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The near-Earth plasma sheet becomes cold and dense under northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) condition, which suggests efficient solar wind plasma entry into the magnetosphere across the ...

International audience; BepiColombo Mio (previously called MMO: Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter) was successfully launched by Ariane 5 from Kourou, French Guiana on October 20, 2018. The Mercury Plasma/Particle Experiment (MPPE) is a comprehensive instrument package onboard Mio spacecraft used for plasma, high-energy particle and energetic neutral atom measurements. It consists of seven sensors including two Mercury Electron Analyzers (MEA1 and MEA2), Mercury Ion Analyzer (MIA), Mass Spectrum Analyzer (MSA), High Energy Particle instrument for electron (HEP-ele), High Energy Particle instrument for ion (HEP-ion), and Energetic Neutrals Analyzer (ENA). Significant efforts were made pre-flight to calibrate all of the MPPE sensors at the appropriate facilities on the ground. High voltage commissioning of MPPE analyzers was successfully performed between June and August 2019 and in February 2020 following the completion of the low voltage commissioning in November 2018. Although all of the MPPE analyzers are now ready to begin observation, the full service performance has been delayed until Mio’s arrival at Mercury. Most of the fields of view (FOVs) of the MPPE analyzers are blocked by the thermal shield surrounding the Mio spacecraft during the cruising phase. Together with other instruments on Mio including Magnetic Field Investigation (MGF) and Plasma Wave Investigation (PWI) that measure plasma field parameters, MPPE will contribute to the comprehensive understanding of the plasma environment around Mercury when BepiColombo/Mio begins observation after arriving at the planet Mercury in December 2025.

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.

The near-Earth plasma sheet becomes cold and dense under the northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) condition, which suggests entry of solar wind plasma into the magnetosphere across the mag...

KAGUYA observed global emissions of carbon ions from the Moon, which have possibly existed since its birth., Carbon is a volatile element that has a considerable influence on the formation and evolution of planetary bodies, although it was previously believed to be depleted in the Moon. We present observations by the lunar orbiter KAGUYA of carbon ions emitted from the Moon. These emissions were distributed over almost the total lunar surface, but amounts were differed with respect to lunar geographical areas. The estimated emission fluxes to space were ~5.0 × 104 per square centimeter per second, which is greater than possible ongoing supplies from the solar wind and micrometeoroids. Our estimates demonstrate that indigenous carbon exists over the entire Moon, supporting the hypothesis of a carbon-containing Moon, where the carbon was embedded at its formation and/or was transported billions of years ago.

The Advanced Small Analyzer for Neutrals (ASAN) on board the Chang’E-4 Yutu-2 rover first detected energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) originating from the lunar surface at various lunar local times on the lunar farside. In this work, we examine the ENA energy spectra, obtained in the first 23 lunar days from 2019 January 11 to 2020 October 12, and find a higher ENA differential flux on the lunar dawnside than on the duskside. Combined with Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS) data, we analyze the correlation between the ENA differential flux and solar wind parameters, such as flux, density, dynamic pressure, and velocity, for each ASAN energy channel on the dawnside and duskside. The results show that ENA differential flux is positively correlated with solar wind flux, density, and dynamic pressure and relatively lower on the duskside than on the dawnside. To determine the relationship between solar wind energy and ENA energy, we analyze the correlation between solar wind energy and ENA cutoff energy and temperature on the dawnside and duskside. The results show that the ENA cutoff energy and temperature are lower on the duskside than on the dawnside at the same solar wind energy. The difference between the ENA–solar wind observation on the dawnside and duskside is possibly caused by solar wind deflection and deceleration on the duskside, which can be attributed to the interaction between solar wind and the lunar magnetic anomalies located nearby in the northwestern direction of the Chang’E-4 landing site.

Accepted: 2017-04-05, 資料番号: SA1170044000

Accepted: 2019-07-29, 資料番号: SA1190193000

The Moon possesses a long tail of neutral sodium atoms that are emitted from the lunar surface and transported anti-sunward by the solar radiation pressure. Since the earth crosses the lunar sodium tail for a few days around the new moon, the resonant light emission from sodium atoms can be detected from the ground. Here we show the first long-term (16 years) observation of the lunar sodium tail, using an all-sky imager at Shigaraki Observatory (35°N, 136°E), Japan. We have surveyed our database of all-sky sodium images at a wavelength of 589.3 nm to find more than 20 events in which a bright spot emerges around the anti-lunar point during the new moon periods. We could not find any clear correlation between the sodium brightness and solar wind parameters (density, speed, dynamic pressure, and F10.7 index). In particular, no enhancement of the sodium spot brightness is detected even under very high density solar wind conditions (70 cm − 3 ; an order-of-magnitude higher than usual), which means that solar wind sputtering is not a principal mechanism of the formation of the lunar sodium tail.

