Plasma diagnosis from thermal noise and limits on dust flux or mass in comet Giacobini-Zinner

Details Plasma diagnosis from thermal noise and limits on dust flux or mass in comet Giacobini-Zinner Plasma diagnosis from thermal noise and limits on dust flux or mass in comet Giacobini-Zinner

Apr 1986

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1986sci...232..370m&link_type=abstract

Science (ISSN 0036-8075), vol. 232, April 18, 1986, p. 370-374. CNES-supported research.

Computer Science

52

Giacobini-Zinner Comet, Interplanetary Dust, Plasma Diagnostics, Space Plasmas, Thermal Noise, Comet Tails, Noise Spectra, Plasma Density, Plasma Temperature, Comets, Giacobini-Zinner, Ice Mission, Mission Description, Comet Tails, Spacecraft Observations, Comae, Solar Wind, Interaction, Atmosphere, Plasma, Thermal Properties, Dust, Flux, Mass, Spectroscopy, Density, Temperature, Electrons, Structure, Symmetry, Particles, Impacts, Grains, Comparisons, Models, Turbulence

Scientific paper

Thermal noise spectroscopy was used to measure the density and temperature of the main (cold) electron plasma population during two hours around the point of closest approach of the International Cometary Explorer (ICE) to comet Giacobini-Zinner. The time resolution was 18 seconds in the plasma tail and 54 seconds elsewhere. Near the tail axis, the maximum plasma density was 670/cu cm and the temperature slightly above one volt. Away from the axis, the plasma density dropped to 100/cu cm over 2000 km, then decreased to 10/cu cm over 15,000 km; at the plasma tail, the density fluctuated between 10 and 30/cu cm, and the temperature, between 100,000 and 400,000 K. No evidence was found of grain impact on the spacecraft or antennas in the plasma tail. This yields an upper limit for the dust flux or particle mass, indicating either fluxes or masses in the tail smaller than those implied by models or an anomalous grain structure. Outside the tail, and particularly near 100,000 km from its axis, impulsive noises indicating plasma turbulence were observed.

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