Author: "François Leblanc" - Searchworks@Jio Institute Digital Library Search Results

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1. Photochemical and radiation transport model for extensive use (PROTEUS)

Author: Yuki Nakamura, Naoki Terada, Shungo Koyama, Tatsuya Yoshida, Hiroki Karyu, Kaori Terada, Takeshi Kuroda, Arihiro Kamada, Isao Murata, Shotaro Sakai, Yuhei Suzuki, Mirai Kobayashi, and François Leblanc
Subjects: Photochemical model, Graphical user interface, PROTEUS, Geography. Anthropology. Recreation, Geodesy, QB275-343, Geology, QE1-996.5
Abstract: Abstract We introduce a new flexible one-dimensional photochemical model named Photochemical and RadiatiOn Transport model for Extensive USe (PROTEUS), which consists of a Python graphical user interface (GUI) program and Fortran 90 modules. PROTEUS is designed for adaptability to many planetary atmospheres, for flexibility to deal with thousands of or more chemical reactions with high efficiency, and for intuitive operation with GUI. Chemical reactions can be easily implemented into the Python GUI program in a simple string format, and users can intuitively select a planet and chemical reactions on GUI. Chemical reactions selected on GUI are automatically analyzed by string parsing functions in the Python GUI program, then applied to the Fortran 90 modules to simulate with the selected chemical reactions on a selected planet. We performed a benchmark test of PROTEUS to confirm its validity, by applying it to the Martian atmosphere and the Jovian ionosphere. PROTEUS can significantly save the time for those who need to develop a new photochemical model; users just need to write chemical reactions in the Python GUI program and just select them on GUI to run a new photochemical model. Graphical Abstract
Published: 2023
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2. Inner southern magnetosphere observation of Mercury via SERENA ion sensors in BepiColombo mission

Author: S. Orsini, A. Milillo, H. Lichtenegger, A. Varsani, S. Barabash, S. Livi, E. De Angelis, T. Alberti, G. Laky, H. Nilsson, M. Phillips, A. Aronica, E. Kallio, P. Wurz, A. Olivieri, C. Plainaki, J. A. Slavin, I. Dandouras, J. M. Raines, J. Benkhoff, J. Zender, J.-J. Berthelier, M. Dosa, G. C. Ho, R. M. Killen, S. McKenna-Lawlor, K. Torkar, O. Vaisberg, F. Allegrini, I. A. Daglis, C. Dong, C. P. Escoubet, S. Fatemi, M. Fränz, S. Ivanovski, N. Krupp, H. Lammer, François Leblanc, V. Mangano, A. Mura, R. Rispoli, M. Sarantos, H. T. Smith, M. Wieser, F. Camozzi, A. M. Di Lellis, G. Fremuth, F. Giner, R. Gurnee, J. Hayes, H. Jeszenszky, B. Trantham, J. Balaz, W. Baumjohann, M. Cantatore, D. Delcourt, M. Delva, M. Desai, H. Fischer, A. Galli, M. Grande, M. Holmström, I. Horvath, K. C. Hsieh, R. Jarvinen, R. E. Johnson, A. Kazakov, K. Kecskemety, H. Krüger, C. Kürbisch, Frederic Leblanc, M. Leichtfried, E. Mangraviti, S. Massetti, D. Moissenko, M. Moroni, R. Noschese, F. Nuccilli, N. Paschalidis, J. Ryno, K. Seki, A. Shestakov, S. Shuvalov, R. Sordini, F. Stenbeck, J. Svensson, S. Szalai, K. Szego, D. Toublanc, N. Vertolli, R. Wallner, and A. Vorburger
Subjects: Science
Abstract: Abstract Mercury’s southern inner magnetosphere is an unexplored region as it was not observed by earlier space missions. In October 2021, BepiColombo mission has passed through this region during its first Mercury flyby. Here, we describe the observations of SERENA ion sensors nearby and inside Mercury’s magnetosphere. An intermittent high-energy signal, possibly due to an interplanetary magnetic flux rope, has been observed downstream Mercury, together with low energy solar wind. Low energy ions, possibly due to satellite outgassing, were detected outside the magnetosphere. The dayside magnetopause and bow-shock crossing were much closer to the planet than expected, signature of a highly eroded magnetosphere. Different ion populations have been observed inside the magnetosphere, like low latitude boundary layer at magnetopause inbound and partial ring current at dawn close to the planet. These observations are important for understanding the weak magnetosphere behavior so close to the Sun, revealing details never reached before.
Published: 2022
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3. A Technique for Retrieving the Exospheric Number Density Distribution from Pickup Ion Ring Distributions

Author: Kei Masunaga, Naoki Terada, François Leblanc, Yuki Harada, Takuya Hara, Shotaro Sakai, Shoichiro Yokota, Kanako Seki, Atsushi Yamazaki, James. P. McFadden, and Tomohiro Usui
Subjects: Mars, Pickup ions, Planetary magnetospheres, Exosphere, Solar wind, Astronomy, QB1-991
Abstract: Ion pickup by the solar wind is ubiquitous in space plasma. Because pickup ions are originally produced by ionization of an exospheric neutral atmosphere, their measurements contain information on the exospheric neutral abundance. Here we established a method to retrieve exospheric number densities, by analyzing the ion velocity distribution functions of pickup ions measured by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft. We successfully retrieved exospheric oxygen density distributions at altitudes ranging from 1000 to 10,000 km around Mars except for the vicinity of the bow shock. This method can be applied to other space missions to study the upper atmosphere of planets, moons, and other small bodies in our solar system, where pickup ions exist.
Published: 2024
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4. Short-timescale Spatial Variability of Ganymede’s Optical Aurora

Author: Zachariah Milby, Katherine de Kleer, Carl Schmidt, and François Leblanc
Subjects: Aurorae, Ganymede, Natural satellite atmospheres, Optical astronomy, Astronomy, QB1-991
Abstract: Ganymede’s auroras are the product of complex interactions between its intrinsic magnetosphere and the surrounding Jovian plasma environment and can be used to derive both atmospheric composition and density. In this study, we analyzed a time series of Ganymede’s optical auroras taken with Keck I/HIRES during eclipse by Jupiter on 2021 June 8 UTC, one day after the Juno flyby of Ganymede. The data had sufficient signal-to-noise in individual 5 minute observations to allow for the first high-cadence analysis of the spatial distribution of the optical aurora brightness and the ratio between the [O i ] 630.0 and 557.7 nm disk-integrated auroral brightnesses—a quantity diagnostic of the relative abundances of O, O _2 , and H _2 O in Ganymede’s atmosphere. We found that the hemisphere closer to the centrifugal equator of Jupiter’s magnetosphere (where electron number density is highest) was up to twice as bright as the opposing hemisphere. The dusk (trailing) hemisphere, subjected to the highest flux of charged particles from Jupiter’s magnetosphere, was also consistently almost twice as bright as the dawn (leading) hemisphere. We modeled emission from simulated O _2 and H _2 O atmospheres during eclipse and found that if Ganymede hosts an H _2 O sublimation atmosphere in sunlight, it must collapse on a faster timescale than expected to explain its absence in our data given our current understanding of Ganymede’s surface properties.
Published: 2024
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5. Understanding the Dust Environment at Mercury: From Surface to Exosphere

Author: Harald Krüger, Michelle S. Thompson, Masanori Kobayashi, Valeria Mangano, Martina Moroni, Anna Milillo, Lindsay P. Keller, Sho Sasaki, Joe Zender, Deborah Domingue, Johannes Benkhoff, André Galli, François LeBlanc, Go Murakami, Menelaos Sarantos, and Daniel W. Savin
Subjects: Mercury (planet), Zodiacal cloud, Exosphere, Impact gardening, Dust composition, Astronomy, QB1-991
Abstract: We provide an overview of our understanding of the dust environment at Mercury and the role that dust plays in shaping the planet's surface and exosphere. Our understanding of the role that dust impacts play in the generation of Mercury's atmosphere has evolved considerably with continued analysis of results from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. Recent models have provided evidence for the probable release of refractory species into Mercury's exosphere via impacts. However, there remain significant questions regarding the relative contributions of atoms released via impacts versus other mechanisms (e.g., photon-stimulated desorption) to the overall exospheric budget. We also discuss the state of observational and modeling efforts to constrain the dust environment at Mercury, including sources from the zodiacal cloud, cometary trails, and interstellar dust. We describe the advancements that will be made in our characterization of dust at Mercury with BepiColombo, providing observational constraints on the dust clouds themselves and the role that impacts play in exospheric generation. On Mercury's surface, there remain outstanding questions regarding the role that dust impacts play in the regolith cycling and development. We review how improved modeling efforts to understand grain lifetimes as a function of impactor flux will further our understanding of Mercury's regolith. Finally, there are few constraints on the role of dust impacts on the space weathering of Mercury's surface, particularly the expected chemical, physical, and spectral alterations to the regolith. Here we discuss the importance of laboratory experiments to simulate these processes for the interpretation of data from MESSENGER and BepiColombo.
Published: 2024
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6. Space plasma physics science opportunities for the lunar orbital platform - Gateway

Author: Iannis Dandouras, Matt G. G. T. Taylor, Johan De Keyser, Yoshifumi Futaana, Ruth A. Bamford, Graziella Branduardi-Raymont, Jean-Yves Chaufray, Dragos Constantinescu, Elisabetta De Angelis, Pierre Devoto, Jonathan Eastwood, Marius Echim, Philippe Garnier, Benjamin Grison, David Hercik, Helmut Lammer, André Laurens, François Leblanc, Anna Milillo, Rumi Nakamura, Lubomír Přech, Elias Roussos, Štěpán Štverák, Julien Forest, Arnaud Trouche, Sébastien L. G. Hess, Jean-Charles Mateo-Vélez, James Carpenter, and Josef Winter
Subjects: Moon, deep space, space plasmas, heliophysics, space weather, gateway, Astronomy, QB1-991, Geophysics. Cosmic physics, QC801-809
Abstract: The Lunar Orbital Platform - Gateway (LOP - Gateway, or simply Gateway) is a crewed platform that will be assembled and operated in the vicinity of the Moon by NASA and international partner organizations, including ESA, starting from the mid-2020s. It will offer new opportunities for fundamental and applied scientific research. The Moon is a unique location to study the deep space plasma environment. Moreover, the lunar surface and the surface-bounded exosphere are interacting with this environment, constituting a complex multi-scale interacting system. This paper examines the opportunities provided by externally mounted payloads on the Gateway in the field of space plasma physics, heliophysics and space weather, and also examines the impact of the space environment on an inhabited platform in the vicinity of the Moon. It then presents the conceptual design of a model payload, required to perform these space plasma measurements and observations. It results that the Gateway is very well-suited for space plasma physics research. It allows a series of scientific objectives with a multi-disciplinary dimension to be addressed.
Published: 2023
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7. The Mars system revealed by the Martian Moons eXploration mission

Author: Kazunori Ogohara, Hiromu Nakagawa, Shohei Aoki, Toru Kouyama, Tomohiro Usui, Naoki Terada, Takeshi Imamura, Franck Montmessin, David Brain, Alain Doressoundiram, Thomas Gautier, Takuya Hara, Yuki Harada, Hitoshi Ikeda, Mizuho Koike, François Leblanc, Ramses Ramirez, Eric Sawyer, Kanako Seki, Aymeric Spiga, Ann Carine Vandaele, Shoichiro Yokota, Antonella Barucci, and Shingo Kameda
Subjects: Mars, Mars system, Paleoclimate, Atmospheric escape, Water cycle, Dust cycle, Geography. Anthropology. Recreation, Geodesy, QB275-343, Geology, QE1-996.5
Abstract: Abstract Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans a Phobos sample return mission (MMX: Martian Moons eXploration). In this study, we review the related works on the past climate of Mars, its evolution, and the present climate and weather to describe the scientific goals and strategies of the MMX mission regarding the evolution of the Martian surface environment. The MMX spacecraft will retrieve and return a sample of Phobos regolith back to Earth in 2029. Mars ejecta are expected to be accumulated on the surface of Phobos without being much shocked. Samples from Phobos probably contain all types of Martian rock from sedimentary to igneous covering all geological eras if ejecta from Mars could be accumulated on the Phobos surface. Therefore, the history of the surface environment of Mars can be restored by analyzing the returned samples. Remote sensing of the Martian atmosphere and monitoring ions escaping to space while the spacecraft is orbiting Mars in the equatorial orbit are also planned. The camera with multi-wavelength filters and the infrared spectrometer onboard the spacecraft can monitor rapid transport processes of water vapor, dust, ice clouds, and other species, which could not be traced by the previous satellites on the sun-synchronous polar orbit. Such time-resolved pictures of the atmospheric phenomena should be an important clue to understand both the processes of water exchange between the surface/underground reservoirs and the atmosphere and the drivers of efficient material transport to the upper atmosphere. The mass spectrometer with unprecedented mass resolution can observe ions escaping to space and monitor the atmospheric escape which has made the past Mars to evolve towards the cold and dry surface environment we know today. Together with the above two instruments, it can potentially reveal what kinds of atmospheric events can transport tracers (e.g., H2O) upward and enhance the atmospheric escape. Graphical Abstract
Published: 2022
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8. Architecting System of Systems for Resilience using MBSE.

