Venus lightning

Although it is not unanimously accepted, many independent observations lead to the conclusion that lightning is prevalent on Venus. The electromagnetic signals detected by all 4 Venera landers are most readily explained as generation by lightning. The Venera 9 spectrometer appears to have observed a lightning storm on one occasion. The Pioneer Venus plasma wave instrument detects waves both below the electron gyrofrequency that may be due to lightning and signals above the electron gyrofrequency but at very low altitudes that may be due to the near field of the lightning. The VLF observations suggest that Venus lightning must be an intra-cloud phenomenon which is most frequent in the afternoon and evening sector. The occurrence rate is likely to be greater than on Earth.     

Upstream Ion Cyclotron Waves at Venus and Mars

The occurrence of waves generated by pick-up of planetary neutrals by the solar wind around unmagnetized planets is an important indicator for the composition and evolution of planetary atmospheres. For Venus and Mars, long-term observations of the upstream magnetic field are now available and proton cyclotron waves have been reported by several spacecraft. Observations of these left-hand polarized waves at the local proton cyclotron frequency in the spacecraft frame are reviewed for their specific properties, generation mechanisms and consequences for the planetary exosphere. Comparison of the reported observations leads to a similar general wave occurrence at both planets, at comparable locations with respect to the planet. However, the waves at Mars are observed more frequently and for long durations of several hours; the cyclotron wave properties are more pronounced, with larger amplitudes, stronger left-hand polarization and higher coherence than at Venus. The geometrical configuration of the interplanetary magnetic field with respect to the solar wind velocity and the relative density of upstream pick-up protons to the background plasma are important parameters for wave generation. At Venus, where the relative exospheric pick-up ion density is low, wave generation was found to mainly take place under stable and quasi-parallel conditions of the magnetic field and the solar wind velocity. This is in agreement with theory, which predicts fast wave growth from the ion/ion beam instability under quasi-parallel conditions already for low relative pick-up ion density. At Mars, where the relative exospheric pick-up ion density is higher, upstream wave generation may also take place under stable conditions when the solar wind velocity and magnetic field are quasi-perpendicular. At both planets, the altitudes where upstream proton cyclotron waves were observed (8 Venus and 11 Mars radii) are comparable in terms of the bow shock nose distance of the planet, i.e. in terms of the size of the solar wind-planetary atmosphere interaction region. In summary, the upstream proton cyclotron wave observations demonstrate the strong similarity in the interaction of the outer exosphere of these unmagnetized planets with the solar wind upstream of the planetary bow shock.     

The menagerie of geospace plasma waves

Sounding rockets and satellites have discovered a large variety of plasma waves within the Earth's magnetosphere—geospace. These waves are found over a frequency range of millihertz to megahertz. The frequency ranges are generally associated with characteristic frequencies such as the plasma frequency and gyrofrequency. Most waves are generated by hot or streaming magnetospheric plasma; some waves are due to lightning discharges, to intentional man-made transmitters or to incidental radiation from power transmission systems. Propagation of waves from the observation region back to a probable source region can be modelled using ray tracing techniques in a model magnetosphere where the electron number density, ion composition and magnetic field vector is specified. Information in addition to the common amplitude-frequency-time spectrograms can be obtained from the received waves using multiple antennas and receivers. Cross-correlation of the wave electric and magnetic components can provide information on the wave polarization and direction of propagation and on the wave distribution function.     

Wave observations in outer planet magnetospheres

The first measurements of plasma waves and wave-particle interactions in the magnetospheres of the outer planets were provided by instruments on Voyager 1 and 2. At Jupiter, the observations yielded new information on upstream electrons and ions, bow shock dissipation processes, trapped radio waves in the magnetospheres and extended Jovian magnetotail, pitch angle diffusion mechanisms and whistlers from atmospheric lightning. Many of these same emissions were detected at Saturn. In addition, the Voyager plasma wave instruments detected dust particles associated with the tenuous outer rings of Saturn as they impacted the spacecraft. Most of the plasma wave activity at Jupiter and Saturn is in the audio range, and recordings of the wave observations have been useful for analysis.     

