First plasma wave observations at Neptune

Journal Article · Fri Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 1989 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.246.4936.1494· OSTI ID:5444776

Gurnett, D A; Kurth, W S; Granroth, L J; Cairns, I H; Macek, W M ^[1]; Poynter, R L ^[2]; Moses, S L; Coroniti, F V; Kennel, C F ^[3]; Barbosa, D D ^[4]

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1. Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City (USA)
2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA (USA)
3. TRW Space and Technology Group, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, CA (USA)
4. Univ. of California, Los Angeles (USA)

The Voyager 2 plasma wave instrument detected many familiar plasma waves during the encounter with Neptune, including electron plasma oscillations in the solar wind upstream of the bow shock, electrostatic turbulence at the bow shock, and chorus, hiss, electron cyclotron waves, and upper hybrid resonance waves in the inner magnetosphere. Low-frequency radio emissions, believed to be generated by mode conversion from the upper hybrid resonance emissions, were also observed propagating outward in a disklike beam along the magnetic equatorial plane. At the two ring plane crossings many small micrometer-sized dust particles were detected striking the spacecraft. The maximum impact rates were about 280 impacts per second at the inbound ring place crossing, and about 110 impacts per second at the outbound ring plane crossing. Most of the particles are concentrated in a dense disk, about 1000 kilometers thick, centered on the equatorial place. However, a broader, more tenuous distribution also extends many tens of thousands of kilometers from the equatorial plane, including over the northern polar region.

• OSTI ID: 5444776
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Vol. 246:4936; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
NEPTUNE PLANET
PLANETARY MAGNETOSPHERES
PLASMA WAVES
DUSTS
INTERACTIONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RINGS
SHOCK WAVES
SOLAR WIND
TURBULENCE
VOYAGER SPACE PROBES
ATMOSPHERES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
PLANETS
RADIATIONS
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SPACE VEHICLES
VEHICLES
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena