Geoscience Reference
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and from 0.1 Hz to 640 kHz for the magnetic field. In the present paper, we
demonstrate the scientific objectives of plasma/radio wave observation around
Mercury. Further, we introduce the PWI system, which is designed to meet the
scientific objectives in the BepiColombo MMO mission.
1. Introduction
The Mariner 10 encounters with the planet Mercury strongly suggest the
existence of an intrinsic magnetic field, which leads to the formation of the
magnetosphere through its interaction with the solar wind plasma.
1
Since
space plasmas are essentially collisionless, the observations of plasma/radio
waves in the Mercury magnetosphere provide important information in
studying the energy/momentum exchange processes in the unique plasma
environments characterized by the weak intrinsic magnetic fields and the
high dynamic pressure of the solar wind.
The Plasma Wave Investigation (PWI) onboard the BepiColombo Mer-
cury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) addresses a wealth of fundamental
scientific questions pertaining to the magnetosphere and exosphere of planet
Mercury, the solar wind at Mercury's location, and solar radiation from the
view point of Mercury (see Fig. 1). The PWI measurements will provide
Fig. 1. Schematic views of Mercury's magnetosphere and representative targets of PWI.
The dashed circle represents the orbit of the MMO spacecraft.