Author: Prakhar Agarwal, Rafael Estanguet, François Leblanc, and Dominique Ernadote
Published: 2023
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9. Mars’ plasma system. Scientific potential of coordinated multipoint missions: “The next generation'

Author: Beatriz Sánchez-Cano, Mark Lester, David J. Andrews, Hermann Opgenoorth, Robert Lillis, François Leblanc, Christopher M. Fowler, Xiaohua Fang, Oleg Vaisberg, Majd Mayyasi, Mika Holmberg, Jingnan Guo, Maria Hamrin, Christian Mazelle, Kerstin Peter, Martin Pätzold, Katerina Stergiopoulou, Charlotte Goetz, Vladimir Nikolaevich Ermakov, Sergei Shuvalov, James A. Wild, Pierre-Louis Blelly, Michael Mendillo, Cesar Bertucci, Marco Cartacci, Roberto Orosei, Feng Chu, Andrew J. Kopf, Zachary Girazian, and Michael T. Roman
Published: 2021
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10. Volatiles and Refractories in Surface-Bounded Exospheres in the Inner Solar System

Author: Cesare Grava, Rosemary M. Killen, Mehdi Benna, Alexey A. Berezhnoy, Jasper S. Halekas, François Leblanc, Masaki N. Nishino, Christina Plainaki, Jim M. Raines, Menelaos Sarantos, Benjamin D. Teolis, Orenthal J. Tucker, Ronald J. Vervack, and Audrey Vorburger
Published: 2021
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11. SERENA: Particle Instrument Suite for Determining the Sun-Mercury Interaction from BepiColombo

Author: S. Orsini, S.A. Livi, H. Lichtenegger, S. Barabash, A. Milillo, E. De Angelis, M. Phillips, G. Laky, M. Wieser, A. Olivieri, C. Plainaki, G. Ho, R.M. Killen, J.A. Slavin, P. Wurz, J.-J. Berthelier, I. Dandouras, E. Kallio, S. McKenna-Lawlor, S. Szalai, K. Torkar, O. Vaisberg, F. Allegrini, I.A. Daglis, C. Dong, C.P. Escoubet, S. Fatemi, M. Fränz, S. Ivanovski, N. Krupp, H. Lammer, François Leblanc, V. Mangano, A. Mura, H. Nilsson, J.M. Raines, R. Rispoli, M. Sarantos, H.T. Smith, K. Szego, A. Aronica, F. Camozzi, A.M. Di Lellis, G. Fremuth, F. Giner, R. Gurnee, J. Hayes, H. Jeszenszky, F. Tominetti, B. Trantham, J. Balaz, W. Baumjohann, D. Brienza, U. Bührke, M.D. Bush, M. Cantatore, S. Cibella, L. Colasanti, G. Cremonese, L. Cremonesi, M. D’Alessandro, D. Delcourt, M. Delva, M. Desai, M. Fama, M. Ferris, H. Fischer, A. Gaggero, D. Gamborino, P. Garnier, W.C. Gibson, R. Goldstein, M. Grande, V. Grishin, D. Haggerty, M. Holmström, I. Horvath, K.-C. Hsieh, A. Jacques, R.E. Johnson, A. Kazakov, K. Kecskemety, H. Krüger, C. Kürbisch, F. Lazzarotto, Frederic Leblanc, M. Leichtfried, R. Leoni, A. Loose, D. Maschietti, S. Massetti, F. Mattioli, G. Miller, D. Moissenko, A. Morbidini, R. Noschese, F. Nuccilli, C. Nunez, N. Paschalidis, S. Persyn, D. Piazza, M. Oja, J. Ryno, W. Schmidt, J.A. Scheer, A. Shestakov, S. Shuvalov, K. Seki, S. Selci, K. Smith, R. Sordini, J. Svensson, L. Szalai, D. Toublanc, C. Urdiales, A. Varsani, N. Vertolli, R. Wallner, P. Wahlstroem, P. Wilson, and S. Zampieri
Subjects: Space Sciences (General)
Abstract: The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury will provide simultaneous measurements from two spacecraft, offering an unprecedented opportunity to investigate magnetospheric and exospheric particle dynamics at Mercury as well as their interactions with solar wind, solar radiation, and interplanetary dust. The particle instrument suite SERENA (Search for Exospheric Refilling and Emitted Natural Abundances) is flying in space on-board the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and is the only instrument for ion and neutral particle detection aboard the MPO. It comprises four independent sensors: ELENA for neutral particle flow detection, Strofio for neutral gas detection, PICAM for planetary ions observations, and MIPA, mostly for solar wind ion measurements. SERENA is managed by a System Control Unit located inside the ELENA box. In the present paper the scientific goals of this suite are described, and then the four units are detailed, as well as their major features and calibration results. Finally, the SERENA operational activities are shown during the orbital path around Mercury, with also some reference to the activities planned during the long cruise phase.
Published: 2021
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12. Super-Details: Integrated Patterns from 3D Printing Processes to Performance-Based Design.

Author: François Leblanc
Published: 2015
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13. Evidence for Crustal Magnetic Field Control of Ions Precipitating Into the Upper Atmosphere of Mars

Author: Takuya Hara, Janet G. Luhmann, François Leblanc, Shannon M. Curry, Jasper S. Halekas, Kanako Seki, David A. Brain, Yuki Harada, James P. Mcfadden, Gina A. DiBraccio, Yasir I. J. Soobiah, David L. Mitchell, Shaosui Xu, Christian Mazelle, and Bruce M. Jakosky
Published: 2018
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14. Effects of the Lunar Regolith Structure and of the Solar Wind Properties on the Backscattered Energetic Neutral Atoms Flux

Author: Sébastien Verkercke, Jean-Yves Chaufray, François Leblanc, Eduardo Bringa, Diego Tramontina, Liam Morrissey, and Adam Woodson
Abstract: Airless planetary bodies’ surfaces, such as the Moon’s or Mercury’s, are composed of porous regoliths which interact directly with the impinging solar wind. In the case of the Moon, this incoming flux of solar protons has been observed to be partially neutralized and backscattered as Energetic Neutral Atoms (ENA) with reflection coefficients believed to be ranging between ⁓0.1 and 0.2 depending on the study and/or the measurement. Such a large range of reflection coefficients reflects the diversity in the regolith’s interactions with the solar wind and underlines the lack of understanding of the lunar regolith and its influence on the particles impacting it.The ENA flux is thought to depend on the structure of the upper regolith layer and the solar wind characteristics. By using a model combining a Monte Carlo approach to describe a solar proton’s journey through the lunar surface, with molecular dynamics to characterize its interactions with the regolith’s grains, we highlighted key parameters which influence the backscattered ENA flux and analyzed their roles in these interactions. To describe the structure of the lunar regolith we used the open-source code LAMMPS Molecular Dynamics Simulator, which allows a realistic description of grain-on-grain contacts using a Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) contact model. The porosity of the modeled regolith is shown to be dictated by the surface energy of the grains. By considering silicate grains and a realistic range of surface energy for this material, we studied regoliths’ porosities ranging from ~0.5 to 0.85. This work showed that a large porosity favors deeper penetration of the protons inside the regolith, which increases the number of collisions, and thus the energy lost by the impinging protons and their absorption. By accounting for particular directions of observation with respect to the solar wind direction, we showed that the angular distribution of the backscattered ENA is anisotropic. We here used IBEX observations and its characteristic 90° observation angle as a demonstration of the influence of this anisotropy. We finally analyzed the effects of both the energy distribution of the hydrogen atoms after a collision with a grain and the solar wind properties on the ENA energy flux spectrum shape. The modelled spectrum was also compared to the observations of Chandrayaan-1. This work aims for a better understanding of the interactions ongoing at this interface and intents to look into the possibility to deduce information on the surface structure solely from ENA flux measurements.
Published: 2023
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15. Simulation of the Ca emission at Mercury and comparison with the observations by PHEBUS/BepiColombo during the first two flybys

Author: Jean-Yves Chaufray, François Leblanc, Rozenn Robidel, Eric Quémerais, and Dimitra Koutroumpa
Abstract: Due to the lack of a thick atmosphere, the surface of Mercury is regularly bombarded by micrometeoroids at a rate depending on the position of Mercury around the Sun. One consequence of these impacts is an alteration of its surface (space weathering) and the ejection of its material around Mercury forming a tenuous exosphere. Even if the detail on the origin of the exospheric atomic calcium, observed systematically by MESSENGER is not fully understood, it is mostly associated to such impacts. In order to interpret the MESSENGER observations, we have recently developed a time dependent 3D model of the Ca exosphere of Mercury and successfully reproduced the seasonal variations observed by MESSENGER at dawn during its orbital phase. In this presentation, we will compare the simulated brightness from this model with the observations performed by PHEBUS onboard BepiColombo during the first two flybys of Mercury and discuss the differences.
Published: 2023
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16. A Possible Dust Origin for an Unusual Feature in Io’s Sodium Neutral Clouds

Author: Cesare Grava, Timothy A. Cassidy, Nicholas M. Schneider, Hsiang-Wen Hsu, Jeffrey P. Morgenthaler, François Leblanc, Valeria Mangano, Kurt D. Retherford, Matthew H. Burger, and Cesare Barbieri
Published: 2021
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17. MOSAIC: A Satellite Constellation to Enable Groundbreaking Mars Climate System Science and Prepare for Human Exploration

Author: Robert J. Lillis, David Mitchell, Luca Montabone, Nicholas Heavens, Tanya Harrison, Cassie Stuurman, Scott Guzewich, Scott England, Paul Withers, Mike Chaffin, Shannon Curry, Chi Ao, Steven Matousek, Nathan Barba, Ryan Woolley, Isaac Smith, Gordon R. Osinski, Armin Kleinböhl, Leslie Tamppari, Michael Mischna, David Kass, Michael Smith, Michael Wolff, Melinda Kahre, Aymeric Spiga, François Forget, Bruce Cantor, Justin Deighan, Amanda Brecht, Stephen Bougher, Christopher M. Fowler, David Andrews, Martin Patzold, Kerstin Peter, Silvia Tellmann, Mark Lester, Beatriz Sánchez-Cano, Janet Luhmann, François Leblanc, Jasper Halekas, David Brain, Xiaohua Fang, Jared Espley, Hermann Opgenoorth, Oleg Vaisberg, David Hinson, Sami Asmar, Joshua Vander Hook, Ozgur Karatekin, Aroh Barjatya, and Abhishek Tripathi
Published: 2021
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18. MAVEN and the total electron content of the Martian ionosphere

Author: Michael Mendillo, Clara Narvaez, Marissa F. Vogt, Majd Mayyasi, Paul Mahaffy, Mehdi Benna, Laila Andersson, Bruce Campbell, Frantisek Němec, Ying Juan Ma, Jean‐Yves Chaufray, François Leblanc, Francisco Gonzalez‐Galindo, Miguel Ángel Lopez‐Valverde, François Forget, and Bruce Jakosky
Published: 2017
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19. Global distribution and parameter dependences of gravity wave activity in the Martian upper thermosphere derived from MAVEN/NGIMS observations

Author: Naoki Terada, François Leblanc, Hiromu Nakagawa, Alexander S. Medvedev, Erdal Yiğit, Takeshi Kuroda, Takuya Hara, Scott L. England, Hitoshi Fujiwara, Kaori Terada, Kanako Seki, Paul R. Mahaffy, Meredith Elrod, Mehdi Benna, Joseph Grebowsky, and Bruce M. Jakosky
Published: 2017
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20. Mercury’s plasma environment after BepiColombo’s third flyby

Author: Lina Z. Hadid, Dominique Delcourt, Yuki Harada, Mathias Rojo, Sae Aizawa, Yoshifumi Saito, Nicolas André, Austin N. Glass, Jim M. Raines, Shoichiro Yokota, Markus Fränz, Bruno Katra, Christophe Verdeil, Björn Fiethe, Francois Leblanc, Ronan Modolo, Dominique Fontaine, Norbert Krupp, Harald Krüger, Frédéric Leblanc, Henning Fischer, Jean-Jacques Berthelier, Jean-André Sauvaud, Go Murakami, and Shoya Matsuda
Subjects: Astrophysics, QB460-466, Physics, QC1-999
Abstract: Abstract Understanding Mercury’s magnetosphere is crucial for advancing our comprehension of how the solar wind interacts with the planetary magnetospheres. Despite previous missions, several gaps remain in our knowledge of Mercury’s plasma environment. Here, we present findings from BepiColombo’s third flyby, offering a synoptic view of the large scale structure and composition of Mercury’s magnetosphere. The Mass Spectrum Analyzer (MSA), Mass Ion Analyzer (MIA), and Mass Electron Analyzer (MEA) on the magnetospheric orbiter reveal insights, including the identification of trapped energetic hydrogen (H+) with energies around 20 keV e−1 evidencing a ring current, and a cold ion plasma with energies below 50 eV e−1. Additionally, we observe a Low-Latitude Boundary Layer (LLBL), which is a region of turbulent plasma at the edge of the magnetosphere, characterized by bursty ion enhancements, indicating an ongoing injection process in the duskside magnetosphere flank. These observations during cruise phase provide a tantalizing glimpse of future discoveries expected from the Mercury Plasma Particle Experiment (MPPE) instruments after orbit insertion, promising broader impacts on our understanding of planetary magnetospheres.
Published: 2024
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21. Simulation of the atomic deuterium density and escape at Mars and comparison with MAVEN/IUVS observations

Author: Jean-Yves Chaufray, Francisco Gonzalez-Galindo, Margaux Vals, Loic Rossi, Franck Montmessin, Franck Lefevre, François Leblanc, Ronan Modolo, François Forget, Ehouarn Millour, Gabriella Gilli, Miguel Lopez-Valverde, Majd Mayyasi, and Cardon, Catherine
Subjects: [SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics]
Abstract: The D/H ratio is a key parameter to understand the atmospheric evolution of a planet. On Mars a D/H ~ 5 times larger than the ratio on Earth is measured. This large ratio can be explained by a preferential escape of the hydrogen compared to the deuterium due to its lower mass. However, while the thermal escape (Jeans escape) is strongly mass dependent other non-thermal processes are less mass dependent and would impact the time needed to fractionate the water from the terrestrial value to the current value. After the first detections of the deuterium Lyman-α emission from Earth (Bertaux et al. 1992, Krasnopolsky et al. 1998), the mission MAVEN performed the first systematic observations of the atomic deuterium Lyman-α emission around Mars showing a brightness of several hundreds of Rayleigh near Mars winter solstice (Clarke et al. 2017, Mayyasi et al. 2017), much larger than the Earth detections done near aphelion (~ 20 – 50 Rayleighs). This seasonal variation of the deuterium Lyman-α brightness is consistent with the variations of the hydrogen Lyman-α brightness observed from Mars Express (Chaffin et al. 2014, Chaufray et al. 2021), HST (Clarke et al. 2014), and MAVEN/IUVS (Clarke et al. 2017, Chaffin et al. 2018) and should result from the processes transporting the water vapor from the lower atmosphere to the upper atmosphere (Vals et al. 2022). In this work we will present preliminary simulations of the 3D deuterium abundance in the Martian upper atmosphere (Fig. 1) using a 3D time dependent global circulation model, including the chemical reactions between HD and HDO with the ions in the upper atmosphere, its extension in the exosphere, and a comparison of the simulated D Lyman-α brightness with the brightness measured by MAVEN/IUVS (Mayyasi et al. 2017) for the Martian year 33. Fig. 1 Simulated average dayside and nightside D density at different altitudes in the thermosphere and exosphere along one Martian year. We will also present first results of the simulated non-thermal escape of H and D produced by collisions between hot oxygen with H, D, H2 and HD as well as the escape of planetary H+ and D+ driven by the solar wind interaction. We will compare the D and H thermal escape rate with the non-thermal escape rates. References: Bertaux et al. (1992), in ESOC conference and workshop proceedings, 44, 459. Chaffin, M. et al. (2014), Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 314-320 Chaffin, M. et al. (2018), J. Geophys. Res., 123, 2192-2210 Chaufray et al., (2021), Icarus, 353,113498 Clarke et al. (2014), Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 8013-8020 Clarke et al. (2017), J. Geophys. Res., 122, 2336-2344 Krasnopolsky et al., (1998), Science, 280, 1576 Mayyasi et al., (2017), J. Geophys. Res., 122, 10811-10823 Vals et al. (2022), J. Geophys. Res., under revisions
Published: 2022
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22. Observation of Mercury's Exopshere with the Visible Channels of PHEBUS during BEPICOLOMBO First Mercury's Flyby

Author: Rozenn Robidel, Eric Quemerais, Dimitra Koutroumpa, Jean-Yves Chaufray, and François Leblanc
Abstract: The first flyby of Mercury with BepiColombo (ESA/JAXA joint mission) took place on October 1, 2021. PHEBUS (Probing of Hermean Exosphere By UltraViolet Spectroscopy) was able to observe during this flyby with its EUV detector (Extreme UltraViolet, spectral range 55-155 nm) and its visible channels, one centered on 404 nm (K emission line) and the other centered on 422 nm (Ca emission line). We will refer to the channel dedicated to potassium as c404 and the channel dedicated to calcium as c422. The observation started 30 minutes before the Closest Approach (CA) and lasted one hour, with the line of sight directed to the North and slightly anti-sunwards (Fig1). The slit was removed and the acquisitions were made every 10 seconds with an exposure time of 8 seconds. Fig1: BepiColombo first Mercury's flyby as seen from the Sun (left panel) and in a Z-ρz plane in the MSO frame (right panel), where . The black circle represents the planet, the red line represents BepiColombo’s trajectory (the shadow transit part is the dotted part) and the grey arrows represent PHEBUS pointing direction. The count rate as a function of time from the visible detectors clearly indicate the observation geometry of the flyby, the transit in the shadow of Mercury in particular, and the maximum of the emission on the dayside after the CA (Fig2). We also notice peaks on top of the general emission profile that take place on the morning side. These peaks occur on both detectors over the same period of 8 seconds. They may be related to dust particles or the crossing of magnetospheric structures. We can also note a different level of dark at the beginning and the end of the observation on c404. We cannot affirm the same for c422, since the observation did not last long enough and we still observe exospheric calcium at the end. However, the two signals seem similar: c404 signal could be due to Ca contamination or could be the detection of Mn (emission line at 403.1 nm). As a reminder, potassium has not been observed by Messenger at this wavelength (Vervack et al., 2016). Fig. 2 c422 (blue) and c404 (orange) count rate as a function of time. The gray dashed area corresponds to BepiColombo being in the shadow of Mercury, the solid grey line represents the CA time and the red dotted line corresponds to the level of dark on c404 at the beginning of the observation. We correct the data for different contributions: dark current, zodiacal light and stars present in PHEBUS Field of View (FoV). We then model the c422 signal by removing the peaks and applying a median filter. The corrected signal is then converted to radiance, units of Rayleigh (Fig3). One Rayleigh corresponds to 106/4π photons.cm-2.s-1.sr-1. We consider the solid angle (units of sr) related to the pre-slit computed on ground and the effective area (units of cm2), calibrated in flight. Fig. 3 Ca radiance as a function of time, the blue curve represents the data while the green curve represents the filtered data. We then consider the data on the dawn side and apply an exponential fit I = I0 e-z/h, where r is the tangent altitude of PHEBUS line of sight above the surface, I0 the radiance at the surface and h is the e-folding scale height (Fig4). The best fit found indicates two different populations with two scale heights: 2 180 km when close to the surface and 8 300 km when farther from the surface of Mercury. Our results differ slightly from those of Burger et al. (2012) (1 840 ±140 km and 1 700 ± 200 km at the north and south poles, respectively) but the observation geometries were different. Fig. 4 Emission of Ca on dawn side. Exponential fits to the data are shown by the dashed lines. In the exponential fits, z=r-RM where r is the distance from Mercury's center and RM is Mercury's radius. Finally, we compare our results with a 3D exospheric model (Chaufray et al., 2022) which comes from simulations that reproduce the MESSENGER observations on the morning side (Burger et al., 2012, 2014; Merkel et al., 2017, 2018). We computed the g-value corresponding to the geometry of this flyby (i.e. true anomaly angle q = 263° and heliocentric distance r = 0.281 AU) from the solar flux of Killen et al. (2009). The difference between the model and the data (Fig5) is also observed for other species (e.g., He). Fig. 5 Comparison of the filtered data (green) and an exospheric model (orange) for the Ca radiance as a function of time. To conclude, the first flyby has allowed the detection of calcium and potentially manganese. Two different high energy source processes seem to be at the origin of the calcium. The difference with the 3D exospheric model is to be explained. Finally, the origin of the surprising emission bursts on the morning side is still under investigation. References: Burger et al., Icarus 238, 51–58, 2012; Burger et al., JGR Planets 117, 2012; Chaufray et al., Icarus 115081, 2022; Killen et al., ApJS 181, 351-359, 2009; Merkel et al., Icarus 281, 46-54, 2017; Merkel et al. GRL 45, 6790-6797, 2018; Vervack et al., GRL 43, 11-545, 2016.
Published: 2022
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23. Statistical studies on Mars atmospheric sputtering by precipitating pickup O+: Preparation for the MAVEN mission

Author: Yung‐Ching Wang, Janet G. Luhmann, Xiaohua Fang, François Leblanc, Robert E. Johnson, Yingjuan Ma, and Wing‐Huen Ip
Published: 2015
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24. Development of an energy analyser for the characterization of the neutral and ionized upper atmosphere

Author: Valentin Steichen, François Leblanc, Jean-Jacques Berthelier, and Pierre Gilbert
Abstract: Measurements in the thermosphere are essential for understanding the solar forcing induced by the solar UV/EUV radiation, the particle precipitation and all sources of heating of this region of our atmosphere controlled by our Sun. Despite its significance, the Thermosphere Ionosphere (TI) stands as the least measured and understood of all atmospheric regions. Altitudes between ~100 to 200 km, where the magnetospheric current systems close and where Joule heating maximizes, are too high for balloon experiments and too low for existing LEO satellites. Moreover, characterizing this heating implies to be able to perform accurate measurements of the velocity, composition and density of the main species in this region.Here we propose an instrument called INEA (Ions and Neutral Energy Analyser) that will be able to measure the density, temperature and drift velocity along the axis of sight of the instrument of neutral and ionized atmospheric particles with an accuracy compatible with DAEDALUS project (Sarris et al., Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 2020). In order to analyse the energetic structure of particles within the TI, INEA’s performance must achieve resolutions lower than 20 K and 20 m/s over a wide range of densities.In this presentation, I will present the concept of the instrument, the expected performances based on a complete numerical model of the instrument and the results of first experiments on parts of the instrument. With such accuracy, such an instrument could be used for other issues related to other planetary objects such as Mars where the direct measurement of atmospheric exhaust remains a challenge due to the inability of current mass spectrometers to measure the energy of neutral particles with enough accuracy.
Published: 2022
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25. Effect of Meteoric Ions on Ionospheric Conductance at Jupiter

Author: Yuki Nakamura, Koichiro Terada, Chihiro Tao, Naoki Terada, Yasumasa Kasaba, François Leblanc, Hajime Kita, Aoi Nakamizo, Akimasa Yoshikawa, Shinichi Ohtani, Fuminori Tsuchiya, Masato Kagitani, Takeshi Sakanoi, Go Murakami, Kazuo Yoshioka, Tomoki Kimura, Atsushi Yamazaki, and Ichiro Yoshikawa
Subjects: Geophysics, Space and Planetary Science
Published: 2022
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26. Ion density and phase space density distribution of planetary ions Na+, O+ and He+ in Mercury’s magnetosphere

Author: Jean-Yves Chaufray, S. Aizawa, Ronan Modolo, François Leblanc, W. Exner, A. L. E. Werner, Carl Schmidt, Jim M. Raines, Uwe Motschmann, HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, Institut für Geophysik und Extraterrestrische Physik [Braunschweig] (IGEP), Technische Universität Braunschweig = Technical University of Braunschweig [Braunschweig], Institut für Theoretische Physik [Braunschweig], DLR Institut für Planetenforschung, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), Center for Space Physics [Boston] (CSP), Boston University [Boston] (BU), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), A.L.E.W., F.L., J.-Y.C. and R.M acknowledges the support by ANR,France of the TEMPETE project (grant ANR-17-CE31-0016). S.A., F.L.,J.-Y.C., R.M and A.L.E.W. would like to acknowledge the supportof CNES, France for the BepiColombo mission. W.E. was supportedby DFG (German Research Foundation) under contract HE8016/1-1.C.S. acknowledges NASA, USA’s support of this study under grant80NSSC19K0790., and ANR-17-CE31-0016,TEMPETE,Évolutions temporelles des environnements planétaires magnétisés pendant des tempêtes solaires(2017)
Subjects: 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Solar wind, Population, Magnetosphere, 01 natural sciences, 7. Clean energy, Ion, Atmosphere, 0103 physical sciences, Interplanetary magnetic field, education, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Physics, education.field_of_study, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Plasma, Mercury, Ionospheres, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Magnetospheres, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Physics::Space Physics, atmosphere, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Atomic physics, Exosphere
Abstract: Photo-ionization of Mercury’s tenuous exosphere contributes to the heavy ion population in the Hermean environment. Observations with the MESSENGER Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) have revealed the ion density and spatial distribution of the three most abundant planetary ions or ion groups around Mercury: The Na+-group (mass-per-charge ratio m / q = 21 – 30 amu / e ), O+-group ( m / q = 16 – 20 amu / e ) and He+. We developed a test-particle model coupled to a neutral exosphere model and two different models of the magnetosphere to simulate the ion density distribution of Na+, He+ and O+. We compare the modeled ion density distribution at aphelion for northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) with FIPS observations from the entire orbital phase (23 March 2011 to 30 April 2015). Our model reproduces several observed features but the average ion density is up to 18x too high. However, we find that the discrepancy is less than 3x for other solar wind and exosphere conditions. Comparison with previous simulation studies of the Na+ ion density and magnetic field line resonance observations give an average Na+ density which is on the same order as our estimate. Finally, we model the phase space density (PSD) distribution in four different regions. We find that in three out of four regions only a fraction of the PSD distribution can typically be observed by FIPS. This is mainly due the obstruction of the field-of-view caused by the spacecraft’s sun shield, which blocks plasma with a high v x / v z ratio from entering the instrument.
Published: 2022
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27. Modeling of Diffuse Auroral Emission at Mars: Contribution of MeV Protons

