GENERALIZED MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC EQUATIONS FOR NONEQUILIBRIUM PLASMA SYSTEMS
Magnetohydrodynamic equation for nonequilibrium plasma flow
PLASMA FLOW↗
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Ion temperature troughs in the equatorial topside ionosphere
It is noted that the retarding potential analyzer aboard OGO 6 sometimes records pronounced minima of ion temperature when the satellite crosses the magnetic equator and that the variation of ion temperature along the satellite path takes the form of a trough about 20 to 30 deg wide in latitude and up to 1200 K in depth. Observations of night-time, daytime, and dawn-dusk ion-temperature troughs are discussed along with ion concentration and composition in the troughs, ion drift velocities, and comparisons with Jacchia's (1971) thermospheric model. An explanation of trough morphology is given in terms of thermospheric winds which produce a transequatorial plasma flow along geomagnetic field lines. The effect of such a plasma flow on 630-nm nightglow is considered, and it is shown how ion composition affects the extent of ion-temperature troughs. Some questions for further study are suggested.
Rishbeth, H.↗
Nightward ion flow in the Venus ionosphere - Implications of momentum balance
Using global empirical models of Venus ionospheric conditions, the plasma flow field consistent with the horizontal momentum equation in both viscid and inviscid forms is solved for. It is found that plasma viscosity is negligible except at low altitudes and that the observed plasma flows are consistent with the inviscid solution above 300 km but are larger than the calculated flows at lower altitudes. This is probably due to downward momentum advection. The strong vertical shear in the calculated and observed flows just beyond the terminator may produce turbulence there, manifested as the observed transterminator waves in plasma density and magnetic field. The implications of ionospheric superrotation are discussed.
Elphic, R. C.↗
The dynamic expansion and contraction of the Jovian plasma sheet
Observations suggesting the sequential expansion and compression of the Jovian plasma sheet are reported. Plasma flow in the vicinity of Jupiter was monitored by the four modulated-grid Faraday cups on board each of the Voyager spacecraft at times of closest Jupiter approach. Sensor measurements reveal the flow of magnetospheric plasma to be directed away from the equatorial current sheet near local noon and to be directed towards the sheet in the dusk to midnight sector. The observed flow patterns are interpreted in terms of short-time-scale perturbations of magnetic flux tubes due to the compression of the dayside magnetosphere by the solar wind. It is noted that such a dynamic motion is quite different from what would be expected of slower, quasi-static equilibrium plasma sheet expansion and contraction.
Belcher, J. W.↗
Ionospheric Flow and Escape of Ions from Titan and Venus
Titan and Venus are unmagnetized bodies that interact directly with the high speed plasmas flowing around them. The similarities of these interactions are used to reinforce the interpretations of measurements made at each body from different measurement sites. In particular, observations of plasma properties at Titan and Venus from Voyager I and Pioneer Venus, respectively, when considered together, tend to reinforce the concept that ions of ionospheric origin escape down the ionotails of each body. The plasma measurements at Titan were made in its ionotail, well above its ionosphere. They revealed plasma flowing from Titan and escaping down its ionotail. On the other hand, the measurements at Venus were made in its ionosphere, where ionospheric ions were inferred to be flowing upward toward Venus' ionotail. When these processes are applied to Titan's ionosphere, upward flow toward the ionotail is found to be possible, consistent with the plasma observed escaping further down the ionotail. Applying similar reasoning to Venus, the upward ionospheric flow is expected to accelerate and escape down its ionotail. The latter result is reinforced by the recent detection, from SOHO, of cold ions in the distant wake (at 1 AU), which were interpreted to originate in the ionosphere of Venus.
Hartle, R. E.↗
The dynamics of the ionosphere of Mars at large solar zenith angles
A model of the ion chemistry and dynamics of the ionosphere of Mars at large solar zenith angles has been constructed using techniques previously developed for Venus. It is found that a substantial nighttime ionosphere should occur even when the ionopause height is as low as 250 km. At low altitudes the interaction of the plasma flow with the neutral atmosphere appears to result in considerable 'noise' in the flow patterns. Transterminator plasma velocities are smaller than for Venus, although they may exceed the local sonic speed. The effect of a nocturnal source of suprathermal electrons is also discussed.
