Star of Lima - Overview and optical diagnostics of a barium Alfven critical velocity experiment

Details Star of Lima - Overview and optical diagnostics of a barium Alfven critical velocity experiment Star of Lima - Overview and optical diagnostics of a barium Alfven critical velocity experiment

Sep 1986

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1986jgr....91.9923w&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 91, Sept. 1, 1986, p. 9923-9931. Research supported by the Comision Nacio

Computer Science

Performance

27

Barium, Critical Velocity, Magnetohydrodynamic Waves, Plasma Diagnostics, Spaceborne Experiments, Absorption Spectra, Magnetohydrodynamic Stability, Peru, Planetary Evolution, Strontium, Ultraviolet Radiation

Scientific paper

The Alfven critical velocity mechanism for ionization of a neutral gas streaming across the magnetic field has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments. In March 1983, two rocket-borne experiments with Ba and Sr tested the effect in the wall-less laboratory of space from Punto Lobos, Peru, near 430 km altitude. 'Star of Lima' used a conical Ba shaped charge aimed at an instrument payload about 2 km away. Because of rocket overperformance the detonation occurred in partial sunlight, so that less than 21.6 percent of the ionizing UV was present. Particle and field measurements indicate the production of hot electrons and waves in the energy and frequency range that are respectively predicted to produce a cascade of ionization by the Alfven mechanism. However, the ionization fluxes and wave energy density did not reach cascade levels, and optical observations indicate that only 2.5 to 5 x 10 to the 20th Ba ions were produced. A substantial portion and perhaps all of the ionization could have been produced by solar UV. The failure of the Alfven process in this experiment is not well understood.

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