Energetic Particles Investigation (EPI)

The Energetic Particles Investigation (EPI) instrument operates during the pre-entry phase of the Galileo Probe. The major science objective is to study the energetic particle population in the innermost regions of the Jovian magnetosphere — within 4 radii of the cloud tops — and into the upper atmosphere. To achieve these objectives the EPI instrument will make omnidirectional measurements of four different particle species — electrons, protons, alpha-particles, and heavy ions (Z > 2). Intensity profiles with a spatial resolution of about 0.02 Jupiter radii will be recorded. Three different energy range channels are allocated to both electrons and protons to provide a rough estimate of the spectral index of the energy spectra. In addition to the omnidirectional measurements, sectored data will be obtained for certain energy range electrons, protons, and alpha-particles to determine directional anisotropies and particle pitch angle distributions. The detector assembly is a two-element telescope using totally depleted, circular silicon surfacebarrier detectors surrounded by a cylindrical tungsten shielding with a wall thickness of 4.86 g cm^-2. The telescope axis is oriented normal to the spherical surface of the Probe's rear heat shield which is needed for heat protection of the scientific payload during the Probe's entry into the Jovian atmosphere. The material thickness of the heat shield determines the lower energy threshold of the particle species investigated during the Probe's pre-entry phase. The EPI instrument is combined with the Lightning and Radio Emission Detector (LRD) such that the EPI sensor is connected to the LRD/EPI electronic box. In this way, both instruments together only have one interface of the Probe's power, command, and data unit.     

The Lightning And Radio Emission Detector (LRD) instrument

The Lightning and Radio Emission Detector (LRD) instrument will be carried by the Galileo Probe into Jupiter's atmosphere. The LRD will verify the existence of lightning in the atmosphere and will determine the details of many of its basic characteristics. The instrument, operated in its magnetospheric mode at distances of about 5, 4, 3, and 2 planetary radii from Jupiter's center, will also measure the radio frequency (RF) noise spectrum in Jupiter's magnetosphere. The LRD instrument is composed of a ferritecore radio frequency antenna ( 100 Hz to 100 kHz) and two photodiodes mounted behind individual fisheye lenses. The output of the RF antenna is analyzed both separately and in coincidence with the optical signals from the photodiodes. The RF antenna provides data both in the frequency domain (with three narrow-band channels, primarily for deducing the physical properties of distant lightning) and in the time domain with a priority scheme (primarily for determining from individual RF waveforms the physical properties of closeby-lightning).     

Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument (MIMI) on the Cassini Mission to Saturn/Titan

The magnetospheric imaging instrument (MIMI) is a neutral and charged particle detection system on the Cassini orbiter spacecraft designed to perform both global imaging and in-situ measurements to study the overall configuration and dynamics of Saturn’s magnetosphere and its interactions with the solar wind, Saturn’s atmosphere, Titan, and the icy satellites. The processes responsible for Saturn’s aurora will be investigated; a search will be performed for substorms at Saturn; and the origins of magnetospheric hot plasmas will be determined. Further, the Jovian magnetosphere and Io torus will be imaged during Jupiter flyby. The investigative approach is twofold. (1) Perform remote sensing of the magnetospheric energetic (E > 7 keV) ion plasmas by detecting and imaging charge-exchange neutrals, created when magnetospheric ions capture electrons from ambient neutral gas. Such escaping neutrals were detected by the Voyager l spacecraft outside Saturn’s magnetosphere and can be used like photons to form images of the emitting regions, as has been demonstrated at Earth. (2) Determine through in-situ measurements the 3-D particle distribution functions including ion composition and charge states (E > 3 keV/e). The combination of in-situ measurements with global images, together with analysis and interpretation techniques that include direct “forward modeling’’ and deconvolution by tomography, is expected to yield a global assessment of magnetospheric structure and dynamics, including (a) magnetospheric ring currents and hot plasma populations, (b) magnetic field distortions, (c) electric field configuration, (d) particle injection boundaries associated with magnetic storms and substorms, and (e) the connection of the magnetosphere to ionospheric altitudes. Titan and its torus will stand out in energetic neutral images throughout the Cassini orbit, and thus serve as a continuous remote probe of ion flux variations near 20R _S (e.g., magnetopause crossings and substorm plasma injections). The Titan exosphere and its cometary interaction with magnetospheric plasmas will be imaged in detail on each flyby. The three principal sensors of MIMI consists of an ion and neutral camera (INCA), a charge–energy–mass-spectrometer (CHEMS) essentially identical to our instrument flown on the ISTP/Geotail spacecraft, and the low energy magnetospheric measurements system (LEMMS), an advanced design of one of our sensors flown on the Galileo spacecraft. The INCA head is a large geometry factor (G ∼ 2.4 cm² sr) foil time-of-flight (TOF) camera that separately registers the incident direction of either energetic neutral atoms (ENA) or ion species (≥5^∘ full width half maximum) over the range 7 keV/nuc < E < 3 MeV/nuc. CHEMS uses electrostatic deflection, TOF, and energy measurement to determine ion energy, charge state, mass, and 3-D anisotropy in the range 3 ≤ E ≤ 220 keV/e with good (∼0.05 cm² sr) sensitivity. LEMMS is a two-ended telescope that measures ions in the range 0.03 ≤ E ≤ 18 MeV and electrons 0.015 ≤ E≤ 0.884 MeV in the forward direction (G ∼ 0.02 cm² sr), while high energy electrons (0.1–5 MeV) and ions (1.6–160 MeV) are measured from the back direction (G ∼ 0.4 cm² sr). The latter are relevant to inner magnetosphere studies of diffusion processes and satellite microsignatures as well as cosmic ray albedo neutron decay (CRAND). Our analyses of Voyager energetic neutral particle and Lyman-α measurements show that INCA will provide statistically significant global magnetospheric images from a distance of ∼60 R _S every 2–3 h (every ∼10 min from ∼20 R _S). Moreover, during Titan flybys, INCA will provide images of the interaction of the Titan exosphere with the Saturn magnetosphere every 1.5 min. Time resolution for charged particle measurements can be < 0.1 s, which is more than adequate for microsignature studies. Data obtained during Venus-2 flyby and Earth swingby in June and August 1999, respectively, and Jupiter flyby in December 2000 to January 2001 show that the instrument is performing well, has made important and heretofore unobtainable measurements in interplanetary space at Jupiter, and will likely obtain high-quality data throughout each orbit of the Cassini mission at Saturn. Sample data from each of the three sensors during the August 18 Earth swingby are shown, including the first ENA image of part of the ring current obtained by an instrument specifically designed for this purpose. Similarily, measurements in cis-Jovian space include the first detailed charge state determination of Iogenic ions and several ENA images of that planet’s magnetosphere.This revised version was published online in July 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Noise in wireless systems from solar radio bursts