Author: Yuki Nakamura, Naoki Terada, François Leblanc, Ali Rahmati, Hiromu Nakagawa, Shotaro Sakai, Sayano Hiruba, Ryuho Kataoka, Kiyoka Murase, Graduate School of Science [Sendai], Tohoku University [Sendai], HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), PLANETO - LATMOS, Space Sciences Laboratory [Berkeley] (SSL), University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, Planetary Plasma and Atmospheric Research Center [Sendai] (PPARC), National Institute of Polar Research [Tokyo] (NiPR), Graduate University for Advanced Studies [Hayama] (SOKENDAI), and ANR-09-BLAN-0223,HELIOSARES,Relation Soleil ? Mars: description et analyse des échanges présents et passés entre magnétosphère et atmosphère(2009)
Subjects: Geophysics, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Physics::Space Physics, 0103 physical sciences, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, 7. Clean energy, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract: International audience; The Solar Energetic Particle and Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instruments onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft discovered diffuse aurora that span across the nightside of Mars due to the interaction of solar energetic particles (SEPs) with the Martian atmosphere. However, it is unclear whether the diffuse aurora originates from energetic electrons or protons. We have developed a Monte Carlo model to calculate the limb intensity profile of the CO2+ ultraviolet doublet (UVD) due to precipitation of energetic electrons and protons with energy ranges from 100 eV to 100 keV and from 50 keV to 5 MeV, respectively. We used electron and proton fluxes observed by MAVEN during the December 2014 SEP event and the September 2017 SEP event. Our results showed that proton-induced CO2+ UVD emission has a lower peak altitude than electron-induced CO2+ UVD emission. The calculated peak altitudes of the CO2+ UVD limb profiles are 76 km and 68 km in the December 2014 event and the September 2017 event, respectively. Extending the energy to 500 keV for electrons and 20 MeV for protons further improved our comparison to the IUVS observations. We have succeeded in reproducing peak altitudes and shapes of the observed CO2+ UVD limb profiles using the SEP flux observed by MAVEN. This was possible by taking into account the contribution of energetic protons, indicating that both energetic electrons and protons contribute to producing the observed diffuse aurora.
Published: 2022
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28. Investigating Mercury's Environment with the Two-Spacecraft BepiColombo Mission

Author: Oleg Korablev, M. Fujimoto, Léa Griton, Cesare Grava, Masafumi Hirahara, Hirotsugu Kojima, S. Barabash, Wolfgang Baumjohann, A. Martindale, Chuanfei Dong, François Leblanc, Chris Carr, S. T. Lindsay, Yasumasa Kasaba, M. Kobayashi, Herbert Lichtenegger, Philippe-A. Bourdin, Karri Muinonen, J. S. Oliveira, Jan-Erik Wahlund, Ferdinand Plaschke, Christina Plainaki, S. M. P. McKenna-Lawlor, Dominique Delcourt, Eric Quémerais, Xianzhe Jia, Dusan Odstrcil, James A. Slavin, V. Mangano, M. G. Pelizzo, Benoit Langlais, Joe Zender, Emma J. Bunce, Ichiro Yoshikawa, Peter Wurz, Stavro Ivanovski, Stefano Massetti, George C. Ho, Y. Saito, Juhani Huovelin, Suzanne M. Imber, Sae Aizawa, Alessandro Mura, Jim M. Raines, Ayako Matsuoka, F. Sahraoui, Karl-Heinz Glassmeier, Pierre Henri, Rami Vainio, Matthew K. James, Rosemary M. Killen, Stefano Orsini, Shahab Fatemi, Tomas Karlsson, Monica Laurenza, Esa Kallio, Christoph Lhotka, Michiko Morooka, Johannes Benkhoff, David A. Rothery, Yasuhito Narita, Michel Moncuquet, Anna Milillo, Alexey A. Berezhnoy, Satoshi Yagitani, Adam Masters, F. Califano, Manuel Grande, Stefano Livi, Daniel Heyner, Emilia Kilpua, G. Murakami, Jan Deca, S. de la Fuente, R. Moissl, Bernard V. Jackson, Kanako Seki, N. André, M. Dósa, Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF (IAPS), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [Sagamihara] (JAXA), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Wigner Research Centre for Physics [Budapest], Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), Institut für Geophysik und Extraterrestrische Physik [Braunschweig] (IGEP), Technische Universität Braunschweig = Technical University of Braunschweig [Braunschweig], Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences [Ann Arbor] (AOSS), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, Space Research Centre [Leicester], University of Leicester, Department of Space and Plasma Physics [Stockholm], KTH School of Electrical Engineering, Royal Institute of Technology [Stockholm] (KTH )-Royal Institute of Technology [Stockholm] (KTH ), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Space Technology Ireland Limited, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP), School of Physical Sciences [Milton Keynes], Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [Milton Keynes], The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU)-The Open University [Milton Keynes] (OU), Space Research Institute of Austrian Academy of Sciences (IWF), Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), Sternberg Astronomical Institute [Moscow], Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), University of Pisa - Università di Pisa, University of Colorado [Boulder], European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC), Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton University, Department of Astrophysical Sciences [Princeton], Southwest Research Institute [San Antonio] (SwRI), Swedish Institute of Space Physics [Kiruna] (IRF), Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace (LPC2E), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers en région Centre (OSUC), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste (OAT), University of California [San Diego] (UC San Diego), University of California (UC), Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering [Espoo], School of Electrical Engineering [Aalto Univ], Aalto University-Aalto University, Planetary Plasma and Atmospheric Research Center [Sendai] (PPARC), Tohoku University [Sendai], Department of Physics [Helsinki], Falculty of Science [Helsinki], Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki-Helsingin yliopisto = Helsingfors universitet = University of Helsinki, Planetary Exploration Research Center [Chiba] (PERC), Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, Swedish Institute of Space Physics [Uppsala] (IRF), Institute of Physics [Graz], Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Centro de Investigação da Terra e do Espaço da UC (CITEUC), Universidade de Coimbra [Coimbra], CNR Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies (IFN), National Research Council of Italy | Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italian Space Agency, Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas (LPP), Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École polytechnique (X)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Earth and Planetary Science [Tokyo], Graduate School of Science [Tokyo], The University of Tokyo (UTokyo)-The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), Space Research Laboratory [Turku] (SRL), Department of Physics and Astronomy [Turku], University of Turku-University of Turku, Physics Institute [Bern], University of Bern, Department of Physics [Imperial College London], Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences [Aberystwyth], University of Wales, Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research [Nagoya] (ISEE), Nagoya University, Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI), Russian Academy of Sciences [Moscow] (RAS), Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University, Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Graduate School of the Natural Science and Technology [Kanazawa], Kanazawa University (KU), Department of Complexity Science and Engineering [Tokyo], The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), European Space Agency (ESA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), University of California, University of Helsinki-University of Helsinki, Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Karl-Franzens-Universität [Graz, Autriche], Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche [Roma] (CNR), Kyoto University [Kyoto], Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA (UMR_8109)), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Paris (UP), The Royal Society, Science and Technology Facilities Council, INAF National Institute for Astrophysics, JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, European Space Research and Technology Centre, IRAP, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Technical University of Braunschweig, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Space Technology Ireland, Open University Milton Keynes, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Lomonosov Moscow State University, University of Pisa, University of Colorado Boulder, European Space Astronomy Centre, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Southwest Research Institute, Uppsala University, Université d'Orléans, Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, University of California San Diego, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Tohoku University, University of Helsinki, Chiba Institute of Technology, Université de Nantes, Sorbonne Université, University of Graz, National Research Council of Italy, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, The University of Tokyo, University of Turku, Aberystwyth University, Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Kanazawa University, Aalto-yliopisto, and Aalto University
Subjects: 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Computer science, BepiColombo, chemistry.chemical_element, FOS: Physical sciences, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, Mercury’s environment, Fusion, plasma och rymdfysik, Interplanetary dust cloud, Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi, 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences, 0103 physical sciences, Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology, Exosphere, Magnetosphere, Aerospace engineering, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM), 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Scientific instrument, Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP), Spacecraft, business.industry, 520 Astronomy, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 620 Engineering, Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics, Mercury (element), Solar wind, Planetary science, chemistry, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Mercury's environment, Mercury’s environment · Magnetosphere · Exosphere · BepiColombo, Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, business, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract: The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission will provide simultaneous measurements from two spacecraft, offering an unprecedented opportunity to investigate magnetospheric and exospheric dynamics at Mercury as well as their interactions with the solar wind, radiation, and interplanetary dust. Many scientific instruments onboard the two spacecraft will be completely, or partially devoted to study the near-space environment of Mercury as well as the complex processes that govern it. Many issues remain unsolved even after the MESSENGER mission that ended in 2015. The specific orbits of the two spacecraft, MPO and Mio, and the comprehensive scientific payload allow a wider range of scientific questions to be addressed than those that could be achieved by the individual instruments acting alone, or by previous missions. These joint observations are of key importance because many phenomena in Mercury's environment are highly temporally and spatially variable. Examples of possible coordinated observations are described in this article, analysing the required geometrical conditions, pointing, resolutions and operation timing of different BepiColombo instruments sensors., Comment: 78 pages, 14 figures, published
Published: 2022
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29. A Possible Dust Origin for an Unusual Feature in Io’s Sodium Neutral Clouds

Author: Matthew H. Burger, V. Mangano, Cesare Grava, Hsiang-Wen Hsu, Nicholas M. Schneider, Kurt D. Retherford, François Leblanc, Timothy A. Cassidy, Jeffrey P. Morgenthaler, Cesare Barbieri, Southwest Research Institute [San Antonio] (SwRI), Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics [Boulder] (LASP), University of Colorado [Boulder], Planetary Science Institute [Tucson] (PSI), HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF (IAPS), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Space Telescope Science Institute (STSci), Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia 'Galileo Galilei', and Universita degli Studi di Padova
Subjects: Physics, 010308 nuclear & particles physics, Magnetosphere, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astrophysics, Plasma, Radius, 01 natural sciences, Jupiter, Radiation pressure, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 0103 physical sciences, Atom, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics, Exosphere, Eclipse
Abstract: International audience; We report the results of model simulations performed to explain the nature of a sodium emission feature in Io Neutral Clouds. The feature was detected via high-resolution spectroscopic observations from the 3.6 m Italian telescope TNG. The emission feature is blueshifted compared to the main emission (the banana-shaped Neutral Cloud of Io) by a few tens of km s−1, and it is most prominent when Io is a few tens of degrees before eclipse behind Jupiters shadow. The feature's morphology changes with time, indicative of a geometrical effect. We constrained its direction, velocity, and column density with a model of sodium atom trajectories under the influence of Io's and Jupiter's gravity, and solar radiation pressure. The model that best explains this emission feature has the atoms injected into the exosphere from the leading/sub-Jovian hemisphere of Io (45°–68° west longitude), with velocities from 50 to 90 km s−1 relative to Io. These trajectories are consistent with those of negatively charged dust grains (radius ∼10 nm) accelerated by the corotational electric field of Jupiters magnetosphere. We propose that sputtering of sodium atoms from Na-bearing molecules (NaCl and Na2SO4) in these nanodust grains is the process responsible for our emission feature. Both modeling and observational constraints provide an order-of-magnitude estimate of the sodium production rate of ∼1026 s−1. Our work provides another method to monitor the amount of material that Io is supplying to its Neutral Clouds and plasma torus.
Published: 2021
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30. Ganymede’s interaction with the jovian plasma from hybrid simulation

Author: François Leblanc, Adam Masters, Claire Baskevitch, and Ronan Modolo
Subjects: Physics, 13. Climate action, Plasma, Jovian, Astrobiology
Abstract: The JUICE (JUpiter ICy moon Explorer) mission, selected by the European Space Agency in May 2012 to be the first large mission within the Cosmic Vision Program 2015–2025, will provide the most comprehensive exploration to date of the Jovian system in all its complexity, with particular emphasis on Ganymede as a planetary body and potential habitat (JUICE Red Book, 2014). The Galilean satellites are known to have thin atmospheres, technically exospheres (McGrath et al., 2004), produced by ion-induced sputtering and sublimation of the surface materials. These moons and tenuous atmosphere are embedded in the flowing plasma of the jovian. The interaction between the neutral environments of the Galilean satellites and the jovian plasma changes the plasma momentum, the temperature and generates strong electrical currents. In order to prepare the scientific return of the mission and the optimization of operation modes of plasma instruments, a modeling effort has been carried out at LATMOS (PhD R. Allioux, IRAP, 2012; L. Leclercq, LATMOS, 2015; O. Apurva, LATMOS, 2017). A 3D parallel multi-species hybrid model (Latmos Hybrid Simulation, LatHyS) has been developed to model and characterize the plasma environment of Ganymede (Leclercq et al, 2016; Modolo et al, 2016) and a 3D parallel multi-species exospheric model (Exospheric Global Model, EGM) to pattern the dynamic of the neutral envelopes of Ganymede (Turc et al, 2014; Leblanc et al, 2017). The presentation will examine the global structure of the interaction with the jovian plasma, to describe the formation of Alfvén wings, and to emphasize the phenomena related to the multi-species nature of the plasma. The simulation model supports the preparation of the JUICE mission and its Ganymede phase by characterizing boundary crossings.
Published: 2021
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31. Io’s dry body shaped by atmospheric instability

Author: Martin Turbet, Kathleen Mandt, Antoine Schneeberger, Olivier Mousis, Emmanuel Marcq, François Leblanc, and Artyom Aguichine
Subjects: Atmospheric instability, Environmental science, Atmospheric sciences
Published: 2021
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32. Volatiles and Refractories in Surface-Bounded Exospheres in the Inner Solar System

