Curriculum Vitaes
Profile Information
- Affiliation
- Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
- J-GLOBAL ID
- 201901001752900088
- researchmap Member ID
- B000359749
Research Interests
7Research Areas
3Research History
4Education
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Apr, 2008 - Mar, 2011
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Apr, 2006 - Mar, 2008
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Apr, 2002 - Mar, 2006
Major Awards
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Apr, 2022
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Mar, 2011
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Mar, 2011
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Mar, 2008
Papers
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Mar 18, 2025Remote sensing with ultraviolet wavelength (UV) are one of powerful probes to uncover dynamic behaviors of the planetary environment. The Hisaki satellite was an earth orbiting extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectroscope dedicated for observing solar system planets. Thanks to its long-term monitoring capability, Hisaki had carried out unprecedented continuous observation of Io plasma torus, Jovian aurora, and Mars and Venus upper atmospheres from 2013 to 2023. One of notable phenomena observed by Hisaki is significant enhancements of neutral gas from presumed activation of volcanic activity on Io. Hisaki revealed, for the first time, that not only the plasma source, but transport, heating, and loss processes of magnetospheric plasma were influenced by the variation in the neutral source input.After the end of the Hisaki mission, we have proposed the next UV space telescope, LAPYUTA (Life-environmentology, Astronomy, and PlanetarY Ultraviolet Telescope Assembly). One of goals of this mission is dynamics of our solar system planets and moons as the most quantifiable archetypes of extraterrestrial habitable environments in the universe. LAPYUTA will not only provide a UV monitoring platform like Hisaki but also have a high spatial resolution and high sensitivity to uncover stability of Io’s atmosphere, water plumes that gushes from the subsurface ocean of icy moons, and spatio-temporal aspects of Jupiter's giant UV aurora. Primary goal of the LAPYUTA mission other than the Jovian system includes atmospheric evolution of Venus and Mars, characterization of exoplanet atmosphere, galaxy formation, and time-domain astronomy.
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 130(1), Dec 27, 2024 Peer-reviewedAbstract Although primarily a housekeeping instrument for measuring ambient radiation, the Solar Particle Monitor (SPM) onboard BepiColombo can measure high‐energy particles, making it useful for observing phenomena such as galactic cosmic rays and Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs). However, it only records time‐series data of particle energy loss and counts, which requires characterization by radiation simulation for scientific analysis. In this study, a physical model of the SPM was constructed using the “Geant4” radiation simulation toolkit to investigate its response to charged particles. The probability density functions were derived from the response functions to indicate the proportion of particles in each energy range among the SPM counts. Finally, we inverse‐calculated the flux from the counts in the corresponding energy ranges. We applied this method to data from the terrestrial radiation belt and SEPs in March 2022. The results agreed with the empirical radiation belt model and another instrument onboard BepiColombo, demonstrating the validity of the method. This study highlights the potential for scientific applications of housekeeping instruments and suggests the broader use of similar methods on other missions for expanding inner heliosphere multi‐point exploration.
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The Astrophysical Journal, 977(2) 226-226, Dec 1, 2024Abstract C+ emission is generated by electron impact, dissociative ionization, photoionization, and resonant scattering with carbon-related atoms, molecules, and ions in the Martian ionosphere and thermosphere. The contribution of each mechanism to the emission, however, has not been elucidated due to the difficulty of observation and the fact that a part of the emission cross section is unclear. The current paper isolates the C+ emission mechanism using remote-sensing and in situ observations on board Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN. Both electron impact and dissociative ionization/photoionization contribute to C+ emission below 150 km altitude when the CO density is high, but only dissociative ionization/photoionization contributes to the emission for the low CO density case, while only dissociative ionization/photoionization dominates the emission at altitudes between 150 and 165 km for both CO density cases. It is difficult to estimate the total flux of suprathermal electrons in the ionosphere from remote-sensing observations of C+ emission because the contribution of electron impact to C+ emission is small. In contrast, C-atom remote-sensing observations might provide a better understanding of the total flux of suprathermal electrons in the ionosphere than C+ emission, and global ultraviolet observations could be utilized as a tool for monitoring the ionosphere. The total flux of suprathermal electrons estimated from C-atom emission may be utilized to isolate the contribution of each C+ emission process to the brightness more accurately. This suggests that the C+ and C-atom emissions might be tracers of spatiotemporal variations in the Martian ionosphere and thermosphere.
