Space Physics
Propagation of energetic particles across the mean field direction in turbulent magnetic fields is often described as spatial diffusion. Recently, it has been suggested that initially the particles propagate systematically along meandering…
Between the 13 and 16 of February 2011 a series of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) erupted from multiple polarity inversion lines within active region 11158. For seven of these CMEs we use the Graduated Cylindrical Shell (GCS) flux rope model…
A functional form I_{max}(R)=kR^{-\alpha}, where R is the radial distance of spacecraft, was usually used to model the radial dependence of peak intensities I_{max}(R) of solar energetic particles (SEPs). In this work, the five-dimensional…
We perform three dimensional (3D) ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations to study the parametric decay instability of Alfven waves in turbulent plasmas and explore its possible applications in the solar wind. We find that, over a broad…
We investigate energetic particle transport in Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) through a case study. The CIR event we study occurred on $2008$ February $08$ and was observed by both the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) and the twin…
Collisionless space plasma turbulence can generate reconnecting thin current sheets as suggested by recent results of numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations. The MMS mission provides the first serious opportunity to check if small…
We have determined the solar modulation potential, phi, vs. time that is observed at Voyager 1 and 2 from measurements of the H and He nuclei intensities at a common energy of 250 MeVnuc. The H nuclei have a rigidity 0.7 GV, the He nuclei…
We have determined the spatiotemporal characteristics of the magnetosphere-ionosphere (M-I) coupling using auroral imaging. Observations at fixed positions for an extended period of time are provided by a ground-based all-sky imager…
In 2008 a sequence of geomagnetic storms occurred triggered by high-speed solar wind streams from coronal holes. Improved estimates of precipitating fluxes of energetic electrons are derived from measurements on board the NOAA/POES 18…
Direct impact excitation by precipitating electrons is believed to be the main source of 630.0 nm emissions in the cusp ionosphere. However, this paper investigates a different source, 630.0 emissions caused by thermally excited atomic…
A method for the estimation of electron density from the ratio of the wave magnetic and electric field amplitude of whistler waves is developed. Near the geomagnetic equator, whistler wave normals are mainly close to the direction of the…
Here we study the dynamical effects of the solar radiation pressure (SRP) on a spacecraft that will survey the near-Earth rotating asteroid (101955) Bennu when the projected shadow is accounted for. The spacecraft's motion near (101955)…
Drift effects play a significant role in the transport of charged particles in the heliosphere. A turbulent magnetic field is also known to reduce the effects of particle drifts. The exact nature of this reduction, however, is not clear.…
Strong electron cooling on the neutral gas in cometary comae has been predicted for a long time, but actual measurements of low electron temperature are scarce. We present in situ measurements of plasma density, electron temperature and…
Statistical plasma theory far from thermal equilibrium is subject to Liouville's equation which is at the base of the BBGKY hierarchical approach to plasma kinetic theory from which in the absence of collisions Vlasov's equation follows. It…
The Rafita asteroid family is an S-type group located in the middle main belt, on the right side of the 3J:-1A mean-motion resonance. The proximity of this resonance to the family left side in semi-major axis caused many former family…
The solar Ly{\alpha} line emission can be considered as the dominant source of ionization processes in the ionospheric D-region at altitudes above 70 km during unperturbed conditions. However, large sudden impacts of radiation in some other…
The electron-cyclotron maser is a process that generates intense and coherent radio emission in plasma. In this paper, we present a comprehensive parametric investigation on the electron-cyclotron-maser instability driven by non-thermal…
Thanks to multi-spacecraft mission, it has recently been possible to directly estimate the current density in space plasmas, by using magnetic field time series from four satellites flying in a quasi perfect tetrahedron configuration. The…
The analysis of the Parker-Moffatt problem, recently revisited in Pezzi et al. (2016), is here extended by including the Hall magnetohydrodynamics and two hybrid kinetic Vlasov-Maxwell numerical models. The presence of dispersive and…