Author: Alexey A. Berezhnoy, Rosemary M. Killen, Jasper Halekas, B. D. Teolis, Cesare Grava, Masaki N. Nishino, Jim M. Raines, Mehdi Benna, Christina Plainaki, Audrey Vorburger, François Leblanc, Ronald J. Vervack, Menelaos Sarantos, Orenthal J. Tucker, Southwest Research Institute [San Antonio] (SwRI), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), University of Maryland [Baltimore], Sternberg Astronomical Institute [Moscow], Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), Institute of Physics [Kazan] (IoP), Kazan Federal University (KFU), Department of Physics and Astronomy [Iowa City], University of Iowa [Iowa City], HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency [Sagamihara] (JAXA), Italian Space Agency, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Physikalisches Institut [Bern], Universität Bern [Bern], and Open Access funding provided by Universität Bern. Grava was supported by LRO, funded by NASA through contract NNG05EC87C. Berezhnoy was supported by RFBR grant No. 18-03-00726. Halekas was supported by SSERVI and NASA grant 80NSSC20K0311. Raines was supported by the NASA Discovery Data Analysis Program, grants NNX15AL01G and 80NSSC19K0204. Vervack was supported by NASA grant 80NSSC18K0857 (subcontract to JH-APL).
Subjects: Volatiles, Solar System, Materials science, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Solar wind, chemistry.chemical_element, 01 natural sciences, Article, Astrobiology, Physics::Geophysics, Neon, Neutrals, 0103 physical sciences, Physics::Atomic and Molecular Clusters, Moon, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Helium, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Ions, Argon, [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], Refractories, Noble gas, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mercury, Planetary science, chemistry, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Magnetosphere, Physics::Space Physics, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Exosphere
Abstract: Volatiles and refractories represent the two end-members in the volatility range of species in any surface-bounded exosphere. Volatiles include elements that do not interact strongly with the surface, such as neon (detected on the Moon) and helium (detected both on the Moon and at Mercury), but also argon, a noble gas (detected on the Moon) that surprisingly adsorbs at the cold lunar nighttime surface. Refractories include species such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and aluminum, all of which have very strong bonds with the lunar surface and thus need energetic processes to be ejected into the exosphere. Here we focus on the properties of species that have been detected in the exospheres of inner Solar System bodies, specifically the Moon and Mercury, and how they provide important information to understand source and loss processes of these exospheres, as well as their dependence on variations in external drivers.
Published: 2021
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33. Influence of Extreme Ultraviolet Irradiance Variations on the Precipitating Ion Flux From MAVEN Observations

Author: Janet G. Luhmann, Yaxue Dong, Ludivine Leclercq, Shannon Curry, François Leblanc, Ronan Modolo, Dmitri Titov, Francis G. Eparvier, Antoine Martinez, Jasper Halekas, J. P. McFadden, Robert Lillis, Takuya Hara, Olivier Witasse, Bruce M. Jakosky, Jean-Yves Chaufray, HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Research and Scientific Support Department, ESTEC (RSSD), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), European Space Agency (ESA)-European Space Agency (ESA), Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics [Boulder] (LASP), University of Colorado [Boulder], Space Sciences Laboratory [Berkeley] (SSL), University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy [Iowa City], University of Iowa [Iowa City], Department of Materials Science and Engineering [Charlottesville] (MS), University of Virginia [Charlottesville], and European Space Agency (ESA)
Subjects: Materials science, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Extreme ultraviolet lithography, Irradiance, Atmosphere of Mars, Astrophysics, 010502 geochemistry & geophysics, 7. Clean energy, 01 natural sciences, Ion, Atmosphere, Solar wind, Geophysics, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], 13. Climate action, Sputtering, Extreme ultraviolet, Physics::Space Physics, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, General Earth and Planetary Sciences, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Physics::Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract: International audience; We study the influence of the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) flux intensity on the precipitating ion fluxes as seen by the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer, an energy and angular ion spectrometer aboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. We defined three periods with significantly different EUV flux intensity (1.6 and 3.2 times the lowest EUV intensity) and compare the precipitating ion flux measured by MAVEN/Solar Wind Ion Analyzer during each period. At low energy [30–650] eV, we find that the median (average) precipitating ion flux during the medium and low EUV periods are, respectively, 1.7 (2.1) and 3 (3.5) times more intense than the flux during the high EUV period. At high energy [650–25,000] eV, a similar trend in the intensity of the precipitating ion flux is observed but with an increase by 50% (46%) and 70% (79%), respectively. A larger EUV flux does therefore not seem to favor heavy ion precipitation into Mars's atmosphere, contrary to modeling prediction and overall expectations.
Published: 2019
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34. Origin of the Extended Mars Radar Blackout of September 2017

Author: Hermann Opgenoorth, François Leblanc, Nicolas Floury, Andrea Cicchetti, Robert Lillis, Mark Lester, Roberto Orosei, Pierre-Louis Blelly, John M. C. Plane, Andrew Kopf, Philip Conroy, M. Cartacci, Beatriz Sánchez-Cano, Olivier Witasse, Raffaella Noschese, Stephen E. Milan, Radio and Space Plasma Physics Group [Leicester] (RSPP), University of Leicester, Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), European Space Agency (ESA), Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF (IAPS), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Istituto di Radioastronomia [Bologna] (IRA), Department of Physics [Umeå], Umeå University, Space Sciences Laboratory [Berkeley] (SSL), University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), School of Chemistry [Leeds], University of Leeds, Department of Physics and Astronomy [Iowa City], University of Iowa [Iowa City], ITA, USA, GBR, FRA, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), and Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Subjects: [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Meteorology, Solar energetic particles, MARSIS, Mars Exploration Program, Atmosphere of Mars, Space weather, Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics, 01 natural sciences, law.invention, Fusion, plasma och rymdfysik, Orbiter, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, law, Environmental science, Ionosphere, Radar, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract: The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) onboard Mars Express, which operates between 0.1 and 5.5 MHz, suffered from a complete blackout for 10 days in September 2017 when observing on the nightside (a rare occurrence). Moreover, the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which operates at 20 MHz, also suffered a blackout for three days when operating on both dayside and nightside. We propose that these blackouts are caused by solar energetic particles of few tens of keV and above associated with an extreme space weather event between 10 and 22 September 2017, as recorded by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission. Numerical simulations of energetic electron precipitation predict that a lower O-2(+) nighttime ionospheric layer of magnitude similar to 10(10) m(-3) peaking at similar to 90-km altitude is produced. Consequently, such a layer would absorb radar signals at high frequencies and explain the blackouts. The peak absorption level is found to be at 70-km altitude. Plain Language Summary Several instrument operations, as well as communication systems with rovers at the surface, depend on radio signals that propagate throughout the atmosphere of Mars. This is the case also for two radars that are currently working in Mars' orbit, sounding the ionosphere, surface, and subsurface of the planet. In mid-September 2017, a powerful solar storm hit Mars, producing a large amount of energetic particle precipitation over a 10-day period. We have found that high-energy electrons ionized the atmosphere of Mars, creating a dense layer of ions and electrons at similar to 90 km on the Martian nightside. This layer attenuated radar signals continuously for 10 days, stopping the radars to receive any signal from the planetary surface. In this work, we assess the properties of this layer in order to understand the implications of this kind of phenomenon for radar performance and communications.
Published: 2019
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35. Variability of Precipitating Ion Fluxes During the September 2017 Event at Mars

Author: Jasper Halekas, Takuya Hara, Ronan Modolo, O. Witasse, Antoine Martinez, J. P. McFadden, Norberto Romanelli, Francis G. Eparvier, Mats Holmström, Robert Lillis, Y. J. Ma, Shannon Curry, Janet G. Luhmann, François Leblanc, Jean-Yves Chaufray, Bruce M. Jakosky, John E. P. Connerney, Davin Larson, HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Space Sciences Laboratory [Berkeley] (SSL), University of California [Berkeley], University of California-University of California, Department of Physics and Astronomy [Iowa City], University of Iowa [Iowa City], Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics [Boulder] (LASP), University of Colorado [Boulder], NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering Division [London], Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital [London]-King‘s College London, Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences [Los Angeles] (EPSS), University of California [Los Angeles] (UCLA), Swedish Institute of Space Physics [Uppsala] (IRF), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), and European Space Agency (ESA)
Subjects: [SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph], 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Spectrometer, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Magnetosphere, Mars Exploration Program, Space weather, Atmospheric sciences, 01 natural sciences, [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-SPACE-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Space Physics [physics.space-ph], Atmosphere, Solar wind, Geophysics, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Physics::Space Physics, Coronal mass ejection, Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Environmental science, Dynamic pressure, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Physics::Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract: International audience; In this work, we study the influence of the September 2017 solar event on the precipitating heavy ion fluxes towards Mars' atmosphere as seen by MAVEN/SWIA, an energy and angular ion spectrometer and by MAVEN/STATIC, an energy, mass and angular ion spectrometer. After a careful reconstruction of the background induced by the Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) event in the MAVEN/SWIA spectrometer, we investigate the precipitating ion flux responses to the space weather events that took place in September 2017. This period is a unique opportunity to analyze the respective role of various possible drivers of heavy ion precipitation into Mars’ atmosphere with a wide range of different space weather events occurring during the same month. This study shows an increase in the precipitation flux by more than one order of magnitude during the arrival of the September Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejection (ICME) compared to the average flux during quiet solar conditions. We also showed that among the possible solar drivers, the solar wind dynamic pressure is the most significant during September 2017.
Published: 2019
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36. Density, Energy and Phase Space Density Distribution of Planetary Ions He+, O+ and Na+ in Mercury's Magnetosphere

Author: Jim M. Raines, François Leblanc, A. L. Elisabeth Werner, Ronan Modolo, W. Exner, Sae Aizawa, Jean-Yves Chaufray, Uwe Motschmann, HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, Institut für Geophysik und Extraterrestrische Physik [Braunschweig] (IGEP), Technische Universität Braunschweig = Technical University of Braunschweig [Braunschweig], Institut für Theoretische Physik [Braunschweig], Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt [Berlin] (DLR), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), and Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Subjects: Physics, chemistry.chemical_element, Magnetosphere, 7. Clean energy, Ion, Mercury (element), chemistry, Density distribution, 13. Climate action, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Phase space, Physics::Space Physics, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Atomic physics, Energy (signal processing)
Abstract: The Mercury plasma environment is enriched in planetary ions from the tenuous neutral exosphere. We have developed a test-particle model which describes the full equation of motion for planetary ions produced from photo-ionization of the neutral exosphere. The new test-particle model is coupled to a Monte Carlo test-particle model of the neutral exosphere (Exospheric Global Model; EGM; Leblanc et al. 2017) and two hybrid-kinetic models: LatHyS (Modolo et al. 2016) and AIKEF (Müller et al. 2011). This coupling will allow us to consider the impact of non-adiabatic energization on the ion density distribution as well as the connection to seasonal asymmetries in the neutral exosphere.We compare the density, energy and phase space density distribution of He+, O+ and Na+ from our model with observations from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) time-of-flight spectrometer Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS; Raines et al. 2013). Our results indicate the presence of several interesting high-density structures both inside and outside FIPS observable energy range (E = 0.05 -13 keV), the properties of which are likely very sensitive to the upstream solar wind conditions. We present how these results may aid the interpretation of FIPS data and future measurements by BepiColombo.
Published: 2021
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37. Coordinated multi-spacecraft observations of the Martian plasma environment

Author: Mika Holmberg, Kerstin Peter, Karim Meziane, Xiaohua Fang, Shaosui Xu, Beatriz Sánchez-Cano, Christina O. Lee, Yingjuan Ma, Jingnan Guo, François Leblanc, Christian Mazelle, Bruce M. Jakosky, Majd Mayyasi, Cesar Bertucci, Christopher M. Fowler, Maria Hamrin, Robert Lillis, Robin Ramstad, Mark Lester, Janet G. Luhmann, and Zachary Girazian
Subjects: Martian, Spacecraft, business.industry, Environmental science, Plasma, business, Astrobiology
Published: 2021
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38. Modeling of SEP induced auroral emission at Mars: Contribution of precipitating protons and effects of crustal fields