Type-III radio bursts and their interpretation

The observations of type-III solar radio bursts are briefly reviewed to set requirements on a model for their interpretation. The most important of these requirements is that the source must be an electron stream which is in a state of continuous quasilinear relaxation and which initially must have a nearly monotonically decreasing velocity distribution. The problem of constructing a model is broken into three parts: (1) The plasma wave source which depends on the interaction of the electron stream with electron plasma waves. (2) The radiation source which depends on the interaction of plasma waves and transverse electromagnetic waves or in a magnetized plasma the ordinary and extraordinary modes of magnetoionic theory. (3) The propagation of radiation between the source and the observer which depends on the transmission of radiation through a scattering refracting absorbing magnetized plasma.Progress on a model for the plasma wave source is reviewed and it is concluded that no existing models are adequate. The equations which would lead to an adequate model are written down, but not solved. These include, in addition to collisional damping, Landau damping both by the exciting stream and the background plasma, and spontaneous and induced processes for a three-dimensional distribution of plasma waves. Possible limitations to a quasilinear approach such as pile-up of plasma waves and nonlinear effects are considered. Processes which affect the gross structure of the source such as electron trajectories in coronal streamers and electron scattering by inhomogeneities are reviewed.Progress on the radiation source is considered both in the absence and presence of a magnetic field. At high frequencies (e.g., 80 MHz) observations of radiation near the fundamental and second harmonic of the plasma frequency allow a unique determination of source size and the energy density in plasma waves within the uncertainties of geometry by source ray tracing. This determination is extremely critical because the fundamental must be amplified and thus production of the fundamental is effectively a much more highly nonlinear process than production of the second harmonic. At low frequencies (e.g., 500 kHz) the second harmonic is shown to be dominant because amplification of the fundamental becomes an inefficient process.Calculations of scattering of radiation in a random medium are reviewed. It is concluded that these are adequate at high and low frequencies, but have not been carried out properly at intermediate frequencies where amplification of the fundamental may still be present. It is shown in particular that when scattering is taken into account at high frequencies all observations can be explained by isotropic emission near the second harmonic. At low frequencies the nature of the scatterers is determined by source occultations unlike the case at high frequencies where these are free parameters. This fact allows the possibility of determining true source sizes at low frequencies by subtracting out the contribution due to scattering. A mechanism for producing the possibly observed linear or highly elliptical polarization of type-III bursts, which must be imposed far from the source due to Faraday rotation, is reviewed.Finally, the questions of what remains to be done and what we can hope to obtain upon completion of this work are briefly considered.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

The Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) Onboard the KAGUYA (SELENE) Spacecraft

The Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) onboard the KAGUYA (SELENE) spacecraft has successfully performed radar sounder observations of the lunar subsurface structures and passive observations of natural radio and plasma waves from the lunar orbit. After the transfer of the spacecraft into the final lunar orbit and antenna deployment, the operation of LRS started on October 29, 2007. Through the operation until June 10, 2009, 2363 hours worth of radar sounder data and 8961 hours worth of natural radio and plasma wave data have been obtained. It was revealed through radar sounder observations that there are distinct reflectors at a depth of several hundred meters in the nearside maria, which are inferred to be buried regolith layers covered by a basalt layer with a thickness of several hundred meters. Radar sounder data were obtained not only in the nearside maria but also in other regions such as the farside highland region and polar region. LRS also performed passive observations of natural plasma waves associated with interaction processes between the solar wind plasma and the moon, and the natural waves from the Earth, the sun, and Jupiter. Natural radio waves such as auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) with interference patterns caused by the lunar surface reflections, and Jovian hectometric (HOM) emissions were detected. Intense electrostatic plasma waves around 20 kHz were almost always observed at local electron plasma frequency in the solar wind, and the electron density profile, including the lunar wake boundary, was derived along the spacecraft trajectory. Broadband noises below several kHz were frequently observed in the dayside and wake boundary of the moon and it was found that a portion of them consist of bipolar pulses. The datasets obtained by LRS will make contributions for studies on the lunar geology and physical processes of natural radio and plasma wave generation and propagation.     

