Context. We investigate the linear polarization produced by interstellar dust aligned by the magnetic field in the solar neighborhood (d < 50 pc). We also look for intrinsic effects from ...circumstellar processes, specifically in terms of polarization variability and wavelength dependence. Aims. We aim to detect and map dust clouds which give rise to statistically significant amounts of polarization of the starlight passing through the cloud, and to determine the interstellar magnetic field direction from the position angle of the observed polarization. Methods. High-precision broad-band (BV R) polarization observations are made of 361 stars in spectral classes F to G, with detection sensitivity at the level of or better than 10−5 (0.001%). The sample consists of 125 stars in the magnitude range 6–9 observed at the 2.2 m UH88 telescope on Mauna Kea, 205 stars in the magnitude range 3–6 observed at the Japanese (Tohoku) T60 telescope on Haleakala, and 31 stars in the magnitude range 4–7 observed at the 1.27 m H127 telescope of the Greenhill Observatory, Tasmania. Identical copies of the Dipol-2 polarimeter are used on these three sites. Results. Statistically significant (>3σ) polarization is found in 115 stars, and >2σ detection in 178 stars, out of the total sample of 361 stars. Polarization maps based on these data show filament-like patterns of polarization position angles, which are related to both the heliosphere geometry, the kinematics of nearby clouds, and the Interstellar Boundary EXplorer ribbon magnetic field. From long-term multiple observations, a number (~20) of stars show evidence of intrinsic variability at the 10−5 level. This can be attributed to circumstellar effects (e.g., debris disks and chromospheric activity). The star HD 101805 shows a peculiar wavelength dependence, indicating size distribution of scattering particles different from that of a typical interstellar medium. Our high signal-to-noise measurements of nearby stars with very low polarization also provide a useful dataset for calibration purposes.
HISAKI (SPRINT-A) satellite is an earth-orbiting Extreme UltraViolet (EUV) spectroscopic mission and launched on 14 Sep. 2013 by the launch vehicle Epsilon-1. Extreme ultraviolet spectroscope ...(EXCEED) onboard the satellite will investigate plasma dynamics in Jupiter’s inner magnetosphere and atmospheric escape from Venus and Mars. EUV spectroscopy is useful to measure electron density and temperature and ion composition in plasma environment. EXCEED also has an advantage to measure spatial distribution of plasmas around the planets. To measure radial plasma distribution in the Jovian inner magnetosphere and plasma emissions from ionosphere, exosphere and tail separately (for Venus and Mars), the pointing accuracy of the spectroscope should be smaller than spatial structures of interest (20 arc-seconds). For satellites in the low earth orbit (LEO), the pointing displacement is generally caused by change of alignment between the satellite bus module and the telescope due to the changing thermal inputs from the Sun and Earth. The HISAKI satellite is designed to compensate the displacement by tracking the target with using a Field-Of-View (FOV) guiding camera. Initial checkout of the attitude control for the EXCEED observation shows that pointing accuracy kept within 2 arc-seconds in a case of “track mode” which is used for Jupiter observation. For observations of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn, the entire disk will be guided inside slit to observe plasma around the planets. Since the FOV camera does not capture the disk in this case, the satellite uses a star tracker (STT) to hold the attitude (“hold mode”). Pointing accuracy during this mode has been 20–25 arc-seconds. It has been confirmed that the attitude control works well as designed.
Jupiter’s magnetosphere is a strong particle accelerator that contains ultrarelativistic electrons in its inner part. They are thought to be accelerated by whistler-mode waves excited by anisotropic ...hot electrons (>10 kiloelectron volts) injected from the outer magnetosphere. However, electron transportation in the inner magnetosphere is not well understood. By analyzing the extreme ultraviolet line emission from the inner magnetosphere, we show evidence for global inward transport of flux tubes containing hot plasma. High-spectral-resolution scanning observations of the Io plasma torus in the inner magnetosphere enable us to generate radial profiles of the hot electron fraction. It gradually decreases with decreasing radial distance, despite the short collisional time scale that should thermalize them rapidly. This indicates a fast and continuous resupply of hot electrons responsible for exciting the whistler-mode waves.
