The Origin of Mercury’s Internal Magnetic Field

Mariner 10 measurements proved the existence of a large-scale internal magnetic field on Mercury. The observed field amplitude, however, is too weak to be compatible with typical convective planetary dynamos. The Lorentz force based on an extrapolation of Mariner 10 data to the dynamo region is 10⁻⁴ times smaller than the Coriolis force. This is at odds with the idea that planetary dynamos are thought to work in the so-called magnetostrophic regime, where Coriolis force and Lorentz force should be of comparable magnitude. Recent convective dynamo simulations reviewed here seem to resolve this caveat. We show that the available convective power indeed suffices to drive a magnetostrophic dynamo even when the heat flow though Mercury’s core–mantle boundary is subadiabatic, as suggested by thermal evolution models. Two possible causes are analyzed that could explain why the observations do not reflect a stronger internal field. First, toroidal magnetic fields can be strong but are confined to the conductive core, and second, the observations do not resolve potentially strong small-scale contributions. We review different dynamo simulations that promote either or both effects by (1) strongly driving convection, (2) assuming a particularly small inner core, or (3) assuming a very large inner core. These models still fall somewhat short of explaining the low amplitude of Mariner 10 observations, but the incorporation of an additional effect helps to reach this goal: The subadiabatic heat flow through Mercury’s core–mantle boundary may cause the outer part of the core to be stably stratified, which would largely exclude convective motions in this region. The magnetic field, which is small scale, strong, and very time dependent in the lower convective part of the core, must diffuse through the stagnant layer. Here, the electromagnetic skin effect filters out the more rapidly varying high-order contributions and mainly leaves behind the weaker and slower varying dipole and quadrupole components (Christensen in Nature 444:1056–1058, 2006). Messenger and BepiColombo data will allow us to discriminate between the various models in terms of the magnetic fields spatial structure, its degree of axisymmetry, and its secular variation.     

Missions to Mercury

Mercury is a very difficult planet to observe from the Earth, and space missions that target Mercury are essential for a comprehensive understanding of the planet. At the same time, it is also difficult to orbit because it is deep inside the Sun’s gravitational well. Only one mission has visited Mercury; that was Mariner 10 in the 1970s. This paper provides a brief history of Mariner 10 and the numerous imaginative but unsuccessful mission proposals since the 1970s for another Mercury mission. In the late 1990s, two missions—MESSENGER and BepiColombo—received the go-ahead; MESSENGER is on its way to its first encounter with Mercury in January 2008. The history, scientific objectives, mission designs, and payloads of both these missions are described in detail.     

三旋流器加装外套环对燃烧性能的影响

对带有两种不同头部结构（基准型为方案1,头部加装外套环为方案2）的三旋流单头部燃烧室进行了研究,对有两种头部结构的燃烧室进行了流场和燃烧场的数值模拟,在相同的进口试验条件下,用燃气分析法和15点测温耙分别测量了两种头部的燃烧效率、出口冒烟数和出口温度场.结果表明:三旋流器的燃烧效率超过了99.7%,加装外套环后其流场、温度场分布均较基准型有所改善,回流区更加饱满,油气混合和燃油雾化效果增强,出口温度分布系数（OTDF）和出口冒烟数分别降低了36%和25%.      

喷口尺寸对高温升燃烧室副喷嘴性能影响

为了获得某高温升燃烧室副喷嘴性能及其与喷口尺寸的相互关系,通过试验研究了供油压力和离心喷嘴的关键结构参 数对燃油流量、喷雾锥角和雾化性能的影响。研究的关键参数有喷口长度与喷口直径,采用3维相位多普勒粒子分析仪测量了某 一直线上各点的数密度分布,以及R-R（Rosin-Rammler）分布的特征直径D 和均匀度指数N。结果表明：在供油压力为164~3350 kPa的条件下,燃油流量和喷雾锥角随喷口长径比（旋流室与喷口直径比不变）和旋流室与喷口直径比（喷口长径比不变）的增大 而减小,增大喷口长径比和减小旋流室与喷口直径比可改善雾化效果。研究获得的规律为三旋流高温升燃烧室喷嘴优化设计提 供了重要的理论依据。     

风车状态下转子性能及通道内流动分析

为探究低展弦比压气机转子在风车状态下由压气机模式向涡轮模式转化过程中性能、内部流场结构以及气动损失的演化过程,提出了一种基于叶片和流体间能量传递的简化数值计算方法,以获得某转速下的风车状态临界流量点。在数值模拟的基础上,重点对比了同一转速线上压气机工况点(小流量工况)、风车临界点和涡轮工况点下叶尖泄漏损失的演化机制,同时探究了叶片通道内流动分离的演化过程。 结果显示,随着转速的增加,转子风车状态临界流量呈现近似线性的变化趋势。而同转速下随流量增大,叶尖泄漏流从吸力面流向压力面,并与压力面上的低能量流体进行掺混,造成了流动堵塞。同时,从压气机模式转向涡轮模式的过程中,叶尖区域的流动分离从吸力面分离转变为压力面分离,随后分离强度和尺寸逐渐增大,造成的气动损失显著增加;而在轮毂区域,流动分离始终保持吸力面分离,其分离尺度沿径向有所发展。     