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Mg Exosphere of Mercury Observed by PHEBUS Onboard BepiColombo During Its Second and Third Swing‐BysJournal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 129(10), Oct 16, 2024 Peer-reviewedAbstract Mercury's exosphere is an important target for understanding the dynamics of coupled systems in space environments, tenuous planetary atmospheres, and planetary surfaces. Magnesium (Mg) is especially crucial for establishing methods for estimating the surface chemical composition distribution through observations of the exosphere because its distribution in the exosphere and on the surface is strongly correlated. However, owing to its low radiance, the Hermean Mg exosphere has only been detected by the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) onboard the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft. Thus, we have few observation data for areas other than low latitude regions in addition to few detection cases of short‐term or sporadic fluctuations, resulting in a poor understanding of ejection and transportation mechanisms of the Mg exosphere. In this study, we analyzed the distribution of the Hermean Mg exosphere by the Probing of Hermean Exosphere by Ultraviolet Spectroscopy (PHEBUS) onboard the Mercury Planetary Orbiter of the BepiColombo mission during its second and third Mercury swing‐bys (MSBs). First, we constructed a calibration method including background subtraction and calibration using stellar observations. Mg light curves at two true anomaly angles were obtained, which were in agreement with the Chamberlain model and a three‐dimensional numerical calculation. Comparing the Mg and calcium (Ca) radiances obtained by PHEBUS during the MSBs, the exospheric Mg atoms have a lower energy than the exospheric Ca atoms. This is consistent with the lower energy necessary for producing the Mg atoms produced by molecular photodissociation than for Ca atoms.
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Communications Physics, 7(1), Oct 3, 2024
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 129(8), Aug 2, 2024Abstract Although solar wind‐driven convection is expected to dominate magnetospheric circulation at Mercury, its exact pattern remains poorly characterized by observations. Here we present BepiColombo Mio observations during the third Mercury flyby indicative of convection‐driven transport of low‐energy dense ions into the deep magnetosphere. During the flyby, Mio observed an energy‐dispersed ion population from the duskside magnetopause to the deep region of the midnight magnetosphere. A comparison of the observations with backward test particle simulations suggests that the observed energy dispersion structure can be explained in terms of energy‐selective transport by convection from the duskside tail magnetopause. We also discuss the properties and origins of more energetic ions observed in the more dipole‐like field regions of the magnetosphere in comparison to previously reported populations of the plasma sheet horn and ring current ions. Additionally, forward test particle simulations predict that most of the observed ions on the nightside will precipitate onto relatively low‐latitude regions of the nightside surface of Mercury for a typical convection case. The presented observations and simulation results reveal the critical role of magnetospheric convection in determining the structure of Mercury's magnetospheric plasma. The upstream driver dependence of magnetospheric convection and its effects on other magnetospheric processes and plasma‐surface interactions should be further investigated by in‐orbit BepiColombo observations.
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Astronomy & Astrophysics, 687 A243-A243, Jul 17, 2024Context. The Mercury electron analyzer (MEA) obtained new electron observations during the first three Mercury flybys by BepiColombo on October 1, 2021 (MFB1), June 23 , 2022 (MFB2), and June 19, 2023 (MFB3). BepiColombo entered the dusk side magnetotail from the flank magnetosheath in the northern hemisphere, crossed the Mercury solar orbital equator around midnight in the magnetotail, traveled from midnight to dawn in the southern hemisphere near the closest approach, and exited from the post-dawn magnetosphere into the dayside magnetosheath. Aims. We aim to identify the magnetospheric boundaries and describe the structure and dynamics of the electron populations observed in the various regions explored along the flyby trajectories. Methods. We derive 4s time resolution electron densities and temperatures from MEA observations. We compare and contrast our new BepiColombo electron observations with those obtained from the Mariner 10 scanning electron spectrometer (SES) 49 yr ago. Results. A comparison to the averaged magnetospheric boundary crossings of MESSENGER indicates that the magnetosphere of Mercury was compressed during MFB1, close to its average state during MFB2, and highly compressed during MFB3. Our new MEA observations reveal the presence of a wake effect very close behind Mercury when BepiColombo entered the shadow region, a significant dusk-dawn asymmetry in electron fluxes in the nightside magnetosphere, and strongly fluctuating electrons with energies above 100s eV in the dawnside magnetosphere. Magnetospheric electron densities and temperatures are in the range of 10–30 cm−3 and above a few 100s eV in the pre-midnight-sector, and in the range of 1–100 cm−3 and well below 100 eV in the post-midnight sector, respectively. Conclusions. The MEA electron observations of different solar wind properties encountered during the first three Mercury flybys reveal the highly dynamic response and variability of the solar wind-magnetosphere interactions at Mercury. A good match is found between the electron plasma parameters derived by MEA in the various regions of the Hermean environment and similar ones derived in a few cases from other instruments on board BepiColombo.