Ultra low frequency waves in the magnetosphere

The behaviour of continuous pulsations pc 2–5 observed on the ground has been known for some time. They seldom occur at night, their amplitudes generally increase towards the auroral zones and the sense of rotation of their polarisation often agrees with surface waves on the magnetopause. Recently ULF sonagrams for middle latitudes have shown systematic behaviour and dominant periods. Theoretical study of normal modes for symmetrical models is also well established. If the wave depends on longitude like e ^im , modes with large m are quasi-transverse and these are likely to be excited and will be emphasised.The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability has recently been studied in a general formulation. For given fields and plasma properties on both sides of the boundary, a plot of critical wind speed against the direction of the wave fronts shows a cusp, meaning that for most directions of the wind the onset of instability will correspond to the cusp and the nature of the waves can be predicted from this. Almost circularly polarised waves are predicted confirming an earlier heuristic suggestion.Magnetic data from Explorer 33 shows rather irregular disturbance near the magnetopause, but an integration designed to show the sense of rotation of the polarisation shows clear agreement. The disturbance outside the magnetopause also shows the predicted polarisation, indicating that a substantial part of it must be due to surface waves, whereas previously it was believed to be the turbulence of the magnetosheath.Bounce resonance has also been invoked to excite ULF waves, particularly those observed at the geostationary orbit, which may also correspond to pg at the ground. They are remarkably regular and quite strictly transverse, suggesting large m. Energetic particles may then see a higher frequency as a result of their drift. A simple picture of the exchange of energy is obtained using a frame rotating with the wave and it is seen that the wave can be driven by a spatial gradient in the energetic particles. The most important mechanism is due to the tilting of the field lines and the growth rate can be large. The reflection by the ionosphere requires further study.     

Stimulation of VLF amplification in the magnetosphere

Among the various plasma instabilities that exert influence on the dynamic equilibrium state of the magnetosphere, the cyclotron-resonance interaction appears to be the most accessible to artificial stimulation. The strength of the interaction is sensitive to both the background magnetoplasma parameters and the hot energetic particle distribution. Thus, proper modification of one or more conditions can induce significant wave amplification at the expense of hot plasma energy density. Several methods of hot and cold plasma injection have been investigated with the linear theory to assess their effectiveness as a means of stimulating amplification.Only the interaction of VLF waves (3–30 kHz) with hot electrons (0.1–100 keV) is treated here. The injection of a dense jet of barium that travels upward along the geomagnetic field causes appreciable amplification when the jet is within 30° of the geomagnetic equator. Injection of a geosynchronous lithium cloud stimulates amplification of both VLF and ULF waves, but the magnitude depends critically on the state of geomagnetic activity. Conventional hot electron beams may also amplify narrow frequency bands, but the net wave energy is severely limited by the beam energy.Although the cyclotron-resonance is recognized as a dominant interaction in magnetospheric dynamics, its properties have never been confirmed quantitatively by appropriate spacecraft experiments. Controlled injections would provide important insight into this fundamental process because the induced amplification has a well-defined signature.     

Thermospheric gravity waves: Observations and interpretation using the transfer function model (TFM)

Gravity waves are prominent in the polar region of the terrestiral thermosphere, and can be excited by perturbations in Joule heating and Lorents force due to magnetospheric processes. We show observations from the Dynamics Explorer-2 satellite to illustrate the complexity of the phenomenon and review the transfer function model (TFM) which has guided our interpretation. On a statistical basis, the observed atmospheric perturbations decrease from the poles toward the equator and tend to correlate with the magnetic activity index, Ap, although individual measurements indicate that the magnetic index is often a poor measure of gravity wave excitation. The theoretical models devised to describe gravity waves are multifaceted. On one end are fully analytical, linear models which are based on the work of Hines. On the other end are fully numerical, thermospheric general circulation models (TGCMs) which incorporate non-linear processes and wave mean flow interactions. The transfer function model (TFM) discussed in this paper is between these two approaches. It is less restrictive than the analytical approach and relates the global propagation of gravity waves to their excitation. Compared with TGCMs, the TFM is simplified by its linear approximation; but it is not limited in spatial and temporal resolution, and the TFM describes the wave propagation through the lower atmosphere. Moreover, the TFM is semianalytical which helps in delineating the wave components. Using expansions in terms of spherical harmonics and Fourier components, the transfer function is obtained from numerical height integration. This is time consuming computationally but needs to be done only once. Once such a transfer function is computed, the wave response to arbitrary source distributions on the globe can then be constructed in very short order. In this review, we discuss some numerical experiments performed with the TFM, to study the various wave components excited in the auroral regions which propagate through the thermosphere and lower atmosphere, and to elucidate the properties of realistic source geometries. The model is applied to the interpretation of satellite measurements. Gravity waves observed in the thermosphere of Venus are also discussed.     

