Plasma waves associated with the AMPTE (active magnetospheric particle tracer explorers) artificial comet

Technical Report · Sun Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5728035

Gurnett, D A; Anderson, R R; Haeusler, B; Haerendel, G; Bauer, O H

Numerous plasma wave effects were detected by the AMPTE/IRM spacecraft during the artificial comet experiment on December 27, 1984. As the barium ion cloud produced by the explosion expanded over the spacecraft, emissions at the electron plasma frequency and ion plasma frequency provided a determination of the local electron density. The electron density in the diamagnetic cavity produced by the ion cloud reached a peak somewhat > 500000/cc, then decayed smoothly as the cloud expanded, varying approximately as i/t-square. As the cloud began to move due to interactions with the solar wind, a region of compressed plasma was encountered on the upstream side of the diamagnetic cavity. The peak electron density in the compression region was about 15000/cc. Later, a very intense (140 mVolt/m) broadband burst of electrostatic noise was encountered on the sunward side of the compression region. This noise has characteristics very similar to noise observed in the earth's bow shock, and is believed to be a shock-like interaction produced by an ion beam-plasma instability between the nearly stationary barium ions and the streaming solar wind protons.

• Research Organization: Iowa Univ., Iowa City (USA). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
• OSTI ID: 5728035
• Report Number(s): AD-A-163458/3/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640203* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (-1987)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
BARIUM
BARYONS
CAVITIES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CLOUDS
COMETS
DIAMAGNETISM
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRONS
ELECTROSTATICS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
EMISSION
FERMIONS
HADRONS
IONS
LEPTONS
MAGNETISM
METALS
NUCLEONS
PLASMA WAVES
PROTONS
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS