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Observation of a New Type of Low Frequency Waves at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

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 نشر من قبل Ingo Richter
 تاريخ النشر 2015
  مجال البحث فيزياء
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We report on magnetic field measurements made in the innermost coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in its low activity state. Quasi-coherent, large-amplitude ($delta B/B sim 1$), compressional magnetic field oscillations at $sim$ 40 mHz dominate the immediate plasma environment of the nucleus. This differs from previously studied comet-interaction regions where waves at the cometary ion gyro-frequencies are the main feature. Thus classical pick-up ion driven instabilities are unable to explain the observations. We propose a cross-field current instability associated with newborn cometary ion currents as a possible source mechanism.



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