Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 18 April 1986:
Vol. 232. no. 4748, pp. 361 - 365
DOI: 10.1126/science.232.4748.361
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Articles

Observations of Energetic Ions from Comet Giacobini-Zinner

R. J. HYNDS 1, S. W. H. COWLEY 1, T. R. SANDERSON 2, K.-P. WENZEL 2, and J. J. VAN ROOIJEN 3

1 Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London SW7 2BZ, United Kingdom.
2 Space Science Department of European Space Agency, European Space Research and Technology Centre, Noordwijk, Netherlands.
3 Space Research Laboratory, Sterrekunding Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands.

During the encounter with comet Giacobini-Zinner, the energetic particle anisotropy spectrometer on the International Cometary Explorer spacecraft observed large fluxes of energetic ions, believed to result principally from ionization of the cometary atmosphere followed by pickup and acceleration by the ambient flow of the solar wind. These heavy cometary ions were observed from approximately 1 day before closest approach to about 2frac12 days afterward. Three regimes of differing ion characteristics have been identified. An outer region with a scale of sim106 kilometers contains variable fluxes of antisolar-streaming pick-up ions in the undisturbed solar wind. In the middle region, of sim105 kilometers, fluxes have less large-scale variability and broader angular and energy distributions. This region is separated from the outer zone by a sharp transition. The inner region has a scale of sim104 kilometers and is characterized by reduced fluxes and complex angular distributions.

Submitted on November 20, 1986
Accepted on February 21, 1986


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The Heliosphere as an Astrophysical Laboratory for Particle Acceleration.
T. TERASAWA and M. SCHOLER (1989)
Science 244, 1050-1057
   Abstract »    PDF »
The International Cometary Explorer Mission to Comet Giacobini-Zinner.
T. T. VON ROSENVINGE, J. C. BRANDT, and R. W. FARQUHAR (1986)
Science 232, 353-356
   Abstract »    PDF »
Comet Giacobini-Zinner: In Situ Observations of Energetic Heavy Ions.
F. M. IPAVICH, A. B. GALVIN, G. GLOECKLER, D. HOVESTADT, B. KLECKER, and M. SCHOLER (1986)
Science 232, 366-369
   Abstract »    PDF »
Plasma Wave Observations at Comet Giacobini-Zinner.
F. L. SCARF, F. V. CORONITI, C. F. KENNEL, D. A. GURNETT, W.-H. IP, and E. J. SMITH (1986)
Science 232, 377-381
   Abstract »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)