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NASA NTRS1998

Composition Measurements at the Magnetopause and in the Plasma Mantle

This final report describes activities under NASA grant NAGW-4049 to Lockheed Missiles and Space Company. The report covers the entire period of the grant from 15 August 1994 to 31 January 1998. The original grant was for 3 years ending in August 1997; however the grant was extended 6 months to accomodate additional data analysis that added significantly to the scientific results. This is a grant under the NASA Supporting Research and Technology Program for the analysis and interpretation of the combined scientific data from the ISEE-1 Plasma Composition Experiment and the AMPTE/CCE Hot Plasma Composition Experiment. These combined data sets were used in a study of the Earth's magnetopause to develop a fundamental understanding of plasma entry and dynamics at the boundary and formation and maintenance of the low latitude boundary layer under a variety of solar wind and magnetospheric conditions and at a wide range of local times.

Gary, S. P.↗

NASA NTRS2000

Systematic Identification of Preferred Orbits for Magnetospheric Missions: Single Satellites - 1

This is a systematic attempt to identify and assess near-equatorial, high-eccentricity orbits best suited for studying the Earth's magnetosphere, in particular its most dynamic part, the plasma sheet of the magnetotail. The study was motivated by the design needs of a multi-spacecraft "constellation" mission, stressing low cost, minimal active control and economic launch strategies, and both quantitative and qualitative aspects were investigated. On one hand, by collecting hourly samples throughout the year, accurate estimates were obtained of the coverage of different regions, and of the frequency and duration of long eclipses. On the other hand, an intuitive understanding was developed of the factors which determine the merits of the mission, including long-range factors due to perturbations by the Moon, Sun and the Earth's equatorial bulge.

Stern, David P.↗

NASA NTRS2002

The Solar Connections Observatory for Planetary Environments

The NASA Sun-Earth Connection theme roadmap calls for comparative study of how the planets, comets, and local interstellar medium (LISM) interact with the Sun and respond to solar variability. Through such a study we advance our understanding of basic physical plasma and gas dynamic processes, thus increasing our predictive capabilities for the terrestrial, planetary, and interplanetary environments where future remote and human exploration will occur. Because the other planets have lacked study initiatives comparable to the terrestrial ITM, LWS, and EOS programs, our understanding of the upper atmospheres and near space environments on these worlds is far less detailed than our knowledge of the Earth. To close this gap we propose a mission to study {\it all) of the solar interacting bodies in our planetary system out to the heliopause with a single remote sensing space observatory, the Solar Connections Observatory for Planetary Environments (SCOPE). SCOPE consists of a binocular EUV/FUV telescope operating from a remote, driftaway orbit that provides sub-arcsecond imaging and broadband medium resolution spectro-imaging over the 55-290 nm bandpass, and high (R>10$^{5}$ resolution H Ly-$\alpha$ emission line profile measurements of small scale planetary and wide field diffuse solar system structures. A key to the SCOPE approach is to include Earth as a primary science target. From its remote vantage point SCOPE will be able to observe auroral emission to and beyond the rotational pole. The other planets and comets will be monitored in long duration campaigns centered when possible on solar opposition when interleaved terrestrial-planet observations can be used to directly compare the response of both worlds to the same solar wind stream and UV radiation field. Using a combination of observations and MHD models, SCOPE will isolate the different controlling parameters in each planet system and gain insight into the underlying physical processes that define the solar connection.

Oliversen, Ronald J.↗

NASA NTRS2006

2-D Drift Velocities from the IMAGE EUV Plasmaspheric Imager

The IMAGE Mission extreme ultraviolet imager (EW) observes He(+) plasmaspheric ions throughout the inner magnetosphere. Limited by ionizing radiation and viewing close to the Sun, images of the He(+) distribution are available every 10 minutes for many hours as the spacecraft passes through apogee in its highly elliptical orbit. As a consistent constituent at about 15%, He(+) is an excellent surrogate for monitoring all of the processes that control the dynamics of plasmaspheric plasma. In particular, the motion of He' transverse to the ambient magnetic field is a direct indication of convective electric fields. The analysis of boundary motions has already achieved new insights into the electrodynamic coupling processes taking place between energetic magnetospheric plasmas and the ionosphere. Yet to be fulfilled, however, is the original promise that global E W images of the plasmasphere might yield two-dimensional pictures of mesoscale to macro-scale electric fields in the inner magnetosphere. This work details the technique and initial application of an IMAGE EUV analysis that appears capable of following thermal plasma motion on a global basis.

