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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Index Terms

  • Planetology: Comets and Small Bodies: Composition
  • Planetology: Comets and Small Bodies: Interactions with solar wind plasma and fields
  • Space Plasma Physics: Charged particle motion and acceleration

Abstract

Ion dynamics and distribution around comet Halley: Suisei observation

T. Mukai

Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Meguro, Tokyo 153 Japan

W. Miyake

Radio Research Laboratories, Koganei, Tokyo 184 Japan

T. Terasawa

Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Meguro, Tokyo 153 Japan

M. Kitayama

Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Meguro, Tokyo 153 Japan

K. Hirao

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tokai University, Hiratsuka 259‐12 Japan

Ion dynamics inside the cometosheath of Halley is described based on the plasma observation by Suisei. The pickup shells of water‐group ions and protons of cometary origin are clearly identified. Field line draping around the comet is observed within 2 × 105 km of the Halley's nucleus, where magnetic field directions are derived from the symmetry axes of the ion‐pickup shells. Flow turbulence is observed as short‐term (period of ≲ 2min) fluctuations of the anisotropy direction in the outer cometosheath (2‐4.5 × 105 km from the nucleus), while the flow is found to be laminar near the closest approach (1.5‐2 × 105 km from the nucleus). Spatial distribution of density of water‐group ions (identified up to 4 × 106 km from the nucleus) is also presented.

Received 2 June 1986; accepted 21 June 1986; .

Citation: Mukai, T., W. Miyake, T. Terasawa, M. Kitayama, and K. Hirao (1986), Ion dynamics and distribution around comet Halley: Suisei observation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 13(8), 829–832.

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