Cometary tails visually manifest the solar wind and became an initial hint for its discovery. While the solar wind is being directly monitored with satellites, its time series before the space age has been controversially reconstructed with multiple proxies. Recently, archival reports of cometary plasma tails have been subjected to consideration to indirectly measure the solar wind but brought conclusion that no plasma tails had been reported prior to 1769 probably due to their brightness. However, historical records have occasionally reported comets with two tails even before 1769. These cases have been tentatively associated with visual reports of cometary plasma and dust tails. Therefore, we examined three such cases (C/1577 V1, 1P/837, and 1P/760), and compared the descriptions in historical records with calculated direction of their plasma tails. Our comparisons show that the records and calculations agree in these cases and plasma tails were visually recorded corresponding to these three great comets. These cases certify the capability of plasma tail observations with the unaided eye even before 1769, qualitatively imply their extreme brightness, proximities with the Sun and the Earth, relative enhancements of UV radiations, and interaction of cometary neutral atmosphere with solar wind plasma and magnetic field, while the lack of their detailed length or kink hinders us from their quantitative measuring. Further investigations will likely lead to the re-discovery of even more visual evidence of cometary plasma tails and, hence, improve our understanding on past space climate.

In search for clues towards the understanding of the cold plasma sheet formation under northward IMF, we study the temperature anisotropy of the two-component protons in the plasma sheet near the dusk low-latitude boundary observed by the Geotail spacecraft. The two-component protons result from mixing of the cold component from the solar wind and the hot component of the magnetospheric origin, and may be the most eloquent evidence for the transport process across the magnetopause. The cold component occasionally has a strong anisotropy in the dusk flank, and the sense of the anisotropy depends on the observed locations: the parallel temperature is enhanced in the tail flank while the perpendicular temperature is enhanced on the dayside. The hot component is nearly isotropic in the tail while the perpendicular temperature is enhanced on the dayside. We discuss possible mechanism that can lead to the observed temperature anisotropies.

The dayside electrostatic environment near the lunar surface is governed by interactions among the solar wind plasma, photoelectrons, and the charged lunar surface, providing topologically complex boundaries to the plasma. Three-dimensional, particle-in-cell simulations are applied to recently discovered vertical holes on the Moon, which have spatial scales of tens of meters and greater depth-to-diameter ratios than typical impact craters. The vertical wall of the hole introduces a new boundary for both photo and solar wind electrons. The current balance condition established at a hole bottom is altered by the limited solar wind electron penetration into the hole due to loss at the wall and photoelectron current path connecting the hole bottom and wall surfaces. The self-consistent modeling not only reproduces intense differential charging between sunlit and shadowed surfaces, but also reveals the potential difference between sunlit surfaces inside and outside the hole, demonstrating the uniqueness of the near-hole electrostatic environment.

We study the electric and dust environment near a complex surface structure on the moon: a vertical hole. In order to model an electric field structure near the surface, we performed the particle-in-cell simulations. The simulations provide electric field and plasma current density profiles in three-dimensional space above the complex lunar surface topography. Subsequently, we applied the obtained electric field and plasma current density data to the test-particle simulation on the dynamics of submicronsized charged dust grains. We focus on an effect of a stochastic charging process of such small dust grains. Because of their small surface areas, the dusts will get/lose one elementary charge infrequently. The preliminary simulation results show an evidence of dust mobilization across the sunlight–shadow interface formed inside the lunar hole.We study the electric and dust environment near a complex surface structure on the moon: a vertical hole. In order to model an electric field structure near the surface, we performed the particle-in-cell simulations. The simulations provide electric field and plasma current density profiles in three-dimensional space above the complex lunar surface topography. Subsequently, we applied the obtained electric field and plasma current density data to the test-particle simulation on the dynamics of submicronsized charged dust grains. We focus on an effect of a stochastic charging process of such small dust grains. Because of their small surface areas, the dusts will get/lose one elementary charge infrequently. The preliminary simulation results show an evidence of dust mobilization across the sunlight–shadow interface formed inside the lunar hole.

