AbstractIn the nightside region of Earth's magnetosphere, braking oscillations or buoyancy modes have been associated with the occurrence of low entropy bubbles. These bubbles form in the plasma sheet, particularly during geomagnetically disturbed times, and because of interchange, move rapidly earthward and may eventually come to rest in the inner plasma sheet or inner magnetosphere. Upon arrival, they often exhibit damped oscillations with periods of a few minutes and are associated with Pi2 pulsations. Previously we used the thin filament approximation to compare the frequencies and modes of buoyancy waves using magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) ballooning and classic interchange theory. Interchange oscillations differ from the more general MHD oscillations by assuming constant pressure along a magnetic field line. It was determined that MHD ballooning and interchange modes are similar for plasma sheet field lines but differ for field lines that map to the inner magnetosphere. This suggested that the classic interchange formulation was only valid in the plasma sheet. This paper tests the hypothesis that the agreement between MHD ballooning and classic interchange could be restored inside a bubble. We create a small region of entropy depletion in the magnetotail and compare the buoyancy mode properties. At some locations inside the bubble, the MHD ballooning buoyancy modes resemble interchange modes but with lower frequencies than those of the unperturbed background. Unstable modes are found on the earthward edge of the bubble, while at the tailward edge, MHD ballooning predicts a slow mode wave solution not seen in the pure interchange solution.
AbstractI outline the development of my scientific work from graduate school to about the mid‐1980s (plus some mention of related later work), in particular the transition from instrument testing to data analysis to abstruse theory, and the origin of some of my key papers.
AbstractSignificant steady but slow variability of radiation belt proton intensity, in the energy range ∼19–200 MeV and for L<2.4, has been observed in an empirical model derived from data taken by Van Allen Probes during 2013–2019. It is compared to predictions of a theoretical model based on measured initial and boundary conditions. Two aspects of the variability are considered in detail and require adjustments to model parameters. Observed inward transport of proton intensity maxima near L=1.9 and associated increasing intensity are caused in the model by inward radial diffusion from an external source while conserving the first two adiabatic invariants. The diffusion coefficient is constrained by these observations and is required to have increased near the start of 2015 by a factor ∼2. Observed decay of proton intensity at L<1.6 can be caused only in part by energy loss to free and bound electrons in the local plasma and neutral atmosphere. Another, unknown loss mechanism is required to match observed proton decay rates as a function of energy. Accounting for the expected influence of slow radial diffusion at low L, the additional loss should have a mean lifetime near 22 years, independent of L and energy in the range ∼19–70 MeV. Several candidate loss mechanisms are considered—added plasma or neutral density, elastic Coulomb scattering, plasma wave scattering, field‐line curvature scattering, and collision with orbital debris—but none are found viable.
AbstractThe latitudinal distribution and properties of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves determine the total effect of those waves on relativistic electrons. Here we describe the latitudinal variation of EMIC waves simulated self‐consistently in a dipole magnetic field for a plasmasphere or plume‐like plasma at geostationary orbit with cold H+, He+, and O+ and hot protons with temperature anisotropy. The waves grow as they propagate away from the magnetic equator to higher latitude, while the wave vector turns outward radially and the polarization becomes linear. We calculate the detailed wave spectrum in four latitudinal ranges varying from magnetic latitude (MLAT) close to 0° (magnetic equator) up to 21°. The strongest waves are propagating away from the magnetic equator, but some wave power propagating toward the magnetic equator is observed due to local generation (especially close to the magnetic equator) or reflection. The He band waves, which are generated relatively high up on their dispersion surface, are able to propagate all the way to MLAT = 21°, but the H band waves experience frequency filtering, with no equatorial waves propagating to MLAT = 21° and only the higher‐frequency waves propagating to MLAT = 14°. The result is that the wave power averaged k∥, which determines the relativistic electron minimum resonance energy, scales like the inverse of the local magnetic field for the He mode, whereas it is almost constant for the H mode. While the perpendicular wave vector turns outward, it broadens. These wavefields should be useful for simulations of radiation belt particle dynamics.