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 129(9), May 28, 2024 Peer-reviewed
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Nature Astronomy, Apr 12, 2024 Peer-reviewedAbstract On 10 August 2021, the Mercury-bound BepiColombo spacecraft performed its second fly-by of Venus and provided a short-lived observation of its induced magnetosphere. Here we report results recorded by the Mass Spectrum Analyzer on board Mio, which reveal the presence of cold O+ and C+ with an average total flux of ~4 ± 1 × 104 cm−2 s−1 at a distance of about six planetary radii in a region that has never been explored before. The ratio of escaping C+ to O+ is at most 0.31 ± 0.2, implying that, in addition to atomic O+ ions, CO group ions or water group ions may be a source of the observed O+. Simultaneous magnetometer observations suggest that these planetary ions were in the magnetosheath flank in the vicinity of the magnetic pileup boundary downstream. These results have important implications regarding the evolution of Venus’s atmosphere and, in particular, the evolution of water on the surface of the planet.
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Astronomy & Astrophysics, Mar 11, 2024 Peer-reviewedLast authorWe derive electron density and temperature from observations obtained by the Mercury Electron Analyzer on board Mio during the cruise phase of BepiColombo while the spacecraft is in a stacked configuration. In order to remove the secondary electron emission contribution, we first fit the core electron population of the solar wind with a Maxwellian distribution. We then subtract the resulting distribution from the complete electron spectrum, and suppress the residual count rates observed at low energies. Hence, our corrected count rates consist of the sum of the fitted Maxwellian core electron population with a contribution at higher energies. We finally estimate the electron density and temperature from the corrected count rates using a classical integration method. We illustrate the results of our derivation for two case studies, including the second Venus flyby of BepiColombo when the Solar Orbiter spacecraft was located nearby, and for a statistical study using observations obtained to date for distances to the Sun ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 A.U. When compared either to measurements of Solar Orbiter or to measurements obtained by HELIOS and Parker Solar Probe, our method leads to a good estimation of the electron density and temperature. Hence, despite the strong limitations arising from the stacked configuration of BepiColombo during its cruise phase, we illustrate how we can retrieve reasonable estimates for the electron density and temperature for timescales from days down to several seconds.
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The Planetary Science Journal, 5(2) 36-36, Feb 1, 2024 Peer-reviewedAbstract We provide an overview of our understanding of the dust environment at Mercury and the role that dust plays in shaping the planet's surface and exosphere. Our understanding of the role that dust impacts play in the generation of Mercury's atmosphere has evolved considerably with continued analysis of results from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. Recent models have provided evidence for the probable release of refractory species into Mercury's exosphere via impacts. However, there remain significant questions regarding the relative contributions of atoms released via impacts versus other mechanisms (e.g., photon-stimulated desorption) to the overall exospheric budget. We also discuss the state of observational and modeling efforts to constrain the dust environment at Mercury, including sources from the zodiacal cloud, cometary trails, and interstellar dust. We describe the advancements that will be made in our characterization of dust at Mercury with BepiColombo, providing observational constraints on the dust clouds themselves and the role that impacts play in exospheric generation. On Mercury's surface, there remain outstanding questions regarding the role that dust impacts play in the regolith cycling and development. We review how improved modeling efforts to understand grain lifetimes as a function of impactor flux will further our understanding of Mercury's regolith. Finally, there are few constraints on the role of dust impacts on the space weathering of Mercury's surface, particularly the expected chemical, physical, and spectral alterations to the regolith. Here we discuss the importance of laboratory experiments to simulate these processes for the interpretation of data from MESSENGER and BepiColombo.
