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Detailed Reference Information |
Halekas, J.S., Brain, D.A., Mitchell, D.L. and Lin, R.P. (2006). Whistler waves observed near lunar crustal magnetic sources. Geophysical Research Letters 33: doi: 10.1029/2006GL027684. issn: 0094-8276. |
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We present Lunar Prospector Magnetometer (LP MAG) observations of monochromatic circularly polarized low frequency waves at frequencies of 0.4--4 Hz near the Moon. We observe such waves on about 6.6% of LP orbits in the solar wind, outside of the lunar wake. About a third of them occur on orbits when we also observe external magnetic enhancements ("limb shocks"), and most are clearly associated with lunar crustal magnetic sources, indicating an origin related to solar wind interaction with lunar magnetic fields. The inferred propagation vectors and polarizations of these waves are consistent with the expected characteristics of whistler-mode waves. These observations could indicate either upstream whistler waves produced at shock surfaces above lunar crustal magnetic sources, or phase-standing whistler wakes formed by direct solar wind interaction with lunar crustal magnetic fields. |
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Abstract |
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Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma waves and instabilities, Planetary Sciences, Solid Surface Planets, Interactions with particles and fields, Planetary Sciences, Solid Surface Planets, Magnetic fields and magnetism, Planetary Sciences, Solid Surface Planets, Magnetospheres, Planetary Sciences, Solar System Objects, Moon |
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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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