The influence of ionization and recombination processes on the dynamics of ionospheric plasma clouds

Pudovkin, M. I.; Lyatskaya, A. M.; Golovchanskaya, I. V.

doi:10.1016/0021-9169(87)90087-0

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

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“…The contaminant cloud consists of plasma, particles, and electromagnetic waves, a result of interactions between the released material, the ionosphere, and the spacecraft itself. The space shuttle has provided evidence of the severe modification of the arnbient plasma environment [Narcisi et al, 1984;Raitt et al, 1984;Pickett et al, 1985;Caledonia et al, 1987;Grebowsky et al, 1987]. The study of the plasma cloud is important in the overall effort to understand and predict the interactions and effects of the induced environment on the spacecraft, its systems, and activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the plasma environment induced around spacecraft by gas releases: Three‐dimensional modeling

Gatsonis¹,

Hastings²

1992

J. Geophys. Res.

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A study of the neutral, plasma, and radiation environment induced around spacecraft in low Earth orbit is presented. The three‐dimensional evolution of an artificial plasma cloud created by spacecraft which release neutrals and/or plasma into the ambient ionosphere is examined. Simulations of spacecraft operations which release neutral water and create a water plasma cloud, such as thruster firings or effluent dumps, are performed. It is shown that for time scales of interest in contamination studies the flow of the released neutrals is in the free‐molecular regime. The effects of the altitude of the release, the orientation of the thrust vector with respect to the magnetic field, and the magnitude of the release velocity on the induced environment are considered. It is shown that a large water ion cloud is formed with densities of the order of the ambient oxygen ions. The role of the plasma expansion along the magnetic field lines is discussed. It is predicted that the ambient oxygen forms depletion and enhancement regions. The ultraviolet radiation intensity is estimated. The electrostatic “snowplow” effect and the mapping of the electric field to other regions of the ionosphere are demonstrated. The ambient plasma density is perturbed and forms “image” clouds. The model predictions are discussed and compared with measurements and previous results.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of the plasma environment induced around spacecraft by gas releases: Three‐dimensional modeling

Gatsonis¹,

Hastings²

1992

J. Geophys. Res.

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On the formation of discrete auroral arcs

Pudovkin

Golovchanskaya

1989

Planetary and Space Science

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A three‐dimensional model and initial time numerical simulation for an artificial plasma cloud in the ionosphere

Gatsonis¹,

Hastings²

1991

J. Geophys. Res.

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A fully three‐dimensional model for an artificial plasma cloud in the ionosphere is developed. Such a cloud could be a result of a deliberate release or contamination about a spacecraft. Finite perpendicular and parallel lengths, all elastic collisions between the considered species, finite temperature effects, variable ionospheric densities, variable neutral winds, ambient electric fields and gravity are taken into account. The velocities of the charged species are written with the use of transport coefficient tensors. The current balance equation includes conductive currents, diffusion currents, currents due to the ambient and contaminant neutral winds, and gravitational drift currents. The numerical solution for a plasma sphere immersed in a plasma with an external electric field is obtained and compared with known analytic solutions. The electrodynamical behavior of Gaussian‐like clouds is examined. The neutral cloud simulates an orbital release (U=8 km/s) with various masses. The effects of the central density of the contaminant neutrals and ions are investigated. The perturbation potential increases with increasing ion and neutral density. The perturbation electric field consists of a dipole field due to the action of the neutral wind and a diffusion field due to the density gradients. The dipole field is mapped along the magnetic field lines while the diffusion field is bounded within the density perturbation. With cloud densities of 1015 m−3 the ion cloud drifts almost with the neutral cloud velocity. The effects of the coupling of the lower E and upper F region are also investigated. The ambient plasma is expected to develop image clouds with differential rotation which will stretch the flux tube. The effect of the altitude of the release is examined. It is found that releases at higher altitudes result in faster moving ion clouds. As a result of the nonuniformity of the perturbation electric field, the ion cloud drifts with differential speed which will result in fingerlike shaping.

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The influence of ionization and recombination processes on the dynamics of ionospheric plasma clouds

Cited by 5 publications

References 12 publications

Evolution of the plasma environment induced around spacecraft by gas releases: Three‐dimensional modeling

Evolution of the plasma environment induced around spacecraft by gas releases: Three‐dimensional modeling

On the formation of discrete auroral arcs

A three‐dimensional model and initial time numerical simulation for an artificial plasma cloud in the ionosphere

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