Jim Burch, Space Science & Engineering, Southwest Research Institute

Title: "Solar Wind Interactions with the Earth and Comets"  (Video)

Abstract: In addition to being our home in space, the Earth’s magnetosphere, by virtue of its interaction with the solar wind, exhibits a wide variety of dynamic space plasma phenomena. It is an interesting and important place; but there are numerous magnetospheres in the solar system, and no two are even remotely alike. Therefore, there are opportunities for significant discoveries in making old measurements in new places as well as in making new measurements in old places.

In the first category, Rosetta is providing close-up views of a comet just awakening with sure signs of a solar-wind interaction and ultimately a magnetosphere of sorts. New discoveries are being made with all of the Rosetta instruments including the Ion and Electron Sensor, which is similar to plasma analyzers that have been flown in the solar wind and the Earth’s magnetosphere for many years. These discoveries include negative ions introduced into the solar wind by double charge exchange, the predicted negative charging of shaded nucleus regions, the observation of high-energy negative particles interpreted as charged nanograins, and strong ion pickup and solar-wind deflection as the solar-wind impacts the coma.

In the second category, a new phase will begin with the launch of Magnetospheric Multiscale in March 2015. For MMS the magnetosphere is really incidental, its significance being the only place where magnetic reconnection can be probed in detail. Reconnection is one of the most important plasma physics phenomena, having applications in the laboratory, in the solar corona, and throughout the universe at places such as accretion disks surrounding neutron stars and black holes. MMS will make new multi-spacecraft measurements with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution along with the ability to measure heavy ions within the intense fluxes of protons in the dayside magnetopause region. The science objectives, measurement requirements, instrument capabilities, orbital strategy, and data analysis of MMS will be discussed in detail in this seminar.