Articles | Volume 34, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1-2016
© Author(s) 2016. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Regular paper
| 
15 Jan 2016
Regular paper |
| 15 Jan 2016
Mass-loading, pile-up, and mirror-mode waves at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
I. Richter
Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig, Germany
B. Tsurutani
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig, Germany
K. Altwegg
Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
T. Broiles
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
J. Burch
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
C. Carr
Space and Atmospheric Physics Group, Imperial College London, London, UK
E. Cupido
Space and Atmospheric Physics Group, Imperial College London, London, UK
M. Delva
Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
M. Dósa
Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
N. J. T. Edberg
Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden
A. Eriksson
Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden
Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
C. Koenders
Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig, Germany
J.-P. Lebreton
Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace, Orleans, France
K. E. Mandt
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
H. Nilsson
Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden
A. Opitz
Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
K. Schwingenschuh
Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
G. Stenberg Wieser
Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden
Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
C. Vallat
Rosetta Science Ground Segment, European Space Astronomy Centre, Madrid, Spain
X. Vallieres
Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace, Orleans, France
K.-H. Glassmeier
Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig, Germany
Abstract. The data from all Rosetta plasma consortium instruments and from the ROSINA COPS instrument are used to study the interaction of the solar wind with the outgassing cometary nucleus of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. During 6 and 7 June 2015, the interaction was first dominated by an increase in the solar wind dynamic pressure, caused by a higher solar wind ion density. This pressure compressed the draped magnetic field around the comet, and the increase in solar wind electrons enhanced the ionization of the outflow gas through collisional ionization. The new ions are picked up by the solar wind magnetic field, and create a ring/ring-beam distribution, which, in a high-β plasma, is unstable for mirror mode wave generation. Two different kinds of mirror modes are observed: one of small size generated by locally ionized water and one of large size generated by ionization and pick-up farther away from the comet.
Download & links
How to cite. Volwerk, M., Richter, I., Tsurutani, B., Götz, C., Altwegg, K., Broiles, T., Burch, J., Carr, C., Cupido, E., Delva, M., Dósa, M., Edberg, N. J. T., Eriksson, A., Henri, P., Koenders, C., Lebreton, J.-P., Mandt, K. E., Nilsson, H., Opitz, A., Rubin, M., Schwingenschuh, K., Stenberg Wieser, G., Szegö, K., Vallat, C., Vallieres, X., and Glassmeier, K.-H.: Mass-loading, pile-up, and mirror-mode waves at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, Ann. Geophys., 34, 1–15, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1-2016, 2016.
Short summary
The solar wind magnetic field drapes around the active nucleus of comet 67P/CG, creating a magnetosphere. The solar wind density increases and with that the pressure, which compresses the magnetosphere, increasing the magnetic field strength near Rosetta. The higher solar wind density also creates more ionization through collisions with the gas from the comet. The new ions are picked-up by the magnetic field and generate mirror-mode waves, creating low-field high-density "bottles" near 67P/CG.
The solar wind magnetic field drapes around the active nucleus of comet 67P/CG, creating a...