Accepted: 2014-12-02, 資料番号: SA1004982000

The lunar exosphere is generated by several processes each of which generates neutral distributions with different spatial and temporal variability. Solar wind sputtering of the lunar surface is a major process for many regolith-derived species and typically generates neutral distributions with a cosine dependence on solar zenith angle. Complicating this picture are remanent crustal magnetic anomalies on the lunar surface, which decelerate and partially reflect the solar wind before it strikes the surface. We use Kaguya maps of solar wind reflection efficiencies, Lunar Prospector maps of crustal field strengths, and published neutral sputtering yields to calculate anisotropic solar wind sputtering maps. We feed these maps to a Monte Carlo neutral exospheric model to explore three-dimensional exospheric anisotropies and find that significant anisotropies should be present in the neutral exosphere depending on selenographic location and solar wind conditions. Better understanding of solar wind/crustal anomaly interactions could potentially improve our results.

著者人数: 12名, Accepted: 2014-02-10, 資料番号: SA1004680000

In the Earth’s magnetotail, Japanese Moon orbiter Kaguya repeatedly encountered the plasmoid or plasma sheet. The encounters were characterized by the low energy ion signatures including lobe cold ions, cold ion acceleration in the plasma sheet-lobe boundaries, and hot plasma sheet ions or fast flowing ions associated with plasmoids. Different from the previous observations made in the magnetotail by the GEOTAIL spacecraft, the ions were affected by the existence of the Moon. On the dayside of the Moon, tailward flowing cold ions and their acceleration were observed. However, on the night side, tailward flowing cold ions could not be observed since the Moon blocked them. In stead, ion acceleration by the spacecraft potential and the electron beam accelerated by the potential difference between lunar surface and spacecraft were simultaneously observed. These electron and ion data enabled us to determine the night side lunar surface potential and spacecraft potential only from the observed data for the first time.

著者人数: 11名, Accepted: 2014-03-13, 資料番号: SA1004619000

著者人数: 16名, Accepted: 2013-08-23, 資料番号: SA1004677000

[1] The origins of the lunar crustal magnetic fields remain unclear although dozens of magnetic field measurements have been conducted on and above the lunar surface. A major obstacle to resolving this problem is the extreme difficulty of determining a surface distribution of small-scale magnetization. We present a new technique to map small-scale magnetic fields using nonadiabatic scattering of high-energy electrons in the terrestrial plasma sheet. Particle tracing, utilizing three-dimensional lunar magnetic field data synthesized from magnetometer measurements, enables us to separate the contributions to electron motion of small- and large-scale magnetic fields. We map significant kilometer-scale magnetic fields on the southwestern side of the South Pole-Aitken basin that are correlated with larger-scale magnetization. This implies that kilometer-scale magnetization may be ubiquitous over the lunar surface and related to the large-scale magnetization.

Natural killer (NK) cells have been known to enhance the host immune responses against cancer. NK cell number and cytotoxicity in patients with cancer is often low. Therefore, we developed a large-scale ex vivo NK cell expansion method without feeder layers and introduced NK cell-based autologous immune enhancement therapy (AIET). In this paper, we discuss the epidemiological data that show the relationship between NK activity and cancer incidence, monitoring of NK cell number and activity, anti-cancer activities of NK cells in vitro and in vivo and the effects of the combination of expanded NK cells with monoclonal antibody drugs on cancers through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Finally, we also present the clinical cases of NK cell-based AIET and the effect of AIET on advanced stage of pancreatic cancer and on various advanced cancers refractory to conventional therapies. NK cell-based AIET might be a useful strategy in the multidisciplinary approach to cancer.

Accepted: 2016-12-01, 資料番号: SA1160257000

Accepted: 2012-09-19, 資料番号: SA1004336000

Plasma 3-MH and amino acids were measured in high yielding dairy cows between one week prepartum and four weeks postpartum to evaluate the relationship between these parameters and forage intake. Cows received low forage or high forage content after calving with the same crude protein (CP), 17% (11% rumen-degradable protein; 6% rumen-undegradable protein) in the diets. Nine cows received a control (CON) diet (35% forage; 12% forage neutral detergent fiber (NDF)) and five cows received a low-forage (LF) diet (25% forage; 7% forage NDF). Plasma 3-methylhistidine concentration at four weeks after parturition was significantly higher in LF than CON cows (9.1 vs. 5.1 μM). Plasma urea concentrations were significantly higher in LF cows than in CON cows, ranging from 3.71 to 7.33 mM and 2.78 to 4.98 mM, respectively. Plasma methionine remained at a significantly lower level in LF, ranging from 17.5 to 24.1 μM, compared with CON cows ranging from 26.6 to 39.5 μM during the entire experimental period. Other amino acids were not affected by the LF diet but they decreased significantly towards parturition and returned to precalving levels by 4 weeks postcalving, except for leucine, glutamic acid, histidine and aspartic acid. Milk performance was not significantly different between the groups. The results indicate that a LF diet affects later plasma 3-MH increase, indicating the extension of body protein mobilization, which is commonly observed in early lactating dairy cows.

