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Detailed Reference Information |
Chang, T., Rahman, H.U. and White, R.S. (1989). Laboratory simulation of cometary neutral gas ionization. Journal of Geophysical Research 94: doi: 10.1029/89JA00147. issn: 0148-0227. |
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The laboratory simulation of the interaction of the solar wind with a comet is used to study the cometary neutral gas ionization. The experiment is carried out in the UCR T-1 facility with an ice ball as the comet model. Photographs and data are taken with a variety of values of the solar wind velocity, interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and comet configurations. The results show that the cometary neutral gas ionization depends on both the velocity of the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field. The plasma cloud surrounding the comet is visible only when the solar wind velocity and IMF are both above certain minimum values. This velocity dependent phenomena is explained by Alfv¿n's critical ionization velocity effect. The critical magnetic field may be explained by assuming two stream lower hybrid instability as a triggering mechanism for the ionization of the neutral gas by plasma flow. Critical upper and lower limits for the magnetic field, required by anomalous ionization, are also derived that satisfy the experimental observations. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1989 |
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BACKGROUND DATA FILES |
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Abstract |
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Keywords
Planetology, Comets and Small Bodies, Interactions with solar wind plasma and fields, Magnetospheric Physics, Solar wind interactions with unmagnetized bodies, Planetology, Comets and Small Bodies, Plasma and MHD instabilities, Space Plasma Physics, Ionization processes |
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Publisher
American Geophysical Union 2000 Florida Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009-1277 USA 1-202-462-6900 1-202-328-0566 service@agu.org |
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