Annales Geophysicae (Jan 2016)
Mass-loading, pile-up, and mirror-mode waves at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
- M. Volwerk,
- I. Richter,
- B. Tsurutani,
- C. Götz,
- K. Altwegg,
- T. Broiles,
- J. Burch,
- C. Carr,
- E. Cupido,
- M. Delva,
- M. Dósa,
- N. J. T. Edberg,
- A. Eriksson,
- P. Henri,
- C. Koenders,
- J.-P. Lebreton,
- K. E. Mandt,
- H. Nilsson,
- A. Opitz,
- M. Rubin,
- K. Schwingenschuh,
- G. Stenberg Wieser,
- K. Szegö,
- C. Vallat,
- X. Vallieres,
- K.-H. Glassmeier
Affiliations
- M. Volwerk
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
- I. Richter
- Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig, Germany
- B. Tsurutani
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
- C. Götz
- Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig, Germany
- K. Altwegg
- Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- T. Broiles
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- J. Burch
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- C. Carr
- Space and Atmospheric Physics Group, Imperial College London, London, UK
- E. Cupido
- Space and Atmospheric Physics Group, Imperial College London, London, UK
- M. Delva
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
- M. Dósa
- Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- N. J. T. Edberg
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden
- A. Eriksson
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala, Sweden
- P. Henri
- Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- C. Koenders
- Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig, Germany
- J.-P. Lebreton
- Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace, Orleans, France
- K. E. Mandt
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, USA
- H. Nilsson
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden
- A. Opitz
- Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- M. Rubin
- Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- K. Schwingenschuh
- Space Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria
- G. Stenberg Wieser
- Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Kiruna, Sweden
- K. Szegö
- Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- C. Vallat
- Rosetta Science Ground Segment, European Space Astronomy Centre, Madrid, Spain
- X. Vallieres
- Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace, Orleans, France
- K.-H. Glassmeier
- Institute for Geophysics and Extraterrestrial Physics, TU Braunschweig, Germany
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1-2016
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 34
pp. 1 – 15
Abstract
The data from all Rosetta plasma consortium instruments and from the ROSINA COPS instrument are used to study the interaction of the solar wind with the outgassing cometary nucleus of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. During 6 and 7 June 2015, the interaction was first dominated by an increase in the solar wind dynamic pressure, caused by a higher solar wind ion density. This pressure compressed the draped magnetic field around the comet, and the increase in solar wind electrons enhanced the ionization of the outflow gas through collisional ionization. The new ions are picked up by the solar wind magnetic field, and create a ring/ring-beam distribution, which, in a high-β plasma, is unstable for mirror mode wave generation. Two different kinds of mirror modes are observed: one of small size generated by locally ionized water and one of large size generated by ionization and pick-up farther away from the comet.
