600,000 km of the nucleus, is identified as H2(+) (produced primarily by dissociation and ionization of cometary H2O). When these two distributions are separated, distinct differences in their dynamics are apparent, particularly in the density and velocity profiles near the 'cometopause'.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Ion and electron velocity distributions within flux transfer events

The detailed nature of the thermal and suprathermal ion and electron distributions within magnetic flux transfer events (FTEs) is examined. Examples of both magnetosheath FTEs and magnetospheric FTEs are discussed. The detailed distributions confirm that FTEs contain a mixture of magnetosheath and magnetospheric plasmas. To lowest order, the distributions are consistent with a simple superposition of the two interpenetrating populations, with no strong interactions between them. To first order, some interesting differences appear, especially in the electron distributions, suggesting that considerable pitch angle scattering and some electron energy diffusion are also occurring. These observations should provide a useful test of analytical and numerical studies of interpenetrating plasmas.

Thomsen, M. F.↗

NASA NTRS1987

The variation of protons, alpha particles, and the magnetic field across the bow shock of Comet Halley

Data from the Ion Mass Spectrometer and the magnetometer on the Giotto spacecraft are used to examine the structure of the inbound crossing of the Comet Halley bow shock on March 13, 1986. It is found that the velocity decrease, the field strength increase, and the heating of picked up cometary protons occurred over a broad region corresponding to several heavy-ion gyroradii. The solar-wind protons and alphas, on the other hand, were compressed and heated at a narrow structure on the leading edge of the broad shock region.

Neugebauer, M.↗

NASA NTRS1987

The foreshock region upstream from the Comet Halley bow shock

A few hours prior to the crossing of the Comet Halley bow shock, the Giotto spacecraft intermittently encountered an electron foreshock region. The electron foreshock is characterized by magnetic connection to the cometary bow shock and increased field aligned electron heat flux directed away from the bow shock. A similar region was intermittently encountered by the ICE spacecraft prior to its crossing of the Giacobini-Zinner bow wave. During periods of magnetic connection with the Halley bow shock, enhanced magnetic field fluctuations were observed. These enhancements are interpreted as indirect evidence of an ion foreshock in the electron foreshock. No clearly identifiable backstreaming protons are observed during these periods of magnetic connection, however, because it may be difficult to separate a backstreaming population from the cometary pick-up proton population already present in the upstream region.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Ion beams and the ion/ion acoustic instability upstream from the earth's bow shock

This paper considers the generation of enhanced ion acoustic fluctuations by field-aligned ion beams upstream from the earth's bow shock. Steep slopes in the beam distribution parallel and possibly strongly oblique to the magnetic field are correlated with bursts of ion acoustic noise in the upstream region. Linear theory shows that it is the slope of the beam distribution at oblique angles to the magnetic field that determines the growth rate of the ion/ion acoustic instability. Because of instrumentation limitations, it is suggested but not confirmed that enhanced ion acoustic fluctuations in the upstream region and in the presence of field-aligned beams are driven by such steep-sided distributions.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Fast shocks at the edges of hot diamagnetic cavities upstream from the earth's bow shock

Recently, several events described as hot expanding diamagnetic cavities have been observed upstream from the earth's bow shock using the ISEE 1 and 2 spacecraft. It has been suggested that fast shocks may form at the edges of some of these events because of the rapid expansion of the cavities. Here, plasma density, temperature, velocity, and total field changes across the edges of several events were examined, and these changes were found to be consistent with the presence of shocks there. The presence of flat-topped electron distributions and occasional electron beams at and down-stream from the edges provides additional evidence for shocks. Plasma wave observations also show shocklike electrostatic noise at the edges of several events. It is concluded that the edges of diamagnetic cavity events are often shocks, with a range of shock strengths similar to that observed in the interplanetary medium. The range of shock strengths may be the result of different convection and/or expansion speeds of the cavities.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Giotto-IMS observations of ion flow velocities and temperatures outside the contact surface of Comet Halley

Fluid parameters for He(++) ions obtained from the Giotto ion mass spectrometer are presented. Proton densities and velocities and thermal speeds of protons, alpha particles, and heavy ions in the hour before closest approach are discussed. A region of enhanced He(++) ion densities, and velocity, and decreased temperature is observed from 20:26 to 21:45. Sharp decreases in the proton density are observed at 23:30 and at 23:41. There is a relative flow velocity between alpha particles and oxygen ions of 30 km/sec during a period from 22:55 to 23:30; the difference in flow velocity is less than the experimental uncertainities. The flow properties of protons observed during this period are also discussed.

