Context. Studying the coma environment of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) is one of the primary scientific goals of the VIRTIS experiment on the ESA Rosetta mission. Aims. The distribution and ...variability of water vapour and carbon dioxide in the comet’s coma are needed to estimate their production rate, abundances in the nucleus, and the spatial distribution of the active regions. Methods. Infrared emission lines from vibrational bands of water and carbon dioxide at 2.67 and 4.27 μm, respectively, were observed by the VIRTIS-M imaging channel and mapped from close to the nucleus up to ~10 km altitude with a resolution of ~40 m/px. A dataset consisting of 74 observations in the 1−5 μm spectral range acquired from 8 to 14 April 2015 when 67P was at a heliocentric distance of 1.9 AU is analysed in this work. A statistical correlation between the gas distribution and the surface’s active regions was performed. Results. The maximum H2O emission is observed within 3 km from the nucleus and is mainly concentrated above two active regions, Aten-Babi and Seth-Hapi, while the CO2 distribution appears more uniform with significant emissions coming from both the “head” and southern latitude regions. In the equatorial region, the column densities of both species decrease with altitude, although CO2 decreases more rapidly than H2O. The calculated CO2/H2O column density ratios above Aten-Babi and Seth-Hapi are 2.4 ± 0.6% and 3.0 ± 0.7%, respectively. A value equal to 3.9 ± 1.0% is observed at equatorial latitudes in the region encompassing Imothep. Conclusions. VIRTIS-M has mapped the distribution of water vapour and carbon dioxide around the nucleus of 67P with unprecedented spatial resolution. The different water and carbon dioxide outgassing above the surface, seen in the VIRTIS-M data, might be indicative of a different thermal history of the northern and southern hemispheres of 67P.
Jupiter's aurorae are produced in its upper atmosphere when incoming high-energy electrons precipitate along the planet's magnetic field lines. A northern and a southern main auroral oval are ...visible, surrounded by small emission features associated with the Galilean moons. We present infrared observations, obtained with the Juno spacecraft, showing that in the case of Io, this emission exhibits a swirling pattern that is similar in appearance to a von Kármán vortex street. Well downstream of the main auroral spots the extended tail is split in two. Both of Ganymede's footprints also appear as a pair of emission features, which may provide a remote measure of Ganymede's magnetosphere. These features suggest that magnetohydrodynamic interaction between Jupiter and its moon is more complex than previously anticipated.
Context. Since its rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P), the Rosetta spacecraft has provided invaluable information contributing to our understanding of the cometary environment. On ...board, the VIRTIS and ROSINA instruments can both measure gas parameters in the rarefied cometary atmosphere, the so-called coma, and provide complementary results with remote sensing and in situ measurement techniques, respectively. The data from both ROSINA and VIRTIS instruments suggest that the source regions of H2O and CO2 are not uniformly distributed over the surface of the nucleus even after accounting for the changing solar illumination of the irregularly shaped rotating nucleus. The source regions of H2O and CO2 are also relatively different from one another. Aims. The use of a combination of a formal numerical data inversion method with a fully kinetic coma model is a way to correlate and interpret the information provided by these two instruments to fully understand the volatile environment and activity of comet 67P. Methods. In this work, the nonuniformity of the outgassing activity at the surface of the nucleus is described by spherical harmonics and constrained by ROSINA-DFMS data. This activity distribution is coupled with the local illumination to describe the inner boundary conditions of a 3D direct simulation Monte-Carlo (DSMC) approach using the Adaptive Mesh Particle Simulator (AMPS) code applied to the H2O and CO2 coma of comet 67P. Results. We obtain activity distribution of H2O and CO2 showing a dominant source of H2O in the Hapi region, while more CO2 is produced in the southern hemisphere. The resulting model outputs are analyzed and compared with VIRTIS-M/-H and ROSINA-DFMS measurements, showing much better agreement between model and data than a simpler model assuming a uniform surface activity. The evolution of the H2O and CO2 production rates with heliocentric distance are derived accurately from the coma model showing agreement between the observations from the different instruments and ground-based observations. Conclusions. We derive the activity distributions for H2O and CO2 at the surface of the nucleus described in spherical harmonics, which we couple to the local solar illumination to constitute the boundary conditions of our coma model. The model presented reproduces the coma observations made by the ROSINA and VIRTIS instruments on board the Rosetta spacecraft showing our understanding of the physics of 67P’s coma. This model can be used for further data analyses, such as dust modeling, in a future work.
Most of the magnetic devices in advanced electronics rely on the exchange bias effect, a magnetic interaction that couples a ferromagnetic and an antiferromagnetic material, resulting in a ...unidirectional displacement of the ferromagnetic hysteresis loop by an amount called the 'exchange bias field'. Setting and optimizing exchange bias involves cooling through the Néel temperature of the antiferromagnetic material in the presence of a magnetic field. Here we demonstrate an alternative process for the generation of exchange bias. In IrMn/FeCo bilayers, a structural phase transition in the IrMn layer develops at room temperature, exchange biasing the FeCo layer as it propagates. Once the process is completed, the IrMn layer contains very large single-crystal grains, with a large density of structural defects within each grain, which are promoted by the FeCo layer. The magnetic characterization indicates that these structural defects in the antiferromagnetic layer are behind the resulting large value of the exchange bias field and its good thermal stability. This mechanism for establishing the exchange bias in such a system can contribute towards the clarification of fundamental aspects of this exchange interaction.
The familiar axisymmetric zones and belts that characterize Jupiter's weather system at lower latitudes give way to pervasive cyclonic activity at higher latitudes. Two-dimensional turbulence in ...combination with the Coriolis β-effect (that is, the large meridionally varying Coriolis force on the giant planets of the Solar System) produces alternating zonal flows. The zonal flows weaken with rising latitude so that a transition between equatorial jets and polar turbulence on Jupiter can occur. Simulations with shallow-water models of giant planets support this transition by producing both alternating flows near the equator and circumpolar cyclones near the poles. Jovian polar regions are not visible from Earth owing to Jupiter's low axial tilt, and were poorly characterized by previous missions because the trajectories of these missions did not venture far from Jupiter's equatorial plane. Here we report that visible and infrared images obtained from above each pole by the Juno spacecraft during its first five orbits reveal persistent polygonal patterns of large cyclones. In the north, eight circumpolar cyclones are observed about a single polar cyclone; in the south, one polar cyclone is encircled by five circumpolar cyclones. Cyclonic circulation is established via time-lapse imagery obtained over intervals ranging from 20 minutes to 4 hours. Although migration of cyclones towards the pole might be expected as a consequence of the Coriolis β-effect, by which cyclonic vortices naturally drift towards the rotational pole, the configuration of the cyclones is without precedent on other planets (including Saturn's polar hexagonal features). The manner in which the cyclones persist without merging and the process by which they evolve to their current configuration are unknown.
JUNO/JIRAM's view of Jupiter's H 3 + emissions Dinelli, B M; Adriani, A; Mura, A ...
Philosophical transactions - Royal Society. Mathematical, Physical and engineering sciences/Philosophical transactions - Royal Society. Mathematical, physical and engineering sciences,
2019-Sep-23, 2019-09-23, Letnik:
377, Številka:
2154
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The instrument JIRAM (Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper), on board the NASA spacecraft Juno, is both an imager and a spectrometer. Two distinct detectors are used for imaging and spectroscopy. The ...imager acquires Jupiter images in two bands, one of which (L band, 3.3-3.6 μm) is devoted to monitor the H
emission. The spectrometer covers the spectral region from 2 to 5 μm (average spectral resolution 9 nm) with a 256 pixels slit that can observe the same scene of the L band imager with some delay. JIRAM scientific goals are the exploration of the Jovian aurorae and the planet's atmospheric structure, dynamics and composition. Starting early July 2016 Juno is orbiting around Jupiter. Since then, JIRAM has provided an unprecedented amount of measurements, monitoring both Jupiter's atmosphere and aurorae. In particular, the camera has monitored Jupiter's poles with very high spatial resolution, providing new insights in both its aurorae and the polar dynamic. The main findings obtained by the L imager are detailed pictures of Jupiter's aurorae showing an extremely complex morphology of the H
distribution in the main oval and in the moon's footprints. The spectrometer has enabled the measure the distribution of both H
concentration and temperature. The analysis of the north auroral region limb observations shows that the peak density of H
is above 750 km and that often it is anticorrelated to the temperature, confirming the infrared cooling effect of H
. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Advances in hydrogen molecular ions: H
, H
and beyond'.
JUNO/JIRAM's view of Jupiter's H3+ emissions Dinelli, B M; Adriani, A; Mura, A ...
Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences,
09/2019, Letnik:
377, Številka:
2154
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The instrument JIRAM (Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper), on board the NASA spacecraft Juno, is both an imager and a spectrometer. Two distinct detectors are used for imaging and spectroscopy. The ...imager acquires Jupiter images in two bands, one of which (L band, 3.3–3.6 μm) is devoted to monitor the H
3
+
emission. The spectrometer covers the spectral region from 2 to 5 μm (average spectral resolution 9 nm) with a 256 pixels slit that can observe the same scene of the L band imager with some delay. JIRAM scientific goals are the exploration of the Jovian aurorae and the planet's atmospheric structure, dynamics and composition. Starting early July 2016 Juno is orbiting around Jupiter. Since then, JIRAM has provided an unprecedented amount of measurements, monitoring both Jupiter's atmosphere and aurorae. In particular, the camera has monitored Jupiter's poles with very high spatial resolution, providing new insights in both its aurorae and the polar dynamic. The main findings obtained by the L imager are detailed pictures of Jupiter's aurorae showing an extremely complex morphology of the H
3
+
distribution in the main oval and in the moon's footprints. The spectrometer has enabled the measure the distribution of both H
3
+
concentration and temperature. The analysis of the north auroral region limb observations shows that the peak density of H
3
+
is above 750 km and that often it is anticorrelated to the temperature, confirming the infrared cooling effect of H
3
+
.
This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Advances in hydrogen molecular ions: H
3
+
, H
5
+
and beyond’.
Abstract
We present 2–5 μm spectroscopic observations of the dust coma of 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko obtained with the VIRTIS-H instrument onboard Rosetta during two outbursts that occurred on 2015, ...13 September 13.6 h ut and 14 September 18.8 h ut at 1.3 au from the Sun. Scattering and thermal properties measured before the outburst are in the mean of values measured for moderately active comets. The colour temperature excess (or superheat factor) can be attributed to submicrometre-sized particles composed of absorbing material or to porous fractal-like aggregates such as those collected by the Rosetta in situ dust instruments. The power-law index of the dust size distribution is in the range 2–3. The sudden increase of infrared emission associated with the outbursts is correlated with a large increase of the colour temperature (from 300 to 630 K) and a change of the dust colour at 2–2.5 μm from red to blue colours, revealing the presence of very small grains (≤100 nm) in the outburst material. In addition, the measured large bolometric albedos (∼0.7) indicate bright grains in the ejecta, which could either be silicatic grains, implying the thermal degradation of the carbonaceous material, or icy grains. The 3 μm absorption band from water ice is not detected in the spectra acquired during the outbursts, whereas signatures of organic compounds near 3.4 μm are observed in emission. The H2O 2.7 μm and CO2 4.3 μm vibrational bands do not show any enhancement during the outbursts.
We present and discuss here the average fields of the Venus atmosphere derived from the nighttime observations in the 1960–2350 cm−1 spectral range by the VIRTIS‐M instrument on board the Venus ...Express satellite. These fields include: (a) the air temperatures in the 1–100 mbar pressure range (~85–65 km above the surface), (b) the altitude of the clouds top, and (c) the average CO mixing ratio. A new retrieval code based on the Bayesian formalism has been developed and validated on simulated observations, to statistically assess the retrieval capabilities of the scheme once applied to the VIRTIS data. The same code has then been used to process the entire VIRTIS‐M data set. Resulting individual retrievals have been binned on the basis of local time and latitude, to create average fields. Air temperature fields confirm the general trends previously reported in Grassi et al. (2010), using a simplified retrieval scheme and a more limited data set. At the lowest altitudes probed by VIRTIS (~65 km), air temperatures are strongly asymmetric around midnight, with a pronounced minima at 3LT, 70°S. Moving to higher levels, the air temperatures first become more uniform in local time (~75 km), then display a colder region on the evening side at the upper boundary of VIRTIS sensitivity range (~80 km). As already shown by Ignatiev et al. (2008) for the dayside, the cloud effective altitude increases monotonically from the south pole to the equator. However, the variations observed in night data are consistent with an overall variation of just 1 km, much smaller than the 4 km reported for the dayside. The cloud altitudes appear slightly higher on the evening side. Both observations are consistent with a less vigorous meridional circulation on the nightside of the planet. Carbon monoxide is not strongly constrained by the VIRTIS‐M data. However, average fields present a clear maximum of 80 ppm around 60°S, well above the retrieval uncertainty. Once the intrinsic low sensitivity of VIRTIS data in the region of cold collar is kept in mind, this datum is consistent with a CO enrichment toward the poles driven by meridional circulation.
Key Points
Venus air temperatures above clouds are driven by atmosphere dynamics
Cloud altitude increases toward the equator also on the nightside
CO at 65‐70 km increases from 40S to 60S
The Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) is an imager/spectrometer on board NASA/Juno mission for the study of the Jovian aurorae. The first results of JIRAM's imager channel observations of the ...H3+ infrared emission, collected around the first Juno perijove, provide excellent spatial and temporal distribution of the Jovian aurorae, and show the morphology of the main ovals, the polar regions, and the footprints of Io, Europa and Ganymede. The extended Io “tail” persists for ~3 h after the passage of the satellite flux tube. Multi‐arc structures of varied spatial extent appear in both main auroral ovals. Inside the main ovals, intense, localized emissions are observed. In the southern aurora, an evident circular region of strong depletion of H3+ emissions is partially surrounded by an intense emission arc. The southern aurora is brighter than the north one in these observations. Similar, probably conjugate emission patterns are distinguishable in both polar regions.
Key Points
Detailed observation of a very long tail of the Io magnetic footprint
Identification of thin multiple arc structures in the northern and southern ovals, and of bright spots and depletion in the south pole
Filamentation of alternatively upward and downward current in the 0°–90° SIII sector in the north
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