Mccormick, P. T.↗
A fully coupled flow simulation around spacecraft in low earth orbit
The primary objective of this investigation is to provide a full flow simulation of a spacecraft in low earth orbit (LEO). Due to the nature of the environment, the simulation includes the highly coupled effects of neutral particle flow, free stream plasma flow, nonequilibrium gas dynamics effects, spacecraft charging and electromagnetic field effects. Emphasis is placed on the near wake phenomenon and will be verified in space by the Wake Shield Facility (WSF) and developed for application to Space Station conditions as well as for other spacecraft. The WSF is a metallic disk-type structure that will provide a controlled space platform for highly accurate measurements. Preliminary results are presented for a full flow around a metallic disk.
Justiz, C. R.↗
Simulated Encounters of the Parker Solar Probe with a Coronal-Hole Jet
Solar coronal jets are small, transient, collimated ejections most easily observed in coronal holes (CHs). The upcoming Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission provides the first opportunity to encounter CH jets in situ near the Sun and examine their internal structure and dynamics. Using projected mission orbital parameters, we have simulated PSP encounters with a fully three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model of a CH jet. We find that three internal jet regions, featuring different wave modes and levels of compressibility, have distinct identifying signatures detectable by PSP. The leading Alfvén wave front and its immediate wake are characterized by transAlfvénic plasma flows with mild density enhancements. This front exhibits characteristics of a fast switch-on MHD shock, whose arrival is signaled by the sudden onset of large-amplitude transverse velocity and magnetic-field oscillations highly correlated in space and time. The trailing portion is characterized by supersonic but subAlfvénicout flows of dense plasma with uncorrelated velocity and magnetic-field oscillations. This compressible region contains most of the jet's mass. The volume between the immediate wake and dense jet, the remote wake,mixes and transitions the characteristics of the two other regions. In addition to probing each region separately, we also simulate a corotational PSP-jet encounter. In this scenario, the simulated spacecraft hovers over the jet producing CH, as may occur during the mission's corotational phases, sampling each jet region in turn. We estimate that PSP will encounter numerous CH jets over the lifetime of the mission.
Roberts, Merrill A.↗
The Flow of Plasma in the Solar-Terrestrial Environment
The overall goal of our NASA theory research is to trace the flow of mass, momentum, and energy through the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere system taking into account the coupling, time delays, and feedback mechanisms that are characteristic of the system. Our approach is to model the magnetosphere-ionosphere-atmosphere (M-I-A) system in a self-consistent quantitative manner using unique global models that allow us to study the coupling between the different regions on a range of spatial and temporal scales. The uniqueness of our global models stems from their high spatial and temporal resolutions, the physical processes included, and the numerical techniques employed. Currently, we have time-dependent global models of the ionosphere, thermosphere, polar wind, plasmasphere, and electrodynamics. It is now becoming clear that a significant fraction of the flow of mass, momentum, and energy in the M-I-A system occurs on relatively small spatial scales. Therefore, an important aspect of our NASA Theory program concerns the effect that mesoscale (100-l000 km) density structures have on the macroscopic flows in the ionosphere, thermosphere, and polar wind. The structures can be created either by structured magnetospheric inputs (i.e., structured electric field, precipitation, or Birkeland current patterns) or by time variations of these inputs due to geomagnetic storms and substorms. Some of the mesoscale structures of interest include sun-aligned polar cap arcs, propagating plasma patches, traveling convection vortices, subauroral ion drift (SAID) channels, gravity waves, and the polar hole.
Schunk, Robert W.↗
On the balance of stresses in the plasma sheet.
The stress resulting from magnetic tension on the neutral sheet must, in a steady state, be balanced by any one or a combination of (1) a pressure gradient in the direction along the axis of the tail, (2) a similar gradient of plasma flow kinetic energy, and (3) the tension resulting from a pressure anisotropy within the plasma sheet. Stress balance in the first two cases requires that the ratios h/LX and BZ/BX be of the same order of magnitude, where h is the half-thickness of the neutral sheet, LX is the length scale for variations along the axis of the tail, and BZ and BX are the magnetic field components in the plasma sheet just outside the neutral sheet. The second case requires, in addition, that the plasma flow speed within the neutral sheet be of the order of or larger than the Alfven speed outside the neutral sheet. Stress balance in the third case requires that just outside the neutral sheet the plasma pressure obey the marginal firehose stability condition.