Goldstein, B. E.↗

NASA NTRS1986

The motion of ions specularly reflected off a quasi-parallel shock in the presence of large-amplitude, monochromatic MHD waves

A model is used to examine the motion of specularly reflected ions in the presence of large-amplitude, monochromatic, transverse MHD waves. The calculations of ion trajectories are described. The heating downstream from the quasi-parallel bow shock is analyzed. The relationship between the specularly reflected ions and their gyrospeeds and guiding center speeds is studied. The data reveal that the characteristics of the motion depend on the frequency, wavelength, phase, and amplitude of the wave that is converted into the shock.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Three component plasma electron distribution in the intermediate ionized coma of Comet Giacobini-Zinner

The observation of three distinct components of the electron distribution function measured in the intermediate ionized coma (IIC) and plasma tail of Comet Giacobini-Zinner is reported. It is believed that the cold component represents electrons produced close to the comet nucleus by ionization of cometary matter and subsequent cooling by Coulomb collisions. The second component also appears to be composed of electrons produced by photoionization of cometary neutrals, but sufficiently far from the nucleus that the distributions are largely unaffected by Coulomb interactions. The hot component is probably a population of electrons originating in the solar wind. Throughout the IIC, the electrostatic potential of the spacecraft was very low (less than 0.8 eV), implying that ICE generated very little impact-produced plasma during its passage.

Zwickl, R. D.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Heat flux observations and the location of the transition region boundary of Giacobini-Zinner

Electron heat flux observations and associated plasma phenomena upstream from Comet Giacobini-Zinner show many similarities to observations upstream from the earth's magnetosheath. Two similarities are discussed. Heat flux events are used to compute the transition region boundary location. The computed subsolar standoff distance of 4,000 km is commensurate with a comet gas production rate, G, of 3 x 10 to the 28th molecules/s in accord with ground-based determination of G.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Hot, diamagnetic cavities upstream from the earth's bow shock

On eight occasions the ISEE 1 and 2 spacecraft registered peculiar plasma structures upstream of the earth's bow shock. The events exhibit a temporary, strong reduction in the magnitude of the magnetic field and strong enhancements of the field strength bordering the reduction zone. The low field strength regions featured temperatures from 1-10 million k and pressure an order of magnitude greater than the solar wind. The pressure gradients exceeded the magnetic tension around the structures, although the field of the cavities may be a closed structure. A model is proposed of hot, expanding diamagnetic plasma cavities with scales on the order of a few earth radii. Speculations on the interaction and origin or impetus for the cavities within the bow shock, foreshock, the magnetosphere and the solar wind are discussed. Similarities between the phenomena detected and signatures obtained with the AMPTE releases of chemicals in the solar wind are noted.

Thomsen, M. F.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Electromagnetic instabilities and gyrophase-bunched particles

The linear theory of electromagnetic instabilities at propagation parallel or antiparallel to a uniform magnetic field B(0) is used to calculate the relative phase angle between the fluctuating velocity vector of the jth component and the fluctuating magnetic field. A criterion that determines when this phase relationship leads to observable gyrophase bunching during the linear growth phase of an instability is also derived. The theory is applied to bunching of ion components by ion beam instabilities. Among the electromagnetic cool ion beam instabilities, it is found that the right-hand resonant mode is most likely to cause observable gyrophase bunching of an ion beam during linear growth.

Gary, S. P.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Gyrating and intermediate ion distributions upstream from the earth's bow shock

Study of ISEE 2 fast plasma data reveals that many suprathermal ion events that in previous studies would have been identified as intermediate ion events are actually gyrating ion events. Of 190 apparently intermediate ion events selected on the basis of their signature in energy-time spectrograms, half are actually found to be gyrating ion events. Using a model bow shock, the shock geometries and spacecraft locations for the observed gyrating and intermediate ion events are compared and found to be quite similar. Both gyrating and intermediate ion events are found to be associated with upstream MHD-like wave activity. Most gyrating ion events are associated with large-amplitude, monochromatic, weakly compressive waves, whereas many intermediate ion events are associated with smaller-amplitude, nonmonochromatic, weakly compressive waves. Some intermediate ion events are found to have no associated waves. Detailed study of the gyrating ion distributions reveals that the distributions are typically gyrotropic within about 4 earth radii of the bow shock, whereas at larger distances (up to about 10 earth radii) upstream from the shock the distributions are frequently 'gyrophase bunched'. In light of these observational characteristics, it is concluded that gyrating ion distributions are most likely generated both through coherent wave disruption of field-aligned beams and through reflection of solar wind ions off the shock.

Fuselier, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1986

The phase relationship between gyrophase-bunched ions and MHD-like waves

Recent calculations and computer simulations of the right-hand resonant ion beam instability have indicated that gyrophase-bunched ion distributions may be generated as a first step in the disruption of field-aligned beams. Theory predicts a distinct phase angle relationship between the gyrovelocity of the phase-bunched ions and the wave magnetic field. In this paper, observations of such a relationship between gyrophase-bunched ions and MHD-like waves upstream from the earth's bow shock are presented. The observed phases are in accord with the theoretical predictions of the right-hand resonant ion beam instability.

Fuselier, S. A.↗