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Space Science Reviews, 220(1), Jan 24, 2024 Peer-reviewedAbstract Here we describe the novel, multi-point Comet Interceptor mission. It is dedicated to the exploration of a little-processed long-period comet, possibly entering the inner Solar System for the first time, or to encounter an interstellar object originating at another star. The objectives of the mission are to address the following questions: What are the surface composition, shape, morphology, and structure of the target object? What is the composition of the gas and dust in the coma, its connection to the nucleus, and the nature of its interaction with the solar wind? The mission was proposed to the European Space Agency in 2018, and formally adopted by the agency in June 2022, for launch in 2029 together with the Ariel mission. Comet Interceptor will take advantage of the opportunity presented by ESA’s F-Class call for fast, flexible, low-cost missions to which it was proposed. The call required a launch to a halo orbit around the Sun-Earth L2 point. The mission can take advantage of this placement to wait for the discovery of a suitable comet reachable with its minimum $\varDelta $V capability of $600\text{ ms}^{-1}$. Comet Interceptor will be unique in encountering and studying, at a nominal closest approach distance of 1000 km, a comet that represents a near-pristine sample of material from the formation of the Solar System. It will also add a capability that no previous cometary mission has had, which is to deploy two sub-probes – B1, provided by the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and B2 – that will follow different trajectories through the coma. While the main probe passes at a nominal 1000 km distance, probes B1 and B2 will follow different chords through the coma at distances of 850 km and 400 km, respectively. The result will be unique, simultaneous, spatially resolved information of the 3-dimensional properties of the target comet and its interaction with the space environment. We present the mission’s science background leading to these objectives, as well as an overview of the scientific instruments, mission design, and schedule.
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 129(1), Jan 9, 2024 Peer-reviewedLast authorAbstract During the first flyby of the BepiColombo composite spacecraft at Mercury in October 2021 ion spectrometers observed two intense spectral lines with energies between 10 and 70 eV. The spectral lines persisted also at larger distances from Mercury and were observed again at lower intensity during cruise phase in March 2022 and at the second and third Mercury flyby as a single band. The ion composition indicates that water is the dominant gas source. The outgassing causes the composite spacecraft to charge up to a negative potential of up to −50 V. The distribution and intensity of the lower energy signal depends on the intensity of low energy electron fluxes around the spacecraft which again depend on the magnetic field orientation. We interpret the observation as being caused by water outgassing from different source locations on the spacecraft being ionized in two different regions of the surrounding potential. The interpretation is confirmed by two dimensional particle‐in‐cell simulations.
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Earth, Planets and Space, 76(1), Jan 2, 2024 Peer-reviewedLast authorAbstract The $$\textrm{O}^+$$ density distribution in the nightside ionosphere has been reconstructed from extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images taken by the EUVI-B imager of the International Space Station Ionosphere, Mesosphere, upper Atmosphere, and Plasmasphere mapping (ISS-IMAP) cameras. The EUVI-B imager covers the wavelength range from about 70 nm to 110 nm and mainly observes the 91.1 nm emission from the recombination of $$\textrm{O}^+$$ ions and electrons. Assuming that the electron density is equal to the $$\textrm{O}^+$$ density in the F-region where the imager observes, the EUV intensity observed by EUVI-B is approximately proportional to the line-of-sight integral of the square of the $$\textrm{O}^+$$ density. This enables us to estimate the $$\textrm{O}^+$$ density distribution in the F-region from a sequence of EUVI-B data in each International Space Station (ISS) orbit with a Bayesian method. We demonstrate the reconstruction of the $$\textrm{O}^+$$ distribution. In particular, the $$\textrm{O}^+$$ density structure of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) in the vicinity of an ISS orbit is obtained. Graphical Abstract
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Earth, Planets and Space, 75(1), Nov 20, 2023 Peer-reviewedAbstract In celestial bodies with tenuous collisionless atmospheres, such as Mercury, the spatial distribution of the exosphere is expected to reflect the surface composition. In this study, we discuss whether the distributions of Mg, Ca, and Na, the primary exospheric components of Mercury, have a local exosphere–surface correlation by analyzing the observation data of the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) and X-ray spectrometer (XRS) onboard the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft. It was found that Mg has a strong local exosphere–surface correlation and Ca has a weak correlation. The Monte Carlo simulations of trajectories in the exosphere show that the weak correlation of Ca is due to the relatively large solar radiation acceleration. In addition, Na production rate in high-temperature regions is longitudinally dependent. This can be explained by considering that the weakly physisorbed Na layer on the surface is depleted under high temperature and that the distribution of strongly chemisorbed Na atoms is reflected in the exosphere. Based on these results, the conditions for components with a correlation in celestial bodies with thin atmospheres may include low volatility and low solar radiation acceleration. Graphical Abstract
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Nature Astronomy, Sep 14, 2023 Peer-reviewedLast author
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Nature Communications, 14(1), Jul 18, 2023 Peer-reviewedLast authorAbstract Mercury’s magnetosphere is known to involve fundamental processes releasing particles and energy like at Earth due to the solar wind interaction. The resulting cycle is however much faster and involves acceleration, transport, loss, and recycling of plasma. Direct experimental evidence for the roles of electrons during this cycle is however missing. Here we show that in-situ plasma observations obtained during BepiColombo’s first Mercury flyby reveal a compressed magnetosphere hosts of quasi-periodic fluctuations, including the original observation of dynamic phenomena in the post-midnight, southern magnetosphere. The energy-time dispersed electron enhancements support the occurrence of substorm-related, multiple, impulsive injections of electrons that ultimately precipitate onto its surface and induce X-ray fluorescence. These observations reveal that electron injections and subsequent energy-dependent drift now observed throughout Solar System is a universal mechanism that generates aurorae despite the differences in structure and dynamics of the planetary magnetospheres.
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 128(6), Jun 16, 2023 Peer-reviewed
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 128(6), May 30, 2023 Peer-reviewedAbstract On 1 October 2021, Bepi‐Colombo performed its first flyby of Mercury. During the maneuver, the short wavelength channel (55–155 nm) of “Probing the Hermean Exosphere by UV Spectroscopy” (PHEBUS) was activated for a total duration of 1 hr. The helium resonance line at 58.4 nm was clearly observed during the whole sequence. At large distance from the planet, the emission was due to helium atoms in the interplanetary medium (interplanetary UV glow). Just after crossing the terminator of the planet and entering the dawn side of the exosphere, PHEBUS observed a clear additional emission due to scattering of solar photons by helium atoms in the exosphere of Mercury. The first detection of the 58.4 nm line in the exosphere of Mercury was reported by Broadfoot et al. (1976, https://doi.org/10.1029/gl003i010p00577) following the Mariner 10 flybys in 1974. The PHEBUS observation of exospheric helium emissions is the first for this element since the UVS measurements. In this paper, we present the results of our analysis of the PHEBUS data at 58.4 nm. Calibration of both instruments are compared with observations of the interplanetary glow, showing that the measurements of both instruments are accurate. However, we find that the exospheric density of helium atoms deduced from the PHEBUS data is 4.5–7.5 times lower than the previous estimate from UVS on Mariner 10. Possible explanations are considered. We show that some of the helium atoms present in the exosphere of Mercury could originate from the local interstellar cloud.
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Solar Physics, 298(5), May 30, 2023 Peer-reviewedAbstract Remotely sensed interplanetary scintillation (IPS) data from the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE), Japan, allows a determination of solar-wind parameters throughout the inner heliosphere. We show the 3D analysis technique developed for these data sets that forecast plasma velocity, density, and component magnetic fields at Earth, as well at the other inner heliospheric planets and spacecraft. One excellent coronal mass ejection (CME) example that occurred on the 10 March 2022 was viewed not only in the ISEE IPS analyses, but also by the spacecraft near Earth that measured the CME arrival at one AU. Solar Orbiter, that was nearly aligned along the Earth radial at 0.45 AU, also measured the CME in plasma density, velocity, and magnetic field. BepiColombo at 0.42 AU was also aligned with the STEREO A spacecraft, and viewed this CME. The instruments used here from BepiColombo include: 1) the European-Space-Agency Mercury-Planetary-Orbiter magnetic field measurements; 2) the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Mio spacecraft Solar Particle Monitor that viewed the CME Forbush decrease, and the Mercury Plasma Experiment/Mercury Electron Analyzer instruments that measured particles and solar-wind density from below the spacecraft protective sunshield covering. This article summarizes the analysis using ISEE, Japan real-time data for these forecasts: it provides a synopsis of the results and confirmation of the CME event morphology after its arrival, and discusses how future IPS analyses can augment these results.