Rich, F. J.↗
Anticipated Electrical Environment at Phobos: Nominal and Solar Storm Conditions
A passing coronal mass ejection (CME) will manifest a different response at an airless body compared to a magnetized planet. Specifically,because the regolith-rich surfaces of airless bodies are directly exposed to the variations in the plasma flow, the surfaces are found to undergo anomalous surface charging during the passing of CME fast plasma events. In this study, we model the surface charging expected at Phobos for nominal solar wind conditions and also those associated with disturbed solar wind conditions during the passage of a CME similar to that observed by MAVEN at Mars in early March 2015. We use an ambipolar diffusion model to examine the development of the trailing wake void in the plasma flow behind Phobos and the formation of mini-wakes within obstruction regions like Stickney Crater. We also consider the roving of an astronaut in Stickney Crater for Phobos positioned near 10 hours Local Time relative to Mars. We examine the plasma dissipation of the collected astronaut charge from contact electrification with the regolith.
Phobos; Surface chargin↗
Reconnexion
Reconnection is defined as the process whereby plasma flows across a surface that separates regions containing topologically different field lines. The magnitude of the plasma flow is a measure of the merging rate. Evidence for reconnection on the sun, in the solar wind, and in the magnetospheres of the terrestrial planets and Jupiter is briefly reviewed. Dependence of the merging rate on interplanetary conditions is discussed.
Russell, C. T.↗
Angular and energy distribution of low energy cometary ions measured in the outer coma of Comet Halley
During the early phase of the Giotto encounter with comet Halley, at distances from the nucleus greater than 350,000 km, the neutral mass spectrometer was operated in a mode allowing the measurement of low energy ions. Data reveal two important features of the outer coma: the presence of a sharp discontinuity in the plasma flow at 550,000 km from the nucleus which results in a significant decrease of the plasma flow accompanied by an increase in temperature; and the detection of newly born ions identified as O(+) and CO(+), at distances from the comet greater than 800,000 km.
Berthelier, J. J.↗
Observations and Simulations of Formation of Broad Plasma Depletions Through Merging Process
Broad plasma depletions in the equatorial ionosphere near dawn are region in which the plasma density is reduced by 1-3 orders of magnitude over thousands of kilometers in longitude. This phenomenon is observed repeatedly by the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite during deep solar minimum. The plasma flow inside the depletion region can be strongly upward. The possible causal mechanism for the formation of broad plasma depletions is that the broad depletions result from merging of multiple equatorial plasma bubbles. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the feasibility of the merging mechanism with new observations and simulations. We present C/NOFS observations for two cases. A series of plasma bubbles is first detected by C/NOFS over a longitudinal range of 3300-3800 km around midnight. Each of the individual bubbles has a typical width of approx 100 km in longitude, and the upward ion drift velocity inside the bubbles is 200-400 m/s. The plasma bubbles rotate with the Earth to the dawn sector and become broad plasma depletions. The observations clearly show the evolution from multiple plasma bubbles to broad depletions. Large upward plasma flow occurs inside the depletion region over 3800 km in longitude and exists for approx 5 h. We also present the numerical simulations of bubble merging with the physics-based low-latitude ionospheric model. It is found that two separate plasma bubbles join together and form a single, wider bubble. The simulations show that the merging process of plasma bubbles can indeed occur in incompressible ionospheric plasma. The simulation results support the merging mechanism for the formation of broad plasma depletions.
plasma bubbles↗
DC Electric Fields and Associated Plasma Drifts Observed with the C/NOFS Satellite
Initial DC electric field observations and associated plasma drifts are presented from the Vector Electric Field Investigation (VEFI) on the Air Force Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite. We present statistical averages of the vector fields for the first year of operations that include both the zonal and radial components of the resulting E x B plasma flows at low latitudes. Magnetic field data from the VEFI science magnetometer are used to compute the plasma flows. The DC electric field detector reveals zonal and radial electric fields that undergo strong diurnal variations, typically displaying eastward and outward-directed fields during the day and westward and downward-directed fields at night. There is considerable variation in the large scale DC electric field data, in both the daytime and nighttime cases, with enhanced structures typically observed at night. In general, the measured zonal DC electric field amplitudes include excursions that extend within the 0.4 - 2 m V/m range, corresponding to E x B drifts of the order of 30-150 m/s. The average vertical or radial electric fields may exceed the zonal fields in amplitude by a factor of 1.5 to 2. Although the data compare well, in a general sense, with previous satellite observations and statistical patterns of vertical ion drifts, the E x B drifts we report from C/NOFS rarely show a pronounced pre-reversal enhancement after sunset. We attribute this to a combination of extreme solar minimum conditions and the fact that the C/NOFS orbit of 401 by 867 km carries the probes essentially above the lower altitude regions where the wind-driven dynamo might be expected to create enhanced upwards drifts in the early evening. Evidence for wavenumber 4 tidal effects and other longitudinal signatures have been detected and will be presented. We also discuss off-equatorial electric fields and their relation to the ambient plasma density.