三旋流燃烧室喷嘴雾化性能试验研究

为了获得三旋流燃烧室喷嘴雾化性能与喷嘴几何尺寸的相互关系,针对供油压力以及旋流槽长宽比和旋流槽角度等关 键结构参数对燃油流量、喷雾锥角和雾化性能的影响进行了试验研究。采用3 维相位多普勒粒子分析仪测量了某一直线上各点的 索太尔平均直径和数密度分布,以及Rosin-Rammler 分布的特征直径和均匀度指数。结果表明：当供油压力提高时,燃油流量和喷 雾锥角增大;旋流槽几何尺寸的变化对燃油流量和喷雾锥角有不同的影响,当旋流槽长宽比和旋流槽角度增大时,燃油流量减小, 喷雾锥角增大。研究所获得的规律为三旋流高温升燃烧室的喷嘴优化设计提供了重要的理论依据。     

OSIRIS-REx: Sample Return from Asteroid (101955) Bennu

In May of 2011, NASA selected the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) asteroid sample return mission as the third mission in the New Frontiers program. The other two New Frontiers missions are New Horizons, which explored Pluto during a flyby in July 2015 and is on its way for a flyby of Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69 on January 1, 2019, and Juno, an orbiting mission that is studying the origin, evolution, and internal structure of Jupiter. The spacecraft departed for near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu aboard an United Launch Alliance Atlas V 411 evolved expendable launch vehicle at 7:05 p.m. EDT on September 8, 2016, on a seven-year journey to return samples from Bennu. The spacecraft is on an outbound-cruise trajectory that will result in a rendezvous with Bennu in November 2018. The science instruments on the spacecraft will survey Bennu to measure its physical, geological, and chemical properties, and the team will use these data to select a site on the surface to collect at least 60 g of asteroid regolith. The team will also analyze the remote-sensing data to perform a detailed study of the sample site for context, assess Bennu’s resource potential, refine estimates of its impact probability with Earth, and provide ground-truth data for the extensive astronomical data set collected on this asteroid. The spacecraft will leave Bennu in 2021 and return the sample to the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) on September 24, 2023.

     

Imaging Plasma Density Structures in the Soft X-Rays Generated by Solar Wind Charge Exchange with Neutrals

Both heliophysics and planetary physics seek to understand the complex nature of the solar wind’s interaction with solar system obstacles like Earth’s magnetosphere, the ionospheres of Venus and Mars, and comets. Studies with this objective are frequently conducted with the help of single or multipoint in situ electromagnetic field and particle observations, guided by the predictions of both local and global numerical simulations, and placed in context by observations from far and extreme ultraviolet (FUV, EUV), hard X-ray, and energetic neutral atom imagers (ENA). Each proposed interaction mechanism (e.g., steady or transient magnetic reconnection, local or global magnetic reconnection, ion pick-up, or the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability) generates diagnostic plasma density structures. The significance of each mechanism to the overall interaction (as measured in terms of atmospheric/ionospheric loss at comets, Venus, and Mars or global magnetospheric/ionospheric convection at Earth) remains to be determined but can be evaluated on the basis of how often the density signatures that it generates are observed as a function of solar wind conditions. This paper reviews efforts to image the diagnostic plasma density structures in the soft (low energy, 0.1–2.0 keV) X-rays produced when high charge state solar wind ions exchange electrons with the exospheric neutrals surrounding solar system obstacles.The introduction notes that theory, local, and global simulations predict the characteristics of plasma boundaries such the bow shock and magnetopause (including location, density gradient, and motion) and regions such as the magnetosheath (including density and width) as a function of location, solar wind conditions, and the particular mechanism operating. In situ measurements confirm the existence of time- and spatial-dependent plasma density structures like the bow shock, magnetosheath, and magnetopause/ionopause at Venus, Mars, comets, and the Earth. However, in situ measurements rarely suffice to determine the global extent of these density structures or their global variation as a function of solar wind conditions, except in the form of empirical studies based on observations from many different times and solar wind conditions. Remote sensing observations provide global information about auroral ovals (FUV and hard X-ray), the terrestrial plasmasphere (EUV), and the terrestrial ring current (ENA). ENA instruments with low energy thresholds (\(\sim1~\mbox{keV}\)) have recently been used to obtain important information concerning the magnetosheaths of Venus, Mars, and the Earth. Recent technological developments make these magnetosheaths valuable potential targets for high-cadence wide-field-of-view soft X-ray imagers.Section 2 describes proposed dayside interaction mechanisms, including reconnection, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and other processes in greater detail with an emphasis on the plasma density structures that they generate. It focuses upon the questions that remain as yet unanswered, such as the significance of each proposed interaction mode, which can be determined from its occurrence pattern as a function of location and solar wind conditions. Section 3 outlines the physics underlying the charge exchange generation of soft X-rays. Section 4 lists the background sources (helium focusing cone, planetary, and cosmic) of soft X-rays from which the charge exchange emissions generated by solar wind exchange must be distinguished. With the help of simulations employing state-of-the-art magnetohydrodynamic models for the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction, models for Earth’s exosphere, and knowledge concerning these background emissions, Sect. 5 demonstrates that boundaries and regions such as the bow shock, magnetosheath, magnetopause, and cusps can readily be identified in images of charge exchange emissions. Section 6 reviews observations by (generally narrow) field of view (FOV) astrophysical telescopes that confirm the presence of these emissions at the intensities predicted by the simulations. Section 7 describes the design of a notional wide FOV “lobster-eye” telescope capable of imaging the global interactions and shows how it might be used to extract information concerning the global interaction of the solar wind with solar system obstacles. The conclusion outlines prospects for missions employing such wide FOV imagers.