Session - Planetary Space Weather

Christina Plainaki, Iannis Dandouras, Maria Andriopoulou

The session welcomes papers on all aspects of the conditions in the Sun, solar wind and magnetospheric plasmas, at different planetary systems of our Solar System, that can influence the performance and reliability of space-borne technological systems. Focus will be given in cross-disciplinary issues, including: - the interaction of solar wind/magnetospheric plasmas with planetary/satellite ionospheres and thick (e.g. at Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Mars, Venus, Titan) or tenuous (e.g. Ganymede, Europa, Mercury, our Moon) atmospheres, including the generation of auroras - the satellite interactions with their neutral environments and dust - the variability of the magnetospheric regions under different solar wind conditions - the inter-comparisons of space weather conditions in different planetary environments Contributions addressing previous (e.g. CHANDRAYAAN-1, KAGUYA), present (e.g. CASSINI, MARS EXPRESS, VENUS EXPRESS, ROSETTA, MAVEN, MESSENGER, VAN ALLEN PROBES) and forthcoming (e.g. BEPI COLOMBO, JUICE, MMS) in situ observations are welcome. Abstracts on theoretical modeling and simulations of planetary space weather conditions, possibly destined for end-users of space weather services, are extremely welcome. Inter-comparisons and interpretation of measurements at different planetary systems and quantification of the possible effect of the environment interactions on components and systems (e.g. radiation doze studies) are strongly encouraged.

Talks and First Class Posters
Thursday November 20, 09:00-13:00, auditorium Roger

Poster Viewing
Thursday November 20, 10:30-11:30, area in front of auditorium Roger

Talks and First Class Posters

Oral - invited 9:00 am Energetic Particle Populations and their Contribution to the Solar System Landscape
    Crosby, N  B
    Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy
    With interplanetary missions orbiting or en route to selected targets in the Solar System (planets, moons and asteroids), the effects of the space environment in the context of space weather services are not anymore confined to near-Earth space. It is the behaviour of the Sun that contributes primarily to defining the changing space environment in the Solar System. However, predicting the target's local space weather requires detailed knowledge of the target's characteristics, for example, distance from the Sun, interplanetary magnetic field conditions, is there a magnetosphere and/or atmosphere? Different types of energetic particle populations characterize the Solar System landscape and are one of the major concerns for potential future human interplanetary travel. They provide challenges for scientists that work on the prediction of these phenomena, as well as for engineers who design mitigation strategies for spacecraft. The implications of these particle radiation environments on interplanetary travel will be discussed in regard to their effects on technology and humans, as well as current and envisioned mitigation techniques.
1 Invited poster 9:20 AM Space weather at Uranus
      Prangé, R1; Lamy, L1
      1LESIA, Observatoire de Paris
      Similarly to the Earth, planetary magnetospheres of the solar system are sensitive to the solar wind activity, which can be diagnosed by auroral emissions. This study is based on multi-planet multi-wavelength observations of planetary aurorae throughout the heliosphere, acquired along the propagation path of a series of consecutive interplanetary shocks. The underlying motivation to track the shocks was to increase the probability of detection of auroral emissions at Uranus. Despite several Earth-based attempts in the past few years, at Far-UV (FUV) and Near-IR (NIR) wavelengths, such emissions have never been unambiguously re-observed since their discovery by Voyager 2 in 1986. Here, we present a campaign of FUV observations of Uranus obtained in November 2011 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during active solar wind conditions. We positively identify auroral signatures in several of these HST measurements, together with some obtained in 1998, representing the first images of Uranus’ aurorae. We analyze their characteristics and discuss the implications for the asymmetric Uranian magnetosphere and its highly variable interaction with the solar wind flow from near-solstice (1986) to near-equinox (2011) configurations.
2 Invited poster 9:25 AM Saturn’s Energetic Charged Particle Radiation Environment: a Space Weather Perspective
      Roussos, E1; Krupp , N1; Paranicas , C2; Mitchell , D  G2; Krimigis , S  M3
      1Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research; 2Applied Physics Laboratory; 3Academy of Athens
      Since the arrival of Cassini at Saturn in July 2004, the energetic charged particle environment of the planet has been continuously monitored by Cassini's MIMI/LEMMS instrument, a double-headed particle telescope capable of detecting electrons between 20 keV and 10 MeV and ions between 20 keV and several hundred MeV (depending on the species). A large number of statistical or single case studies highlighted many space-weather related aspects of the environment, such as average flux maps of electron and ion fluxes, variability time scales and transient radiation belts. Overall, the harshest radiation environment at Saturn is similar to the one that a spacecraft may typically encounter around Ganymede’s orbit at Jupiter and is also less harsh than that of the Earth, primarily due to the presence of numerous loss regions (moons, rings, neutral cloud) and the alignment of the planetary magnetic and rotational equators. The permanent MeV ion belts are relatively stable in intensity over both short and long time scales, they reside only within the L-shell of Saturn's moon Tethys (L=4.89) and comprise different sectors, each separated from the other by an ion depleted region that is centered on an L-shell of one of the planet's inner icy moons. Fluxes within these belts result from Galactic Cosmic Ray secondaries and therefore vary weakly with the solar cycle. Transient extensions of the ion belts beyond the orbit of Tethys may last several months and occur only after the interaction of Saturn's magnetosphere with an interplanetary, energetic solar wind event. These transient extensions have no impact on the structure of the inner belts. The electron radiation belts form a continuous structure with highly variable extension and intensity from orbit to orbit. This variability appears to be controlled by various factors, such as the arrival of corotating interaction regions at Saturn, the EUV input to the Saturnian system and internal magnetospheric dynamics making the modelling of these belts and the prediction of their state a very challenging task. Besides that, considerable fluxes of mildly relativistic electrons (few hundred keV to several MeV) are found in a broad local time range beyond Titan’s orbit, suggesting that at least for electrons, critical environments are not only restricted within the radiation belts. This poster will summarize all aforementioned findings, together with open questions, the limitations and the challenges of using LEMMS data for space weather studies.
3 Invited poster 9:30 AM Space weather at Saturn (invited)
      Radioti, A1; Grodent, D1; Gérard, J-C1; Bonfond, B1
      1LPAP, Université de Liège
      Unlike to Earth, Saturn is a fast rotator and its magnetosphere is dominated by fast planetary rotation and internally driven processes. However, the interaction of the solar wind with Saturn’s magnetosphere is not negligible and it is manifested among others in the auroral region. The interplanetary magnetic field reconnects with the dayside magnetopause at Saturn and results in enhancements in the auroral emission accompanied by entry of significant amount of open flux in the magnetosphere. The solar wind affects also the nightside magnetosphere. Dramatic enhancements of the nightside-dawn auroral emissions have been attributed to solar wind-induced auroral storms. Additionally, recent auroral observations revealed the presence of a transpolar arc at Saturn, one of the most spectacular auroral features at Earth, which could be possibly related to solar wind driven tail reconnection. Finally, there is evidence of viscous interaction of the solar wind with Saturn’s magnetosphere, which involves magnetic reconnection on a small scale.