Thermal Evolution and Magnetic Field Generation in Terrestrial Planets and Satellites

Of the terrestrial planets, Earth and Mercury have self-sustained fields while Mars and Venus do not. Magnetic field data recorded at Ganymede have been interpreted as evidence of a self-generated magnetic field. The other icy Galilean satellites have magnetic fields induced in their subsurface oceans while Io and the Saturnian satellite Titan apparently are lacking magnetic fields of internal origin altogether. Parts of the lunar crust are remanently magnetized as are parts of the crust of Mars. While it is widely accepted that the magnetization of the Martian crust has been caused by an early magnetic field, for the Moon alternative explanations link the magnetization to plasma generated by large impacts. The necessary conditions for a dynamo in the terrestrial planets and satellites are the existence of an iron-rich core that is undergoing intense fluid motion. It is widely accepted that the fluid motion is caused by convection driven either by thermal buoyancy or by chemical buoyancy or by both. The chemical buoyancy is released upon the growth of an inner core. The latter requires a light alloying element in the core that is enriched in the outer core as the solid inner core grows. In most models, the light alloying element is assumed to be sulfur, but other elements such as, e.g., oxygen, silicon, and hydrogen are possible. The existence of cores in the terrestrial planets is either proven beyond reasonable doubt (Earth, Mars, and Mercury) or the case for a core is compelling as for Venus and the Moon. The Galilean satellites Io and Ganymede are likely to have cores judging from Galileo radio tracking data of the gravity fields of these satellites. The case is less clear cut for Europa. Callisto is widely taken as undifferentiated or only partially differentiated, thereby lacking an iron-rich core. Whether or not Titan has a core is not known at the present time. The terrestrial planets that do have magnetic fields either have a well-established inner core with known radius and density such as Earth or are widely agreed to have an inner core such as Mercury. The absence of an inner core in Venus, Mars, and the Moon (terrestrial bodies that lack fields) is not as well established although considered likely. The composition of the Martian core may be close to the Fe–FeS eutectic which would prevent an inner core to grow as long as the core has not cooled to temperatures around 1500 Kelvin. Venus may be on the verge of growing an inner core in which case a chemical dynamo may begin to operate in the geologically near future. The remanent magnetization of the Martian and the lunar crust is evidence for a dynamo in Mars’ and possibly the Moon’s early evolution and suggests that powerful thermally driven dynamos are possible. Both the thermally and the chemically driven dynamo require that the core is cooled at a sufficient rate by the mantle. For the thermally driven dynamo, the heat flow from the core into the mantle must by larger than the heat conducted along the core adiabat to allow a convecting core. This threshold is a few mW?m^?2 for small planets such as Mercury, Ganymede, and the Moon but can be as large as a few tens mW?m^?2 for Earth and Venus. The buoyancy for both dynamos must be sufficiently strong to overcome Ohmic dissipation. On Earth, plate tectonics and mantle convection cool the core efficiently. Stagnant lid convection on Mars and Venus are less efficient to cool the core but it is possible and has been suggested that Mars had plate tectonics in its early evolution and that Venus has experienced episodic resurfacing and mantle turnover. Both may have had profound implications for the evolution of the cores of these planets. It is even possible that inner cores started to grow in Mars and Venus but that the growth was frustrated as the mantles heated following the cessation of plate tectonics and resurfacing. The generation of Ganymede’s magnetic field is widely debated. Models range from magneto-hydrodynamic convection in which case the field will not be self-sustained to chemical and thermally-driven dynamos. The wide range of possible compositions for Ganymede’s core allows models with a completely liquid near eutectic Fe–FeS composition as well as models with Fe inner cores or cores in with iron snowfall.     

Observations of Magnetospheric Waves and their Relation to Precipitation

Magnetospheric wave observations are discussed from the viewpoint of their potential importance for precipitation of charged particles into the auroral zones. While wave processes are a fundamental part of magnetospheric plasma physics, occurring most of the time in most of the magnetospheric regions, their direct role in and relative importance for auroral precipitation are not easy to assess. The role of the waves varies from one spatial region to another and is very different for electrons and ions. Furthermore, the distinction between wave processes and other precipitation mechanisms is not at all straightforward. This review focuses on four main topics: The problem of diffuse electron precipitation, the recent surprise on the detailed structure of broad-banded electrostatic noise in the plasma sheet boundary layer, ion precipitation through electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves, and the role of low-altitude waves in precipitation. It is concluded that, while the observational status of high-altitude ion cyclotron waves is reasonably good, in most areas more thorough studies of existing data as well as refined observations are very much needed. Successful observational studies are to be carried out jointly with theoretical work as well as with studies on the large-scale context of the often localized wave processes. This is especially important when interests are moving toward more nonlinear phenomena, such as shocks, double layers, or strong quasi-static gradients, where a strict adherence to classical wave concepts is becoming more and more diffuse and less motivated.     

7. Dynamics,winds, circulation and turbulence in the atmosphere of venus

With the possible exception of the lowest one or two scale heights, the dominant mode of circulation of Venus' atmosphere is a rapid, zonal, retrograde motion. Global albedo variations in the ultraviolet may reflect planetary scale waves propagating relative to the zonal winds. Other special phenomena such as cellular convection in the subsolar region and internal gravity waves generated in the interaction of the zonal circulation with the subsolar disturbance may also be revealed in ultraviolet imagery of the atmosphere. We discuss the contributions of experiments on the Orbiter and Entry Probes of Pioneer Venus toward unravelling the mystery of the planet's global circulation and the role played by waves, instabilities and convection therein.     

Velocity Shear Induced Phenomena in Solar Atmosphere

We present a brief overview of the probable velocity-shear induced phenomena in solar plasma flows. Shear-driven MHD wave oscillations may be the needed mechanism for the generation of solar Alfvén waves, for the transmission of fast waves through the transition region, and for the acceleration of the solar wind. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Controlled VLF wave injection experiments in the magnetosphere

Whistler-mode waves injected into the magnetosphere from ground sources (e.g., lightning discharge, vlf transmitters) are used to probe the distribution of ions and electrons in the magnetosphere. They also cause wave growth (vlf emissions) and precipitation of electrons. Bursts of X-rays (> 30 keV) and enhancements of D-region ionization are examples of precipitation effects caused by lightning-generated waves. Growing narrowband wave trains are triggered by manmade coherent waves. Growth rates of 100 dB s^-1 and total growths up to 30 dB have been measured using 5.5 kHz signals transmitted from Siple Station, Antarctica. Another source of coherent wave input to the magnetosphere are the harmonics from commercial power line systems. Power line harmonic radiation may suppress triggered emissions or change their frequency-time slope. Exponential growth of narrowband emissions is explained in terms of cyclotron resonance between the waves and trapped energetic electrons, with feedback included. Applications of wave injection experiments include: (1) study of emission mechanisms, (2) control of energetic particle precipitation, (3) diagnostics of cold and hot plasma, and (4) vlf communications.     

Towards a new paradigm: from a quasi-steady description to a dynamical description of the magnetosphere

A great deal of the research done on the dynamical process of the solar wind- magnetosphere interaction is based on large-scale, quasi-steady theoretical models, such as the classical reconnection model. However, it can be argued that the theoretical and observational foundations of these commonly believed paradigms are not always strong, and support for these models is sometimes weak, controversial or inconsistent. This paper discusses the need for a transition from an oversimplified quasi-steady paradigm towards a more realistic one including the dynamics of MHD waves and wave packets. The effects of localized wave packets may be most important in active plasma regions, where ideal MHD breaks down and localized, time-dependent processes become dominant. New insights into the theories of field-aligned current generation, auroral particle acceleration and the concept of reconnection may be found by including MHD wave propagation and wave packet dynamics.     