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SPIE Future Sensing Technologies 2023, May 22, 2023
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Nature Communications, 13(1), Dec 15, 2022 Peer-reviewedLast authorAbstract The second Venus flyby of the BepiColombo mission offer a unique opportunity to make a complete tour of one of the few gas-dynamics dominated interaction regions between the supersonic solar wind and a Solar System object. The spacecraft pass through the full Venusian magnetosheath following the plasma streamlines, and cross the subsolar stagnation region during very stable solar wind conditions as observed upstream by the neighboring Solar Orbiter mission. These rare multipoint synergistic observations and stable conditions experimentally confirm what was previously predicted for the barely-explored stagnation region close to solar minimum. Here, we show that this region has a large extend, up to an altitude of 1900 km, and the estimated low energy transfer near the subsolar point confirm that the atmosphere of Venus, despite being non-magnetized and less conductive due to lower ultraviolet flux at solar minimum, is capable of withstanding the solar wind under low dynamic pressure.
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Nature communications, 13(1) 6609-6609, Nov 3, 2022 Peer-reviewedDust storms on Mars play a role in transporting water from its lower to upper atmosphere, seasonally enhancing hydrogen escape. However, it remains unclear how water is diurnally transported during a dust storm and how its elements, hydrogen and oxygen, are subsequently influenced in the upper atmosphere. Here, we use multi-spacecraft and space telescope observations obtained during a major dust storm in Mars Year 33 to show that hydrogen abundance in the upper atmosphere gradually increases because of water supply above an altitude of 60 km, while oxygen abundance temporarily decreases via water ice absorption, catalytic loss, or downward transportation. Additionally, atmospheric waves modulate dust and water transportations, causing alternate oscillations of hydrogen and oxygen abundances in the upper atmosphere. If dust- and wave-driven couplings of the Martian lower and upper atmospheres are common in dust storms, with increasing escape of hydrogen, oxygen will less efficiently escape from the upper atmosphere, leading to a more oxidized atmosphere. These findings provide insights regarding Mars' water loss history and its redox state, which are crucial for understanding the Martian habitable environment.
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Geophysical Research Letters, 49(17), Sep 16, 2022 Peer-reviewedLast author
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The Planetary Science Journal, 3(9) 209-209, Sep 1, 2022 Peer-reviewedAbstract We performed a unique Venus observation campaign to measure the disk brightness of Venus over a broad range of wavelengths in 2020 August and September. The primary goal of the campaign was to investigate the absorption properties of the unknown absorber in the clouds. The secondary goal was to extract a disk mean SO2 gas abundance, whose absorption spectral feature is entangled with that of the unknown absorber at ultraviolet wavelengths. A total of three spacecraft and six ground-based telescopes participated in this campaign, covering the 52–1700 nm wavelength range. After careful evaluation of the observational data, we focused on the data sets acquired by four facilities. We accomplished our primary goal by analyzing the reflectivity spectrum of the Venus disk over the 283–800 nm wavelengths. Considerable absorption is present in the 350–450 nm range, for which we retrieved the corresponding optical depth of the unknown absorber. The result shows the consistent wavelength dependence of the relative optical depth with that at low latitudes, during the Venus flyby by MESSENGER in 2007, which was expected because the overall disk reflectivity is dominated by low latitudes. Last, we summarize the experience that we obtained during this first campaign, which should enable us to accomplish our second goal in future campaigns.
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Planetary and Space Science, 218 105499-105499, Sep, 2022 Peer-reviewedLast author
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 127(3), Mar, 2022 Peer-reviewed
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The Planetary Science Journal, 3(3) 58-58, Mar 1, 2022 Peer-reviewedAbstract Current knowledge of the Uranian system is limited to observations from the flyby of Voyager 2 and limited remote observations. However, Uranus remains a highly compelling scientific target due to the unique properties of many aspects of the planet itself and its system. Future exploration of Uranus must focus on cross-disciplinary science that spans the range of research areas from the planet’s interior, atmosphere, and magnetosphere to the its rings and satellites, as well as the interactions between them. Detailed study of Uranus by an orbiter is crucial not only for valuable insights into the formation and evolution of our solar system but also for providing ground truths for the understanding of exoplanets. As such, exploration of Uranus will not only enhance our understanding of the ice giant planets themselves but also extend to planetary dynamics throughout our solar system and beyond. The timeliness of exploring Uranus is great, as the community hopes to return in time to image unseen portions of the satellites and magnetospheric configurations. This urgency motivates evaluation of what science can be achieved with a lower-cost, potentially faster-turnaround mission, such as a New Frontiers–class orbiter mission. This paper outlines the scientific case for and the technological and design considerations that must be addressed by future studies to enable a New Frontiers–class Uranus orbiter with balanced cross-disciplinary science objectives. In particular, studies that trade scientific scope and instrumentation and operational capabilities against simpler and cheaper options must be fundamental to the mission formulation.
