Solar Orbiter MAG & RPW descriptions

Benjamin Renard
1 parent 9c1110d6
Showing 2 changed files with 90 additions and 3 deletions Show diff stats
Instrument/CDPP-AMDA/Solar_Orbiter/MAG.xml
Instrument/CDPP-AMDA/Solar_Orbiter/RPW.xml
@@ -7,8 +7,39 @@
       <ResourceName>MAG</ResourceName>
       <AlternateName>Magnetometer</AlternateName>
       <ReleaseDate>2018-10-27T18:45:12Z</ReleaseDate>
-      <Description>
-      </Description>
+      <Description>The magnetometer is a unique instrument on Solar Orbiter in that it provides essential
+information about both the largest scale structures in space around the Sun, as well as the
+smallest scale kinetic processes in the plasma. Indeed, the magnetic field plays a central role in
+plasma dynamics since charged particles generally travel along the magnetic field, making it
+the route from the Sun into space. The accurate measurement of the local magnetic field is
+therefore central to the scientific success of Solar Orbiter. Magnetometer data are expected to
+lead to significant advances in our understanding of how the Sun’s magnetic field links into
+space and evolves over the solar cycle; how particles are accelerated and propagate around the
+solar system, including to the Earth; and how the corona and solar wind are heated and
+accelerated, among many others.
+
+The MAG team science objectives include:
+* How does the Sun’s magnetic field link into space?
+* How does the heliospheric magnetic field disconnect from the Sun?
+* How does the Sun’s magnetic field change over time?
+* How is the heliospheric current sheet related to coronal structure?
+* What is the role of ICMEs in the Sun’s magnetic cycle?
+* What is the origin of the slow speed solar wind?
+* What drives the evolution of the solar wind distribution?
+* What are the origins of waves, turbulence and small scale structures?
+* How is turbulent energy dissipated?
+* What are the properties of near-Sun shocks and the fluctuations around them?
+* What is the structure of plasma turbulence and how does it evolve?
+* How do large and small scale structures modulate particle fluxes?
+
+In order to achieve these objectives, the magnetometer will measure the magnetic field
+continuously with sufficient cadence and precision to quantify fluid-scale phenomena
+throughout the mission and, in burst mode, with sufficient cadence and precision to study ion
+kinetic phenomena.
+
+Low latency data are generated at a very low cadence compared to normal magnetometer data
+and are intended for rapid, broad characterisation of solar wind conditions at the spacecraft
+location.</Description>
       <Acknowledgement></Acknowledgement>
       <Contact>
         <PersonID>spase://SMWG/Person/Tim.Horbury</PersonID>
@@ -7,7 +7,63 @@
       <ResourceName>RPW</ResourceName>    
       <AlternateName>Plasma Wave Investigation</AlternateName>
       <ReleaseDate>2017-11-27T21:10:13Z</ReleaseDate>
-      <Description/>   
+      <Description>RPW will make key measurements in support of the first three, out of four top-level scientific questions,
+which drive Solar Orbiter overall science objectives:
+* How and where do the solar wind plasma and magnetic field originate in the corona?
+* How do solar transients drive heliospheric variability?
+* How do solar eruptions produce energetic particle radiation that fills the heliosphere?
+* How does the solar dynamo work and drive connections between the Sun and the heliosphere?
+
+Here is the summary of the specific RPW Science Objectives.
+* Solar and Interplanetary Radio Burst:
+  - What is the role of shocks and flares in accelerating particles near the Sun?
+  - How is the Sun connected magnetically to the interplanetary medium?
+  - What are the sources and the global dynamics of eruptive events?
+  - What is the role of ambient medium conditions on particle acceleration and propagation?
+  - How do variations and structure in the solar wind affect low frequency radio wave propagation?
+* Electron density and temperature measurements with the Quasi-Thermal Noise spectroscopy:
+  - Precise measurement of both the electron density and temperature, with accuracies respectively of
+    a few % and around 10 %, at perihelion.
+  - Study the non-thermal character of the electron distributions at perihelion.
+* Radio emission processes from electron beams:  Langmuir waves and electromagnetic mode conversion:
+  - Measurements for the first time in the Solar Wind of both the electric and magnetic field waveforms
+    at high time resolution (up to 500 kSs).
+  - Study of the mode conversion from Langmuir to electromagnetic waves.
+  - Study of the energy balance between electron beams, Langmuir waves and e.m.  radio waves at
+    several radial distances
+* Solar wind microphysics and turbulence:
+  - Measure of the waves associated with the plasma instabilities that are generated by temperature
+    anisotropies in the solar wind.
+  - First DC/LF electric field measurements in the inner heliosphere and over a large radial distance
+    in the solar.
+* Shocks, Reconnection, Current Sheets, and Magnetic Holes:
+  - Identification and study of the reconnection process in current sheets with thickness down to the ion
+    scales and smaller.
+  - Determination of the interplanetary shock structure down to the spatial and temporal scales comparable
+    and smaller than the typical ion scales.
+  - Determination of different particle energisation mechanisms within shocks and reconnection regions.
+  - Distinguish different radio burst generation mechanisms. Interplanetary Dust
+  - Determination, in combination with the EPD instrument, the spatial distribution, mass and dynamics
+    of dust particles in the near-Sun heliosphere, in and out of the ecliptic.
+
+To cover its specific Science Objectives, RPW will measure magnetic and electric fields at high time
+resolution using a number of sensors, to determine the characteristics of electromagnetic and electrostatic
+waves in the solar wind. More precisely, RPW will:
+* Make the first-ever high accuracy, high-sensitivity and low noise measurements of electric fields
+  at low frequencies (below ~1 kHz) in the inner Heliosphere.
+* Measure the magnetic and electric fields of the solar wind turbulence with high sensitivity and
+  dynamic range along the spacecraft trajectory.
+* Store high-resolution data from scientifically interesting regions such as in-situ shock crossings,
+  in-situ Type III events and others.
+* Measure the satellite potential with high temporal resolution permitting to estimate the density
+  fluctuations in the solar wind and allowing higher accuracy particle instrument measurements.
+* Measure the quasi thermal noise and Langmuir waves around the local plasma frequency
+* Measure for the first type the high frequency magnetic counterpart of Langmuir waves associated
+  with in-situ Type III bursts
+* Observe the solar and interplanetary radio burst
+* Observe the radio counterpart of dust particle impacts
+* Detect on-board in-situ shock crossings and store the corresponding data
+* Detect on-board in-situ Type III events and store the corresponding data</Description>  
       <Acknowledgement/>
       <Contact>
         <PersonID>spase://SMWG/Person/Milan.Maksimovic</PersonID>