Nature Communications (Nov 2022)
Inner southern magnetosphere observation of Mercury via SERENA ion sensors in BepiColombo mission
- S. Orsini,
- A. Milillo,
- H. Lichtenegger,
- A. Varsani,
- S. Barabash,
- S. Livi,
- E. De Angelis,
- T. Alberti,
- G. Laky,
- H. Nilsson,
- M. Phillips,
- A. Aronica,
- E. Kallio,
- P. Wurz,
- A. Olivieri,
- C. Plainaki,
- J. A. Slavin,
- I. Dandouras,
- J. M. Raines,
- J. Benkhoff,
- J. Zender,
- J.-J. Berthelier,
- M. Dosa,
- G. C. Ho,
- R. M. Killen,
- S. McKenna-Lawlor,
- K. Torkar,
- O. Vaisberg,
- F. Allegrini,
- I. A. Daglis,
- C. Dong,
- C. P. Escoubet,
- S. Fatemi,
- M. Fränz,
- S. Ivanovski,
- N. Krupp,
- H. Lammer,
- François Leblanc,
- V. Mangano,
- A. Mura,
- R. Rispoli,
- M. Sarantos,
- H. T. Smith,
- M. Wieser,
- F. Camozzi,
- A. M. Di Lellis,
- G. Fremuth,
- F. Giner,
- R. Gurnee,
- J. Hayes,
- H. Jeszenszky,
- B. Trantham,
- J. Balaz,
- W. Baumjohann,
- M. Cantatore,
- D. Delcourt,
- M. Delva,
- M. Desai,
- H. Fischer,
- A. Galli,
- M. Grande,
- M. Holmström,
- I. Horvath,
- K. C. Hsieh,
- R. Jarvinen,
- R. E. Johnson,
- A. Kazakov,
- K. Kecskemety,
- H. Krüger,
- C. Kürbisch,
- Frederic Leblanc,
- M. Leichtfried,
- E. Mangraviti,
- S. Massetti,
- D. Moissenko,
- M. Moroni,
- R. Noschese,
- F. Nuccilli,
- N. Paschalidis,
- J. Ryno,
- K. Seki,
- A. Shestakov,
- S. Shuvalov,
- R. Sordini,
- F. Stenbeck,
- J. Svensson,
- S. Szalai,
- K. Szego,
- D. Toublanc,
- N. Vertolli,
- R. Wallner,
- A. Vorburger
Affiliations
- S. Orsini
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- A. Milillo
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- H. Lichtenegger
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- A. Varsani
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- S. Barabash
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics
- S. Livi
- Southwest Research Institute
- E. De Angelis
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- T. Alberti
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- G. Laky
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- H. Nilsson
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics
- M. Phillips
- Southwest Research Institute
- A. Aronica
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- E. Kallio
- Aalto University, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, School of Electrical Engineering
- P. Wurz
- University of Bern, Institute of Physics
- A. Olivieri
- Italian Space Agency, ASI
- C. Plainaki
- Italian Space Agency, ASI
- J. A. Slavin
- University of Michigan, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
- I. Dandouras
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, CNES, Université de Toulouse
- J. M. Raines
- University of Michigan, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering
- J. Benkhoff
- ESA-ESTEC
- J. Zender
- ESA-ESTEC
- J.-J. Berthelier
- LATMOS/IPSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université
- M. Dosa
- Wigner Research Centre for Physics
- G. C. Ho
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- R. M. Killen
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
- S. McKenna-Lawlor
- Space Technology Ireland, Ltd., Maynooth, Co.
- K. Torkar
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- O. Vaisberg
- IKI Space Research Institute
- F. Allegrini
- Southwest Research Institute
- I. A. Daglis
- National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Physics
- C. Dong
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University
- C. P. Escoubet
- ESA-ESTEC
- S. Fatemi
- Department of Physics, Umeå University
- M. Fränz
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, MPS
- S. Ivanovski
- Astronomincal Observatory, INAF
- N. Krupp
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, MPS
- H. Lammer
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- François Leblanc
- LATMOS/IPSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université
- V. Mangano
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- A. Mura
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- R. Rispoli
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- M. Sarantos
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
- H. T. Smith
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- M. Wieser
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics
- F. Camozzi
- OHB-Italia SpA
- A. M. Di Lellis
- AMDL srl
- G. Fremuth
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- F. Giner
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- R. Gurnee
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
- J. Hayes
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
- H. Jeszenszky
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- B. Trantham
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- J. Balaz
- Institute of Experimental Physics SAS, Slovak Academy of Sciences
- W. Baumjohann
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- M. Cantatore
- OHB-Italia SpA
- D. Delcourt
- Universitè d’Orleans
- M. Delva
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- M. Desai
- Southwest Research Institute
- H. Fischer
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, MPS
- A. Galli
- University of Bern, Institute of Physics
- M. Grande
- Aberystwyth University
- M. Holmström
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics
- I. Horvath
- Wigner Research Centre for Physics
- K. C. Hsieh
- University of Arizona
- R. Jarvinen
- Aalto University, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, School of Electrical Engineering
- R. E. Johnson
- University of Virginia
- A. Kazakov
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- K. Kecskemety
- Wigner Research Centre for Physics
- H. Krüger
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, MPS
- C. Kürbisch
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- Frederic Leblanc
- LPP, École polytechnique
- M. Leichtfried
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- E. Mangraviti
- Astronomincal Observatory, INAF
- S. Massetti
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- D. Moissenko
- IKI Space Research Institute
- M. Moroni
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- R. Noschese
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- F. Nuccilli
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- N. Paschalidis
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
- J. Ryno
- Finnish Meteorological Institute FMI
- K. Seki
- University of Tokyo, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science
- A. Shestakov
- IKI Space Research Institute
- S. Shuvalov
- IKI Space Research Institute
- R. Sordini
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- F. Stenbeck
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics
- J. Svensson
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics
- S. Szalai
- Wigner Research Centre for Physics
- K. Szego
- Wigner Research Centre for Physics
- D. Toublanc
- Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, CNES, Université de Toulouse
- N. Vertolli
- Institute of Space Astrophysics and Planetology, INAF
- R. Wallner
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences
- A. Vorburger
- University of Bern, Institute of Physics
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34988-x
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 13,
no. 1
pp. 1 – 8
Abstract
Abstract Mercury’s southern inner magnetosphere is an unexplored region as it was not observed by earlier space missions. In October 2021, BepiColombo mission has passed through this region during its first Mercury flyby. Here, we describe the observations of SERENA ion sensors nearby and inside Mercury’s magnetosphere. An intermittent high-energy signal, possibly due to an interplanetary magnetic flux rope, has been observed downstream Mercury, together with low energy solar wind. Low energy ions, possibly due to satellite outgassing, were detected outside the magnetosphere. The dayside magnetopause and bow-shock crossing were much closer to the planet than expected, signature of a highly eroded magnetosphere. Different ion populations have been observed inside the magnetosphere, like low latitude boundary layer at magnetopause inbound and partial ring current at dawn close to the planet. These observations are important for understanding the weak magnetosphere behavior so close to the Sun, revealing details never reached before.