Author: Ryuho Kataoka, Kiyoka Murase, Yuki Nakamura, François Leblanc, Naoki Terada, Hiromu Nakagawa, Shotaro Sakai, and Sayano Hiruba
Subjects: Physics, Mars Exploration Program, Astrobiology
Abstract: Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) and the Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instruments on board the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft have discovered diffuse aurora that spans across nightside Mars, which resulted from the interaction of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) with Martian atmosphere [Schneider et al., 2015]. Previous models showed that 100 keV monoenergetic electron precipitation should have been at the origin of the low altitude (~60 km) peak of the limb emission, however, no models were able to reproduce the observed emission profiles by using the observed electron energy population [e.g. Haider et al., 2019]. Previous auroral emission models did not take into account the contribution of MeV proton precipitation, although MeV proton can penetrate down to ~60 km altitude as well [e.g., Jolitz et al., 2017]. This study aims to model SEP induced diffuse auroral emission by both electrons and protons.We have developed a Monte-Carlo collision and transport model of SEP electrons and protons with magnetic fields on Mars. We calculated limb intensity profile of CO2+ ultraviolet doublet (UVD) due to precipitation of electrons and protons with energy ranging 100eV-100keV and 100eV-5MeV, respectively, during December 2014 SEP event and September 2017 SEP event by using electron and ion fluxes observed by MAVEN/SEP, SWEA and SWIA.The calculated peak limb intensity of CO2+ UVD due to precipitation of protons is 3-5 times larger than that due to precipitation of electrons during both December 2014 and September 2017 SEP events, which suggests that protons can make brighter CO2+ UVD emission than electrons. Peak altitude of limb intensity profiles of CO2+ UVD due to precipitation of electrons and protons are both 10 - 20 km higher than the observation, a discrepancy could be explained by the uncertainty in the electron and proton fluxes that precipitate into the nightside Mars.We have tested an effect of crustal field on the emission of CO2+ UVD. CO2+ UVD emission due to the precipitating electrons are depleted by a factor of 10 in the region of open crustal field and disappeared in the region of closed and parallel crustal field, whereas emission due to the precipitating protons does not change significantly. Further observations of diffuse aurora in the crustal field region should be needed to constrain the origin of diffuse aurora on Mars.
Published: 2021
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39. Correction to: SERENA: Particle Instrument Suite for Determining the Sun-Mercury Interaction from BepiColombo

Author: Raffaella Noschese, A. Loose, S. Barabash, A. Varsani, Markus Fränz, Diana Gamborino, Sándor Szalai, François Leblanc, Roberto Leoni, John Hayes, Stefano Livi, J. A. Scheer, A. Olivieri, F. Tominetti, Jim M. Raines, C. Kürbisch, Peter Wurz, Jean-Jacques Berthelier, Mats Holmström, Chuanfei Dong, Klaus Torkar, D. Toublanc, M. Ferris, G. Cremonese, Robert E. Johnson, Norbert Krupp, Menelaos Sarantos, M. D. Bush, Istvan Dr Horvath, George C. Ho, Magda Delva, G. Fremuth, A. M. Di Lellis, Raymond Goldstein, A. Aronica, Rosanna Rispoli, M. I. Desai, N. Vertolli, Stavro Ivanovski, Philippe Garnier, G. Laky, K. C. Hsieh, Nikolaos Paschalidis, L. Cremonesi, D. Brienza, Dominique Delcourt, B. Trantham, Kanako Seki, Ioannis A. Daglis, Iannis Dandouras, Harald Krüger, M. Leichtfried, Alessandro Gaggero, Karoly Szego, P. Wahlstroem, Frederic Allegrini, M. Cantatore, F. Giner, H. Jeszenszky, Manuel Grande, Wolfgang Baumjohann, F. Leblanc, Fabrizio Nuccilli, R. Wallner, A. D. Jacques, D. Maschietti, M. Wieser, Stefano Massetti, Walter Schmidt, Esa Kallio, Karoly Kecskemety, Dennis Haggerty, S. Zampieri, Anna Milillo, Greg Miller, S. Shuvalov, Helmut Lammer, H. Fischer, Francesco Lazzarotto, M. Oja, A. Shestakov, C. P. Escoubet, Shahab Fatemi, Roberto Sordini, J. Ryno, O. L. Vaisberg, V. Grishin, V. Mangano, Fabio Camozzi, L. Colasanti, W. C. Gibson, Adrian Kazakov, Alessandro Mura, D. Moissenko, Stefano Selci, Rosemary M. Killen, Kerrington D. Smith, Howard Smith, L. Szalai, Francesco Mattioli, Johan Svensson, S. M. P. McKenna-Lawlor, Hans Nilsson, R. S. Gurnee, C. Nunez, Mark Phillips, E. De Angelis, M. Famá, S. Persyn, P. Wilson, Daniele Piazza, Marco D'Alessandro, Alfredo Morbidini, U. Bührke, C. Urdiales, Herbert Lichtenegger, Christina Plainaki, J. Balaz, James A. Slavin, Sara Cibella, Stefano Orsini, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace (LPC2E), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers en région Centre (OSUC), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES)
Subjects: 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Suite, chemistry.chemical_element, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, Mercury (element), Astrobiology, Planetary science, chemistry, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Space and Planetary Science, 0103 physical sciences, Environmental science, Particle, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Abstract: International audience
Published: 2021
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40. SERENA: Particle Instrument Suite for Determining the Sun-Mercury Interaction from BepiColombo

Author: Hans Nilsson, R. S. Gurnee, Wolfgang Baumjohann, Howard Smith, Menelaos Sarantos, Mark Phillips, Iannis Dandouras, S. Shuvalov, V. Grishin, D. Moissenko, Stavro Ivanovski, Johan Svensson, John Hayes, Markus Fränz, Stefano Orsini, Francesco Lazzarotto, S. Persyn, Stefano Selci, Rosemary M. Killen, S. M. P. McKenna-Lawlor, V. Mangano, Diana Gamborino, Sándor Szalai, B. Trantham, P. Wilson, M. Oja, M. Cantatore, François Leblanc, Peter Wurz, H. Jeszenszky, Dominique Delcourt, Chuanfei Dong, Helmut Lammer, A. Shestakov, A. Aronica, A. Loose, S. Barabash, H. Fischer, E. De Angelis, M. Famá, M. Wieser, C. Nunez, Harald Krüger, Kerrington D. Smith, George C. Ho, G. Laky, L. Cremonesi, Mats Holmström, Manuel Grande, C. Kürbisch, Raffaella Noschese, D. Toublanc, Fabio Camozzi, C. P. Escoubet, L. Szalai, Francesco Mattioli, P. Wahlstroem, D. Maschietti, James A. Slavin, N. Vertolli, L. Colasanti, Frederic Allegrini, F. Giner, Jean-Jacques Berthelier, W. C. Gibson, Roberto Leoni, Dennis Haggerty, Stefano Massetti, Fabrizio Nuccilli, R. Wallner, S. Zampieri, Anna Milillo, Magda Delva, G. Fremuth, A. M. Di Lellis, Raymond Goldstein, Sara Cibella, Esa Kallio, Greg Miller, Walter Schmidt, Alessandro Gaggero, J. A. Scheer, M. I. Desai, Philippe Garnier, U. Bührke, Shahab Fatemi, Karoly Kecskemety, D. Brienza, Marco D'Alessandro, Adrian Kazakov, M. Leichtfried, Karoly Szego, Stefano Livi, A. Olivieri, F. Tominetti, A. D. Jacques, Alfredo Morbidini, Istvan Dr Horvath, Nikolaos Paschalidis, Daniele Piazza, Ioannis A. Daglis, Alessandro Mura, C. Urdiales, Herbert Lichtenegger, Christina Plainaki, Jim M. Raines, J. Balaz, Rosanna Rispoli, K. C. Hsieh, Kanako Seki, F. Leblanc, Roberto Sordini, J. Ryno, O. L. Vaisberg, A. Varsani, M. D. Bush, Klaus Torkar, M. Ferris, G. Cremonese, Robert E. Johnson, Norbert Krupp, Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF (IAPS), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Southwest Research Institute [San Antonio] (SwRI), Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, Space Research Institute of Austrian Academy of Sciences (IWF), Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), Swedish Institute of Space Physics [Kiruna] (IRF), Italian Space Agency, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Physics Institute [Bern], University of Bern, HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering [Espoo], School of Electrical Engineering [Aalto Univ], Aalto University-Aalto University, Space Technology Ireland Limited, Wigner Research Centre for Physics [Budapest], Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI), Russian Academy of Sciences [Moscow] (RAS), Department of Physics [Athens], National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton University, Research and Scientific Support Department, ESTEC (RSSD), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA)-Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung = Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste (OAT), Institut für Weltraumforschung = Space Research institute [Graz] (IWF), Osterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW), Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics [Boulder] (LASP), University of Colorado [Boulder], CNR Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies (IFN), National Research Council of Italy | Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova (OAPD), Istituto di Struttura della Materia (CNR-ISM), Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace (LPC2E), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers en région Centre (OSUC), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica [ARGENTINA] (CNEA), Physikalisches Institut [Bern], Universität Bern [Bern] (UNIBE), Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences [Aberystwyth], University of Wales, University of Arizona, Department of Materials Science and Engineering [Charlottesville] (MS), University of Virginia, Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas (LPP), Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École polytechnique (X)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI), Department of Earth and Planetary Science [Tokyo], Graduate School of Science [Tokyo], The University of Tokyo (UTokyo)-The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), EISCAT Scientific Association [Sweden], Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), European Space Agency (ESA)-European Space Agency (ESA), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS), Institut für Weltraumforschung [Graz] (IWF), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche [Roma] (CNR), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), Universität Bern [Bern], University of Virginia [Charlottesville], The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), National Institute for Astrophysics, Southwest Research Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Uppsala University, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, UMR7095, IRAP, Department of Electronics and Nanoengineering, Space Technology Ireland, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, United States Department of Energy, European Space Research and Technology Centre, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Osservatorio Astronomico di Trieste, AMDL Srl, University of Colorado Boulder, Slovak Academy of Sciences, National Research Council of Italy, INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Université d'Orléans, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Aberystwyth University, Université Paris-Saclay, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Tofwerk AG, The University of Tokyo, EISCAT Headquarters, Aalto-yliopisto, and Aalto University
Subjects: 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, chemistry.chemical_element, 7. Clean energy, 01 natural sciences, Article, Astrobiology, law.invention, Particle instrumentation, Mercury’s environment, Orbiter, Interplanetary dust cloud, law, 0103 physical sciences, Calibration, BepiColombo space mission, Neutral particle, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Spacecraft, business.industry, 520 Astronomy, Astronomy and Astrophysics, 620 Engineering, Mercury (element), Solar wind, Planetary science, chemistry, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Physics::Space Physics, Environmental science, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, business
Abstract: The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury will provide simultaneous measurements from two spacecraft, offering an unprecedented opportunity to investigate magnetospheric and exospheric particle dynamics at Mercury as well as their interactions with solar wind, solar radiation, and interplanetary dust. The particle instrument suite SERENA (Search for Exospheric Refilling and Emitted Natural Abundances) is flying in space on-board the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and is the only instrument for ion and neutral particle detection aboard the MPO. It comprises four independent sensors: ELENA for neutral particle flow detection, Strofio for neutral gas detection, PICAM for planetary ions observations, and MIPA, mostly for solar wind ion measurements. SERENA is managed by a System Control Unit located inside the ELENA box. In the present paper the scientific goals of this suite are described, and then the four units are detailed, as well as their major features and calibration results. Finally, the SERENA operational activities are shown during the orbital path around Mercury, with also some reference to the activities planned during the long cruise phase.
Published: 2021
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41. Mars’ plasma system. Scientific potential of coordinated multipoint missions : 'The next generation'

Author: Mika Holmberg, Kerstin Peter, Zachary Girazian, Michael T. Roman, Martin Pätzold, Feng Chu, Robert Lillis, Roberto Orosei, Mark Lester, Jim Wild, Beatriz Sánchez-Cano, Katerina Stergiopoulou, Xiaohua Fang, Hermann Opgenoorth, S. D. Shuvalov, Christopher M. Fowler, Cesar Bertucci, Andrew Kopf, Jingnan Guo, David Andrews, C. Goetz, Maria Hamrin, Oleg Vaisberg, Vladimir Ermakov, Michael Mendillo, François Leblanc, Pierre-Louis Blelly, Majd Mayyasi, Christian Mazelle, Marco Cartacci, ITA, USA, GBR, FRA, ARG, NLD, CHN, RUS, SWE, School of Physics and Astronomy [Leicester], University of Leicester, Department of Physics and Astronomy [Iowa City], University of Iowa [Iowa City], United States Naval Observatory (USNO), Istituto di Radioastronomia [Bologna] (IRA), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF (IAPS), Instituto de Astronomía y Física del Espacio [Buenos Aires] (IAFE), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas [Buenos Aires] (CONICET)-Universidad de Buenos Aires [Buenos Aires] (UBA), Boston University [Boston] (BU), Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Physics [Lancaster], Lancaster University, Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI), Russian Academy of Sciences [Moscow] (RAS), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Agence Spatiale Européenne = European Space Agency (ESA), Swedish Institute of Space Physics [Uppsala] (IRF), Department of Planetary Research [Köln], Rhenish Institute for Environmental Research (RIU), University of Cologne-University of Cologne, Umeå University, School of Earth and Space Sciences [Hefei], University of Science and Technology of China [Hefei] (USTC), Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Chinese Academy of Sciences [Beijing] (CAS), Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics [Boulder] (LASP), University of Colorado [Boulder], Space Sciences Laboratory [Berkeley] (SSL), University of California [Berkeley] (UC Berkeley), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), and Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Subjects: Martian, Computer science, business.industry, Magnetosphere, Mars, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mars Exploration Program, Space weather, Atmosphere, Science gaps, Solar wind, Plasma, Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], ESA-Voyage2050, Physics::Space Physics, Future missions, Coordinated multipoint missions, Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Ionosphere, Aerospace engineering, business, Constellation
Abstract: The objective of this White Paper, submitted to ESA’s Voyage 2050 call, is to get a more holistic knowledge of the dynamics of the Martian plasma system, from its surface up to the undisturbed solar wind outside of the induced magnetosphere. This can only be achieved with coordinated multi-point observations with high temporal resolution as they have the scientific potential to track the whole dynamics of the system (from small to large scales), and they constitute the next generation of the exploration of Mars analogous to what happened at Earth a few decades ago. This White Paper discusses the key science questions that are still open at Mars and how they could be addressed with coordinated multipoint missions. The main science questions are: (i) How does solar wind driving impact the dynamics of the magnetosphere and ionosphere? (ii) What is the structure and nature of the tail of Mars’ magnetosphere at all scales? (iii) How does the lower atmosphere couple to the upper atmosphere? (iv) Why should we have a permanent in-situ Space Weather monitor at Mars? Each science question is devoted to a specific plasma region, and includes several specific scientific objectives to study in the coming decades. In addition, two mission concepts are also proposed based on coordinated multi-point science from a constellation of orbiting and ground-based platforms, which focus on understanding and solving the current science gaps. Part of a collection: Voyage 2050 – science themes for ESA’s long-term plan for the science programme: Solar Systems, ours and others (Part 2).
Published: 2021
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42. Mars' atmospheric neon suggests volatile-rich primitive mantle

