Engineering topics

Kurth, W. S.

Publications and source records attributed to Kurth, W. S..

At least 37 records · Page 2

NASA NTRS2001

A Minimal Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation For a Mercury Orbiter Mission

The primary thrust of the effort at The University of Iowa for the definition of an orbiter mission to Mercury is a minimum viable radio and plasma wave investigation. While it is simple to add sensors and capability to any payload, the challenge is to do reasonable science within limited resources; and viable missions to Mercury are especially limited in payload mass. For a wave investigation, this is a serious concern, as the sensor mass often makes up a significant fraction of the instrumentation mass.

Kurth, W. S.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Non-detection at Venus of High-Frequency Radio Signals Characteristic of Terrestrial Lightning

The detection of impulsive low-frequency (10 to 80 kHz) radio signals, and separate very-low-frequency (approx. 100 Hz) radio 'whistler' signals provided the first evidence for lightning in the atmosphere of Venus. Later, a small number of impulsive high- frequency (100 kHz to 5.6 MHz) radio signals, possibly due to lightning, were also detected. The existence of lightning at Venus has, however, remained controversial. Here we report the results of a search for high-frequency (0.125 to 16 MHz) radio signals during two close fly-bys of Venus by the Cassini spacecraft. Such signals are characteristic of terrestrial lightning, and are commonly heard on AM (amplitude-modulated) radios during thunderstorms. Although the instrument easily detected signals from terrestrial lightning during a later fly-by of Earth (at a global flash rate estimated to be 70/s, which is consistent with the rate expected for terrestrial lightning), no similar signals were detected from Venus. If lightning exists in the venusian atmosphere, it is either extremely rare, or very different from terrestrial lightning.

Gurnett, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS2001

The Plasma Wave Environment of Europa

The Galileo spacecraft has executed nine close flybys of Jupiter's moon Europa for which plasma wave observations were obtained. This paper presents an analysis of the observations from these flybys taking into consideration the variable geometry of the trajectories in an attempt to characterize the general plasma-wave environment associated with the interaction of the Jovian magnetosphere with the moon. A wide variety of plasma-wave phenomena are found to be associated with this interaction. While there are apparently temporal variations which complicate the analysis, a crude model of the distribution of these phenomena around Europa is derived. Primarily on the upstream side of Europa, and working inward to the moon, electron-cyclotron harmonics are first observed, followed by a region within about two Europa radii of the moon with whistler-mode hiss or chorus, and culminating in a region closest to the moon where a band at the upper hybrid resonance frequency is sometimes enhanced over its ambient intensity. The wake region is approximately two Europa radii across and comprises a broadband, highly variable, and bursty electrostatic phenomenon. Upon closer inspection, these bursty emissions appear as solitary structures similar to those in Earth's auroral zone and plasma sheet boundary layer. In addition to the survey of wave phenomena in the vicinity of Europa, we provide density profiles derived primarily from the upper hybrid resonance frequency which is readily apparent throughout most of each of the flybys. Finally, we suggest that the whistler mode, electron cyclotron harmonic, and upper hybrid resonance emissions are driven by some combination of factors including variations in the magnetic field near Europa and the loss and production of plasma at Europa as a result of the interaction of the Jovian magnetosphere with the moon. By analogy with studies of the ion and electron holes and broadband electrostatic noise at Earth and Jupiter, we argue that the electrostatic solitary structures in the wake are associated with currents and beams coupling Europa to Jupiter's ionosphere.

Kurth, W. S.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Implications of Depleted flux Tubes in the Jovian Magnetosphere

A rare but persistent phenomenon in the jovian magnetosphere is the occurrence of apparently depleted flux tubes, whose magnetic pressures are significantly above ambient levels. These flux tubes occur about 0.25% of the observing time in the region of the Io torus in the Galileo high resolution data. The importance of these tubes is that they can return to the inner magnetosphere the magnetic flux that has been convected radially outward with the iogenic plasma to the tail. The paucity of these tubes is consistent with the expected flux return rates if the tubes are moving inward at an average rate of about 5-10 km/s in the torus. Depleted flux tubes have yet to be observed inside of the lo orbit where the plasma beta is lower than in the hot torus. Estimates of the plasma density outside the tube from plasma wave measurements enable the average perpendicular temperature to be obtained from the magnetic field change. Extrapolating this temperature back to lo, we obtain an average ion temperature of approximately 60 eV. These values are generally consistent with earlier Voyager observations but on the low side of their range of uncertainty, and agree quite well with contemporaneous Galileo measurements where these are available.