Solar radio bursts were first discovered as result of their interference in early defensive radar systems during the Second World War (1942). Such bursts can still affect radar systems, as well as new wireless technologies. We have investigated a forty-year record of solar radio burst data (1960–1999) as well as several individual radio events in the 23rd solar cycle. This paper reviews the results of a portion of this research. Statistically, for frequencies f  1 GHz (near current wireless bands), there can be a burst with amplitudes >10³ solar flux units (SFU; 1 SFU = 10⁻²² W/m²) every few days during solar maximum conditions, and such burst levels can produce problems in contemporary wireless systems.     

Ulysses observations of a coronal origin particle event at 32° south heliographic latitutde

A remarkable streaming beam-like particle event of 60 keV-5 MeV ions and of 38–315 keV electrons has been reported previously. This event has been associated with the passage of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) over the Ulysses spacecraft on June 9–13, 1993. At this time, the spacecraft was located at 4.6 AU from the sun and at an heliolatitude of 32° south. It was proposed (Armstrong et al., 1994) that the particle injection source could have been of coronal origin. In this study, we analyse the solar activity during this period. We identify a region of solar radio noise storms in the corona and in particular, a flare on June 7 that presents all the required characteristics to produce the hot plasma beam observed in the interplanetary medium.     

Study of distribution functions of interplanetary particles accelerated at co-rotating interaction region at∼5A.U.

We report the results of a study of the 12-hour average distribution functions of high Z nuclei as measured over a 10-day interval on the Ulysses spacecraft at a helioradius of5.2 A.U. We use the good time and atomic mass resolution of the composition aperture of the HI-SCALE instrument to determine the form of the distribution functions for C, O, Ne, Mg, Si, and Fe over the energy range 0.5–16 MeV/nucl. We find that the distribution functions of these ions can be organized by characteristic velocities that have values ranging between2000–3500 km/sec over this interval.     

Corotating Interaction Regions in the Outer Heliosphere

We discuss the structure and evolution of CIRs and their successors in the outer heliosphere. These structures undergo significant evolution as they are convected to greater heliocentric distances. A progression of different types of structure are observed at increasing distance from the Sun. Similar structures are observed at similar heliocentric distance at different portions of the solar cycle. CIRs and their successors are associated with many important physical processes in the outer heliosphere. We discuss the relationship between these structures and recurrent phenomena such as cosmic ray variations, and review some of the associated theoretical models on the role of corotating structures and global merged interaction regions (GMIRs) in global cosmic ray modulation. We also discuss some outstanding questions related to the origin of non-dispersive quasi-periodic particle enhancements associated with CIRs and their successors in the outer heliosphere. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Tracing the magnetic topology of coronal mass ejection events by Ulysses/HI-SCALE energetic particle observations in and out of the ecliptic

In January 2000, the Ulysses spacecraft observed an ICME event at 43° S heliographic latitude and ∼ 4.1 AU. We use electron (E _e>38 keV) observations to trace the topology of the IMF embedded within the ICME. The still controversial issue of whether ICMEs have been detached from the solar corona or are still magnetically anchored to it when they arrive at the spacecraft is tackled. An in ecliptic ICME event is also presented. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Oxygen and Iron Ions at High Heliolatitudes

The fluxes of O and Fe ions at high heliolatitudes measured by the HiScale instrument on Ulysses reflect the dynamical processes that affect the charged particle populations in the heliosphere. Both the O and Fe ions show more latitude dependence in the first (solar minimum) orbit to high southern heliolatitudes than during the second (solar maximum) orbit. The ion fluxes are larger during the solar minimum orbit; the flux levels are influenced by the occurrence of corotating interaction regions. The Fe/O abundance ratios are found to be similar at 1 AU and at high heliolatitudes. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Low Energy Particles in the Global Heliosphere 2001–2004: 1 to 90 AU

Charged particle instrumentation that will be flying on six spacecraft in the heliosphere between 1 and 90 AU during 2001–2004 will provide a global view of the interplanetary medium that has not heretofore been available. Comparative analyses of the data that will be obtained will provide new understanding of the global evolution of heliospheric features such as traveling shock waves, coronal mass ejections, solar activity-produced particle injections, and anomalous cosmic rays. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.