Gallagher, D. L.↗

NASA NTRS2006

Analyzing Electric Field Morphology Through Data-Model Comparisons of the GEM IM/S Assessment Challenge Events

The storm-time inner magnetospheric electric field morphology and dynamics are assessed by comparing numerical modeling results of the plasmasphere and ring current with many in situ and remote sensing data sets. Two magnetic storms are analyzed, April 22,2001 and October 21-23,2001, which are the events selected for the Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) Inner Magnetosphere/Storms (IM/S) Assessment Challenge (IMSAC). The IMSAC seeks to quantify the accuracy of inner magnetospheric models as well as synthesize our understanding of this region. For each storm, the ring current-atmosphere interaction model (RAM) and the dynamic global core plasma model (DGCPM) were run together with various settings for the large-scale convection electric field and the nightside ionospheric conductance. DGCPM plasmaspheric parameters were compared with IMAGE-EUV plasmapause extractions and LANL-MPA plume locations and velocities. RAM parameters were compared with Dst*, LANL-MPA fluxes and moments, IMAGE-MENA images, and IMAGE-HENA images. Both qualitative and quantitative comparisons were made to determine the electric field morphology that allows the model results to best fit the plasma data at various times during these events. The simulations with self-consistent electric fields were, in general, better than those with prescribed field choices. This indicates that the time-dependent modulation of the inner magnetospheric electric fields by the nightside ionosphere is quite significant for accurate determination of these fields (and their effects). It was determined that a shielded Volland-Stern field description driven by the 3-hour Kp index yields accurate results much of the time, but can be quite inconsistent. The modified Mcllwain field description clearly lagged in overall accuracy compared to the other fields, but matched some data sets (like Dst*) quite well. The rankings between the simulations varied depending on the storm and the individual data sets, indicating that each field description did well for some place, time, and energy range during the events, as well as doing less well in other places, times, and energies. Several unresolved issues regarding the storm-time inner magnetospheric electric field are discussed.

Liemohn, Michael W.↗

NASA NTRS2007

2-D Drift Velocities from the IMAGE EUV Plasmaspheric Imager

The IMAGE Mission extreme ultraviolet imager (EUY) observes He+ plasmaspheric ions throughout the inner magnetosphere. Limited by ionizing radiation and viewing close to the Sun, images of the He+ distribution are available every 10 minutes for many hours as the spacecraft passes through apogee in its highly elliptical orbit. As a consistent constituent at about 15%, He+ is an excellent surrogate for monitoring all of the processes that control the dynamics of plasmaspheric plasma. In particular, the motion ofHe+ transverse to the ambient magnetic field is a direct indication of convective electric fields. The analysis of boundary motions has already achieved new insights into the electrodynamic coupling processes taking place between energetic magnetospheric plasmas and the ionosphere. Yet to be fulfilled, however, is the original promise that global EUY images of the plasmasphere might yield two-dimensional pictures of meso-scale to macro-scale electric fields in the inner magnetosphere. This work details the technique and initial application of an IMAGE EUY analysis that appears capable of following thermal plasma motion on a global basis.

Gallagher, D.↗

NASA NTRS2008

The Role of Magnetic Reconnection in Solar Activity

The central challenge in solar/heliospheric physics is to understand how the emergence and transport of magnetic flux at the photosphere drives the structure and dynamics that we observe in the corona and heliosphere. This presentation focuses on the role of magnetic reconnection in determining solar/heliospheric activity. We demonstrate that two generic properties of the photospheric magnetic and velocity fields are responsible for the ubiquitous reconnection in the corona. First, the photospheric velocities are complex, which leads to the injection of energy and helicity into the coronal magnetic fields and to the efficient, formation of small-scale structure. Second, the flux distribution at the photosphere is multi-polar, which implies that topological discontinuities and, consequently, current sheets, must be present in the coronal magnetic field. We: present numerical simulations showing that photospherically-driven reconnection is responsible for the heating and dynamics of coronal plasma, and for the topology of the coronal/heliospheric magnetic field.