4 Invited poster 9:35 AM Space Weather Phenomena at the Galilean Satellites
      Cessateur, G1; Barthelemy, M2; Peinke, I2
      1PMOD/WRC; 2IPAG 
      In the framework of the JUICE mission, characterization of Galilean satellites atmospheres is a priority. Although Ganymede and Europa possess a faint atmosphere, their exosphere show emissions features due to both solar UV flux as well as precipitating particles. Using the atmospheric model proposed by Marconi (2006,2007), we have developed a model of exospheric emissions by only considering primary collisions. Two regions will be considered for Ganymede, a polar one mainly dominated by oxygen, and an equatorial one with the predominance of water. Model of Europa's atmosphere presents an uniform one dominated by oxygen. Since Ganymede has its own magnetic field, the polar regions are mainly affected by particle precipitations while in case of Europe, the whole atmosphere has to be considered.  Comparison with direct observations such as local measurements from Galileo (electronic density), or remote observations with the Hubble Space Telescope in the UV (oxygen lines at 130.5 and 135.5 nm), shows a good agreement which ensures us to provide reasonable constraints for the JUICE mission.
5 Invited poster 9:40 AM Exoplanetary Exosphere Tails
      Mura, A1; Di Mauro, Maria Pia1; Mangano, Valeria1; Plainaki, Chrstina1
      1INAF
      We investigate the interaction of stellar wind plasma with the exosphere and possibly with the planetary magnetospheric environment of close-in exoplanets. Based on the present knowledge of such planets and drawing on the analogy to solar system planets, we use numerical models to simulate exospheric and magnetospheric distributions of different particle populations, among which are neutral sodium and ionised calcium and magnesium. We find that, for most species, the atmospheric loss rate in such an extreme environment can be very high, so that a neutral and an ionised tail of escaping particles will form. Depending on the planetary composition we postulate the presence of a Mercury- like tail, and of an extended magnetospheric distribution of ions. A parameter study is also performed, tuning basic planetary quantities such as radius, mass, temperature and distance. In this way, we calculate exospheric quantities for a larger ensemble of possible exoplanets.
6 Invited poster 9:45 AM (Invited) Cosmic Ray Interactions with the Venusian Atmosphere
      Nordheim, T1; Dartnell, L2; Coates, A1; Jones, G1
      1University College London; 2Space Research Centre, University of Leicester
      The atmospheres of the terrestrial planets are constantly exposed to solar and galactic cosmic rays, the most energetic of which are capable of affecting deep atmospheric layers through nuclear and electromagnetic particle cascades. The energy deposited by these interactions is thought to be an important driver for atmospheric chemistry and may possibly affect cloud microphysics, and in regions beneath the penetration of ultraviolet radiation, cosmic rays are the primary ionization agent. It is therefore crucial to quantify the amount of energy deposited by cosmic rays in the atmosphere by altitude, as this is required to estimate ionization and conductivity profiles.  Detailed studies have considered the propagation of cosmic rays in the atmospheres of Earth, Mars, Titan and the Giant Planets. However, to date, only a few studies [1] [2] have considered such interactions in the Venusian atmosphere, notably using Boltzmann transport approximations. Using the capabilities of the Geant4 [3] particle physics framework and Planetocosmics [4], we have carried out full Monte Carlo modelling of the discrete interactions between atmospheric neutrals and cosmic ray  primary and secondary particles.  The primary cosmic ray spectrum has been   derived from the CRÈME-2009 [5] engineering model at 1 AU  with scaling of the  primary fluxes to the Venusian orbit.  Based on this input spectrum we have simulated atmospheric energy deposition by cosmic rays at solar minimum and maximum conditions as well as during solar energetic particle events and computed cosmic ray ionization profiles between 0-100 km in the Venusian atmosphere. In future work we plan to apply these results to investigations of electrical processes and radiation hazard in the Venusian atmosphere.  References [1] Dubach, J., Whitten, R. and Sims, J.: The lower ionosphere of Venus, Planetary and Space Science, Vol. 22, pp. 535-536, 1974. [2] Boroucki, W. J., Levin, Z., Whitten, R. C., Keesee, R.G., Capone, L. A., Toon, O. B. and Dubach, J.: Predicted Electrical Conductivity between 0 and 80 km in the Venusian Atmosphere, Icarus, Vol. 51, pp. 302-321, 1982. [3] Agostinelli, S. J., et al.: GEANT4 – a simulation toolkit, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. Phys. Res. A, Vol. 506, pp. 250-303, 2003.  [4] http://cosray.unibe.ch/~laurent/planetocosmics/ [5] http://creme.isde.vanderbilt.edu/
7 Invited poster 9:50 AM Solar Energetic Particles in the Mercury Environment (Invited)
      Laurenza, M
      IAPS/INAF 
      Solar energetic particles (SEPs) can enter and propagate in the Mercury environment, their penetration depending mainly on the particle energy and the planetary magnetosphere shape. A significant flux of energetic particles can reach and impact the Mercury surface, produce secondary particles, X-ray fluorescence, and possibly changes of Mercury’s exosphere (e.g., Leblanc et al., 2003, Plan. Space Sci., 51, 339). The SEP interaction with Mercury’s environment is studied through simulations of particle propagation in the Hermean magnetic field, assuming a Toffoletto-Hill modified model (Massetti et al., 2007, Space Sci., 55, 1557) and SEP energy spectra typical for Mercury location (0.31 – 0.47 AU). In particular, cutoff rigidities, quantifying the shielding effect of the Hermean magnetosphere, are computed  for geometries of the Mercury’s magnetosphere obtained as response to different solar wind conditions (interplanetary magnetic field intensity and dynamic pressure). Moreover, fluxes and tracks of primary and secondary particles are obtained at different selected altitudes. Results allow to estimate the SEP effects and their transmission through the Hermean magnetosphere, which represent key aspects in Planetary Space Weather.
