The Venus ionosphere

Physical properties of the Venus ionosphere obtained by experiments on the US Pioneer Venus and the Soviet Venera missions are presented in the form of models suitable for inclusion in the Venus International Reference Atmosphere. The models comprise electron density (from 120 km), electron and ion temperatures, and relative ion abundance in the altitude range from 150 km to 1000 km for solar zenith angles from 0° to 180°. In addition, information on ion transport velocities, ionopause altitudes, and magnetic field characteristics of the Venus ionosphere, are presented in tabular or graphical form. Also discussed is the solar control of the physical properties of the Venus ionosphere.     

Spatial and temporal variations of the ion velocity measured in the venus ionosphere

The average velocity of the Venus ionosphere is nightward and approximately symmetric about the sun-Venus axis. We report here on temporal and spatial deviations from this average flow and their effects on the ionosphere. Temporal variability of the ion flux affects the main ionization source on the nightside. The influence of the solar wind is seen in the correlation between nightside ion density and ionopause height. Spatial asymmetries include a low-altitude superrotation (v-dawn < v-dusk) component related to superrotation of the neutral atmosphere, and a high-altitude prograde (v-dawn > v-dusk) component that is shown to be the result of asymmetric pressure gradients on the dayside.     

Electron densities and temperatures in the Venus ionosphere: Effects of solar EUV,solar wind pressure and magnetic field

The Venus ionosphere is influenced by variations in both solar EUV flux and solar wind conditions. On the dayside the location of the topside of the ionosphere, the ionopause, is controlled by solar wind dynamic pressure. Within the dayside ionosphere, however, electron density is affected mainly by solar EUV variations, and is relatively unaffected by solar wind variations and associated magnetic fields induced within the ionosphere. The existence of a substantial nightside ionosphere of Venus is thought to be due to the rapid nightward transport of dayside ionospheric plasma across the terminator. Typical solar wind conditions do not strongly affect this transport and consequently have little direct influence on nightside ionospheric conditions, except on occasions of extremely high solar wind dynamic pressure. However, both nightside electron density and temperature are affected by the presence of magnetic field, as in the case of ionospheric holes.     

Corotating interplanetary streams and associated ionospheric disturbances at Venus and Earth

During the summer of 1979, solar coronal structure was such that a sequence of recurrent regions produced a corresponding sequence of corotating solar wind streams, with pronounced downstream signatures. One of these stream events passed Earth on July 3, and was observed later at Venus late on July 11th, with similar characteristics. Corresponding in-situ measurements at Earth from the Atmospheric Explorer-E satellite and at Venus from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter are examined for evidence of comparable perturbations of the planetary ionospheres. The passage of the stream shock front is found to be associated with pronounced fluctuations in n(0⁺) which appear as pronounced local depletion of ion concentrations in both ionospheres. The ionosphere disturbances appear to be closely associated with large variations in the solar wind momentum flux. The implied local ionospheric depletions observed at each planet are interpreted to be the consequence of plasma redistribution, rather than actual depletions of plasma.     

Dependence of Venus ionopause altitude and ionospheric magnetic field on solar wind dynamic pressure

The shape of the dayside Venus ionopause, and its dependence on solar wind parameters, is examined using Pioneer Venus Orbiter field and particle data. The ionopause is defined here as the altitude of pressure equality between magnetosheath magnetic pressure and ionospheric thermal pressure; its typical altitudes range from ～300 km near the subsolar point to ～900 km near the terminator. A strong correlation between ionopause altitude and magnetosheath magnetic pressure is demonstrated; correlation between magnetic pressure and the normally incident component of solar wind dynamic pressure is also evident. The data support the hypothesis of control of the ionopause altitude by solar wind dynamic pressure, manifested in the sheath as magnetic pressure. The presence of large scale magnetic fields in the ionosphere is observed primarily when dynamic pressure is high and the ionopause is low.     