Jupiter's sodium nebula showed an enhancement in late May through the beginning of June 2007. This means Io's volcanic activity and the magnetosphere's plasma content increased during this period. On ...the other hand, Jupiter's radio emission called HOM became quiet after the sodium nebula enhancement. The HOM emission is considered to be related to the activity of aurorae on Jupiter. These observation results therefore suggest that the increase in plasma supply from Io into Jupiter's magnetosphere weakens its field‐aligned current, which generates the radio emissions and aurorae on Jupiter. By comparing our observation results to recent model and observation results, we add supporting evidence to the possibility that Io's volcanism controls Jupiter's magnetospheric activity.
Key points
Brightness of Jupiter's sodium nebula showed an enhancement.
HOM activity from Jupiter was weekend after the sodium nebula enhancement.
This means abundant plasma from Io weakens Jupiter's magnetospheric activity.
The extreme ultraviolet spectroscope EXtrem ultraviolet spetrosCope for ExosphEric Dynamics (EXCEED) on board the SPRINT-A mission will be launched in the summer of 2013 by the new Japanese solid ...propulsion rocket Epsilon as its first attempt, and it will orbit around the Earth with an orbital altitude of around 1000km. EXCEED is dedicated to and optimized for observing the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus and Mars, as well as Jupiter for several years. The instrument consists of an off axis parabolic entrance mirror, switchable slits with multiple filters and shapes, a toroidal grating, and a photon counting detector, together with a field of view guiding camera. The design goal is to achieve a large effective area but with high spatial and spectral resolution. In this paper, the performance of each optical component will be described as determined from the results of test evaluation of flight models. In addition, the results of the optical calibration of the overall instrument are also shown. As a result, the spectral resolution of EXCEED is found to be 0.3–0.5nm Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) over the entire spectral band (52–148nm) and the spatial resolution achieve was 10". The evaluated effective area is around 3cm2. Based on these specifications, the possibility of EXCEED detecting atmospheric ions or atoms around Mercury, Venus, and Mars will be discussed. In addition, we estimate the spectra that might be detected from the Io plasma torus around Jupiter for various hypothetical plasma parameters.
•This manuscript describes the Earth-orbiting EUV imaging spectroscope which is named as EXCEED on board SPRINT-A mission.•The optical design, performance, and observation scenario of EXCEED are explained.•The detection possibility of escaping atmosphere from Mercury, Venus, and Mars are discussed.•The observing and analyzing scenario for Jovian inner magnetosphere (Io plasma torus) by EXCEED is also discussed.
Aims. We investigate the structure of the O-type binary system HD48099 by measuring linear polarization that arises due to light scattering process. High-precison polarimetry provides independent ...estimates of the orbital parameters and gives important information on the properties of the system. Methods. Linear polarization measurements of HD48099 in the B, V and R passbands with the high-precision Dipol-2 polarimeter have been carried out. The data have been obtained with the 60 cm KVA (Observatory Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, Spain) and T60 (Haleakala, Hawaii, USA) remotely controlled telescopes during 31 observing nights. Polarimetry in the optical wavelengths has been complemented by observations in the X-rays with the Swift space observatory. Results. Optical polarimetry revealed small intrinsic polarization in HD48099 with ~0.1% peak to peak variation over the orbital period of 3.08 d. The variability pattern is typical for binary systems, showing strong second harmonic of the orbital period. We apply our model code for the electron scattering in the circumstellar matter to put constraints on the system geometry. A good model fit is obtained for scattering of light on a cloud produced by the colliding stellar winds. The geometry of the cloud, with a broad distribution of scattering particles away from the orbital plane, helps in constraining the (low) orbital inclination. We derive from the polarization data the inclination i= 17degrees + or - 2degrees and the longitude of the ascending node Omega = 82degrees + or - 1degrees of the binary orbit. The available X-ray data provide additional evidence for the existence of the colliding stellar winds in the system. Another possible source of the polarized light could be scattering from the stellar photospheres. The models with circumstellar envelopes, or matter confined to the orbital plane, do not provide good constraints on the low inclination, better than i< or = 27degrees, as is already suggested by the absence of eclipses.