Ion Acceleration and Outflow from Mars and Venus: An Overview

Solar wind forcing of Mars and Venus results in outflow and escape of ionospheric ions. Observations show that the replenishment of ionospheric ions starts in the dayside at low altitudes (??300?C800 km), ions moving at a low velocity (5?C10 km/s) in the direction of the external/ magnetosheath flow. At high altitudes, in the inner magnetosheath and in the central tail, ions may be accelerated up to keV energies. However, the dominating energization and outflow process, applicable for the inner magnetosphere of Mars and Venus, leads to outflow at energies ??5?C20 eV. The aim of this overview is to analyze ion acceleration processes associated with the outflow and escape of ionospheric ions from Mars and Venus. Qualitatively, ion acceleration may be divided in two categories:

1. Modest ion acceleration, leading to bulk outflow and/or return flow (circulation).
2. Acceleration to well over escape velocity, up into the keV range.

In the first category we find a processes denoted ??planetary wind??, the result of e.g. ambipolar diffusion, wave enhanced planetary wind, and mass-loaded ion pickup. In the second category we find ion pickup, current sheet acceleration, wave acceleration, and parallel electric fields, the latter above Martian crustal magnetic field regions. Both categories involve mass loading. Highly mass-loaded ion energization may lead to a low-velocity bulk flow??A consequence of energy and momentum conservation. It is therefore not self-evident what group, or what processes are connected with the low-energy outflow of ionospheric ions from Mars. Experimental and theoretical findings on ionospheric ion acceleration and outflow from Mars and Venus are discussed in this report.     

What auroral electron and ion beams tell us about magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling

The electron and ion beams which have been detected on many rockets and satellites are of particular interest because beam particles carry information about both the ionosphere and the magnetosphere out to the distant tail. Stability analyses have shown that even the most dramatic beams have evolved until the particle distribution functions are only weakly unstable. The shortest plasma wave growth lengths in the auroral region are usually comparable to the size of an arc. The resulting clearest electron beams generally are relatively minor features of distribution functions which are dominated by plateaus, loss cones, broad or stretched out field aligned features, and hot or cold isotropic components. The true electron beams therefore represent a small fraction of the total electron number density. Ion beams carry a much larger fraction of all ions, but also are only weakly unstable. The electron beams seen at low altitudes can drive whistlers (both electromagnetic and electrostatic, including lower hybrid waves) and upper hybrid waves, which may be particularly intense near electron gyroharmonics. Ion beams can drive low frequency electromagnetic waves that are related to gyrofrequencies of several ion species as well as ion acoustic and electrostatic ion cyclotron waves. These latter waves can be driven both by the drift of ion beams relative to cold stationary ions and by the drift of electrons relative to either stationary or drifting ions. Abrupt changes or boundaries in the electron and ion velocity space distribution functions (e.g. beams and loss cones) have been analyzed to provide information about the plasma source, acceleration process, and regions of strong wave-particle interactions. Fluid analyses have shown that upgoing ion beams carry a great deal of momentum flux from the ionosphere. This aspect of ion beams is analyzed by treating the entire acceleration region as a black box, and determining the forces that must be applied to support the upgoing beams. This force could be provided by moderate energy (10's of eV) electrons which are heated near the lower border of the acceleration region. It is difficult to use standard particle detectors to measure the particles which carry electric current in much of the magnetosphere. Such measurements may be relatively easy within upgoing ion beams because there is some evidence that few of the hard-to-measure cold plasma particles are present. Therefore, ion beam regions may be good places to study fluid or MHD properties of magnetospheric plasmas, including the identification of current carriers, a study of current continuity, and some aspects of the substorm and particle energization processes. Finally, some of the experimental results which would be helpful in an analysis of several magnetospheric problems are summarized.     