Author: Hiromu Nakagawa, Yayoi N. Miura, Naoki Terada, François Leblanc, Hiroyuki Kurokawa, Yuichiro Cho, Seiji Sugita, Earth-Life Science Institute [Tokyo] (ELSI), Tokyo Institute of Technology [Tokyo] (TITECH), Earthquake Research Institute [Tokyo], The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), PLANETO - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), and Tohoku University [Sendai]
Subjects: Atmospheres, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, FOS: Physical sciences, Mars, 01 natural sciences, Mantle (geology), Astrobiology, Volcanism, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Volatiles, Planetary formation, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Martian, Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP), Atmospheric escape, Accretion (meteorology), Interiors, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mars Exploration Program, Meteorite, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, composition, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Primitive mantle, Geology, Astrophysics - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Abstract: Martian atmospheric neon (Ne) has been detected by Viking and also found as trapped gas in Martian meteorites, though its abundance and isotopic composition have not been well determined. Because the timescale of Ne loss via atmospheric escape estimated from recent measurements with MAVEN is short (0.6--1 $\times$ 10$^8$ years), the abundance and isotope composition of Martian atmospheric Ne reflect recent atmospheric gas supply mostly from volcanic degassing. Thus, it can serve as a probe for the volatile content of the interior. Here we show that the tentatively-informed atmospheric Ne abundance suggests recent active volcanism and the mantle being richer in Ne than Earth's mantle today by more than a factor of 5--80. The estimated mantle Ne abundance requires efficient solar nebular gas capture or accretion of Ne-rich materials such as solar-wind-implanted dust in the planet formation stage, both of which provide important constraints on the abundance of other volatile elements in the interior and the accretion history of Mars. More precise determination of atmospheric Ne abundance and isotopic composition by in situ analysis or Mars sample return is crucial for distinguishing the possible origins of Ne., Comment: 57 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Icarus
Published: 2021
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43. Titan's Induced magnetosphere from plasma wave, magnetic field and particle observations

Author: William S. Kurth, Michele K. Dougherty, Rodrigue Piberne, Jean-Jacques Berthelier, J. H. Waite, Patrick Canu, Leonardo Regoli, Mika Holmberg, Norberto Romanelli, Donald A. Gurnett, Niklas J. T. Edberg, Ronan Modolo, François Leblanc, Cesar Bertucci, Jan-Erik Wahlund, Eduard Dubinin, Andrew J. Coates, Michiko Morooka, Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas (LPP), Observatoire de Paris, and Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École polytechnique (X)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Subjects: Physics, Waves in plasmas, Magnetometer, Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, [SDU.ASTR.EP]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Magnetosphere, 7. Clean energy, Charged particle, Computational physics, Magnetic field, law.invention, Condensed Matter::Materials Science, symbols.namesake, 13. Climate action, law, Electric field, Physics::Space Physics, symbols, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Titan (rocket family)
Abstract: Cassini plasma wave and charged particle observations are combined with magnetometer measurements to investigate Titan's induced magnetosphere. Electric field emissions close to Titan are identifie...
Published: 2020
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44. A Statistical Analysis of Radar Blackouts at Mars: MARSIS, SHARAD and MAVEN Observations

Author: Daniel Potts, Robert Lillis, Steve Milan, Marco Cartacci, Nathaniel E. Putzig, François Leblanc, Beatriz Sánchez-Cano, Olivier Witasse, Hermann Opgenoorth, M. R. Perry, Roberto Orosei, Fabrizio Bernardini, Bruce A. Campbell, Mark Lester, and Pierre-Louis Blelly
Subjects: law, MARSIS, Statistical analysis, Mars Exploration Program, Radar, Geology, law.invention, Remote sensing
Abstract: We present an analysis of radar blackouts observed by MARSIS on Mars Express and SHARAD on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for the interval 2006 – 2017. The period of interest encompasses the extended solar minimum between solar cycles 23 and 24 as well as the solar maximum of cycle 24. Blackouts have been identified by eye through scanning daily plots of the surface reflection for both radars. A blackout occurs when, for no apparent instrumental reason, the surface reflection normally expected is either not observed (total) or when the surface reflection is seen for only part of the orbit or the surface reflection is both weaker and spread over a significant time delay (partial). Such blackouts are caused by enhanced ionisation at altitudes below the main ionospheric electron density peak resulting in increased absorption of the radar signal. There are more occurrences observed by MARSIS than SHARAD, which is expected due to the lower absorption at the higher operating frequency of SHARAD. We also observe more blackouts during solar maximum than solar minimum. Indeed, there are no total blackouts during the extended solar minimum, although both radars do have partial blackouts. There is no apparent relationship between blackout occurrence and crustal magnetic fields. Following previous work, which has indicated that solar energetic particles, specifically electrons are responsible for the enhanced ionisation in the atmosphere, we also present the analysis of the MAVEN SEP electrons between 20 keV and 2 MeV during events when all three spacecraft were operational. We find that the SEP electron flux-energy relationship is much enhanced during the total blackouts, in particular where both radars are impacted, while for partial blackouts the flux-energy spectrum is closer to those from orbits where no blackout occurs. We also find that for certain events, the average spectrum which result in a blackout is particularly enhanced at the higher energy end of the spectrum, above 50 keV. The average spectra from each condition is presented. We conclude that there is a higher probability of a radar blackout during solar maximum, that crustal magnetic fields play no apparent role in the their observational occurrence, that the higher energy (< 50 keV) electrons are responsible, and that for events where both radars observe a radar blackout the SEP electron fluxes are at their highest.
Published: 2020
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45. Global hybrid simulations of highly compressed magnetosphere events at Mercury

Author: Vincent Génot, François Leblanc, Ronan Modolo, Sae Aizawa, Elisabeth Werner, and Nicolas André
Subjects: chemistry, chemistry.chemical_element, Environmental science, Magnetosphere, Geophysics, Mercury (element)
Abstract: The highly compressed magnetosphere (HCM) events at Mercury observed by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft have been investigated using the global hybrid simulation LatHyS. The HCM events occur due to the interactions with coronal mass ejections (CMEs) or high-speed streams (HSSs) and previous studies indicate that not only the reconnection-driven erosion but also the induced currents in the inner core have an important role in the variation of the dayside magnetosphere of Mercury. However, the effects of the presence of planetary ions on Mercury’s system have not been well discussed. In this study, we mainly focus on the presence of planetary ions that are self-consistently produced from the exosphere by several ionization processes under extreme solar wind conditions and discuss their role on the structure and dynamics of Mercury’s magnetosphere.
Published: 2020
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46. Influence of the solar wind dynamic pressure on the ion precipitation: MAVEN observations and simulation results

Author: François Leblanc, Ronan Modolo, Antoine Martinez, Jean-Yves Chaufray, and Olivier Witasse
Subjects: Solar wind, Environmental science, Dynamic pressure, Precipitation, Atmospheric sciences, Ion
Abstract: Abstract In this work, we compare simulation of the precipitating flux for different solar wind dynamic pressure with MAVEN observations. In particular, we focus on the fluxes of precipitating ion towards Mars' atmosphere as seen by MAVEN/SWIA (cs product), an energy and angular ion spectrometer [1]. We also use LatHyS, which is a 3D multispecies parallelized hybrid model that describes the formation of Mars electromagnetic environment induced by its interaction with the solar wind [2]. 1. Introduction Although atmospheric sputtering is a minor component of atmospheric escape today, it is thought to have been much more important four billion years ago [3]. Heavy ion precipitation is the primary driver of atmospheric sputtering. At the present epoch, the efficiency of Mars' atmospheric sputtering by precipitating heavy ions to induce atmospheric escape is expected to be small compared to other mechanisms of atmospheric erosion. However, since the main driver of sputtering is ion precipitation, it is crucial to constrain the dependence of the precipitating ion flux on present solar wind conditions, before any extrapolation to past solar conditions. By comparing simulation results and MAVEN observations, we here investigate the mechanisms controlling the precipitation when the solar wind dynamic pressure change. We will present how the precipitating ion flux, measured by MAVEN/SWIA, is influenced by the solar wind dynamic pressure and will analyze these observations by comparison with simulation results. 2. Observations and simulations results We define two sets of different solar wind dynamic pressure from the set of MAVEN observations of the precipitating flux and simulate Mars’ interaction with the solar wind for the average values of the solar parameters (Extreme Ultraviolet irradiance, Interplanetary magnetic field, solar wind density, solar wind speed...) for both sets. We then reconstruct map of the precipitating heavy ion flux at 250km in altitude and the simulated precipitating flux along each MAVEN trajectory used in our analysis. 3. Summary Comparing MAVEN observations with models improves our understanding of the parameters that control the precipitating ion flux. By defining two sets, characterized by different solar wind dynamic pressure and modelling them, we present the comparison between models and observations. Acknowledgements This work was supported by the DIM ACAV and the ESA/ESTEC faculty. This work was also supported by CNES “Système Solaire” program and by the “Programme National de Planétologie” and “Programme National Soleil-Terre”. This work is also part of HELIOSARES Project supported by the ANR (ANR-09-BLAN-0223), ANR MARMITE (ANR-13-BS05-0012-02) and ANR TEMPETE (ANR-17-CE31-0016). Spacecraft data used in this paper are archived and available in the Planetary Data System Archive (https://pds.nasa.gov/). Numerical simulation results used in this article can be found in the simulation database (http://impex.latmos.ipsl.fr). References [1] Leblanc F., R. Modolo and al. (2015), Geophys. Res. Lett, 42, 9135-9141, doi : 10.1002/2015GL066170. [2] Modolo, R., et al. (2016), J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 121, 6378–6399, doi: 10.1002/2015JA022324. [3] Luhmann, J.G., Johnson, R.E., Zhang, M.H.G., (1992), Geophys. Res. Lett., 19, 21, 2151-2154.
Published: 2020
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47. Risk of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by transfusion: A literature review

Author: Marc Germain, Steven J. Drews, Antoine Lewin, Gilles Delage, Jean-François Leblanc, and Sheila F. OʼBrien
Subjects: CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Virus Cultivation, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), viruses, Immunology, Reviews, Blood Donors, Review, 030204 cardiovascular system & hematology, Vero cell lines, Virus, SARS‐CoV‐2, Cell Line, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, blood, COVID‐19, Pandemic, Medicine, Humans, Immunology and Allergy, Blood Transfusion, Viremia, Permissive, Pandemics, Infectivity, Transmission (medicine), business.industry, SARS-CoV-2, infectivity, RNA, COVID-19, Endothelial Cells, Transfusion Reaction, Hematology, Viral Load, RNAaemia, Virology, RNA, Viral, business, 030215 immunology
Abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is a novel human coronavirus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). The emergence of this virus in Wuhan (China) at the end of 2019, and its worldwide spread to reach the pandemic stage, has raised concerns about the possible risk that it might be transmissible by transfusion. This theoretical risk is further supported by reports of the detection of viral RNA in the blood of some infected individuals. To further address this risk, a thorough PubMed literature search was performed to systematically identify studies reporting data on the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in blood or its components. Complementary searches were done to identify articles reporting data on the in vitro infectivity of blood components. At least 23 articles presenting data on the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 RNA in blood, plasma, or serum were identified. Of these, three studies reported on blood donors with COVID‐19 infection identified post‐donation, and no cases of transfusion transmission were identified. A few studies mentioned results of in vitro infectivity assays of blood components in permissive cell lines, none of which were able to detect infectious virus in blood or its components. Complementary searches have identified reports demonstrating that the correlation between the presence of viral RNA in a biological sample and infectivity requires a minimal RNA load, which is rarely, if at all observed, in blood components. Overall, the available evidence suggests that the risk of transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 by transfusion remains theoretical.
Published: 2020
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48. Simulations of ion sputtering at Ganymede