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Experimental Astronomy, Dec 1, 2021 Peer-reviewed
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Space Science Reviews, 217(8), Dec, 2021 Peer-reviewed
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Experimental Astronomy, Oct 30, 2021 Peer-reviewed<title>Abstract</title>Jupiter has the most complex and energetic radiation belts in our Solar System and one of the most challenging space environments to measure and characterize in-depth. Their hazardous environment is also a reason why so many spacecraft avoid flying directly through their most intense regions, thus explaining how Jupiter’s radiation belts have kept many of their secrets so well hidden, despite having been studied for decades. In this paper we argue why these secrets are worth unveiling. Jupiter’s radiation belts and the vast magnetosphere that encloses them constitute an unprecedented physical laboratory, suitable for interdisciplinary and novel scientific investigations: from studying fundamental high energy plasma physics processes which operate throughout the Universe, such as adiabatic charged particle acceleration and nonlinear wave-particle interactions, to exploiting the astrobiological consequences of energetic particle radiation. The in-situ exploration of the uninviting environment of Jupiter’s radiation belts presents us with many challenges in mission design, science planning, instrumentation, and technology. We address these challenges by reviewing the different options that exist for direct and indirect observations of this unique system. We stress the need for new instruments, the value of synergistic Earth and Jupiter-based remote sensing and in-situ investigations, and the vital importance of multi-spacecraft in-situ measurements. While simultaneous, multi-point in-situ observations have long become the standard for exploring electromagnetic interactions in the inner Solar System, they have never taken place at Jupiter or any strongly magnetized planet besides Earth. We conclude that a dedicated multi-spacecraft mission to Jupiter is an essential and obvious way forward for exploring the planet’s radiation belts. Besides guaranteeing numerous discoveries and huge leaps in our understanding of radiation belt systems, such a mission would also enable us to view Jupiter, its extended magnetosphere, moons, and rings under new light, with great benefits for space, planetary, and astrophysical sciences. For all these reasons, in-situ investigations of Jupiter’s radiation belts deserve to be given a high priority in the future exploration of our Solar System. This article is based on a White Paper submitted in response to the European Space Agency’s call for science themes for its Voyage 2050 programme.
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Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences, 8, Sep 14, 2021 Peer-reviewedThe investigation of multi-spacecraft coordinated observations during the cruise phase of BepiColombo (ESA/JAXA) are reported, with a particular emphasis on the recently launched missions, Solar Orbiter (ESA/NASA) and Parker Solar Probe (NASA). Despite some payload constraints, many instruments onboard BepiColombo are operating during its cruise phase simultaneously covering a wide range of heliocentric distances (0.28 AU–0.5 AU). Hence, the various spacecraft configurations and the combined <italic>in-situ</italic> and remote sensing measurements from the different spacecraft, offer unique opportunities for BepiColombo to be part of these unprecedented multipoint synergistic observations and for potential scientific studies in the inner heliosphere, even before its orbit insertion around Mercury in December 2025. The main goal of this report is to present the coordinated observation opportunities during the cruise phase of BepiColombo (excluding the planetary flybys). We summarize the identified science topics, the operational instruments, the method we have used to identify the windows of opportunity and discuss the planning of joint observations in the future.
