Journal article
ARTEMIS observations of lunar pick-up ions in the terrestrial magnetotail lobes
Geophysical research letters, Vol.39(17), L17104
09/16/2012
DOI: 10.1029/2012GL052909
Abstract
[1] We report observations by the twin-probe mission ARTEMIS of pick-up ions of lunar origin obtained during times when the Moon was within the terrestrial magnetotail lobes. These ions were detected as two separate focused beams above the dayside lunar surface. Analysis of these beams has shown that they possess both field-aligned and field-perpendicular velocities, implying the presence of electric fields both parallel and perpendicular to the magnetotail lobe magnetic field. We suggest that the sources of these two electric fields are (a) the near-surface electric field due to the lunar photoelectron sheath and (b) the electric field generated by the magnetotail lobe convection velocity. We use the energy and pitch angle spectra to constrain the source locations and compositions of these ions, and conclude that exospheric ionization of the neutral exosphere is the dominant lunar pick-up ion production mechanism in the tail lobes.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- ARTEMIS observations of lunar pick-up ions in the terrestrial magnetotail lobes
- Creators
- A. R Poppe - University of California, BerkeleyR Samad - University of California, BerkeleyJ. S Halekas - University of California, BerkeleyM Sarantos - University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyG. T Delory - University of California, BerkeleyW. M Farrell - Goddard Space Flight CenterV Angelopoulos - University of California, Los AngelesJ. P McFadden - University of California, Berkeley
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Geophysical research letters, Vol.39(17), L17104
- DOI
- 10.1029/2012GL052909
- ISSN
- 0094-8276
- eISSN
- 1944-8007
- Publisher
- Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Number of pages
- 6
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/16/2012
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984199682602771
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