Pfaff, R.↗
Streaming sausage, kink and tearing instabilities in a current sheet with applications to the earth's magnetotail
This paper investigates the growth rates and eigenmode structures of the streaming sausage, kink, and tearing instabilities in a current sheet with a super-Alfvenic flow. The growth rates and eigenmode structures are first considered in the ideal incompressible limit by using a four-layer model, as well as a more realistic case in which all plasma parameters and the magnetic field vary continuously along the direction perpendicular to the magnetic field and plasma flow. An initial-value method is applied to obtain the growth rate and eigenmode profiles of the fastest growing mode, which is either the sausage mode or kink mode. It is shown that, in the earth's magnetotail, where super-Alfvenic plasma flows are observed in the plasma sheet and the ratio between the plasma and magnetic pressures far away from the current layer is about 0.1-0.3 in the lobes, the streaming sausage and streaming tearing instabilities, but not kink modes, are likely to occur.
Lee, L. C.↗
A linear MHD instability analysis of solar mass ejections with gravitation
The linear MHD instability of a cylindrical plasma is used to investigate the origin of solar mass ejections, and the dispersion relation is solved numerically. The initial plasma-flow velocity is found to have a significant effect on the instability criteria and growth rate, and the instability growth-rate is shown to be larger in cases where plasma flow exists, relative to the static case. Results suggest that the plasma column may break into small pieces. Assuming a thin-tube approximation, gravity is found to have little effect on the instability of quasi-horizontal ejection, but to have considerable effect on the vertical ejection. In considering the gravitational force, an exact analytical solution is found for the vertical case, while asymptotic solutions are given for the horizontal and oblique cases.
Song, M. T.↗
Radio Sounding Techniques for the Galilean Icy Moons and their Jovian Magnetospheric Environment
Radio sounding of the Earth's topside ionosphere and magnetosphere is a proven technique from geospace missions such as the International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies (ISIS) and the Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE). Application of this technique to Jupiter's icy moons and the surrounding Jovian magnetosphere will provide unique remote sensing observations of the plasma and magnetic field environments and the subsurface conductivities, of Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Spatial structures of ionospheric plasma above the surfaces of the moons vary in response to magnetic-field perturbations from (1) magnetospheric plasma flows, (2) ionospheric currents from ionization of sputtered surface material, and (3) induced electric currents in salty subsurface oceans and from the plasma flows and ionospheric currents themselves. Radio sounding from 3 kHz to 10 MHz can provide the global electron densities necessary for the extraction of the oceanic current signals and supplements in-situ plasma and magnetic field measurements. While radio sounding requires high transmitter power for subsurface sounding, little power is needed to probe the electron density and magnetic field intensity near the spacecraft. For subsurface sounding, reflections occur at changes in the dielectric index, e.g., at the interfaces between two different phases of water or between water and soil. Variations in sub-surface conductivity of the icy moons can be investigated by radio sounding in the frequency range from 10 MHz to 50 MHz, allowing the determination of the presence of density and solid-liquid phase boundaries associated with oceans and related structures in overlying ice crusts. The detection of subsurface oceans underneath the icy crusts of the Jovian moons is one of the primary objectives of the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) mission. Preliminary modeling results show that return signals are clearly distinguishable be&een an ice crust with a thickness of 7 km on 1) an ocean and 2) a layer of bedrock. Knowledge of the ionospheric contributions to the time delay of the low-frequency subsurface radar is shown to be important in obtaining accurate depth information.
Green, James L.↗