Author: Marina Galand, Ronan Modolo, Gianluca Carnielli, Arnaud Beth, François Leblanc, Xianzhe Jia, Department of Physics [Imperial College London], Imperial College London, HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLaSP), University of Michigan [Ann Arbor], University of Michigan System-University of Michigan System, ANR-09-BLAN-0223,HELIOSARES,Relation Soleil ? Mars: description et analyse des échanges présents et passés entre magnétosphère et atmosphère(2009), ANR-13-BS05-0012,MARMITE,Mercure: interActions HeRméo-Magnétiques entre l'InTérieur et l'Exosphère(2013), and Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Sorbonne Université (SU)
Subjects: 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [PHYS.ASTR.EP]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], Population, Context (language use), 0404 Geophysics, Astronomy & Astrophysics, 01 natural sciences, Jovian, Physics::Geophysics, Jupiter, satellites, Sputtering, Physics::Plasma Physics, Ionization, Ganymede, 0103 physical sciences, 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences, 0402 Geochemistry, education, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Physics, education.field_of_study, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Computational physics, Ionospheres, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, Satellite, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Physics::Space Physics, atmospheres, Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics, Ionosphere, Exosphere
Abstract: International audience; Ganymede's surface is subject to constant bombardment by Jovian magnetospheric and Ganymede's ionospheric ions. These populations sputter the surface and contribute to the replenishment of the moon's exosphere.Thus far, estimates for sputtering on the moon's surface have included only the contribution from Jovian ions. In this work, we have used our recent model of Ganymede's ionosphere (Carnielli et al., 2019) to evaluate the contribution of ionospheric ions for the first time. In addition, we have made new estimates for the contribution from Jovian ions, including both thermal and energetic components.For Jovian ions, we find a total sputtering rate of 2.2x1027s-1, typically an order of magnitude higher compared to previous estimates. For ionospheric ions, produced through photo- and electron-impact ionization, we find values in the range 2.7x1026-5.2x1027s when the moon is located above the Jovian plasma sheet. Hence, Ganymede's ionospheric ions provide a contribution of at least 10% to the sputtering rate, and under certain conditions they dominate the process. This finding indicates that the ionospheric population is an important source to consider in the context of exospheric models.
Published: 2020
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49. PHEBUS on Bepi-Colombo: Post-launch Update and Instrument Performance

Author: Denis Belyaev, Paola Zuppella, Benjamin Lustrement, Dimitra Koutroumpa, Kazuo Yoshioka, Nicolas Rouanet, Ichiro Yoshikawa, Oleg Korablev, Aurélie Reberac, François Leblanc, Jean-Yves Chaufray, Eric Quémerais, Jean-François Mariscal, Go Murakami, Christophe Montaron, A. J. Corso, Maria G. Pelizzo, HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IKI), Russian Academy of Sciences [Moscow] (RAS), Universita degli Studi di Padova, HEPPI - LATMOS, Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Sorbonne Université (SU), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Sorbonne Université (SU), and The University of Tokyo
Subjects: 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, [PHYS.ASTR.EP]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Earth and Planetary Astrophysics [astro-ph.EP], chemistry.chemical_element, 01 natural sciences, law.invention, Orbiter, Planet, law, 0103 physical sciences, 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Spectrograph, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Astronomy, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mercury, Mercury (element), Planetary science, chemistry, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Environmental science, Exosphere, UV spectrograph, Interplanetary spaceflight, Space environment
Abstract: International audience; The Bepi-Colombo mission was launched in October 2018, headed for Mercury. This mission is a collaboration between Europe and Japan. It is dedicated to the study of Mercury and its environment. It will be inserted into Mercury orbit in December 2025 after a 7-year long cruise. Probing of Hermean Exosphere By Ultraviolet Spectroscopy (PHEBUS) is an ultraviolet Spectrograph and is one of the 11 instruments on-board the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO). It is dedicated to the study of the exosphere of Mercury, its composition, dynamics and variability and its interface with the surface of the planet and the solar wind. The PHEBUS instrument contains four distinct detectors covering the spectral range from 55 nm up to 315 nm and two additional narrow windows at 404 nm and 422 nm. It also has a one-degree of freedom mechanism that allows observations along a cone with an half angle of 80∘ 80 ∘ . This paper follows a detailed presentation of the PHEBUS instrument design that was presented by Chassefière et al. (Planet. Space Sci. 58:201–223, 2010). Here we present an update of the science objectives and measurement requirements following the results published by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. We also present results of the ground calibration campaigns of the flight unit that is currently on-board MPO. In the last part, we present some details of the observations that will be performed during the cruise to Mercury, such as stellar observation campaigns, interplanetary background observations and planetary flybys.
Published: 2020
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50. Joint Europa Mission (JEM) a multi-scale study of Europa to characterize its habitability and search for extant life

Author: David Gaudin, Federico Tosi, David Mimoun, Luisa Lara, Joachim Saur, Ralph D. Lorenz, Krishan K. Khurana, Veerle Sterken, Hauke Hussmann, Norbert Krupp, Sascha Kempf, William Desprats, Philippe Garnier, Ralf Srama, Geoffrey Colins, Jérémie Lasue, Jan-Erik Wahlund, Aljona Blöcker, Katrin Stephan, Antonio Genova, Marcello Coradini, Dominique Fontaine, Andrea Longobardo, Luciano Iess, Peter Wurz, Jean-Pierre Lebreton, Dominic Dirkx, Frances Westall, Steve Vance, Michel Blanc, Leonid I. Gurvits, Cyril Cavel, Adam Masters, Gaël Choblet, Roland Wagner, Adrian Jäggi, Károly Szegő, O. Prieto-Ballesteros, Zita Martins, Jean-Charles Marty, Victor Parro, Pascal Regnier, Edward C. Sittler, Tilman Spohn, Renaud Broquet, Javier Gómez-Elvira, Georges Balmino, François Leblanc, Nicolas André, Martin Volwerk, Paul Hartogh, Philippe Martins, Adriaan Schutte, Geraint H. Jones, John F. Cooper, Ernesto Palumba, Tim Van Hoolst, Emma J. Bunce, Valery Lainey, The Royal Society, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España), European Commission, Tosi, F. [0000-0003-4002-2434], Prieto Ballesteros, O. [0000-0002-2278-1210], Longobardo, A. [0000-0002-1797-2741], Van Hoolst, T. [0000-0002-9820-8584], Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO), Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, Institut de recherche en astrophysique et planétologie (IRAP), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Météo France-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centro de Astrobiologia [Madrid] (CAB), Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL), University College of London [London] (UCL), Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology [Zürich] (ETH Zürich), Astronomical Institute [Bern], University of Bern, Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe (JIVE ERIC), Technische Universiteit Delft (TU Delft), CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation [Canberra] (CSIRO), Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics [Los Angeles] (IGPP), University of California [Los Angeles] (UCLA), University of California-University of California, Royal Institute of Technology [Stockholm] (KTH ), Airbus Defence and Space, Airbus Group, University of Leicester, Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique [UMR 6112] (LPG), Université d'Angers (UA)-Université de Nantes - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (UN UFR ST), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Wheaton College [Norton], Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (CSEO), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas (LPP), Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-École polytechnique (X)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung (MPS), Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza' = Sapienza University [Rome], Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics [Boulder] (LASP), University of Colorado [Boulder], Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [Madrid] (CSIC), Institut de Mécanique Céleste et de Calcul des Ephémérides (IMCCE), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université de Lille-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), HELIOS - LATMOS, Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales (LATMOS), Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement et de l'Espace (LPC2E), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers en région Centre (OSUC), Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université d'Orléans (UO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National d’Études Spatiales [Paris] (CNES), Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali - INAF (IAPS), Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory [Laurel, MD] (APL), Télécom ParisTech, Universidade de Lisboa (ULISBOA), Imperial College London, Universität zu Köln, Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKA), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Wigner Research Centre for Physics [Budapest], Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), NASA-California Institute of Technology (CALTECH), Royal Observatory of Belgium [Brussels] (ROB), Space Research Institute of Austrian Academy of Sciences (IWF), Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), Centre de biophysique moléculaire (CBM), Université d'Orléans (UO)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC), Unidad de Excelencia Científica María de Maeztu Centro de Astrobiología del Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial y CSIC, MDM-2017-0737, Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université de Toulouse (UT)-Université de Toulouse (UT)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), University of California (UC)-University of California (UC), Airbus Defence and Space [Les Mureaux], ASTRIUM, Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung = Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza' = Sapienza University [Rome] (UNIROMA), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Universidade de Lisboa = University of Lisbon (ULISBOA), Universität zu Köln = University of Cologne, Université d'Orléans (UO)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Institut de Chimie du CNRS (INC)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace - ISAE-SUPAERO (FRANCE), Cardon, Catherine, Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP), and Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse] (CNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Météo-France -Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Subjects: Solar System, 010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences, Outer planets exploration, Habitability, HUYGENS PROBE, Europa mission, Mission, 01 natural sciences, 7. Clean energy, Astrobiology, law.invention, Extant taxon, SULFURIC-ACID, law, Galileo (satellite navigation), 010303 astronomy & astrophysics, Europa Orbiter, INSTRUMENT, SECONDARY, PLUME, HYDRATED SALT MINERALS, Physical Sciences, symbols, Europa, Jupiter system, SURFACE, Astronomy & Astrophysics, [SDU] Sciences of the Universe [physics], symbols.namesake, Orbiter, Search for life, 0103 physical sciences, Ocean moon, 0201 Astronomical and Space Sciences, Astrophysique, 0105 earth and related environmental sciences, Science & Technology, Galilean Satellites, Scale (chemistry), Astronomy and Astrophysics, ATMOSPHERE, EVOLUTION, 13. Climate action, Space and Planetary Science, [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics], Environmental science, Joint (building), habitability, jupiter system, ocean moon, outer planets exploration, search for life, SATELLITES
Abstract: Full list of authors: Blanc, Michel; Prieto-Ballesteros, Olga; André, Nicolas; Gomez-Elvira, Javier; Jones, Geraint; Sterken, Veerle; Desprats, William; Gurvits, Leonid I.; Khurana, Krishan; Balmino, Georges; Blöcker, Aljona; Broquet, Renaud; Bunce, Emma; Cavel, Cyril; Choblet, Gaël; Colins, Geoffrey; Coradini, Marcello; Cooper, John; Dirkx, Dominic; Fontaine, Dominique; Garnier, Philippe; Gaudin, David; Hartogh, Paul; Hussmann, Hauke; Genova, Antonio; Iess, Luciano; Jäggi, Adrian; Kempf, Sascha; Krupp, Norbert; Lara, Luisa; Lasue, Jérémie; Lainey, Valéry; Leblanc, François; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Longobardo, Andrea; Lorenz, Ralph; Martins, Philippe; Martins, Zita; Marty, Jean-Charles; Masters, Adam; Mimoun, David; Palumba, Ernesto; Parro, Victor; Regnier, Pascal; Saur, Joachim; Schutte, Adriaan; Sittler, Edward C.; Spohn, Tilman; Srama, Ralf; Stephan, Katrin; Szegő, Károly; Tosi, Federico; Vance, Steve; Wagner, Roland; Van Hoolst, Tim; Volwerk, Martin; Wahlund, Jan-Erik; Westall, Frances; Wurz, Peter, Europa is the closest and probably the most promising target to search for extant life in the Solar System, based on complementary evidence that it may fulfil the key criteria for habitability: the Galileo discovery of a sub-surface ocean; the many indications that the ice shell is active and may be partly permeable to transfer of chemical species, biomolecules and elementary forms of life; the identification of candidate thermal and chemical energy sources necessary to drive a metabolic activity near the ocean floor. In this article we are proposing that ESA collaborates with NASA to design and fly jointly an ambitious and exciting planetary mission, which we call the Joint Europa Mission (JEM), to reach two objectives: perform a full characterization of Europa's habitability with the capabilities of a Europa orbiter, and search for bio-signatures in the environment of Europa (surface, subsurface and exosphere) by the combination of an orbiter and a lander. JEM can build on the advanced understanding of this system which the missions preceding JEM will provide: Juno, JUICE and Europa Clipper, and on the Europa lander concept currently designed by NASA (Maize, report to OPAG, 2019). We propose the following overarching goals for our Joint Europa Mission (JEM): Understand Europa as a complex system responding to Jupiter system forcing, characterize the habitability of its potential biosphere, and search for life at its surface and in its sub-surface and exosphere. We address these goals by a combination of five Priority Scientific Objectives, each with focused measurement objectives providing detailed constraints on the science payloads and on the platforms used by the mission. The JEM observation strategy will combine three types of scientific measurement sequences: measurements on a high-latitude, low-altitude Europan orbit; in-situ measurements to be performed at the surface, using a soft lander; and measurements during the final descent to Europa's surface. The implementation of these three observation sequences will rest on the combination of two science platforms: a soft lander to perform all scientific measurements at the surface and sub-surface at a selected landing site, and an orbiter to perform the orbital survey and descent sequences. We describe a science payload for the lander and orbiter that will meet our science objectives. We propose an innovative distribution of roles for NASA and ESA; while NASA would provide an SLS launcher, the lander stack and most of the mission operations, ESA would provide the carrier-orbiter-relay platform and a stand-alone astrobiology module for the characterization of life at Europa's surface: the Astrobiology Wet Laboratory (AWL). Following this approach, JEM will be a major exciting joint venture to the outer Solar System of NASA and ESA, working together toward one of the most exciting scientific endeavours of the 21st century: to search for life beyond our own planet. © 2020, The authors received support from the sponsors of their home institutions during the development of their projects, particularly at the two institutes leading this effort: at IRAP, Toulouse, MB and NA acknowledge the support of CNRS, University Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier and CNES. At CAB, Madrid, OPB and JGE acknowledge the support of INTA and Spanish MINECO project ESP2014-55811-C2-1-P and ESP2017-89053-C2-1-P and the AEI project MDM-2017-0737 Unidad de Excelencia "Maria de Maeztu". We would also like to extend special thanks to the PASO of CNES for its precious assistance and expertise in the design of the mission scenario.
Published: 2020
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