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EARTH PLANETS AND SPACE, 73(1), Jul, 2021 Peer-reviewed
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Planetary and Space Science, 198 105176-105176, Apr, 2021 Peer-reviewed
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Space Science Reviews, 217(2), Mar, 2021 Peer-reviewed
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 126(2), Feb, 2021 Peer-reviewed
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Space Science Reviews, 217(1), Feb, 2021 Peer-reviewed<title>Abstract</title>The dual spacecraft mission BepiColombo is the first joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to explore the planet Mercury. BepiColombo was launched from Kourou (French Guiana) on October 20th, 2018, in its packed configuration including two spacecraft, a transfer module, and a sunshield. BepiColombo cruise trajectory is a long journey into the inner heliosphere, and it includes one flyby of the Earth (in April 2020), two of Venus (in October 2020 and August 2021), and six of Mercury (starting from 2021), before orbit insertion in December 2025. A big part of the mission instruments will be fully operational during the mission cruise phase, allowing unprecedented investigation of the different environments that will encounter during the 7-years long cruise. The present paper reviews all the planetary flybys and some interesting cruise configurations. Additional scientific research that will emerge in the coming years is also discussed, including the instruments that can contribute.
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SPACE TELESCOPES AND INSTRUMENTATION 2020: ULTRAVIOLET TO GAMMA RAY, 11444, 2021
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Space Weather, 19(1), Jan, 2021 Peer-reviewed
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The Astrophysical Journal, 905(1) L10-L10, Dec 10, 2020 Peer-reviewed
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 125(12), Dec, 2020 Peer-reviewed
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SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS, 216(7), Oct, 2020 Peer-reviewedLead author
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Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 125(9), Sep, 2020 Peer-reviewed
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Space Science Reviews, 216(5), Aug 1, 2020 Peer-reviewed
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Space Science Reviews, 216(4), Jun, 2020 Peer-reviewed
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Space Sci. Rev., 216(34), Mar, 2020 Peer-reviewed
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Journal of Geophysical Research, in press(3), Jan 1, 2020 Peer-reviewed
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Journal of Geophysical Research, Eary View(12) 10209-10218, Dec 11, 2019 Peer-reviewed
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Journal of Geophysical Research, Eary View(12) 10318-10331, Dec 9, 2019 Peer-reviewed
Misc.
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Proceedings of the SPIE, 13093, Aug 21, 2024
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Abstract EGU 2023, May 15, 2023 InvitedHisaki is an earth orbiting extreme ultraviolet spectroscope dedicated for observing solar system planets. Thanks to its monitoring capability, Hisaki has carried out unprecedented continuous observation of Io plasma torus, Jovian aurora, and Mars and Venus upper atmosphere since December 2013. One of notable phenomena observed by Hisaki is significant enhancements of neutral gas (sodium and oxygen) from Io occurred in the spring of 2015. Hisaki revealed that not only the plasma source, but transport, heating, and loss processes of magnetospheric plasma were influenced by the variation in the neutral source input. The presentation will include related topics from recent Hisaki publication. Since the autumn of 2016, the Juno spacecraft was in the orbit around Jupiter. Hisaki monitored activities of Jovian aurora and the plasma torus in the Juno era. These datasets will provide opportunities to compare in-situ observation by Juno with the global view by Hisaki.&#160;JAXA approved the Hisaki mission period by the end of March 2023. As a future remote observation platform, we are going to propose a UV space telescope, LAPYUTA (Life-environmentology, Astronomy, and PlanetarY Ultraviolet Telescope Assembly), a Japanese-leading mission using heritages of UV instruments for planetary science (e.g., Hisaki) and space telescope techniques for astronomy. One of goals of this mission is dynamics of our solar system planets and moons as the most quantifiable archetypes of extraterrestrial habitable environments in the universe. Water plume that gushes from the subsurface ocean of Galilean moons and tenuous atmosphere which is generated by bombardment of energetic charged particles to the surface are primary targets of LAPYUTA. As the plume activity and the atmosphere are not stable, continuous monitoring with high spatial resolution is essential. The icy moon's plume and ambient space will be deeply explored with the spacecraft by NASA's and ESA's icy moon missions in 2020s-2030s. The complementary remote sensing by LAPYUTA will visualize their global structure and temporal dynamics.
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Planetary People - The Japanese Society for Planetary Sciences, 30(3) 105-106, Sep 25, 2021
Research Projects
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Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Apr, 2024 - Mar, 2028
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科学研究費助成事業, 日本学術振興会, Apr, 2023 - Mar, 2026
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Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Fund for the Promotion of Joint International Research (Fostering Joint International Research (B)), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Oct, 2020 - Mar, 2024
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Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Apr, 2020 - Mar, 2023
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搭載機器基礎開発研究費, 宇宙航空研究開発機構, May, 2020 - Mar, 2021