A self-similar solution of a curved shock wave and its time-dependent force variation for a starting flat plate airfoil in supersonic flow

The problem of aeroelasticity and maneuvering of command surface and gust wing interaction involves a starting flow period which can be seen as the flow of an airfoil attaining suddenly an angle of attack. In the linear or nonlinear case, compressive Mach or shock waves are generated on the windward side and expansive Mach or rarefaction waves are generated on the leeward side. On each side, these waves are composed of an oblique steady state wave, a vertically-moving one-dimensional unsteady wave, and a secondary wave resulting from the interaction between the steady and unsteady ones. An analytical solution in the secondary wave has been obtained by Heaslet and Lomax in the linear case, and this linear solution has been borrowed to give an approximate solution by Bai and Wu for the nonlinear case. The structure of the secondary shock wave and the appearance of various force stages are two issues not yet considered in previous studies and has been studied in the present paper. A self-similar solution is obtained for the secondary shock wave, and the reason to have an initial force plateau as observed numerically is identified. Moreover, six theoretical characteristic time scales for pressure load variation are determined which explain the slope changes of the time-dependent force curve.     

Effects of Low Energetic Neutral Atoms on Martian and Venusian Dayside Exospheric Temperature Estimations

The heating of the upper atmospheres and the formation of the ionospheres on Venus and Mars are mainly controlled by the solar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation (λ = 0.1–102.7 nm and can be characterized by the 10.7 cm solar radio flux). Previous estimations of the average Martian dayside exospheric temperature inferred from topside plasma scale heights, UV airglow and Lyman-α dayglow observations of up to ∼500 K imply a stronger dependence on solar activity than that found on Venus by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) and Magellan spacecraft. However, this dependence appears to be inconsistent with exospheric temperatures (<250 K) inferred from aerobraking maneuvers of recent spacecraft like Mars Pathfinder, Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey during different solar activity periods and at different orbital locations of the planet. In a similar way, early Lyman-α dayglow and UV airglow observations by Venera 4, Mariner 5 and 10, and Venera 9–12 at Venus also suggested much higher exospheric temperatures of up to 1000 K as compared with the average dayside exospheric temperature of about 270 K inferred from neutral gas mass spectrometry data obtained by PVO. In order to compare Venus and Mars, we estimated the dayside exobase temperature of Venus by using electron density profiles obtained from the PVO radio science experiment during the solar cycle and found the Venusian temperature to vary between 250–300 K, being in reasonable agreement with the exospheric temperatures inferred from Magellan aerobraking data and PVO mass spectrometer measurements. The same method has been applied to Mars by studying the solar cycle variation of the ionospheric peak plasma density observed by Mars Global Surveyor during both solar minimum and maximum conditions, yielding a temperature range between 190–220 K. This result clearly indicates that the average Martian dayside temperature at the exobase does not exceed a value of about 240 K during high solar activity conditions and that the response of the upper atmosphere temperature on Mars to solar activity near the ionization maximum is essentially the same as on Venus. The reason for this discrepancy between exospheric temperature determinations from topside plasma scale heights and electron distributions near the ionospheric maximum seems to lie in the fact that thermal and photochemical equilibrium applies only at altitudes below 170 km, whereas topside scale heights are derived for much higher altitudes where they are modified by transport processes and where local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions are violated. Moreover, from simulating the energy density distribution of photochemically produced moderately energetic H, C and O atoms, as well as CO molecules, we argue that exospheric temperatures inferred from Lyman-α dayglow and UV airglow observations result in too high values, because these particles, as well as energetic neutral atoms, transformed from solar wind protons into hydrogen atoms via charge exchange, may contribute to the observed planetary hot neutral gas coronae. Because the low exospheric temperatures inferred from neutral gas mass spectrometer and aerobraking data, as well as from CO⁺ ₂ UV doublet emissions near 180–260 nm obtained from the Mars Express SPICAM UV spectrograph suggest rather low heating efficiencies, some hitherto unidentified additional IR-cooling mechanism in the thermospheres of both Venus and Mars is likely to exist. An erratum to this article can be found at