Download Planetary research at IRF

Planetary research
at IRF-Kiruna
Stas Barabash, IRF, Kiruna
Study the environment and the solar wind interaction,
evolution, and dynamics of solar system objects with
focus on the inner planets, moons, asteroids, comets, and
dust. Development of scientific instrumentation for
satellite-based measurements in support of space
exploration.
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Main scientific questions
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Plasma physics: How does the solar wind interact Mars, Venus, the
Moon, asteroids and comets)?
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Planetology: How does the solar wind affect the evolution of bodies in
the inner solar system (Mars, Venus, the Moon, asteroids and
comets)?
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Physics of Mercury: How does Mercury’s magnetosphere “work” and
how is it coupled with the planet’s surface and exosphere?
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Comparative magnetospheres: What is common and what is different
between the magnetospheres of different bodies including the Sun?
What can we learn from studies of other magnetospheres to better
understand our own environment?
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Main activities
• Experimental space plasma physics
• Satellite - borne instrumentation for
particle measurements in hot plasma range
(~10 eV - 100 keV….1 MeV)
• Satellite data analysis
• Mars Express
• Venus Express
• Rosetta
• Space plasma simulations
• Generic hybrid model of the solar wind
interaction
• Meteor research
• Ground - based measurement techniques
(EISCAT and optical- ALIS)
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Current missions
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MEX
Rosetta
VEX
MEAP/P-BACE (balloon)
Chandrayaan-1
2003
2004
2005
2008, Jun. (tech., atm. science)
2008, October 23
• PRISMA
• Phobos-Grunt / Yinghuo
• Bepi Colombo / MMO/MPO
2009, Jun. (techn., no science)
2009, October
2014 April
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Venus Express. Escape plasma composition
Q(H+) / Q(O+) = 2…3
Q(He+) /Q(O+) = 0.1
Venus atmosphere oxidation state does not
change!
Barabash et al., Nature, 2007
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Venus Express. Escape rate
Q(H+) = 7.1·1024 s-1
Q(O+) = 2.7·10 24 s-1
Q(He+) = 7.9·10 22 s -1
Compare with the Earth’s escape rate:
Q(O+) = 1.4·1024 s-1 (Seki et al., 2001)
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Mars Express
• During the closest approach (93 km) between Mars
Express and Phobos on July 23, a specific disturbances
were recorded in the proton fluxes.
Rosetta / Stein
MEX/Phobos
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Chandrayaan-1
• Advanced launch October 23, 2008
• Main focus on ENA imaging magnetic anomalies
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P-BACE for MEAP
• Polar-Balloon Atmospheric
Composition Experiment
(P-BACE Instrument) for
Martian Environment
Analogue Platform (MEAP
mission)
• Test of the mass
spectrometer (M/ΔM=1000)
on a stratospheric balloon
flight around the north pole
• Developed at University of
Bern (PI) in collaboration
with IRF-Kiruna
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MEAP flight path
• Balloon provided by
Esrange Space Center,
Sweden, to test balloon
flight beyond line of
sight
• Semicircular flight
following the northern
summer polar vortex
• Launched from
Esrange, Sweden, on
28 June 2008
• 116 hours flight time
• Altitude 33–38 km
• Landed in Canada,
near Umingmaktok,
on 3 July 2008.
Umingmaktok
North Pole
Esrange
Background image: NASA, http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/
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Data example (calibrations)
The mass resolution of the present instrument is M/∆M = 1100 at mass = 84 amu. Figure shows a section of a mass
spectrum recorded at a total pressure of 2·10–9 mbar when Krypton gas was introduced into the chamber. The mass
resolution is constant at higher masses, but decreases below mass 16; however, at mass 2 the mass resolution is still 300.
Although the present instrument has not been optimised for isotopic studies yet, the Kr isotopic abundances come out fairly
well, the accuracy is a few permile for the larger peaks, and rises to a few percent for the small peaks. Again, with
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integration times exceeding the 1-minte spectra better accuracies will also be obtained for the small mass lines.
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P-BACE (flight data)
Mass spectrum recorded with the instrument for the stratospheric balloon. Total pressure is 6·10–10 mbar
with a integration period of 65 seconds. Clearly, mass lines at the 10–14 mbar pressure level can be
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identified, which corresponds to ≈ 200 particles/cm3.
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P-BACE (flight data)
Mass spectrum recorded with the instrument for the stratospheric balloon. Total pressure is 5·10–8 mbar
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with a integration period of 65 seconds. Dynamic range is 6 decades observed in 1 minute.
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Future science
• New targets: Jupiter / Saturn
• Magnetosphere – moon interaction (main focus)
• Physics co-rotating magnetosphere as a model of the earlier solar
system
• New targets: Exoplanets– stellar wind interactions
• Planetary science technology for the Earth: Earth
atmosphere composition
• Hardware development plans
• Neutral gas and ion (< 50 eV) high (m/ΔM > 500) mass resolution
spectroscopy
• Miniaturized ion mass analyzers (< 300…400g, advanced
performance)
• ENA imaging mass spectrometers
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Future science and missions
• A national / bilateral Martian aeronomy/solar wind
interaction mission
• A Moon solar wind interaction mission / instrument
• A microsat/nanosat technology/technology+science
mission (earth)
• ESA Cosmic Vision: Laplace/TANDEM, Cross Scale
(together with STP)
• Bilateral missions to Giant planets
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News
• October 9, 2008 “Balloon Day” at IRF-Kiruna to present
results of the MEAP / P-BACE mission
• Swedish Solar System Plasma group is being formed. To
extent to Swedish Planetary Society?
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