Solar wind-Venus interaction affecting ionospheric electron density profile

The equilibrium electron density profile has been computed and compared with measured profiles by Venera 9 and Mariner 5 and 10. The computed electron density profile is seen to show discrepancies with measured data. The contribution of solar wind interaction induced convection to equilibrium electron density profile has been estimated. It is found that the convective processes are less important at lower altitudes, whereas at higher altitudes its contribution becomes dominant. The night side Venus ionosphere is formed due to the transport of O⁺ and impact ionization of neutral gases by suprathermal electrons. The discrepancies in theoretical and measured electron density profiles provide clear indication of additional energy source of solar wind origin.     

Effects of large-scale magnetic fields in the Venus ionosphere

Theoretical models of the ionosphere of Venus have been constructed in the past without due consideration of the fact that the ionosphere is sometimes magnetized. This paper examines some differences between the magnetized and unmagnetized dayside Venus ionosphere using the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Langmuir probe and magnetometer data. Particular attention is given to the evaluation of the altitude profiles of the thermal electron heating and comparison of the magnitude of the magnetic force(¯vׯB) ׯB with other forces in the ionosphere. Several examples illustrate how heating profiles are different in the magnetized ionosphere with effective heating below ～200 km altitude reduced by orders of magnitude compared to the field-free ionosphere. The force associated with the magnetic field is comparable to other forces in the magnetized ionosphere. The measured plasma density, electron temperature and magnetic field thus suggest that large-scale magnetic fields should be included in future ionosphere models.     

Ionospheric losses of Venus in the solar wind

The nature of ionospheric losses from Venus is of essential importance for understanding the ionosphere dynamics of this unmagnetized planet. A plausible mechanism that can explain the escape of charged particles involves the solar wind interaction with the upper atmospheric layers of Venus. The hydrodynamic approach proposed for plasma expansion in the present study comprises two populations of positive ions and the neutralizing electrons, which interact with the solar wind electrons and protons. The fluid equations describing the plasma are solved numerically using a self-similar approach. The behavior of plasma density, velocity, and electric potential, as well as their reliance upon solar wind parameters have been examined. It is found that for noon midnight sites, the oxygen ion-to-electron relative density may be the main factor to enhance the ionic loss. However, the other parameters, like hydrogen density and solar wind density and velocity seem to do not stimulate the runaway ions. For lower dawn-dusk region, the plasma are composed of hydrogen and oxygen ions as well as electrons, but for higher altitudes only hydrogen ions and electrons are encountered. All ionic densities play an important role either to reduce or boost the ionic loss. The streaming solar wind velocity has no effect on the plasma escaping for lower altitudes, but it reduces the expansion at higher altitudes.     

Partially transmitted lightning signals recorded by pioneer Venus orbiter

Impulsive electric fields appearing on all four frequency channels of the Pioneer Venus electric field detector in the night ionosphere of Venus are characteristic of lightning generated signals. Based on our knowledge of the electron density and magnetic field in the Venus ionosphere, we suggest that lightning waves could be partially transmitted upwards into the ionosphere. The leakage of these lightning waves into the ionosphere on encountering electron density holes may be treated as reradiation into the ionosphere from the hole. Since this radiation pattern is frequency dependent, we should not expect to see all frequency components for every lightning stroke observed.     

The properties of the low altitude magnetic belt in the Venus ionosphere

When the solar wind dynamic pressure is high, the Venus ionosphere usually contains a belt of steady magnetic field at the very lowest altitudes to which Pioneer Venus probes. The current layer that flows on the high altitude side of this low altitude belt is centered at an altitude which ranges from 170 to 190 km with a most probable altitude of 182 km. This altitude is independent of solar zenith angle and hence the current system is flowing horizontally rather than vertically as proposed by Cloutier and co-workers. The lower edge of the magnetic belt was probed only on the lowest altitude passes of Pioneer Venus. This boundary is even more stable in location. The belt has decayed to 90% of its maximum strength usually by 162 km and to 50% of its maximum strength by 155 km. We interpret these data to indicate that the observed magnetic structure of the Venus ionosphere is a product of temporal evolution rather than of spacecraft motion through a spatially varying static structure.     

