Skip to main content
Earth, Planets and Space
Download PDF

Numerical study on the spatial extent of interaction region surrounding comet nucleus—Ion pick-up process

Earth, Planets and Space volume 55, pages 705–711 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

The observations made by Sakigake revealed the asymmetric distribution of the interaction region of Halley’s comet, and the center of the interaction region was shifted toward the post-encounter side on the spacecraft trajectory. Oya (1993) proposed the model that this asymmetric distribution is explained by the field aligned motion of picked up ions. Based on this model, we examined spatial and time scale of field aligned motion of cometary ions in the ion pick-up process by using numerical experiments and the shift of the interaction region is estimated. In the simulation results, it was shown that the braking process of the field aligned motion of picked up ions are understood by the wave particle interaction through the excitation of the MHD wave and pitch angle scattering caused by the turbulent magnetic field, and spatial scale of field aligned motion of cometary ion was estimated to 1.5 × 106 km. This result suggests that observed asymmetrical distribution of the interaction region of the comet is formed by the motion of picked up ions toward the field aligned direction until their merging into the solar wind, as it was proposed by Oya (1993).

References

  • Gary, S. P., C. D. Madland, D. Schriver, and D. Winske, Computer simulations of electromagnetic cool ion beam instabilities, J. Geophys. Res., 91, 4188–4200, 1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karimabadi, H., D. Krauss-Varban, N. Omidi, S. A. Fuselier, and M. Neugebauer, Low-frequency instabilities and the resulting velocity distributions of pickup ions at comet Halley, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 21541–21556, 1994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kojima, H., H. Matsumoto, Y. Omura, and B. T. Tsurutani, Nonlinear evolution of high frequency R-mode waves excited by water group ions near comets: computer experiments, Geophys. Res. Lett., 16, 9–12, 1989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krauklis, I. and A. D. Johnstone, The turbulent state of cometary ion pickup generated fluctuations near comet P/Halley, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 12005–12014, 1998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKenna-Lawlor, S., E. Kirsch, D. O’Sullivan, A. Thompson, and K. P. Wenzel, Energetic ions in the environment of comet Halley, Nature, 321, 347–349, 1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mukai, T., W. Miyake, T. Terasawa, M. Kitayama, and K. Hirao, Plasma observation by Suisei of solar-wind interaction with comet Halley, Nature, 321, 299–303, 1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omidi, N. and D. Winske, A kinetic study of solar wind mass loading and cometary bow shocks, Geophys. Res. Lett., 13, 397–400, 1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Omidi, N. and D. Winske, Simulation of the solar wind interaction with the outer regions of the coma, J. Geophys. Res., 92, 13409–13426, 1987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oya, H., Interaction of plasma of Halley’s comet with the solar wind, in Primitive Solar Nebula and Origin of Planets, edited by H. Oya, pp. 579–614, 1993.

  • Saito, T., K. Yumoto, K. Hirao, T. Nakagawa, and K. Saito, Interaction between comet Halley and the interplanetary magnetic field observed by Sakigake, Nature, 321, 303–307, 1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Terasawa, T., M. Hoshino, J.-I. Sakai, and T. Hada, Decay instability of finite-amplitude circularly polarized Alfvén waves: a numerical simulation of stimulated Brillouin scattering, J. Geophys. Res., 91, 4171–4187, 1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wegmann, R., H. U. Schmidt, W. F. Huebner, and D. C. Boice, Cometary MHD and Chemistry, Astron. Astrophys., 187, 339–350, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winske, D. and N. Omidi, Hybrid codes: methods and application, in Computer Space Plasma Physics: Simulation Techniques and Software, edited by H. Matsumoto and Y. Omura, 103 pp, Terra Scientific Publishing Company, Tokyo, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winske, D., C. S. Wu, Y. Y. Li, Z. Z. Mou, and S. Y. Guo, Coupling of newborn ions to the solar wind by electromagnetic instabilities and their interaction with the bow shock, J. Geophys. Res., 90, 2713–2726, 1985.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, C. S., D. Winske, and J. D. Gaffey, Jr., Rapid pickup of cometary ions due to strong magnetic turbulence, Geophys. Res. Lett., 13, 865–868, 1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Yuto Katoh

    Present address: Radio Science Center for Space and Atmosphere, Kyoto University, 611-0011, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geophysics, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, 980-8578, Japan

    Yuto Katoh, Masahide Iizima & Takayuki Ono

  2. Fukui University of Technology, 910-4272, Japan

    Hiroshi Oya

Authors
  1. Yuto Katoh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hiroshi Oya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Masahide Iizima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Takayuki Ono
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuto Katoh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Katoh, Y., Oya, H., Iizima, M. et al. Numerical study on the spatial extent of interaction region surrounding comet nucleus—Ion pick-up process. Earth Planet Sp 55, 705–711 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352477

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03352477

Key words

  • Comet-solar wind interaction
  • ion pick-up
  • ion beam instability
  • hybrid simulation