The Io plasma torus is composed mainly of sulfur and oxygen ions and their compounds, together with a background of electrons. In addition to those basic components, several in situ observations have ...shown that a small percentage of the electrons there have been excited to be as much as 100 times hotter than the background electrons. They have a significant impact on the energy balance in the Jovian inner magnetosphere. However, their generation process has not yet been clarified. One difficulty is that the available data about the hot electrons all come from in situ observations which cannot explore the temporal and spatial distributions explicitly. Therefore, remote sensing which can take a direct picture of the plasma dynamics is necessary in order to clarify the hot electron problem. In this study, a plasma diagnosis method was used for the Io plasma torus EUV spectra taken from the Cassini spacecraft. Agreement with previous observations confirmed the background electron temperature and ion compositions as determined by our model. In addition, the available data are matched even better when the model is run with a hot electron component. This consistent confirmation by remote sensing is a first. Because of the limited temporal resolution and observational coverage, the results could not be used to explain the generation process of the hot electrons. However, we expect that this method will be useful in studying the hot electron generation process when data from future missions with better temporal resolution and more complete coverage become available.
Key Points
This study uses a spectral diagnosis method for Io plasma torus
Monitoring observations of Jupiter's sodium nebula and SII 673.1 nm emission from the Io plasma torus were made for 20 days in 2003. During these observations, the brightness of the sodium nebula ...showed a small enhancement which seemed to be caused by Io's volcanic outburst. During this enhancement, SII 673.1 nm brightness and the ion temperature (scale height) along Jupiter's magnetic fields did not show any significant change, but magnetic flux tube content of S+ ion was calculated from the SII 673.1 nm brightness and the scale height, and an increase of the ion flux tube content was clearly identified. Thus, increase of supplied plasma from Io seems to be reflected in both plasma density and ion temperature. We conclude that Io's volcanic enhancement with a duration time of a few days can change Jupiter's inner magnetospheric environment in aspects of both ion density and temperature.
Aims. We investigate the structure of the O-type binary system HD 48099 by measuring linear polarization that arises due to light scattering process. High-precison polarimetry provides independent ...estimates of the orbital parameters and gives important information on the properties of the system. Methods. Linear polarization measurements of HD 48099 in the B, V and R passbands with the high-precision Dipol-2 polarimeter have been carried out. The data have been obtained with the 60 cm KVA (Observatory Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma, Spain) and T60 (Haleakala, Hawaii, USA) remotely controlled telescopes during 31 observing nights. Polarimetry in the optical wavelengths has been complemented by observations in the X-rays with the Swift space observatory. Results. Optical polarimetry revealed small intrinsic polarization in HD 48099 with ~0.1% peak to peak variation over the orbital period of 3.08 d. The variability pattern is typical for binary systems, showing strong second harmonic of the orbital period. We apply our model code for the electron scattering in the circumstellar matter to put constraints on the system geometry. A good model fit is obtained for scattering of light on a cloud produced by the colliding stellar winds. The geometry of the cloud, with a broad distribution of scattering particles away from the orbital plane, helps in constraining the (low) orbital inclination. We derive from the polarization data the inclination i = 17° ± 2° and the longitude of the ascending node Ω = 82° ± 1° of the binary orbit. The available X-ray data provide additional evidence for the existence of the colliding stellar winds in the system. Another possible source of the polarized light could be scattering from the stellar photospheres. The models with circumstellar envelopes, or matter confined to the orbital plane, do not provide good constraints on the low inclination, better than i ≤ 27°, as is already suggested by the absence of eclipses.
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