HR: 11:05h
AN: SA52A-04 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Planetary Ionospheres And Magnetospheres: What Can We Learn From Comparative Auroral Analysis?
AU: * Galand, M
EM: m.galand@imperial.ac.uk
AF: Space and Atmospheric Physics Group, Imperial College, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BW United Kingdom
AU: Prange, R
EM: renee.prange@obspm.fr
AF: LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, 5 place Jules Janssen, Meudon, 91370 France
AU: Bhardwaj, A
EM: anil_bhardwaj@vssc.org
AF: Space Physics Laboratory, Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, ISRO, Trivandrum, 695022 India
AU: Chakrabarti, S
EM: supc@bu.edu
AF: Center for Space Physics, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 United States
AU: Gladstone, R
EM: randy.gladstone@swri.org
AF: Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228 United States
AB: An ionosphere around a planetary body is created by ionization of atmospheric species primarily by solar radiation and magnetospheric particle precipitation. While atmospheric species and distance from the Sun vary from one planet to another, the production of ionospheric plasma by solar EUV and X-ray photons has similar characteristics throughout the solar system. In contrast, as a result of the diversity in magnetospheric particles and magnetic configuration, the production of an ionosphere in auroral regions has spatial and temporal features unique to each planetary body. While in-situ ionospheric measurements are restricted to few solar system bodies, remote-sensing of auroral emissions is a crucial tool to reveal solar-wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling throughout the solar system. We will present comparative results applied to Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn. We will illustrate our findings through the example of a solar eruption event reaching these three planets. Finally, we will briefly discuss future directions in terms of measurement and instrumentation requirements.
DE: 2407 Auroral ionosphere (2704)
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 5706 Aurorae
DE: 5729 Ionospheres (2459)
DE: 7974 Solar effects
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005