Plasma measurements in the Venus near wake

A study of the plasma measurements conducted with the Mariner 5, Venera 9 and 10, and the Pioneer Venus spacecraft in the Venus ionosheath and near wake is presented. The data available indicate that in the inner ionosheath, downstream from the terminator, the density and the velocity of the plasma are significantly smaller than those measured further outside. The slower particle fluxes detected near the ionopause also exhibit higher plasma temperatures and show a tendency to move towards the nightside hemisphere. The observation of high plasma temperatures in the inner ionosheath indicates that the interaction of the solar wind with the Venus ionospheric/exospheric material is dominated by dissipative phenomena, and that its entry into the wake is due to local thermal expansion processes.     

Hybrid simulations of the O ion escape from Venus: Influence of the solar wind density and the IMF x component

As an initial effort to study the evolution of the Venus atmosphere, the influence of the solar wind density and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) x component (the x-axis points from Venus towards the Sun) on the O⁺ ion escape rate from Venus is investigated using a three-dimensional quasi-neutral hybrid (HYB-Venus) model. The HYB-Venus model is first applied to a case of the high-density (100 cm⁻³) solar wind interaction with Venus selected from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter observations to demonstrate its capability for the study. Two sets of simulations with a wide range of solar wind densities and different IMF x components are then performed. It is found that the O⁺ ion escape rate increases with increasing solar wind density. The O⁺ ion escape rate saturates when the solar wind density becomes high (above 100 cm⁻³). The results also suggest that the IMF x component enhances the O⁺ ion escape rate, given a fixed IMF component perpendicular to the x-axis. Finally, the results imply a higher ion loss rate for early-Venus, when solar conditions were dramatically different.     

Current-driven plasma instabilities and auroral-type particle acceleration at Venus

Above the ionosphere of Venus, several instruments on the Pioneer Orbiter detect correlated wave, field and particle phenomena suggestive of current-driven anomalous resistivity and auroral-type particle acceleration. In localized regions the plasma wave instrument measures intense mid-frequency turbulence levels together with strong field-aligned currents. Here the local parameters indicate that there is marginal stability for ion acoustic waves, and the electron temperature probe finds evidence that energetic primaries are present. This suggests an auroral-type energy deposition into the upper atmosphere of Venus. These results appear to be consistent with the direct measurements of auroral emissions from the Pioneer-Venus ultraviolet imaging spectrometer.     

Effects of large scale magnetic fields in the dayside ionosphere of Venus

The ion density and magnetic field data from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter for the first three dayside periapsis passes have been analysed to study the effect of the large-scale fields upon the dayside ion density profiles. The peak value of the O⁺ density in a strongly magnetised ionosphere often shows an enhancement as compared to a close non-magnetic orbit. Further, the height of the O⁺ peak shows a positive correlation with the height of the minimum of the magnetic field profile. Contrary to earlier findings, the compressional effects of the magnetic fields are observed even at near-terminator locations.     

Empirical model of the composition of the Venus ionosphere: Repeatable characteristics and key features not modeled

In-situ measurements of positive ion composition of the ionosphere of Venus are combined in an empirical model which is a key element for the Venus International Reference Atmosphere (VIRA) model. The ion data are obtained from the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Ion Mass Spectrometer (OIMS) which obtained daily measurements beginning in December 1978 and extending to July 1980 when the uncontrolled rise of satellite periapsis height precluded further measurements in the main body of the ionosphere. For this period, measurements of 12 ion species are sorted into altitude and local time bins with altitude extending from 150 to 1000 km. The model results exhibit the appreciable nightside ionosphere found at Venus, the dominance of atomic oxygen ions in the dayside upper ionosphere and the increase in prominence of atomic oxygen and deuterium ions on the nightside. Short term variations, such as the abrupt changes observed in the ionopause, cannot be represented in the model.     