AbstractFor the past decade, the Lyman‐alpha detectors on board National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Two Wide‐angle Imaging Neutral‐atom Spectrometers (TWINS) mission have obtained routine measurements of solar Lyman‐α photons (121.6 nm) resonantly scattered by atomic hydrogen (H) in the terrestrial exosphere. These data have been used to derive global three‐dimensional (3‐D) models of exospheric H density beyond 3 RE, which are needed to understand various aspects of aeronomy and heliophysics, such as atmospheric chemistry and energetics, magnetospheric energy dissipation, ion‐neutral coupling, and atmospheric evolution through gravitational escape. These empirical distributions are obtained through parametric fitting of assumed functional forms that have little observational justification, thus limiting confidence in conclusions drawn from analysis of the resulting exospheric structure. In this work, we present a new means of global 3‐D reconstruction of exospheric H density through tomographic inversion of the scattered H Lyman‐α emission. Our approach avoids the conventional dependence on ad hoc parametric formulations and, based on the case studies reported here, appears to enable a more accurate characterization of the global structure of the H density in the outer exosphere. We evaluate the bounds of technique feasibility using simulated TWINS data and report new geophysical insights gained from applying this promising new approach to an example of actual TWINS data.
AbstractThe role of gravity waves in modulating equatorial spread F (ESF) day‐to‐day variability is investigated using ionosonde data at Trivandrum (geographic coordinates, 8.5°N, 77°E; mean geomagnetic latitude −0.3°N) a magnetic equatorial location. A novel empirical model that incorporates the combined effects of electrodynamics and gravity waves in modulating ESF occurrence during autumnal equinox season was presented by Aswathy and Manju (2017). In the present study, the height variations of the requisite gravity wave seed perturbations for ESF are examined for the vernal equinoxes, summer solstices, and winter solstices of different years. Subsequently, the empirical model, incorporating the electrodynamical effects and the gravity wave modulation, valid for each of the seasons is developed. Accordingly, for each season, the threshold curve may be demarcated provided the solar flux index (F10.7) is known. The empirical models are validated using the data for high, moderate, and low solar activity years corresponding to each season. In the next stage, this model is to be fine tuned to facilitate the prediction of ESF well before its onset.
AbstractApproximate expressions for the thermal conductivity coefficient of the multicomponent neutral atmosphere consisting of N2, O2, O, He, and H are analyzed and evaluated for the atmospheric conditions by comparing them with that given by the rigorous hydrodynamic theory. The new approximations of the thermal conductivity coefficients of simple gases N2, O2, O, He, and H are derived and used. It is proved that the modified Mason and Saxena approximation of the atmospheric thermal conductivity coefficient is more accurate in reproducing the atmospheric values of the rigorous hydrodynamic thermal conductivity coefficient in comparison with those that are generally accepted in atmospheric studies. This approximation of the thermal conductivity coefficient is recommended to use in calculations of the neutral temperature of the atmosphere.
Reproducing measurements of the scattering mean free paths for energetic particles propagating through the solar system has been a major problem in space physics. The pioneering work of Bieber et al. (1994) provided a theoretical explanation of such observations, which, however, was based on assumptions such as the questionable hypothesis that quasi‐linear theory is correct for parallel diffusion. By employing a hybrid plasma‐wave/magnetostatic turbulence model, a test‐particle code is used to investigate the scattering of energetic particles. The results show excellent agreement with solar wind observations.
A. Soyombo, Sandra Tjon-Kon-Sang, Y. Rbaibi
et al.
Mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV) is caused by mutations in the ion channel mucolipin 1 (TRP-ML1). MLIV is typified by accumulation of lipids and membranous materials in intracellular organelles, which was hypothesized to be caused by the altered membrane fusion and fission events. How mutations in TRP-ML1 lead to aberrant lipolysis is not known. Here we present evidence that MLIV is a metabolic disorder that is not associated with aberrant membrane fusion/fission events. Thus, measurement of lysosomal pH revealed that the lysosomes in TRP-ML1-/- cells obtained from the patients with MLIV are over-acidified. TRP-ML1 can function as a H+ channel, and the increased lysosomal acidification in TRP-ML1-/- cells is likely caused by the loss of TRP-ML1-mediated H+ leak. Measurement of lipase activity using several substrates revealed a marked reduction in lipid hydrolysis in TRP-ML1-/- cells, which was rescued by the expression of TRP-ML1. Cell fractionation indicated specific loss of acidic lipase activity in TRP-ML1-/- cells. Furthermore, dissipation of the acidic lysosomal pH of TRP-ML1-/- cells by nigericin or chloroquine reversed the lysosomal storage disease phenotype. These findings provide a new mechanism to account for the pathogenesis of MLIV.