First Plasma Wave Observations at Neptune

In situ observations of interstellar plasma with Voyager 1

Launched over 35 years ago, Voyagers 1 and 2 are on an epic journey outward from the Sun to reach the boundary between the solar plasma and the much cooler interstellar medium. The boundary, called the heliopause, is expected to be marked by a large increase in plasma density, from about 0.002 per cubic centimeter (cm(-3)) in the outer heliosphere, to about 0.1 cm(-3) in the interstellar medium. On 9 April 2013, the Voyager 1 plasma wave instrument began detecting locally generated electron plasma oscillations at a frequency of about 2.6 kilohertz. This oscillation frequency corresponds to an electron density of about 0.08 cm(-3), very close to the value expected in the interstellar medium. These and other observations provide strong evidence that Voyager 1 has crossed the heliopause into the nearby interstellar plasma.

Voyager planetary radio astronomy at neptune

Detection of very intense short radio bursts from Neptune was possible as early as 30 days before closest approach and at least 22 days after closest approach. The bursts lay at frequencies in the range 100 to 1300 kilohertz, were narrowband and strongly polarized, and presumably originated in southern polar regions ofthe planet. Episodes of smooth emissions in the frequency range from 20 to 865 kilohertz were detected during an interval of at least 10 days around closest approach. The bursts and the smooth emissions can be described in terms of rotation in a period of 16.11 +/- 0.05 hours. The bursts came at regular intervals throughout the encounter, including episodes both before and after closest approach. The smooth emissions showed a half-cycle phase shift between the five episodes before and after closest approach. This experiment detected the foreshock of Neptune's magnetosphere and the impacts of dust at the times of ring-plane crossings and also near the time of closest approach. Finally, there is no evidence for Neptunian electrostatic discharges.

Electron Plasma Oscillations Upstream of the Solar Wind Termination Shock

Electron plasma oscillations have been detected upstream of the solar wind termination shock by the plasma wave instrument on the Voyager 1 spacecraft. These waves were first observed on 11 February 2004, at a heliocentric radial distance of 91.0 astronomical units, and continued sporadically with a gradually increasing occurrence rate for nearly a year. The last event occurred on 15 December 2004, at 94.1 astronomical units, just before the spacecraft crossed the termination shock. Since then, no further electron plasma oscillations have been observed, consistent with the spacecraft having crossed the termination shock into the heliosheath.

Hot Plasma and Energetic Particles in Neptune's Magnetosphere

The low-energy charged particle (LECP) instrument on Voyager 2 measured within the magnetosphere of Neptune energetic electrons (22 kiloelectron volts </= E </= 20 megaelectron volts) and ions (28 keV </= E </= 150 MeV) in several energy channels, including compositional information at higher (>/=0.5 MeV per nucleon) energies, using an array of solid-state detectors in various configurations. The results obtained so far may be summarized as follows: (i) A variety of intensity, spectral, and anisotropy features suggest that the satellite Triton is important in controlling the outer regions of the Neptunian magnetosphere. These features include the absence of higher energy (>/=150 keV) ions or electrons outside 14.4 R(N) (where R(N) = radius of Neptune), a relative peak in the spectral index of low-energy electrons at Triton's radial distance, and a change of the proton spectrum from a power law with gamma >/= 3.8 outside, to a hot Maxwellian (kT [unknown] 55 keV) inside the satellite's orbit. (ii) Intensities decrease sharply at all energies near the time of closest approach, the decreases being most extended in time at the highest energies, reminiscent of a spacecraft's traversal of Earth's polar regions at low altitudes; simultaneously, several spikes of spectrally soft electrons and protons were seen (power input approximately 5 x 10(-4) ergs cm(-2) s(-1)) suggestive of auroral processes at Neptune. (iii) Composition measurements revealed the presence of H, H(2), and He(4), with relative abundances of 1300:1:0.1, suggesting a Neptunian ionospheric source for the trapped particle population. (iv) Plasma pressures at E >/= 28 keV are maximum at the magnetic equator with beta approximately 0.2, suggestive of a relatively empty magnetosphere, similar to that of Uranus. (v) A potential signature of satellite 1989N1 was seen, both inbound and outbound; other possible signatures of the moons and rings are evident in the data but cannot be positively identified in the absence of an accurate magnetic-field model close to the planet. Other results indude the absence of upstream ion increases or energetic neutrals [particle intensity (j) < 2.8 x 10(-3) cm(-2) s(-1) keV(-1) near 35 keV, at approximately 40 R(N)] implying an upper limit to the volume-averaged atomic H density at R </= 6 R(N) of </= 20 cm(-3); and an estimate of the rate of darkening of methane ice at the location of 1989N1 ranging from approximately 10(5) years (1-micrometer depth) to approximately 2 x 10(6) years (10-micrometers depth). Finally, the electron fluxes at the orbit of Triton represent a power input of approximately 10(9) W into its atmosphere, apparently accounting for the observed ultraviolet auroral emission; by contrast, the precipitating electron (>22 keV) input on Neptune is approximately 3 x 10(7) W, surprisingly small when compared to energy input into the atmosphere of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.