Russell, C. T.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Plasma Densities in the Vicinity of Callisto from Galileo Plasma Wave Observations

The Galileo spacecraft has made seven close flybys of Jupiter's moon Callisto. During the closest of these (C22), which approached to within 535 km of the surface, the plasma wave instrument detected a very clear upper hybrid emission as the spacecraft passed near the moon. The peak electron density indicated by the upper hybrid resonance emission was 400/cc, almost one-thousand times the, electron density in the magnetosphere of Jupiter at the orbit of Callisto. These observations indicate that Callisto is probably surrounded by a dense ionospheric-like plasma.

Gurnett, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS2000

The Influence of The Galilean Satellites on Radio Emissions From The Jovian System

The Galilean satellites influence radio emissions from the Jovian system in a variety of ways. The best and most familiar example of these is the Io control of decametric radiation discovered in 1964 by Bigg. Voyager observations of broadband kilometric radiation revealed a low-latitude shadow zone cast by the Io torus at frequencies between a few tens of kHz and about 1 MHz. Voyager also discovered narrowband kilometric radio emissions emanating from the outer edge of the torus. In this paper we will discuss expansions in the suite of satellite influences based on new observations by Galileo. These include the discovery of Ganymede's magnetosphere and evidence of radio emissions generated via mode conversion from upper hybrid waves in the frequency range of about 20 - 100 kHz. There is evidence that Ganymede may control some of the hectometric or low-frequency decametric radio emissions based on occultation measurements and statistical studies of radio emission occurrence as a function of Ganymede phase. Direction-finding measurements in the vicinity of Io suggest that a portion of the hectometric emissions may be generated near the lo L-shell. A rotationally modulated attenuation band in the hectometric emission appears to be the result of scattering at or near the Io L-shell where the waves propagate nearly parallel to the magnetic field. There is even a tantalizing hint of a Europa connection to the source of narrowband kilometric radiation.

Kurth, W. S.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Effectiveness of Near-Grazing Incidence Reflection in Creating the Rotationally Modulated Lanes in the Jovian Hectometric Radio Emission Spectrum

The Galileo plasma wave instrument has identified a narrow (in frequency) attenuation band in the hectometric emission that varies in frequency with system 3 longitude. It is possible to model this emission band assuming a high-latitude cyclotron source region with emission that is efficiently attenuated when the ray path is nearly tangent to an L shell that is close to the Io flux tube. The data suggest that the mechanism for attenuating the emission is very efficient, with the ratio of attenuated to unattenuated emission I/I(sub o) < 0.02, and not a strong function of frequency. In this paper we demonstrate that incoherent scattering alone cannot explain the attenuation lane, which does not preclude coherent scattering by uncertain processes. We find rather that the source of attenuation is consistent with near-grazing incidence reflection of emission from an L shell that is near the Io flux tube (a caustic surface).

Menietti, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Local Time Dependence of Jovian Radio Emissions Observed by Galileo

Galileo has been in orbit around Jupiter since December 1995. All the orbits are equatorial and elliptical, with apogees between 60 R(sub J) - 142 R(sub J) and perigees from 8 - 12 R(sub J). Since orbit injection, the plasma wave instrument (PWS) has been collecting data over specific intervals of each of the orbits at all local times and a range of different radial distances. We present the results of a survey of the data for the frequency range 300 kHz to 5.6 MHz, which includes the hectometric (HOM) and low-frequency decametric (DAM) emissions. The results indicate that both the HOM and DAM emission are more intense and occur more frequently in the midnight sector of Jupiter. This is in analogy to Earth and consistent with a magnetic substorm source for a portion of the radio emissions in this frequency range. Another peak in the power levels is observed on the Jovian dayside in the local time range 11 hrs < LT < 12 hrs. This peak does not have a terrestrial counterpart. We speculate that this dayside peak may be a result of sampling near perigee, but we cannot rule out the possibility that this is not the case.

Menietti, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Simultaneous Observation of Jovian Radio Emissions by Cassini and Wind

During the Cassini instrument checkout interval in January 1999 as the spacecraft was making a distant (0.6 AU) swing by Earth, the radio and plasma wave receiver (RPWS) detected radio emission from the sun, Earth, and Jupiter, the latter including both the hectometric (HOM) and decametric (DAM) components. The WAVES experiment on the Wind spacecraft in orbit near Earth was also making observations of Jupiter at this same time. By combining the RPWS and WAVES data sets, we are able to provide some insight into the instantaneous beaming of Jovian radio emissions. As seen by Jupiter, Cassini and Wind were a few degrees apart during this period, yet the correlation between Jovian DAM arcs observed by the two spacecraft suggests that the beam width is even narrower and does not simultaneously illuminate both. The only earlier spacecraft capable, in principle, of making these observations were Voyager-1 and 2, but their sensitivity to DAM emissions was too limited to reliably measure the instantaneous beaming. The beam width implied by the RPWS-WAVES measurements is approximately the same as the angle through which Jupiter rotates while an arc (at a fixed frequency) is visible. The HOM Jovian emissions, on the other hand, seem similar as observed by RPWS and WAVES, consistent with earlier Wind-Ulysses measurements indicating a somewhat broader beam width.

Kaiser, M. L.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Cassini and Wind Stereoscopic Observations of Jovian Non-Thermal Radio Emissions

During two intervals in 1999, simultaneous observations of Jupiter's decametric and hectometric radio emissions were made with the Cassini radio and plasma wave instrument (RPWS) and the radio and plasma wave instrument (WAVES) on the Wind spacecraft in Earth orbit. During January, the Jovian longitude difference between the two spacecraft was about 5 deg, whereas for the August-September Earth flyby of Cassini, the angle ranged from 0 deg to about 2.5 deg. With these separations, the instantaneous widths of the walls of the hollow conical radiation beams of some of the decametric arcs were measured suggesting that the typical width is approximately 2 deg. The conical beams seem to move at Io's revolution rate rather than with Jupiter's rotation rate. Additionally, some of the non-arc emissions have very narrow and quite peculiar beamwidths.

Kaiser, Michael L.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Control of Jovian Radio Emission by Ganymede

Galileo has been in orbit around Jupiter since December 1995. We present the results of a survey of the data for the frequency range 3.2 MHz to 5.6 MHz, the low-frequency decametric (DAM) emissions. While the control of a portion of the radio emission by the moon Io is well-known, we report that a small but significant portion of low-frequency DAM emission is seen to be correlated with the orbital phase of Ganymede. This result is in agreement with other recent results indicating a significant interaction of the magnetosphere of Ganymede with that of Jupiter.

Menietti, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Auroral Kilometric Radiation and the Auroral Electrojet Index for the January 1997 Magnetic Cloud Event

Auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) observations by Polar and Geotail are compared with the auroral electro jet index for the January 1997 magnetic cloud event. These two-spacecraft measurements are complementary in covering the AKR emission cones throughout the event and,together,reasonably represent the auroral electrojet AE index. We point out, however, limitations of both the AKR index and the AE index in providing truly global measurements of substorm activity.

Kurth, W. S.↗

NASA NTRS1998

An Unusual Rotationally Modulated Attenuation Band in the Jovian Hectometric Radio Emission Spectrum

A well-defined attenuation band modulated by the rotation of Jupiter has been found in the spectrum of Jovian hectometric radiation using data from the Galileo plasma wave instrument. The center frequency of this band usually occurs in the frequency range from about 1 to 3 MHz and the bandwidth is about 10 to 20 percent. The center frequency varies systematically with the rotation of Jupiter and has two peaks per rotation, the first at a system III longitude of about 50 deg, and the second at about 185 deg. It is now believed that the attenuation occurs as the ray path from a high-latitude cyclotron maser source passes approximately parallel to the magnetic field near the northern or southern edges of the Io L-shell. The peak at 50 deg system 3 longitude is attributed to radiation from a southern hemisphere source and the peak at 185 deg is from a northern hemisphere source. The attenuation is thought to be caused by coherent scattering or shallow angle reflection from field-aligned density irregularities near the Io L-shell. The narrow bandwidth indicates that the density irregularities are confined to a very narrow range of L values (Delta L = 0.2 to 0.4) near the Io L-shell.

Gurnett, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Radio Emissions Observed by Galileo near Io

The Galileo spacecraft observed spin modulation of radio wave emissions near Io in the frequency range from about 600 kHz to about 1.2 MHz. Assuming transverse EM radiation, we have used the modulation of the high-frequency sweep-frequency receiver signals of the electric dipole antenna over many spins to estimate the plane through the source. The emission has a range of frequencies close to the local upper hybrid frequency of the plasma near Io. We conclude that the emission may be associated with either the plasma torus or magnetic flux tubes in the wake of Io (the Alfven current system). We postulate this emission may be associated with a free-energy source such as density gradients, energetic plasma beams and/or an electron distribution with a temperature anisotropy. All of these free-energy sources are observed or expected in the torus near Io. The observations are the first in the hectometric frequency range that have a source associated with Io or in the Io torus.

Menietti, J. D.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Geospace Magnetospheric Dynamics Mission

The Geospace Magnetospheric Dynamics (GMD) mission is designed to provide very closely spaced, multipoint measurements in the thin current sheets of the magnetosphere to determine the relation between small scale processes and the global dynamics of the magnetosphere. Its trajectory is specifically designed to optimize the time spent in the current layers and to minimize radiation damage to the spacecraft. Observations are concentrated in the region 8 to 40 R(sub E) The mission consists of three phases. After a launch into geostationary transfer orbit the orbits are circularized to probe the region between geostationary orbit and the magnetopause; next the orbit is elongated keeping perigee at the magnetopause while keeping the line of apsides down the tail. Finally, once apogee reaches 40 R(sub E) the inclination is changed so that the orbit will match the profile of the noon-midnight meridian of the magnetosphere. This mission consists of 4 solar electrically propelled vehicles, each with a single NSTAR thruster utilizing 100 kg of Xe to tour the magnetosphere in the course of a 4.4 year mission, the same thrusters that have been successfully tested on the Deep Space-1 mission.

Russell, C. T.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Auroral Kilometric Radiation Integrated Power Flux as a Proxy for A E

We propose to use the integrated intensity of auroral kilometric radiation from Polar measurements as a proxy for the auroral electrojet index A(sub E) in support of studies of the response of the magnetosphere and the geomagnetic tail to changes in magnetic activity. In addition to providing event timing information to understand the effects of perturbations and substorms, the resulting space-based auroral kilometric radiation index would be useful as an input to space weather efforts as an auroral activity metric.

Kurth, W. S.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Micron-Sized Dust Particles Detected in the Outer Solar System by the Voyager 1 and 2 Plasma Wave Instruments

During the Voyager 1 and 2 flybys of the outer planets it has been demonstrated that the plasma wave instrument can detect small dust particles striking the spacecraft. In this paper, we examine the Voyager plasma wave data for dust impacts in the interplanetary medium at heliocentric radial distances ranging from 6 to 60 astronomical units (AU). The results show that a small but persistent level of dust impacts exists out to at least 30 to 50 AU. The average number density of these particles is about 2 x 10(exp -8)/cu m, and the average mass of the impacting particles is believed to be a few times 10(exp -11) g, which corresponds to particle diameters in the micron range. Possible sources of these particles are planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and the interstellar medium. Of these, comets appear to be the most likely source. ne number densities are only weakly dependent on ecliptic latitude, which indicates that the particles probably do not originate from planets, moons, or asteroids. Comparisons with interstellar dust fluxes measured in the inner regions of the solar system by the Ulysses spacecraft indicate that the particles are not of interstellar origin.

Gurnett, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1997

Micron-Sized Dust Particles Detected in the Outer Solar System by the Voyager 1 and 2 Plasma Wave Instruments

During the Voyager 1 and 2 flybys of the outer planets it has been demonstrated that the plasma wave instrument can detect small dust particles striking the spacecraft. In this paper, we examine the Voyager plasma wave data for dust impacts in the interplanetary medium at heliocentric radial distances ranging from 6 to 60 astronomical units (AU). The results show that a small but persistent level of dust impacts exists out to at least 30 to 50 AU. The average number density of these particles is about 2 x 10(exp -8)/cu m, and the average mass of the impacting particles is believed to be a few times 10(exp -11) g, which corresponds to particle diameters in the micron range. Possible sources of these particles are planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and the interstellar medium. Of these, comets appear to be the most likely source. The number densities are only weakly dependent on ecliptic latitude, which indicates that the particles probably do not originate from planets, moons, or asteroids. Comparisons with interstellar dust fluxes measured in the inner regions of the solar system by the Ulysses spacecraft indicate that the particles are not of interstellar origin.

Gurnett, D. A.↗