Oral 11:30 am Comparative Earth, Jupiter and Saturn's Radiation Belts
    Sicard-Piet, A1; Bourdarie, S1
    1ONERA
    Since the 1990s ONERA/DESP has worked on a physical model of the radiation belts, called Salammbô-3D. First developed in the case of the Earth, it was later adapted to the giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn. Salammbô model includes the main physical processes that govern the particles of the radiation belts and are based on solving the Fokker Planck equation. These models have been successfully compared to measurements and, for the Jovian case, to radioastronomy images. From lessons learned from these modelling activities we plan here to review the main characteristics of radiation belts in the vicinity of magnetised body illustrated with Earth, Jupiter and Saturn environment. We will show how the same fundamental physical processes (radial diffusion, interactions with exosphere and ionosphere-plasmasphere) lead to similarities between the three sets of belts. Nevertheless we will emphasize the specificity of each planet. In the Earth case, the lower magnetic field intensity leads to strong dynamics while in the Jupiter and Saturn cases, there is a strong influence of dust particles and moons.
Oral 11:50 am Space Environment Effects inside a Comet Coma: ROSINA/DFMS Measurements onboard Rosetta
    De Keyser, J1; Dhooghe , F1; Maggiolo, R1; Gunell, H1; Altwegg, K2; Calmonte, U2; Fuselier, S3; Hässig , M3; Berthelier, J -J4; Mall, U5; Gombosi, T6; Fiethe, B7
    1Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy; 2Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern; 3Southwest Research Institute; 3Southwest Research Institute; 4LATMOS/IPSL, Université Versailles Saint-Quentin; 5Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung; 6University of Michigan; 7Institute of Computer and Network Engineering, TU Braunschweig
    As a comet approaches the Sun, it develops a cometary coma. A fully developed comet coma is a diamagnetic cavity from which the interplanetary magnetic field is excluded. The environment inside the coma is determined by three factors. First, solar illumination of the nucleus is responsible for the sublimation of the volatile material on the nucleus surface. Since the resulting gas is not gravitationally bound, it escapes and engulfs the spacecraft in the vicinity of the nucleus. Second, solar ultraviolet radiation initiates photo-chemical reactions in this gas. Further reactions produce a whole range of neutral and ionized species that reach the spacecraft. Finally, as volatiles on the nucleus sublimate, ice and dust grains are released and dragged along with the flow. ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft is examining the environment of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The ROSINA instrument package is one of the eleven instruments onboard Rosetta, and ROSINA performs in-situ coma measurements using a pressure sensor COPS and the two complementary mass spectrometers RTOF and DFMS. The double focusing mass spectrometer DFMS has a high mass resolution and sensitivity and was designed for coma studies. This contribution discusses DFMS measurements and model simulations of the coma environment. The roles of the neutral gas composition, the ionized fraction, and the dust component, and some of their effects on the spacecraft will be addressed.
Oral - invited 12:05 pm Solar Variability Effects on the Martian Atmosphere (invited)
    González-Galindo, F1; Lopez-Valverde, M  A1; Forget, F2; Chaufray, J-Y3; Millour, E2
    1Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, CSIC; 2Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique, CNRS; 3LATMOS, CNRS
    Recent studies (Valeille et al., 2009; Yagi et al., 2012) show a strong influence of the temperatures and densities in the upper atmosphere of Mars over the exospheric densities and the rate of atmospheric escape from the planet. A good understanding of the long-term evolution of the Martian atmosphere requires thus to identify the different sources of variability of the upper atmosphere. Different observations (Forbes et al., 2006, 2008; Nielsen et al. 2006) probe that the Mars' thermosphere/ionosphere system is affected by the variability of the UV solar flux, in the medium-long term (11-year solar cycle) and in shorter timescales (solar rotation, solar flares). However, Global Climate Models (GCMs) used to simulate the Martian upper atmosphere often use strongly simplified schemes for the 11-year solar cycle (usually just three solar scenarios, corresponding to solar minimum, solar average and solar maximum conditions), and they usually neglect the short-term solar variability, keeping the solar flux constant during the simulated time.  We will present the new scheme incorporated into the Mars GCM developed at the Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique (LMD-MGCM) in order to take into account the observed day-to-day variability of the UV solar flux. The LMD-MGCM (Forget et al., 1999, González-Galindo et al. 2009, 2013) is the only ground-to-exosphere Martian GCM, so it includes in a natural way the coupling with the lower atmosphere, known to have a strong impact on the upper atmosphere (e.g. Withers and Pratt, 2013). Using this improved version of the LMD-MGCM, we have simulated the variability of the Martian upper atmosphere during 8 Martian Years (MY24 to MY31), corresponding to about 15 terrestrial years (that is, covering more than one solar cycle). An analysis of the results of these simulations show important effects of the 11 year solar cycle. The inter-annual variability of the temperatures in the upper thermosphere ranges from about 50 K during the aphelion season to up to 150 K during perihelion. The seasonal variability of the temperatures within a given Martian year due to the eccentricity of the Martian orbit is significantly modified by the variability of the solar flux within the year. The solar rotation is also clearly felt in the thermosphere, with temperature variations of up to 30 K. Also the composition of the upper atmosphere is modified by the solar variability.  In particular the simulated electron densities present a significant solar cycle variability, and they also respond to the solar rotation, in agreement with observations (Nielsen et al., 2006).  References: -Forbes et al., Science, 312, 1366-1368 (2006) -Forbes et al., Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L01201 (2008) -Forget et al., J. Geophys. Res. 104, 24155-24175 (1999) -González-Galindo et al., J. Geophys. Res., 114, pp. 4001+ (2009) -González-Galindo et al., J. Geophys. Res., 118, pp. 2105-2123 (2013) -Nielsen et al., Space Sci. Rev., 126, 373-388, (2006) -Valeille et al., J. Geophys. Res. 114, pp. 11005+ (2009) -Withers and Pratt, Icarus, 225, 378-389 (2013) -Yagi et al., Icarus 221, pp. 682-693 (2012)  Acknowledgemnt: Francisco González-Galindo is funded by a CSIC JAE-Doc contract financed by the European Social Fund
Oral 12:25 pm SEP, GCR, and Energetic Ion Precipitation in the Martian Atmosphere and their Impact on Human Exploration
    Gronoff, G1; Norman, R2; Simon Wedlund, C3; Mertens, C2
    1SSAI/NASA LaRC; 2NASA LaRC; 3Aalto University
    Proton and more generally ion precipitation has an impact in the energy balance of planetary upper atmospheres. The accurate computation of the ionization and excitation is difficult, a difficulty stemming from charge-exchange reactions and neutralisations altering the nature of the initial beam between ion and an energetic neutral atom. Both ion and ENA are capable of ionizing and exciting the ambient neutral species, while the secondary electron created by the first ionization is capable of ionizing the neutral medium in return. In addition, for protons of higher energy (as in Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) events, or for the Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR)), relativistic effects must be taken into account. The effect of heavier ion precipitating in the Martian atmosphere, such as High-Z GCR, has to be studies in more details since secondary particles responsible to high biological radiation damages like neutron can be created very efficiently.  In this work, the transport of H+/H in the upper atmosphere of Mars is presented in the form of a coupled system of equations that can be solved analytically. Ionization due to proton and heavy ion precipitation from GCR or SEP events are investigated by the Aeroplanet/Planetocosmics and NAIRAS/HZETRN models. These results are analyzed in the frame of the human exploration of  the Martian surface.
Oral - invited 12:40 pm Plasma-surface interactions at Mercury and their implications to space weather
    Milillo, A1; Orsini, S1; Mura, A1; Mangano , V1; Massetti, S1; De Angelis, E1; Plainaki, C1
    1INAF/IAPS
    The proximity of Mercury to the Sun makes this planet a particularly interesting subject for extreme environmental conditions. Mercury’s plasma environment is driven by a weak internal global magnetic field that supports a small magnetosphere. The plasma coexists with the planet’s exosphere and strongly interacts with the surface. In fact, Mercury’s environment is a complex and highly coupled system where solar wind, magnetosphere, exosphere and surface are linked by interaction processes producing material and energy exchange. In particular, different mechanisms compete in the Hermean environment for the exosphere generation and erosion, depending by external conditions (the Sun distance and activity, interplanetary dust distribution, etc…) and by planet surface characteristics (surface illumination and composition, etc…), so that a kind of space weather as in the Earth’s case can be depicted.  Observations of exosphere and plasma environment of Mercury are paradigm of the environments of planets close to its parent star, providing important clues in planetary evolution.  Recently, big efforts in ground-based observations provided interesting results, but they are limited to just a few exospheric species, mostly Na. The NASA MESSENGER mission (launched in March 2004) is providing observations on the exospheric distribution of already observed species, like Na and Ca, as well as new species as Mg. Differences in spatial distributions for different species suggest different release mechanisms. Waiting for more detailed observations by the ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission, it is of crucial importance to perform accurate and comprehensive simulations in order to maximize the science return.  We present an updated view of the plasma-surface interactions at Mercury and exosphere generation processes, trying to identify the key observations needed to get a comprehensive investigation.

More posters

8 poster 09:55 Statistical Analysis of Earth-Based Na Exosphere Observations of Mercury Correlated with in-Situ Magnetic Field Measurements by MESSENGER
      Mangano, V1; Massetti, S1; Milillo, A1; Orsini, S1; Plainaki, C1; Leblanc, F2
      1INAF; 2LATMOS/IPSL
      The exosphere of Mercury is a tenuous collisionless cloud of gas surrounding the planet, and it derives from the many interactions occurring among the exposed surface, the interplanetary medium (Solar wind, photons and meteoroids) and the planetary and interplanetary magnetic fields.  The action of solar photons through the process of resonant scattering (acting on exospheric Na) is particularly efficient at Mercury; for this reason Na, though not the major species of Mercury’s exosphere, has often been used as a tracer of the dynamics of the whole exospheric environment. In particular, its recurrent observation through the years often showed a peculiar two-peak pattern, with two peaks occurring at mid-latitude regions, in a position that may be easily related to the magnetic cusp footprints of Mercury.  In fact, due to a weak intrinsic magnetic field, Mercury’s magnetosphere is strongly coupled with the Interplanetary Magnetic Field and its wide magnetospheric cusp areas are expected to allow a direct precipitation of the solar wind plasma on the dayside high-latitudes. A correlation between IMF orientation and Na emission features is likely to exist. An Earth-based campaign of observation of the Na exosphere of Mercury is carried out by a French-Italian team at the THEMIS telescope in the Canary Islands since 2007. The use of a solar telescope allowed day-long observations and high resolution imaging. In addition to this, the magnetometer MAG onboard MESSENGER spacecraft is orbiting around Mercury since March 2011, and up to 3 years of contemporary data of global exospheric Na mapping and in-situ measurements of the IMF B-field are now available. By using THEMIS and MAG data, we performed a simple statistical analysis to check if the supposed correlation between IMF orientation and exospheric morphology, evidenced through the Na emission features, exists or not.
9 poster 09:57 Solar wind Turbulence at 0.72 AU and the Response of the Venus Magnetosheath
      Teodorescu, E1; Echim, M2; Munteanu, C3; Zhang, T4; Barabash, S5; Budnik, E6; Fedorov, A6
      1Institute of Space Science; 2Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, Bruxelles; Institute of Space Science, Magurele-Bucharest, Romania; 3Institute of Space Science, Magurele-Bucharest; University of Bucharest; University of Oulu, Finland; 4Space Research Institute; 5Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna; 6Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology, Toulouse
      Venus Express (VEX) provides a unique set of measurements in the solar wind at approximately 0.72 AU from the Sun while orbiting planet Venus. We correlate information provided by two of VEX instruments, Venus Express Magnetometer (MAG) and Analyser of Space Plasma and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA) to investigate the turbulent behavior of the magnetic field fluctuations for both fast or slow solar wind. We also investigate the turbulent state of the magnetosheath in response to the upstream turbulence. We analyze MAG-VEX data at 1 Hz resolution collected between 2007 and 2009, during the minimum phase of the solar cycle.. We identified 550 time intervals when VEX is in the solar wind out of which 118 correspond to  fast solar wind. The power spectral densities (PSD) are computed for Bx, By, Bz, B, B^{2}, and parallel and perpendicular components of B. We also calculate the spectral index through linear fits to the PSD in log-log space and perform a statistical analysis of the spectral indices. We observe a dependence of the spectral index with the velocity of the solar wind and a slight difference in power content between parallel and perpendicular components of the magnetic field. Preliminary results on a higher order analysis method, computation of Probability Density Functions (PDF), and implications for intermittent turbulence are also discussed.  Research supported by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no 313038/STORM, and a grant of the Romanian Ministry of National Education, CNCS – UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-ID-PCE-2012-4-0418.
10 poster 09:59 Nitrogen Ion TRacing Observatory (NITRO): Toward understanding the Earth-Vernus-Mars Difference of N/O Ratio
      Yamauchi, M1; Dandouras, I2; Reme, H2
      1Swedish Institute of Space Physics; 2Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie (IRAP), CNRS/Université de Toulouse
      Nitrogen is a key element for life as an inevitable part of the amino acid and protein, and its oxidation state (NH3 or N2 or NOx) in the ancient atmosphere is one of the key factors that determine the difficulty in forming amino acid without biological processes.  In this sense, the history of planetary N/O ratio of one of the controlling factor for life-environment.  While nitrogen is abundant on the Earth (the amount in the soil, crust, and ocean are small compared to the atmospheric amount) and on Venus (only 3% but pressure is 90 times of the Earth, resulting in three times as the Earth), Martian atmosphere has very little nitrogen, about only 0.01% of the Earth or Venus (with 10% of planetary mass).  This contrasts the oxygen abundance, which is found in all three planets (Martian case, it is now believed to exist in the crust as oxidized rocks because the observed escape rate is equivalent only 10 m deep water).    Considering the fact that nitrogen molecule with triple chemical binding is much more difficult to be dissociated/ionized than oxygen molecule with double chemical binding, absence of the nitrogen only on the Mars is a mystery, while this absence might explain the absence of life at the present knowledge.   From these viewpoints, it is important to understand the dynamic of nitrogen ions at different solar conditions as compared to oxygen ion dynamics or proton dynamics for whatever the planet.  However, nearly no such observation exists at low energy less than keV, except very little observations for thermal nitrogen.  One reason for lack of such measurement is difficulty in separating hot N+ from hot O+ even with the modern instruments, causing past instruments on board magnetospheric missions not targeting such separation but rather targeting higher temporal and spatial resolutions.    With recent improvement of mass-separating ion analyser, it is now most likely possible to separate O+ and N+ by masking H+ and He++ and by limiting the angular coverage to minimize the contamination.  To realize such measurements, we consider two options: (1) single spacecraft mission with minimum instrumentation to detect hot nitrogen ions of missing energy range from 50 eV to 10 keV in the past missions for all planets; and (2) multi-spacecraft terrestrial mission at high inclination orbits to make a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of nitrogen ions in the magnetosphere.    The second option consists of three spacecraft, two mid-altitude satellites for in-situ measurement with gradient information (by the second spacecraft), and one low-altitude satellite for outward remote sensing to obtain line-of-sight integration information.  Instrumentation for such a mission also benefits studies on the inner magnetosphere, substorms, and basic plasma physics such as ion energization.
11 poster 10:01 The Blue and Green Aurorae of the Red Planet.
      Lilensten, J1; Bernard, D2; Barthélémy, M3; Gronoff, G4; Simon, C5
      1CNRS; 2CNRS / IPAG; 3UJF / IPAG; 4NASA LaRC; 5Aalto University, School of Electrical Engineering, Department of Radio Science and Engineering
      The upper atmosphere of Mars is a laboratory for better understanding the planetary atmosphere evolution, and is an example of the interaction of a planet with a weak intrinsic magnetic field with the solar wind. In that context, several space missions were launched to study the Martian environment and its aurorae, notably ESA's Mars Express discovered the first aurora-like structures, and more recently NASA's MAVEN, which is dedicated to understand the atmospheric escape. However, none of the existing missions have a visible spectrometer for the observation of the upper atmosphere and the aurora. In this work, we simulate the visible aurora at Mars both with an experimental setting called Planeterrella, and with the numerical ionosphere simulation Aeroplanets.  We show that the electron impact on CO2 produces strong blue emissions which are due to the Fox-Duffendack-Barker bands. The modeling of the electron transport at Mars shows that both these blue emissions and the emissions of the green line of atomic oxygen may be observable during extreme solar events.  The UV aurorae at Mars have a counterpart in the visible which should be observed in the right conditions. The absence of visible spectrometers dedicated to these observations onboard existing space missions and the location of the different Martian rovers, far from the vertically aligned crustal magnetic field lines of Mars, have prevented so far the observations of such an aurora. The exo-Mars/Trace Gas Orbiter mission will carry a visible spectrometer which could be used to detect these visible events.
12 poster 10:03 Multipoint Imaging and In Situ Observations of Coronal Mass Ejections in June and July 2012
      Moestl, C1; Rollett, T1; Boakes, P2; Farrugia, C  J3; Temmer, M2; Lugaz, N3; Liewer, P4
      1Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences; 2University of Graz; 3University of New Hampshire; 4Jet Propulsion Laboratory
      We investigate the evolution of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in the ecliptic plane by modeling STEREO/HI observations in combination with in situ solar wind plasma and magnetic field data (Venus Express, MESSENGER, Wind). During June and July 2012, high solar activity was coinciding with Venus and Mercury passing the Sun-Earth line. We approximate the CME front with a new method using an elliptical shape for conversion of elongation, as measured by HI, to distance from the Sun. The results constrain the global shape and kinematics of ICMEs during the propagation from the Sun to Earth, aiding in predicting their arrival time and speed with increased accuracy. Multipoint in situ observations of the ICMEs also reveal insights into the 3D structure of their interior magnetic flux ropes, which are the main drivers of strong geomagnetic storms at Earth.
13 poster 10:05 Vlasiator Simulations of Ion Foreshock
      Vainio, R1; Palmroth, M2; Kempf, Y2; Ganse, U3; von Alfthan, S2; Afanasiev, A1; Hoilijoki, S2
      1University of Turku; 2Finnish Meteorological Insititute, Helsinki; 3University of Helsinki
      Accurate characterization of planetary space weather should often be based on the plasma kinetic theory. The Finnish Meteorological Institute's Vlasiator is the world’s first code to capture large simulation volumes using a kinetic theory with accuracy that can be compared to spacecraft measurements. Since it directly solves the Vlasov equation for ions, Vlasiator is numerically noiseless. Vlasiator presents ion kinetics in 6-dimensional (6D) phase space embedded in a self-consistent solution of electromagnetic fields in the 3D ordinary space. Local and global tests show that the simulation is physically and technically mature enough to be run in a massively parallel setup. The resolution employed in our latest runs enables us to consider dispersive effects in the foreshock and magnetosheath. Therefore, we also consider the inclusion of the Hall term in the Ohm's law.  Vlasiator has been applied to a semi-global setup including the shock front encompassing Earth’s magnetic field and its surroundings. The simulations reproduce many well-known foreshock features that are in quantitative agreement with spacecraft observations. We study in particular the formation of the ULF waves and their consequences at the edge of the shock surrounding the Earth's magnetic field. We also use the newly developed post-processing tracer particle technique to identify the origin of ion populations in the foreshock and the magnetosheath. While the present runs are performed on Earth’s parameters, Vlasiator is a potential tool for simulating at least the Hermean magnetosphere, as well. The aim of this paper is to present the potential of Vlasiator as a tool aiding planetary space weather modeling in the future.
