Greifswald 2009 – scientific programme

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EP: Fachverband Extraterrestrische Physik

EP 7: Poster Session Extraterrestrics

EP 7.18: Poster

Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 17:30–19:00, Foyer der Zahnklinik

Suprathermal particles with STEREO PLASTIC — •Christian Drews¹, Lars Berger¹, Robert F. Wimmer-Schweingruber¹, and Antoinette B. Galvin² — ¹Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel — ²Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, University of New Hampshire

The Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) mission consists of two identical spacecraft. STEREO A leads along Earth’s orbit while STEREO B trails it with an angular distance increasing by 22.5^∘ per year. On board both spacecraft is the PLAsma and SupraTermal Ion Composition instrument (PLASTIC), which is designed to investigate in-situ bulk properties of solar wind protons and the composition and properties of solar wind heavy ions. In addition, PLASTIC measures ions in an energy range above the solar wind, so-called suprathermal ions. This is achieved by a solar wind sector which is centered on the Sun-Earth line, covering an angular view of 45^∘ in and ±20^∘ out of the ecliptic, and a suprathermal ion Wide-Angle Partition sector (WAP), covering 210^∘ in azimuth and <10^∘ in polar direction. The solar wind proton and alpha particle distributions often exhibit a non-Maxwellian feature, called suprathermal tail, which is believed to be produced in acceleration processes in, e.g. CME’s (Coronal Mass Ejection), CIR’s (Corotating Interaction Regions) or micro flares. With an engery range of up to 80keV/e PLASTIC is able to study the 3-dimensional evolution of these suprathermal particles, including injection and acceleration processes.