Neutral-atom Astronomy: Plasma Diagnostics From The Aurora To The Interstellar Medium

328 Pages·2022·39.99 MB·English

by  Ke Chiang Hsieh, Eberhard Mobius

Advances in Planetary Science
Print ISSN: 2529-8054
Online ISSN: 2529-8062
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Published
Vol. 7 Neutral-Atom Astronomy: Plasma Diagnostics from the
Aurora to the Interstellar Medium
by Ke Chiang Hsieh and Eberhard Möbius
Vol. 6 Ceres: An Ice-Rich World in the Inner Solar System
by Jian-Yang Li and Julie C Castillo-Rogez
Vol. 5 Mars on Earth: A Study of the Qaidam Basin
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Advances in Planetary Science — Vol. 7
NEUTRAL-ATOM ASTRONOMY
Plasma Diagnostics from the Aurora to the Interstellar Medium
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April27,2022 11:4 Neutral-AtomAstronomy:PlasmaDiagnostics...-9inx6in b4577-fm pagev
To the community of past, present, and future investigators in
space-plasma research beyond the reach of spacecraft and those
who wish to venture even farther.
v
B1948 Governing Asia
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Preface
We want this book to be a primer for those who wish to learn about
the diagnostics of space plasmas beyond the reach of spacecraft by
detecting and analyzing energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) emanating
from afar. We hope it will spawn novel ideas and approaches that
1
could expand the investigations into new domains.
LikeENAs,bothofuscrossedboundaries,albeitartificialones,to
discover,learn,andteach.Eventually,ourjourneysconvergedandled
us to writing this book to convey a message to a receptive audience.
K. C. Hsieh learned from C. Y. Fan and J. A. Simpson at the
2 3
University of Chicago to detect H and He nuclei of galactic and
solar origins in interplanetary space. At the University of Arizona,
Fan inspired him to develop neutral-atom analyzers aiming at inter-
planetary neutral atoms. G. Gloeckler and D. Hovestadt, who won
his respect in Simpson’s group, led him to the time-of-flight (TOF)
technique and to partake in SOHO HSTOF, which turned into the
first heliospheric ENA sensor. D. M. Hunten, E. Keppler, H. Lauche,
H. Rosenbauer, S. Grzedzielski, and W. I. Axford gave him advice
and support in his early ENA research. Working with C. C. Curtis,
D. S. Evans, J. L’Heureux, W.-H. Ip, Arne Richter, A. L. Broadfoot,
B. R. Sandel, J. Giacalone, J. R. Jokipii, J. K´ota, K.-L. Shih,
1For a refresher on space-plasma physics, we refer to George J. Parks’ Physics
of Space Plasma: An Introduction, 2nd Ed. (2003, Westview Press, Boulder,
USA)andamoreadvancedtextbyThomasE.Cravens’Physics ofSolar System
Plasmas (1997, Cambridge University Press, UK).
vii
April27,2022 11:4 Neutral-AtomAstronomy:PlasmaDiagnostics...-9inx6in b4577-fm pageviii
viii Neutral-Atom Astronomy: Plasma Diagnostics
M. A. Gruntman, M. Hilchenbach, A. Czechowski, D. Mitchell,
S. Barabash, S. Orsini, and A. Milillo was most gratifying. The
technical support from UA’s Physics Department greatly eased his
writing of this book after retirement.
E. M¨obius started with laboratory plasma physics, studying H.
Alfv´en’s Critical Ionization Velocity together with A. Piel under the
tutelage of H. Schlu¨ter and G. Himmel at the Ruhr Universita¨t
Bochum. He then took a turn into space plasma physics at the
Max-Planck-Institut fu¨rExtraterrestrischePhysik.InD.Hovestadt’s
group, he built one of the first space-borne TOF spectrographs, the
SULEICA sensor for the AMPTE mission, led by G. Haerendel and
S. M. Krimigis. This sensor enabled the detection of interstellar
+
He pickup ions, whose interpretation succeeded in collaboration
with G. Gloeckler, D. Hovestadt, F. M. Ipavich, B. Klecker, M. A.
Lee, and M. Scholer. This pivotal find moved EM’s interest to the
heliosphere-interstellar medium interaction. Now at the University
of New Hampshire, he collaborated with P. Bochsler, M. Bzowski,
S. Fuselier, A. B. Galvin, J. Geiss, G. Gloeckler, P. A. Isenberg,
L. M. Kistler, B. Klecker, H. Kucharek, M. A. Lee, D. McComas,
D. Rucinski, N. A. Schwadron, M. Wieser, and P. Wurz, among
many others. After being invited by J. Geiss to co-lead with him the
first Workshop at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI)on
the heliosphere and the interstellar medium he led two ISSI Science
Teams on the interstellar gas in the heliosphere. This effort has now
come full circle with the ENA and interstellar flow sensors on IBEX
and their implementation on IMAP.
Together, we express our gratitude to the dedicated engineering
teams at our own and collaborating institutions for their tireless
efforts in developing and finalizing the novel instrumentation that
enabled the pioneering observations.
After our paths met, we deepened our appreciation of the
significance of ENA diagnostics of space plasmas beyond the reach
of spacecraft. We gladly accepted W.-H. Ip’s invitation to share our
enthusiasm with future investigators and students of space plasmas
throughthisbook.Wehopethereaderswillbenefit,aswehave,from
the forerunners and collaborators in this field.
April27,2022 11:4 Neutral-AtomAstronomy:PlasmaDiagnostics...-9inx6in b4577-fm pageix
Preface ix
We begin with defining “ENA”, where ENA-diagnostics are
valuable, and end with forecasting where ENA-diagnostics might
lead. Between these two bookends, we start with the discovery
of ENAs in space and their early detection in near-Earth space,
followed by the fundamental relations between the observed ENAs
and the properties of the remote plasma whence they come. Then,
we introduce the requirements for and the implementation of ENA
instruments, followed by sample results from the Earth’s magne-
tosphere, other planet atmospheres and magnetospheres, the outer
heliosphere,andnearinterstellarspace.Withlowerenergythresholds
for detection, ambient neutral atoms (ANAs) crucial for the birth
of ENAs, enter the purview of detection and analysis under special
conditions.
To write this book, we choose sufficiency over completeness as
our guide. We are incredibly grateful to the UNH graduate Plasma
Physicsstudentsinspring2016 forprovidingaconstructivereviewof
the emerging Chapter3 on thephysics of ENAs from theperspective
of future users of the book, as a bonus homework assignment. We
thank M.A. Lee, N.A. Schwadron,and R.Winslow for their feedback
on the critical aspects of ENA analysis and the flow of the text.
E. M¨obius appreciates greatly the support and inspiring atmosphere
of ISSI during extended visits in 2018 and 2019, while preparing the
draft of four book chapters.
The history of heliospheric ENA research would be wanting
without noting a little-known effort that benefitted both of us and
led to significant international collaborations as we write. From 1984
to 1988, annual workshops on heliospheric-ENA physics were held,
thrice in Poland, once in Gu¨nzburg and in Moscow. They facilitated
meetings of researchers from Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union,
and non-communist countries with minimal financial and political
risks. Under the shadow of the Cold War, S. Grz¸edzielski of Poland,
joined by H. Rosenbauer and H.-J. Fahr of West Germany, V. B.
Baranov and M. A. Gruntman of the USSR, led this visionary
undertaking. With the support from W. I. Axford, then President
th
of COSPAR, the 6 workshop became a COSPAR Colloquium held
inWarsaw,19–22September1989,launchingtheCOSPARColloquia