14 poster 10:07 Electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell Simulations of the Solar Wind Interaction with Lunar Magnetic Anomalies
      Deca, J1; Divin, A2; Lapenta, G1; Lembège, B3; Markidis, S4; Horányi , M5
      1KU Leuven; 2Swedish Institute of Space Physics; 3Université de Versailles à Saint Quentin; 4KTH Royal Institute of Technology; 5University of Colorado 
      We present the first three-dimensional fully kinetic and electromagnetic simulations of the solar wind interaction with lunar crustal magnetic anomalies (LMAs). Using the implicit particle-in-cell code iPic3D, we confirm that LMAs may indeed be strong enough to stand off the solar wind from directly impacting the lunar surface forming a mini-magnetosphere, as suggested by spacecraft observations and theory. In contrast to earlier MHD and hybrid simulations, the fully kinetic nature of iPic3D allows to investigate the space charge effects and in particular the electron dynamics dominating the near-surface lunar plasma environment. We describe the general picture of the interaction of a dipole model centred just below the lunar surface under various solar wind and plasma conditions and focus on the kinetic effects. It is shown that the configuration is dominated by electron motion, because the LMA scale size is small with respect to the gyroradius of the solar wind ions. Driven by strong pressure anisotropies, the mini-magnetosphere is also unstable over time, leading to only temporal shielding of the surface underneath. Our work opens new frontiers of research toward a deeper understanding of LMAs and is ideally suited to be compared with field or particle observations from spacecraft such as Kaguya (SELENE), Lunar Prospector or ARTEMIS. The ability to evaluate the implications for future lunar exploration as well as lunar science in general hinges on a better understanding of LMAs.  This research has received funding from the European Commission’s FP7 Program with the grant agreement SWIFF (project 2633430, swiff.eu) and EHEROES (project 284461, www.eheroes.eu). The simulations were conducted on the computational resources provided by the PRACE Tier-0 project 2011050747 (Curie supercomputer). This research was supported by the Swedish National Space Board, Grant No. 136/11. JD has received support through the HPC-Europa2 visitor programme (project HPC08SSG85) and the KuLeuven Junior Mobility Programme Special Research Fund.
15 poster 10:09 Solar System Plasma Turbulence and Intermittency over the Solar Cycle from in-Situ Measurements in the Heliosphere and Planetary Environments
      Echim, M1; Wawrzaszek, A2; Macek, W2; Yordanova, E3; Mursula, K4; Virtanen, I4; Vaisanen, P4; Teodorescu, E5; Munteanu, C5; Voitcu, G5; Voeroes, Z6; Narita, Y6; Dwivedi, N6; Bruno, R7; Consolini, G7; Pallochia, G7; Marcucci, M  F7; Kovacs, P8; Lamy, H9; Voitenko, Y9
      1BIRA-IASB; 2CBK Warsaw; 3IRF Sweden; 4U Oulu; 5ISS-INFLPR; 6IWF Graz; 7INAF-IAPS; 8ELGI; 9BIRA-IASB
      In the framework of the European FP7 project STORM (“Solar system plasma Turbulence: Observations, inteRmittency and Multifractals”) we analyze the properties of turbulence in various regions of the solar system, for the minimum and respectively maximum of the solar activity. The main scientific objective of STORM is to advance the understanding of the turbulent energy transfer, intermittency and multifractals in space plasmas. Specific analysis methods are applied on magnetic field and plasma data provided by Ulysses, Venus Express and Cluster, as well as other solar system missions (e.g. Giotto, Cassini). We provide an overview of the properties of turbulence derived from Power Spectral Densities (PSD) and Probability Density Functions (PDFs) computed in the solar wind (from Ulysses, Cluster, Venus Express) and at the interface of planetary magnetospheres with the solar wind (from Venus Express, Cluster). Ulysses provides data in the solar wind between 1992 and 2008, out of the ecliptic, at radial distances ranging between 1.3 and 5.4 AU. We selected only those Ulysses data that satisfy a consolidated set of selection criteria able to identify "pure" fast and slow wind. We analyzed Venus Express data close to the orbital apogee, in the solar wind, at 0.72 AU, and in the Venus magnetosheath. We investigated Cluster data in the solar wind (for time intervals not affected by planetary ions effects), the magnetosheath and few crossings of other key magnetospheric regions (cusp, plasma sheet). We organize our PSD and PDFs results in three solar wind data bases (one for the solar maximum, 1999-2001, two for the solar minimum, 1997-1998 and respectively, 2007-2008), and two planetary databases (one for the solar maximum, 2000-2001, that includes PSD and PDFs obtained in the terrestrial magnetosphere, and one for the solar minimum, 2007-2008, that includes PSD and PDFs obtained in the terrestrial and Venus magnetospheres and magnetosheaths). In addition to investigating the properties of turbulence for the minimum and maximum of the solar cycle we also analyze the similarities and differences between fast and slow wind turbulence. We emphasize the importance of our data survey and analysis in the context of understanding the solar wind turbulence, the exploitation of data bases and as a first step towards developing a (virtual) laboratory for studying solar system plasma turbulence.  Research supported by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no 313038/STORM, and a grant of the Romanian Ministry of National Education, CNCS –UEFISCDI, project number PN-II-ID-PCE-2012-4-0418.
