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Observations of waves and plasma in the environment of comet Halley

  • Comet Halley
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Abstract

The high-frequency plasma-wave analyser (APV-V) carried by the spacecraft Vega 1 and Vega 2 measured electric fields at frequencies up to 300 kHz and characteristic parameters of the ambient plasma during the encounters with comet Halley. The data collected on Vega 1 and Vega 2 are quite similar. Electric field activity at frequencies of ∼100 Hz was already significant at a distance of ∼2.5×l06 km from the nucleus. The field displayed strong fluctuations; its average amplitude and bandwidth increased drastically during the approach, and for distances less than 1.2×105 km a maximum was observed at 200–400 Hz. The plasma density, measured with Langmuir probes, was ∼104 cm−3 at closest approach.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Space Science Department, ESA/ESTEC, Keplerlaan, 2200 AG, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

    R. Grard & A. Pedersen

  2. Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l'Environnement CNRS, 45045, Orléans, France

    J.-G. Trotignon & C. Beghin

  3. IZMIRAN, 142092, Troitsk, USSR

    M. Mogilevsky, Y. Mikhaïlov & O. Molchanov

  4. Istituto Plasma Spazio, CNR, 00044, Frascati, Italy

    V. Formisano

Authors
  1. R. Grard
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  2. A. Pedersen
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  3. J.-G. Trotignon
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  4. C. Beghin
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  5. M. Mogilevsky
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  6. Y. Mikhaïlov
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  7. O. Molchanov
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  8. V. Formisano
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Grard, R., Pedersen, A., Trotignon, JG. et al. Observations of waves and plasma in the environment of comet Halley. Nature 321 (Suppl 6067), 290–291 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/321290a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/321290a0

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