A theoretical assessment of the feasibility of potential Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter radio occultation observations of the lunar ionosphere

The existence of a “dense” lunar ionosphere has been controversial for decades. Positive ions produced from the lunar surface and exosphere are inferred to have densities that are $?$${10}^6$ – ${10}^7$ m^?3 near the surface and smaller at higher altitudes, yet electron densities derived from radio occultation measurements occasionally exceed these values by orders of magnitude. For example, about 4% of the single-spacecraft radio occultation measurements from Kaguya/SELENE were consistent with peak electron densities of $~$$3\times {10}^8$ m^?3. Space plasmas should be neutral on macroscopic scales, so this represents a substantial discrepancy. Aditional observations of electron densities in the lunar ionosphere are critical to resolving this longstanding paradox. Here we theoretically assess whether radio occultation observations using two-way coherent S-band radio signals from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft could provide useful measurements of electron densities in the lunar ionosphere. We predict the uncertainty in a single LRO radio occultation measurement of electron density to be $~$$3\times {10}^8$ m^?3, comparable to occasional observations by Kaguya/SELENE of a dense lunar ionosphere. Thus an individual profile from LRO is unlikely to reliably detect the lunar ionosphere; however, averages of multiple ($~$10) LRO profiles acquired under similar geophysical and viewing conditions should be able to make reliable detections. An observing rate of six ingress occultations per day ($~$2000 per year) could be achieved with minimal impact on current LRO operations. This rate compares favorably with the 378 observations reported from the single-spacecraft experiment on Kaguya/SELENE between November 2007 and June 2009. The large number of observations possible for LRO would be sufficient to permit wide-ranging investigations of spatial and temporal variations in the poorly understood lunar ionosphere. These findings strengthen efforts to conduct such observations with LRO.     

Where is the base of the Transition Region? Evidence from TRACE,SDO, IRIS and ALMA observations

Classic solar atmospheric models put the Chromosphere-Corona Transition Region (CCTR) at $～2$ Mm above the ${\tau }_{5000}=1$ level, whereas radiative MHD (rMHD) models place the CCTR in a wider range of heights. However, observational verification is scarce. In this work we review and discuss recent results from various instruments and spectral domains. In SDO and TRACE images spicules appear in emission in the 1600, 1700 and 304 Å bands and in absorption in the EUV bands; the latter is due to photo-ionization of H i and He i, which increases with wavelength. At the shortest available AIA wavelength and taking into account that the photospheric limb is $～0.34$ Mm above the ${\tau }_{5000}=1$ level, we found that CCTR emission starts at $～3.7$ Mm; extrapolating to $\lambda =0$, where there is no chromospheric absorption, we deduced a height of $3.0\pm 0.5$ Mm, which is above the value of 2.14 Mm of the Avrett and Loeser model. Another indicator of the extent of the chromosphere is the height of the network structures. Height differences produce a limbward shift of features with respect to the position of their counterparts in magnetograms. Using this approach, we measured heights of $0.14\pm 0.04$ Mm (at 1700 Å), $0.31\pm 0.09$ Mm (at 1600 Å) and $3.31\pm 0.18$ Mm (at 304 Å) for the center of the solar disk. A previously reported possible solar cycle variation is not confirmed. A third indicator is the position of the limb in the UV, where IRIS observations of the Mg ii triplet lines show that they extend up to $～2.1$ Mm above the 2832 Å limb, while AIA/SDO images give a limb height of $1.4\pm 0.2$ Mm (1600 Å) and $5.7\pm 0.2$ Mm (304 Å). Finally, ALMA mm-$\lambda$ full-disk images provide useful diagnostics, though not very accurate, due to their relatively low resolution; values of $2.4\pm 0.7$ Mm at 1.26 mm and $4.2\pm 2.5$ Mm at 3 mm were obtained. Putting everything together, we conclude that the average chromosphere extends higher than homogeneous models predict, but within the range of rMHD models..     

Study of aerosol anomaly associated with large earthquakes (M>6)

We present the variation of unusual atmospheric phenomena, aerosols, to understand the preseismic irregularities for two major earthquakes in Japan. We consider aerosol optical depth and Angstrom exponent data retrieved from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument onboard the Terra satellite to establish possible connections between earthquakes and the generation of aerosols. Variation of the aerosol parameters shows significant changes before the April 15, 2016, Kumamoto earthquake ($M=7.0,h=10$ km) and the November 21, 2016, Fukushima earthquake ($M=6.9$ and $h=9$ km), where M indicates the Richter magnitude and h indicates the focal depth. To identify the source of the aerosol particles, we use the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory model (HYSPLIT-4). This model uses both Lagrangian and Eulerian approaches to compute trajectories and establish a source-receptor relationship. We compute backward trajectories to check whether the aerosol generated near the epicenter is due to the preseismic processes or is transported from other areas. From our results, we conclude the fine-mode aerosols are generated in the vicinity of the epicenter, 3–7 days before the earthquakes.     

1-D dusty photo-ionization models of WR planetary nebulae NGC 2452 and IC 2003

We report dusty photo-ionization models for two Planetary Nebulae NGC 2452 and IC 2003, which have [WR] type central stars, using 1D photo-ionization code Cloudy17.02. We used the medium resolution optical spectra and archival IRAS photometry to constrain our models. The physical size of the ionized nebula derived using accurate distance measurements and absolute H$\beta$ flux available in the literature were used as additional constrains. We examine the importance of photo-electric heating and found that models with and without considering photo-electric heating do not make significant difference for both PNe for the MRN grain size distribution considered in this study. We derive the nebular elemental abundances of these PNe by the empirical method as well as by making dusty photo-ionization models. The values of N/O ratios for both PNe obtained from our models are lower than their respective values arrived using empirical methods. The central stars are assumed to be black bodies and the photospheric temperatures derived respectively for NGC 2452 and IC 2003 from their best fit models are 182 kK and 155 kK and their respective luminosities are 630$L_{\odot }$ and 1015$L_{\odot }$. We propose that both the PNe were resulted from low-mass progenitors of mass $?$2.8 M_⊙.     

First measurements of periodicities and anisotropies of cosmic ray flux observed with a water-Cherenkov detector at the Marambio Antarctic base

A new water-Cherenkov radiation detector, located at the Argentine Marambio Antarctic Base (64.24S-56.62 W), has been monitoring the variability of galactic cosmic ray (GCR) flux since 2019. One of the main aims is to provide experimental data necessary to study interplanetary transport of GCRs during transient events at different space/time scales. In this paper we present the detector and analyze observations made during one full year. After the analysis and correction of the GCR flux variability due to the atmospheric conditions (pressure and temperature), a study of the periodicities is performed in order to analyze modulations due to heliospheric phenomena. We can observe two periods: (a) 1 day, associated with the Earth’s rotation combined with the spatial anisotropy of the GCR flux; and (b) $～$ 30 days due to solar impact of stable solar structures combined with the rotation of the Sun. From a superposed epoch analysis, and considering the geomagnetic effects, the mean diurnal amplitude is $～$ 0.08% and the maximum flux is observed in $～$ 15 h local time (LT) direction in the interplanetary space. In such a way, we determine the capability of Neurus to observe anisotropies and other interplanetary modulations on the GCR flux arriving at the Earth.