16 poster 10:11 Numerical Simulations of Solar-Wind Comet interactions  based on Implicit Particle-In cell/Monte Carlo Method
      Jiang, W1; Amaya, J1; Lapenta, G1
      1Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
      The interaction of the solar wind with comets has been a hot research topic for a long time. The new ROSETTA mission offers a unique opportunity to study the plasma activity during the solar-wind comet interaction. In order to better understand the interaction process, and in particular to study the transition from the collisionless outer coma to the collision-dominated inner coma, it is necessary to couple gas and plasma dynamics in a comprehensive, self-consistent way.    Based on the code iPIC3D[1], we have used he implicit Particle-In cell/Monte Carlo (PIC/MC) method to study this process self-consistently, including both the kinetic and the collisional treatment of cometary electrons, ions with molecules. We consider the charged particles H+,, H2O+, O-, and electrons, and the neutral molecules of H and O. Two dimensional cases are considered. Physical and chemical processes similar to Rubin et.al [2] are included in our model. Photoionization and photo-dissociation are included with a prescribed rate. We added to the model 12 electron-neutral collision processes, including attachment, excitation and ionization. Two ionic collision processes, including charge exchange and momentum transfer, are imposed through the Monte Carlo method [3], using the cross sections given by LXCat [4]. Recombination processes between the electrons and ions are also considered with temperature dependent recombination rate. The neutral gas is imposed using an analytic formula, which includes the neutral depleting effect.     The simulations are performed at different distances between the sun and the comet. We observe a clear transition from the solar wind proton-dominated flow to a plasma population primarily consisting of relatively cold cometary heavy ions. The position of the cometopause is well predicted by the model. Density, temperature profiles and the spatial dependent electron energy distribution functions are calculated self consistently. The plasma properties in the coma strongly rely on the solar-wind and photon properties, as well as the comet outgassing characteristics.    This work has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration under Grant Agreement No. 610476 - Project DEEP-ER (www.deep-er.eu). W. Jiang gratefully acknowledge the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office and the China Scholarship Council for financial support.  [1] S. Markidis, et.al. Mathematics and Computers in Simulation. 80(7), 1509, 2010.  [2] M. Rubin, et.al. The Astrophysical Journal, 781,86, 2014.  [3] K. Nanbu. Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on 28 97, 2000 [4] www.lxcat.net/
17 poster 10:13 Solar Wind Interaction with the Magnetosphere of Jupiter : Impact on the Magnetopause and the Aurorae
      Bonfond, B1; Grodent, D1; Gérard, J-C1; Radioti, A1; Kivelson, M2; Khurana, K2; Delamere, P3; Stauffer, B3
      1Université de Liège; 2University of California - Los Angeles; 3University of Alaska Fairbanks
      The outcome of the interaction between the solar wind and the Jovian magnetic field bears many differences compared to the Earth's case. At Earth, the solar wind is the major particle and energy source in the magnetosphere. At Jupiter, the tremendous volcanism on the moon Io is the main plasma source and Jupiter's rapid rotation (relative to its size) is the main energy source for the particles populating its magnetosphere. Combined with a weaker solar wind pressure and a larger Alfvén Mach number as the distance from the Sun increases, all these parameters modify the relative importance of large scale Dungey reconnection and viscous interaction at the magnetopause. In order to study these differences, here we present a statistical analysis of magnetopause waves and flux tube event on the Jovian magnetopause, based on in-situ measurement from the spacecraft that flew-by or orbited around Jupiter. Moreover, variations of the solar wind have significant impact on the Jovian magnetospheric current systems and such changes reflect on the aurora. In this presentation, we will also review the recent findings concerning the aurora at Jupiter and their relationship with the solar wind.
18 poster 10:15 Jovian Plasma - Moon Interactions at the Galilean Satellites
      Plainaki, C1; Milillo, A1; Massetti, S1; Mura, A1; Jia, X2; Saur, J3; Orsini, S1; Mangano, V1; De Angelis, E1; Rispoli, R1; Lazzarotto, F1
      1INAF-IAPS; 2University of Michigan; 3Universität zu Köln
      The exospheres of Jupiter's moons Europa and Ganymede are mixtures of different species among which sputtered H2O and H2 dominate in the highest altitudes and O2, formed mainly by radiolysis of ice and subsequent release of the produced molecules, prevail at lower altitudes. Several observations have demonstrated that these neutral environments are formed mainly through the interaction of the Jovian plasma with the moons' icy surfaces. Given the variable environment conditions (i.e. plasma, UV, surface heating etc.) at the Galilean moons, the exospheres of Ganymede and Europa result to be spatially and temporally non-uniform. Therefore, the neutral environment variability at these moons constitutes a direct evidence of space weather phenomena in the Jupiter system.  In the present study we investigate Europa's exospheric H2O and O2 characteristics under the external conditions that are likely in the Jupiter's magnetospheric environment, applying the Europa Global model of Exospheric Outgoing Neutrals (EGEON, Plainaki et al., 2012). The H2O and O2 exospheres of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede are simulated through the application of a 3-D Monte Carlo modeling technique that takes into consideration the combined effect in the exosphere generation of the main surface release processes (i.e. sputtering, sublimation and radiolysis) and the surface precipitation of the energetic ions of Jupiter’s magnetosphere. We discuss the modeled water and oxygen densities at both Galilean satellites and we compare them, a posteriori, with the analysis results from observations. We show that in view of future missions to the Jovian system, it is important to describe the variability of the exospheric environment around the Galilean moons, due to space weather driven by plasma and/or the UV radiation.
19 poster 10:17 Radiation Shielding for an Instrument in the Jovian Environment
      Rispoli, R1; Plainaki, C1; Milillo, A1; Orsini, S1; De Angelis, E1; Kieft, P2
      1INAF/IAPS; 2University of Nottingham
      Jovian environment includes intense, energetic and highly penetrating electron and ion populations. Energetic particles can cause radiation damage to electronic components and materials, resulting in increased detector noise, part failures such as leakage current due to total dose effects, power glitches probably due to arcing dielectrics, Cerenkov and Florescence radiation in optical elements, oscillator frequency shifts, and other effects. Energetic electrons can penetrate thin shields and build up static charge in internal dielectric materials such as cable and other insulation, circuit boards, and on ungrounded metallic parts. These components can be subsequently discharged, generating electromagnetic interference. In this view, the extreme radiation environment at Jupiter can be a primary source of spacecraft problems. Therefore, while designing potential future missions to the giant planet and to its satellites, accurate estimates of the space weather conditions that characterize the regions of the external Solar System are necessary. Specifically, a quantitative evaluation of the radiation dose received by the spacecraft (s/c) is of significant importance. Jupiter's magnetosphere is a unique plasma laboratory in our solar system and presents a paradigm of a gas giant system with a fast rotating plasma disk. The trapped populations in the radiation belts include energetic protons and electrons. Data from the Galileo spacecraft have quantified the intense radiation belt that exists inward of the orbit of Jupiter’s satellite Ganymede (at r ~ 15 RJ). Specifically, Jun et al. (2005), using the Galileo Energetic Particles Detector (EPD) data, estimated that the flux of ~11 MeV electrons increases by roughly 2 orders of magnitude inward from Ganymede’s orbit to Europa’s (at r ~ 9.4 RJ). However, the Galilean satellites co-located with this radiation belt, do not receive the full radiation dose that characterizes their surroundings. For example, Ganymede’s internal magnetic field reduces the access of charged particles to the surface and as a result, the radiation in the moon’s vicinity is reduced. Although the dominant contribution to the radiation environment at Jupiter comes from the energetic electrons and the magnetospheric charged particles, s/c problems can be caused also due to sporadic Solar Particle Events (SPEs) and to Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) access to the Jovian magnetosphere.  Moreover, secondary radiation generated by the interaction of primary radiation with s/c materials is an additional potential source for satellite problems. For this harsh environment a Jupiter space mission requests accurate radiation analysis. This work presents a shielding strategy for an instrument proposed for JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) payload. The received total ionizing dose levels for critical component of the instrument have been calculated through the FASTRAD 3.3.0.0, complete engineering software developed for 3D radiation shielding analyses. The results of this study constitute a necessary starting point in the design and development of any instrument to be functioning inside Jupiter's system in a compatible mode with the planet's space weather conditions.