Accepted: 2011-07-19, 資料番号: SA1003053000

著者人数: 29名, Accepted: 2010-03-15, 資料番号: SA1002803000

The Japanese Lunar Mission "Kaguya" carried out its first magnetic field and plasma measurements in the Earth's magnetotail on 22 December 2007. Fortuitously, three well-defined multiple onset substoms took place. Kaguya was located in the premidnight magnetotail at radial distances of 56 RE and observed plasmoids and/or traveling compression regions (TCRs). Although the present study is based on limited data sets, important issues on multiple onset substorms can be examined. Each onset in a series of onsets releases a plasmoid, and magnetic reconnection likely proceeds to tail lobe field lines for each onset. Since the duration of each plasmoid is less than 5 min, these observations imply that magnetic reconnection for each onset can develop fully to the tail lobe field lines and be quenched within this timescale.

The Japanese Lunar Mission "Kaguya" carried out its first magnetic field and plasma measurements in the Earth's magnetotail on 22 December 2007. Fortuitously, three well-defined multiple onset substoms took place. Kaguya was located in the premidnight magnetotail at radial distances of 56 RE and observed plasmoids and/or traveling compression regions (TCRs). Although the present study is based on limited data sets, important issues on multiple onset substorms can be examined. Each onset in a series of onsets releases a plasmoid, and magnetic reconnection likely proceeds to tail lobe field lines for each onset. Since the duration of each plasmoid is less than 5 min, these observations imply that magnetic reconnection for each onset can develop fully to the tail lobe field lines and be quenched within this timescale.

Tweek atmospherics are pulse signals from ELF/VLF electromagnetic waves caused by lightning discharges; these signals have characteristic cut-off frequencies due to long-distance propagation by the Earth–ionosphere waveguide mode. We developed a method of estimating tweek reflection heights (equivalent electron densities) in the low-middle latitude D -region ionosphere by accurate measurement of their first-order mode cut-off frequency (∼1.8 kHz). This research is the first to show reflection-height measurements of the D -region ionosphere's response to the great geomagnetic storm in October 2000 using tweek atmospherics observations. We found transient lowering/rising in the small bay D st -variation and rising near the maximum depression of the major bay D st -variation. Comparing this response in tweek reflection heights with the intensities of 40 kHz radio-wave signals, electron density profiles from the IRI-2001 model and measured by MF radars, and the ionospheric F -region parameter ( h ′ F ) from ionosonde data, we determined two cases where the lowering/rising of the D -region was coupled with vertical motion of the F -region and one where it was not. Based on simultaneous total electron content (TEC) perturbation data, we suggest the following possible mechanisms for these two results: E × B vertical plasma drift due to ionospheric electric fields, and the propagation of large-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (LSTIDs) from the auroral to low-latitude ionosphere, respectively.

We present the first results from recent compact toroid (CT) injection experiments in the JFT-2M tokamak using the improved CT injector and diagnostics with fast time resolution. We have observed that the core line density increases rapidly at a maximum rate of ~1.3 × 1022 m−3 s−1 after a delay of 100–200 µs. This increment rate of the core density is about several times larger than that obtained so far. Interferometry measurement along the peripheral line chord of R = 1.1 m in the inboard side indicates that CT plasma reaches a region near the plasma core beyond the separatrix. Time-frequency and space distribution analyses of edge magnetic probe signals show that the magnetic fluctuation induced by the CT has the spectral peak at 250–350 kHz and propagates in the toroidal direction at the Alfven speed of the order of 106 m s−1. These results indicate the excitation of Alfven wave by CT injection. We have observed that the fluctuation level of the ion saturation current in the divertor and the Dα spectral line intensity decrease significantly after CT injection. Corresponding increase in the soft x-ray signals in the core region may suggest that the CT causes a transition to H-mode-like discharges.