Antiochos, Spiro↗

NASA NTRS2008

Coronal Heating and the Need for High-Resolution Observations

Despite excellent progress in recent years in understanding coronal heating, there remain many crucial questions that are still unanswered. Limitations in the observations are one important reason. Both theoretical and observational considerations point to the importance of small spatial scales, impulsive energy release, strong dynamics, and extreme plasma nonuniformity. As a consequence, high spatial resolution, broad temperature coverage, high temperature fidelity, and sensitivity to velocities and densities are all critical observational parameters. Current instruments lack one or more of these properties, and this has led to considerable ambiguity and confusion. In this talk, I will discuss recent ideas about coronal heating and emphasize that high spatial resolution observations, especially spectroscopic observations, are needed to make major progress on this important problem.

Klimchuk, James A.↗

NASA NTRS2015

The Solar Probe Plus Mission: Humanity's First Visit to Our Star

Solar Probe Plus (SPP) will be the first spacecraft to fly into the low solar corona. SPPs main science goal is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Suns coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what processes accelerate energetic particles. Understanding these fundamental phenomena has been a top-priority science goal for over five decades, dating back to the 1958 Simpson Committee Report. The scale and concept of such a mission has been revised at intervals since that time, yet the core has always been a close encounter with the Sun. The mission design and the technology and engineering developments enable SPP to meet its science objectives to: (1) Trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind; (2) Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind; and (3) Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles. The SPP mission was confirmed in March 2014 and is under development as a part of NASAs Living with a Star (LWS) Program. SPP is scheduled for launch in mid-2018, and will perform 24 orbits over a 7-year nominal mission duration. Seven Venus gravity assists gradually reduce SPPs perihelion from 35 solar radii (RS) for the first orbit to less than 10 RS for the final three orbits. In this paper we present the science, mission concept and the baseline vehicle for SPP, and examine how the mission will address the key science questions.

Fox, N. J.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Dios: The Dark Baryon Exploring Mission

DIOS (Diffuse Intergalactic Oxygen Surveyor) is a small satellite aiming for a launch around 2022 with JAXA's Epsilon rocket. Its main aim is a search for warm-hot intergalactic medium with high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of redshifted emission lines from OVII and OVIII ions. The superior energy resolution of TES microcalorimeters combined with a wide field of view (30 diameter) will enable us to look into gas dynamics of cosmic plasmas in a wide range of spatial scales from Earths magnetosphere to unvirialized regions of clusters of galaxies. Mechanical and thermal design of the spacecraft and development of the TES calorimeter system are described. Employing an enlarged X-ray telescope with a focal length of 1.2 m and fast repointing capability, DIOS can observe absorption features from X-ray afterglows of distant gamma-ray bursts.

X-ray telescope↗

NASA NTRS2017

Critical Fluctuations in Beam-Plasma Systems and Solar Type III Radio Bursts

The type III radio bursts are the most intense radio emissions from the sun. In Figure 1, we present a typical type III burst observed by the STEREO spacecraft. Ginzburg and Zheleznyakov (1958) were the first to suggest that Langmuir waves excited by the solar flare accelerated electrons are the source of these bursts. The in situ detection of electron beams and Langmuir waves in association with type III bursts together with tracking of type III burst sources in the interplanetary medium confirmed this plasma hypothesis. However, the dynamics of type III electron beams and their interaction with the ambient plasma through the excited Langmuir waves is an unsolved problem. In order that the electron beams don't lose their energy by resonantly interacting with Langmuir waves, various nonlinear processes, such as the induced scattering of Langmuir waves off the background ions in weak turbulence regime and oscillating two-stream instability in strong turbulence regime were invoked. However, the observed electron density fluctuations do not allow Langmuir waves to grow to very high intensities as pointed out by several authors. As far as the conversion of Langmuir wave energy into electromagnetic energy is concerned, there is no consensus either for the fundamental or for the second harmonic emission. In this paper, we address these issues in terms of critical fluctuations near the boundary of the beam-plasma instability which is analogous to the anomalously growing fluctuations near the phase transition points called critical points. We show that this phenomenon can account for the survival of electron beams over large distances as well as the intensities of Langmuir waves excited during this phase transition regime are sufficient to explain the peak intensities of the fundamental as well as harmonic emissions

Fluctuations↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Planetary Protection Compliance of NASA Missions Past, Present and Future

NASA monitors its spacecraft from a planetary protection (PP) perspective, to ensure contin-ued compliance with planetary protection requirements. This report to COSPAR on previous, ongoing and future missions will describe the issues and considerations regarding the PP im-plementation and compliance status of each mission, with changes noted as appropriate from previous reports. Missions not described in other presentations will be covered, including (but not limited to): Mars Odyssey, Mars Exploration Rovers, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE), Juno, New Horizons, Parker Solar Probe, Artemis I and its secondary payloads, and NASA partnered missions.

James Benardini↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Planetary Protection Compliance Of NASA Missions Past, Present and Future

NASA monitors its spacecraft from a planetary protection (PP) perspective, to ensure continued compliance with planetary protection requirements. This report to COSPAR on previous, ongoing and future missions will describe the issues and considerations regarding the PP implementation and compliance status of each mission, with changes noted as appropriate from previous reports. Missions not described in other presentations will be covered, including (but not limited to): Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE), Juno, New Horizons, Parker Solar Probe, Dragonfly, Artemis I and its secondary payloads, and NASA partnered missions.

NASA↗

NASA NTRS2023

Parker Solar Probe: Four Years of Discoveries at Solar Cycle Minimum

Launched on 12 Aug. 2018, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe had completed 13 of its scheduled 24 orbits around the Sun by Nov. 2022. The mission’s primary science goal is to determine the structure and dynamics of the Sun’s coronal magnetic field, understand how the solar corona and wind are heated and accelerated, and determine what processes accelerate energetic particles. Parker Solar Probe returned a treasure trove of science data that far exceeded quality, significance, and quantity expectations, leading to a significant number of discoveries reported in nearly 700 peer-reviewed publications. The first four years of the 7-year primary mission duration have been mostly during solar minimum conditions with few major solar events. Starting with orbit 8 (i.e., 28 Apr. 2021), Parker flew through the magnetically dominated corona, i.e., sub-Alfvénic solar wind, which is one of the mission’s primary objectives. In this paper, we present an overview of the scientific advances made mainly during the first four years of the Parker Solar Probe mission, which go well beyond the three science objectives that are: (1) Trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind; (2) Determine the structure and dynamics of the plasma and magnetic fields at the sources of the solar wind; and (3) Explore mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles.

Sun↗

NASA NTRS2022

Enabling a Larger Deep Space Mission Suite: A Deep Space Network Queuing Antenna for Demand Access

The advent of deep space small spacecraft, as exemplified by the Mars Cubesat One (MarCO), Lunar Trailblazer, Janus, the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE), and the thirteen Artemis 1 missions, opens the possibility that a much larger number of deep space spacecraft may be launched over the next 10 years and beyond. While scientifically exciting, the prospect of a (much) larger mission suite raises significant challenges for the current approach to ground stations and mission operations. We have been investigating an integrated approach for ground stations and missions operations to enable new modes of operation while maintaining the capabilities of the current operational techniques. This integrated approach is built around three core capabilities: (1) A queuing antenna that enables monitoring the status of a much larger number of spacecraft, and allows spacecraft to transmit requests for telemetry with NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN); (2) a flexible scheduling system that expands the current DSN scheduling services to enable allocating time on DSN antennas in near real-time; and (3) a cloud-based ground data system that can be spun up and down according to how tracks are assigned by the flexible scheduling system. We shall show that an 18 meter DSN queuing antenna equipped with cyrogenic receivers would enable use of the DSN Demand Access Service for small spacecraft throughout the inner Solar System, thus providing service to a large mission suite. We first discuss the architecture of the queuing antenna and its supporting systems, including, for instance, the service required to generate the schedule for the queueing antenna (which dictates how it slews to monitor multiple spacecraft in a day of operations). Next, we describe the signaling scheme used to encode a request, which is inherited from the already operational DSN Beacon Tone Service, and describe two alternative ways to detect the incoming tone at the ground station, one based on maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), and another one based on Fast-Fourier Transfer (FFT) processing. We then use these results to estimate the maximum range at which a request can be reliably detected as a function of the spacecraft and ground station communication capabilities. Finally, the last part of this part of this paper briefly describes the prototyping effort undertaken at Morehead State University (MSU) and JPL to demonstrate the viability of this new DSN demand access. In particular, we describe the suite of tests conducted using MSU’s 21 meter ground station to validate its use a queuing antenna.