The characteristics of sharp (small-scale) boundaries of solar wind plasma and magnetic field structures

We investigate properties of large (>20%) and sharp (<10 min) solar wind ion flux changes using INTERBALL-1 and WIND plasma and magnetic field measurements from 1996 to 1999. These ion flux changes are the boundaries of small-scale and middle-scale solar wind structures. We describe the behavior of the solar wind velocity, temperature and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) during these sudden flux changes. Many of the largest ion flux changes occur during periods when the solar wind velocity is nearly constant, so these are mainly plasma density changes. The IMF magnitude and direction changes at these events can be either large or small. For about 55% of the ion flux changes, the sum of the thermal and magnetic pressure are in balance across the boundary. In many of the other cases, the thermal pressure change is significantly more than the magnetic pressure change. We also attempted to classify the types of discontinuities observed.     

Model calculations of the dayside ionosphere of Venus

Model calculations of the dayside ionosphere of Venus are presented. The coupled continuity and momentum equations were solved for O₂⁺, O⁺, CO₂⁺, C⁺, N⁺, He⁺, and H⁺ density distributions, which are compared with measurements from the Pioneer Venus ion mass spectrometer. The agreement between the model results and the measurements is good for some species, such as O⁺, and rather poor for others, such as N⁺, indicating that our understanding of the dayside ion composition of Venus is incomplete. The coupled heat conduction equations for ions and electrons were solved and the calculated temperatures compared with Pioneer Venus measurements. It is shown that fluctuations in the magnetic field have a significant effect on the energy balance of the ionosphere.     

Sharp boundaries of solar wind plasma structures and their relationship to solar wind turbulence

Sharp (<10 min) and large (>20%) solar wind ion flux changes are common phenomena in turbulent solar wind plasma. These changes are the boundaries of small- and middle-scale solar wind plasma structures which can have a significant influence on Earth’s magnetosphere. These solar wind ion flux changes are typically accompanied by only a small change in the bulk solar wind velocity, hence, the flux changes are driven mainly by plasma density variations. We show that these events occur more frequently in high-density solar wind. A characteristic of solar wind turbulence, intermittency, is determined for time periods with and without these flux changes. The probability distribution functions (PDF) of solar wind ion flux variations for different time scales are calculated for each of these periods and compared. For large time scales, the PDFs are Gaussian for both data sets. For small time scales, the PDFs from both data set are more flat than Gaussian, but the degree of flatness is much larger for the data near the sharp flux change boundaries.     

Magnetic flux ropes in the Venus ionosphere: In situ observations of force-free structures?

Force-free magnetic structures with cylindrical geometry appear under a variety of conditions in nature. Filamentary helical magnetic structures are observed to be associated with prominences and flares in the solar atmosphere, and can arise in superconductors and laboratory plasmas. Another example of cylindrical quasi-force-free configurations appears to exist in the Venus ionosphere. Magnetic flux ropes with diameters of ～20 – 30 km have been observed by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter to be a nearly ubiquitous feature of the dayside Venus ionosphere. Models of flux ropes suggest that many of these structures tend to be quasi-force-free, i.e., $\text{J}$×$\text{B}$～0, while others are correlated with pressure variations in the ambient thermal plasma, $\text{J}$×$\text{B}$=-?(nkT).     

The relationship between plasma effects and cosmic radiation studied with TriTel-LMP measurements during the ESEO mission

The main point of the paper is to use the simultaneous measurements of the energetic particle flux by TriTel and those of electron density by a Langmuir probe to study the question of to what extent solar electromagnetic and corpuscular radiation (galactic cosmic rays, particle precipitation from the radiation belts) are responsible for the ionization of the atmosphere. The electron density measured by the Langmuir probe is the sum of the ionization produced by the solar electromagnetic radiation and that due to the corpuscular radiation. The ionization produced by the solar electromagnetic radiation may be computed. The flux of energetic particles in an energy range may be determined by taking the difference between the threshold energy of the TriTel telescopes and the energy corresponding to the local cut-off rigidity. As the ESEO satellite will have a quasi-polar and circular orbit, the cut-off rigidity will change from low to high latitudes, thus enabling the assignment of different energy bands for the telescopes. Thus, it will be possible to determine which energy bands of particle produce ionization at different latitudes.