16 Oct 2020
16 Oct 2020
Warm protons at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko – Implications for the infant bow shock
- 1European Space Research and Technology Centre, European Space Agency, Keplerlaan 1, 2201AZ Noordwijk, the Netherlands
- 2Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 3, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
- 3Department of Physics, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
- 4Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Avenue Circulaire 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
- 5Institutet för Rymdfysik, Lägerhyddsvägen 1, Uppsala, Sweden
- 6Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166, USA
- 7Institutet för rymdfysik, Rymdcampus 1, Kiruna, Sweden
- 1European Space Research and Technology Centre, European Space Agency, Keplerlaan 1, 2201AZ Noordwijk, the Netherlands
- 2Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 3, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany
- 3Department of Physics, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
- 4Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), Avenue Circulaire 3, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
- 5Institutet för Rymdfysik, Lägerhyddsvägen 1, Uppsala, Sweden
- 6Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238-5166, USA
- 7Institutet för rymdfysik, Rymdcampus 1, Kiruna, Sweden
Abstract. Multiple plasma boundaries have been observed at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Among them was an infant bow shock, an asymmetric structure in the plasma environment that separates the less disturbed solar wind from a plasma with warmer, slower protons. Rosetta crossings of the infant bow shock have so far only been reported for two days. Here, we aim to investigate this phenomenon further by focusing on the proton behaviour and surveying all of the Rosetta comet phase data. We find over 300 events that match the proton signatures at the infant bow shock. We investigate the properties of the plasma and magnetic field at this boundary and the location where it can be found. We find that the protons are preferentially detected at intermediate gas production rates with a slight trend towards larger cometocentric distances for higher gas production rates. The events can mostly be found in the positive convective electric field hemisphere. Both results agree well with simulations of the infant bow shock. The properties of the plasma are harder to constrain, but there is a trend towards higher electron flux, lower magnetic field, higher magnetic field power spectral density, and higher density in the region that contains the warm protons. This is in partial agreement with the previous IBS definitions, however it also indicates that the plasma and this structure are highly non-stationary. For future research, Comet Interceptor, with its multi-point measurements, can help to disentangle the spatial and temporal effects and give more clarity on the influence of changing upstream conditions on the movement of boundaries in this unusual environment.
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Charlotte Goetz et al.


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RC1: 'Referee Report for Goetz et al. (angeo-2020-66)', Anonymous Referee #1, 06 Nov 2020
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AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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RC2: 'Referee comments', Anonymous Referee #2, 07 Dec 2020
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AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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RC3: 'referee report', Anonymous Referee #3, 22 Dec 2020
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AC3: 'Reply on RC3', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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AC3: 'Reply on RC3', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021


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RC1: 'Referee Report for Goetz et al. (angeo-2020-66)', Anonymous Referee #1, 06 Nov 2020
-
AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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RC2: 'Referee comments', Anonymous Referee #2, 07 Dec 2020
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AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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AC2: 'Reply on RC2', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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RC3: 'referee report', Anonymous Referee #3, 22 Dec 2020
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AC3: 'Reply on RC3', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
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AC3: 'Reply on RC3', Charlotte Götz, 26 Feb 2021
Charlotte Goetz et al.
Charlotte Goetz et al.
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