Mattle, Emily↗

NASA NTRS1978

A self-consistent model of a corotating Jovian magnetosphere

In the rotation-dominated model of the Jovian magnetosphere, proposed in the present paper, the plasma current distribution is dynamically consistent with the magnetic field. The model is constructed under the assumptions of an ionospheric plasma source without pitch angle scattering; loss-free radiation transport through flux tube interchange diffusion; and a static balance between centrifugal force and magnetic stress. Using these assumptions, a dynamic equation is derived for a self-consistent field configuration having a single adjustable parameter that is related to the plasma source strength. The equation is solved by an iterative technique. The self-consistent field resembles a radially distorted dipole field, rather than the flat magnetodisk configuration inferred from Pioneer data. The implication is that such a magnetodisk field would require an equatorial plasma source rather than a source at the feet of the field lines.

Carbary, J. F.↗

DOE OSTI2018

Dynamics of X-pinches Powered by a Capacitor Bank

X-pinches are formed by crossing two metal wires in the shape of the letter ‘X’ between the electrodes of a pulsed power device. The plasma generated then evolves in complex ways and has been the subject of many experiments and simulations, both as a plasma object and for its use as a source of intense soft x-rays, of interest to high energy density plasma (HEDP) studies. The dynamics of the x-pinch that lead to the emission x-ray photons begin soon after this initial explosive phase, resulting in the formation of a micro z-pinch (≤ 300 µm long, ~100 µm diameter) at the crossing point. If the current is high enough, then a subsonic plasma implosion in the micro z-pinch begins, which creates a high density, high temperature plasma. These x-pinches have been typically studied at the nanosecond time scale (rise-time $τ_r ≤ 100 ns, dI/dt > 1 kA/ns$). The microsecond x-pinch ($I_p~350 kA, τ_{1/4} = 1 µs, 0.3 kA/ns$) allows a different parameter space to be studied that compliments HEDP studies in the nanosecond regime (with an attendant lower hard-radiation hazard) but it also creates plasma conditions that are interesting in their own right, with features that make it a good model for studying the hydrodynamics of astrophysical jets, for example. With high electron density and temperatures pushing close to 0.5 keV, it is relevant for high energy density studies and provides a suitable test bed for the spectroscopy of highly ionized atoms. The aim of the original proposal was to initiate a new experimental plasma research program at Florida A&M University with three main objectives: (1) To create x-pinch plasmas from different materials using a direct capacitor bank discharge and to study the dynamics of the high-density plasmas and their associated soft x-ray emission properties and potential applications. (2) Understanding the nature of the supersonic plasma jets observed in the mid-plane of the microsecond x-pinch and their relevance as a laboratory model for studying astrophysical jets. (3) To provide a research platform to support the education of under-represented undergraduate and graduate students at Florida A&M University and to provide training in high energy density laboratory plasma physics. Each of the main objectives has been met and results of the work have been published in refereed journals or presented at several scientific meetings. A number of students both undergraduate and graduate have participated in the research program in a hands-on way and have thereby acquired training in high energy density physics. The success of the work can also be measured in two PhD dissertations (one of which is still in progress). The acquisition of important research equipment and instrumentation means that the work can continue in some fashion.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1978

Monte Carlo simulation of the classical two-dimensional one component plasma

Monte Carlo simulation, lattice dynamics in the harmonic approximation, and solution of the hypernetted chain equation were used to study the classical two-dimensional one component plasma. The system consists of a single species of charged particles immersed in a uniform neutralizing background. The particles interact via a l/r potential, where r is the two dimensional separation. Equations of state were calculated for both the liquid and solid phases. Results of calculation of the thermodynamic functions and one and two particle correlation functions are presented.

Gann, R. C.↗