themis extended phase = themis baseline + artemis

Extended Phase 1 Dec 20, 2008

THEMIS Extended Phase=

THEMIS baseline + ARTEMIS

THEMIS Senior Review


Beyond Substorm Timing, 2nd tail (FY09) +

• Complete prime mission 2nd year tail:– Macroscale interactions: flow diversion or tailward retreat of X-line ?

– Means of ionospheric coupling

– Coupling to local instabilities: ballooning, whistler modes

– Statistics of triggers under a variety of solar wind conditions

– Do externally (solar wind) triggered onsets differ from spontaneous ones?

• Beyond prime: resolve open questions on substorms:– What causes gradual auroral brightening ahead of onset?

– What process enables the current sheet to reconnect?

– Does tail history dictate onset mechanism, location?

• Extended mission is ideally positioned to go beyond timing studies

• Pace of discoveries, and progress expected to accelerate


THEMIS Extension (FY10,11,12)


P3,4,5 tail scienceSignificant capability beyond THEMIS

P3P4

P5

X

Y2010-04-10 00:00:00

P3

P4

P5

X

Z

Probes P3,4,5 in an R plane, never achieved before, measure:

• Cross-tail and field aligned currents under invariance (ideal 3-point tail constellation)

• Tailward expansion speeds using timing, lateral expansion using finite gyroradius


P3,4,5 dayside science Significant capability beyond THEMIS

Probes P3,4,5 in an R plane, never achieved before, measure:

• Magnetopause and field aligned currents under under invariance (ideal 3-point dayside constellation)

• Bracket reconnection site, measure inflow and outflow conditions

2010-04-10 00:00:00

P3P4

P5 X

Z2011-05-10 00:00:00

P3 P4

P5 X

Z

1st extended daysideScales: 0.1-1RE, P4 in

2nd , 3rd extended daysideScales: 50-1000km, P4 out


Extended THEMIS Baseline (P3,P4,P5)

• At the Magnetotail, Study:– Nature of the near-Earth current sheet– Dissipation of bursty fast flows

• Result:– Ability to map and model key

instability region

2010-04-10 00:00:00

P3P4

P5

X

Z

X

Y

• With first ever:– Simultaneous dR-dZ separations, 0.1-1RE

– Clustered orbits study the 8-12RE region

FAST

Courtesy: Pulkkinen and Wiltberger



• At Inner Magnetosphere, Study Role of:– ULF/VLF/EMIC waves on ion, electron

energization/losses – Large electric fields on storm time ring current

• Result:– Comprehensive AC waves and E-fields models

• Using novel:– 0.1-2RE separations to resolve

temporal/spatial evolution of gradients– daily conjunctions: PFISR, S-DARN

P3 P4

P5



• At Subsolar Magnetopause, study:– Asymmetric reconnection: dynamics, evolution and

role of cold ions– Internal FTE structure and electron acceleration

• Result:– Hall-physics of subsolar magneto-pause reconnection,

paves way to MMS

2010-04-10 00:00:00

P3P4

P5 X

Z

[THEMISCoast PhaseMozer et al.GRL]

• Using novel:– Simultaneous dR-dZ separations at 0.1-

0.5RE monitor inflow and outflow– Cluster-like separations at subsolar region


Lunar WakeFormation/Evolution

Diffusive Particle

Acceleration

Shock tangent

Foreshock waves

Turbulent wake?

Last closed field lineGeotail

THEMISMoon

P1P2

P1 P2Solar Wind

X

Magnetotail

ARTEMIS (P1,P2): FY10,11,12

FY10: Translunar injectionFY11-12: 6mo Lissajous + 17 mo Lunar


• THEMIS has delivered on its promises– Major discoveries from coast phase in GRL, JGR, SSR special issues– Minimum mission accomplished, substorm trigger identified, to be solidified by 2nd year statistics– Major discoveries from 1st tail season to appear in Science, JGR, Annales Geophysicae

• THEMIS to dominate in Intl. Substorm Conference #9

• THEMIS+ARTEMIS: Continue to fully embrace community– All Data Open in CDF, IDL Analysis Code on-line, VMO/SPASE– Help line: THEMIS_Software_Support; Quality Controlled Code updates– Mirror sites proliferating in US, Europe and Asia– Software tutorials at main meetings– Papers by non-team members already in press

• THEMIS+ARTEMIS: Can Form Cornerstone of Heliophysics Observatory– In novel orbits, with comprehensive instrumentation, address pressing Heliophysics questions

• THEMIS baseline = Clustered at equatorial magnetosphere: uniquely suited to address current dynamics, dissipation• ARTEMIS = Two probes, address fundamental physics in Tail, Solar wind and at the Lunar distances

– A bridge in Heliophysics discipline, between ISTP+Cluster era and RBSP, MMS era– Complement existing missions and provide context for new ones (e.g., RBSP)

Summary

themis extended phase = themis baseline + artemis

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