20 poster 10:19 Study of the Photoelectron Emission from the Surface of Cluster Spacecraft
      Andriopoulou, M1; Nakamura, R1; Torkar, K1
      1Space Reseach Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
      A sunlit spacecraft that orbits in tenuous plasma regions will be positively charged due to the photoelectrons that escape from its surface. The spacecraft potential can be then determined by the equilibrium of the acting currents, which in this case, are the photoelectron current and the current of the ambient electrons. The photoelectron emission is also expected to be variable with the solar cycle. In this work we use plasma and spacecraft potential data from the Cluster satellites to derive the photoelectron current profiles as a function of the spacecraft potential. In order to derive more accurate results, we focus at periods where the separation between the Cluster spacecraft was minimum. These profiles can then be used for helping to reconstruct the spacecraft potential measurements from the spacecraft potential measurements at which active spacecraft potential control (ion emitters) is applied. Such reconstruction can allow more accurate electron density estimations obtained from spacecraft potential measurements, regardless of the fact that active spacecraft potential control is applied. The results of this work will be of useful for the upcoming Multiscale Magnetospheric Mission (MMS) mission.
21 poster 10:21 IMPEx/FMI-HWA Planetary Simulations Database and Matlab Tools for Easy Access
      Laitinen, T1; Häkkinen, L1; Kallio, E2; Schmidt, W3; Jarvinen, R4; Haunia, T1; Khodachenko, M5; Al-Ubaidi, T5; Topf, F5; Scherf, M5; Génot, V6; Gangloff, M6; Modolo, R3; Hess, S3; Alexeev, I7; Mukhametdinova, L7; Belenkaya, E7; Budnik, E6; Bourrel, N6; Penou, E3; Renard, B3; André, N3
      1Finnish Meteorological Institute; 2School of Electrical Engineering, Aalto University; 3LATMOS/CNRS, Université de Versailles Saint Quentin; 4Finnish Meteorological Institute / presently at: LASP, University of Colorado; 5Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences; 6IRAP/CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier; 7SINP, Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Moscow State University
      The FP-7 SPACE project IMPEx (Integrated Medium for Planetary Exploration) is building a web-based research environment for planetary plasma science, aiming to facilitate comparison of in situ measurements and computational models. Several observational and simulation databases with common metadata standards provide datasets that can be combined, compared and visualised with online tools or downloaded for analysis with personal favourite software.  The Finnish Meteorological Institute’s (FMI) Hybrid Web Archive (HWA) contains simulations of the plasma environments of several Solar System objects, such as Venus and Mars, modelled with the HYB hybrid code.  HWA also includes the GUMICS Earth Archive, which contains simulations of the Earth’s magnetosphere performed with Europe's only global magnetohydrodynamic code GUMICS-4 (Grand Unified Magnetosphere–Ionosphere Coupling Simulation). The simulations can be examined online at http://hwa.fmi.fi/beta/. HWA implements the IMPEx data access protocol, allowing downloading of the simulation data via a SOAP-based web service interface.   In this presentation we illustrate the use of the IMPEx / FMI-HWA web services directly from the Matlab command line, using a Matlab function package written for this purpose. The freely available package includes functions for specifying sets of points in space, e.g. on a surface or along a spacecraft trajectory, for retrieving simulation data at the specified points and for reading the data into Matlab variables.  IMPEx home: http://impex-fp7.oeaw.ac.at
22 poster 10:23 Magnetospheric Modes and Magnetic Reconnection.
      Hubert, B1; Milan, S2; Cowley, S2
      1University of Liège; 2University of Leicester
      We combine imaging of the proton aurora from the SI12-IMAGE instrument with measurement of the ionospheric convection from the SuperDARN radar network to analyze the cycle of magnetic flux opening and closure of the Earth magnetosphere. Interaction between the solar wind and the Earth geomagnetic environment causes a reconfiguration of the magnetic field that connects the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) to the geomagnetic field. This reconnection process produces open magnetic field lines (i.e. field lines of the magnetosphere that close through the interplanetary medium) that are dragged to the magnetotail by the solar wind flow, where they eventually reconnect again, back to a closed topology.  The SI12 imaging of the Doppler-shifted Lyman-α emission of the proton aurora is used to estimate the location of the boundary separating open and closed field lines at ionospheric altitude. We then  estimate the open magnetic flux of the Earth magnetosphere, encircled by this boundary. The rate of reconnection causing a variation of the open magnetic flux can be expressed as a voltage in application of Faraday’s law. This voltage is measured along the open/closed field line boundary determined from the imaging data. The electric field associated with the voltage has two origins: motion of the boundary and the ionospheric field. We use the ionospheric electric field deduced from ionospheric convection measurement from the SuperDARN to estimate the reconnection voltage at the magnetopause (flux opening) and in the magnetotail (flux closure) accounting for the motion of the open/closed field line boundary determined from the SI12 images. The method is applied during substorms, steady geomagnetic convection intervals, sawtooth events and geomagnetic storms. These different intervals are characterized by different values of open flux and reconnection rates, as a result of different coupling between the solar wind and the geomagnetic environment. We interpret these differences as different dynamic modes of the magnetospheric system. Shock-induced flux closure events are also presented, as an exceptional situation that differs from the modes presented above.
23 poster 10:25 Theoretical Model of CR Forbush-Decrease and Precursors Effects
      Dorman, L
      Israel Cosmic Ray and Space Wearther Center of Tel Aviv University, Israel Space Agency and Golan Research Institute, Israel; IZMIRAN, Russia
      The understanding of the mechanism of CR Forbush decrease and precursor effects is important for forecasting of the great magnetic storms by using on-line one hour CR observation data. We consider in details the situation with CR distribution inside CME and how it changed with time. We suppose that shock wave before CME is semi-transpired and the coefficient of transparence depends from the CR particles rigidity. One differential equation determined the change of CR intensity inside CME by the particle energy decrease in the expanding volume and by exchange with CR particles outside the CME. The other differential equation determined the outside CR particles drift acceleration by interaction with the shock wave before CME (this effect gives increase of CR intensity before magnetic storm sudden commencement) as well as exchange with CR particles inside the CME along the IMF lines (what gives the decrease of CR intensity before the start of magnetic storm on the Earth). We calculate also the expected CR anisotropy. Obtained results we compare with observation data.