Profile Information
- Affiliation
- Assoiciate Professor, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration AgencyAssociate Professor, School of Physical Sciences, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
- J-GLOBAL ID
- 200901006137313045
- researchmap Member ID
- 1000253786
- External link
Research Interests
5Research Areas
1Research History
4-
Jul, 1998 - Sep, 2003
Education
3-
Apr, 1988 - Mar, 1991
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Apr, 1986 - Mar, 1988
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Apr, 1982 - Mar, 1986
Committee Memberships
1-
2007 - 2011
Awards
1-
May, 2009
Papers
124-
EARTH PLANETS AND SPACE, 77(1), Feb 25, 2025The measurement of virtual height of the sporadic E layer (h'Es) is very sensitive to the type of ionosonde used and the calibration processes. The ionosondes used by the national institute of communication and technology (NICT) has changed several times in the past, resulting in large differences in h'Es before and after the change. We propose a simple method to calibrate h'Es. We used the data of ionosonde observations at four stations, i.e., Wakkanai (45.16 degrees N, 141.75 degrees E), Tokyo (35.71 degrees N, 139.49 degrees E), Yamagawa (31.20 degrees N, 130.62 degrees E), Okinawa (26.68 degrees N, 128.15 degrees E) to calibrate the latest ionosondes VIPIR2, which were installed in May 2017. We carried out the analysis by applying the double-reflection method to the original ionogram images between 2017 and 2021. By developing an automated image detecting algorithm, we were able to process a large amount of data and achieve a calibration with high accuracy. As a result, it was found that the current VIPIR2 data had an offset of 26-28 km.
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AIAA SCITECH 2024 FORUM, 2024One of the first instruments used to monitor laboratory plasmas was the Langmuir probe (LP). This instrument is still one of the key sensors in laboratory plasma investigations. With the access to space, the first sounding rockets with Langmuir Probes were flown in 1946-1947; followed with Langmuir probes on satellites from the early 1960s and on Pioneer Venus Orbiter and subsequent interplanetary probes starting in the 1970s. This paper summarizes some of the experiences of using Langmuir probes over the last 75-years in space, what issues have been encountered, and how to overcome different known effects unique to space flight measurements. This work was done through a number of workshops attended by a number of instrument team members and supported by the ISSI organisation.
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Experimental Astronomy, 54(2-3) 521-559, Dec, 2022 Peer-reviewedIn the White Paper, submitted in response to the European Space Agency (ESA) Voyage 2050 Call, we present the importance of advancing our knowledge of plasma-neutral gas interactions, and of deepening our understanding of the partially ionized environments that are ubiquitous in the upper atmospheres of planets and moons, and elsewhere in space. In future space missions, the above task requires addressing the following fundamental questions: (A) How and by how much do plasma-neutral gas interactions influence the re-distribution of externally provided energy to the composing species? (B) How and by how much do plasma-neutral gas interactions contribute toward the growth of heavy complex molecules and biomolecules? Answering these questions is an absolute prerequisite for addressing the long-standing questions of atmospheric escape, the origin of biomolecules, and their role in the evolution of planets, moons, or comets, under the influence of energy sources in the form of electromagnetic and corpuscular radiation, because low-energy ion-neutral cross-sections in space cannot be reproduced quantitatively in laboratories for conditions of satisfying, particularly, (1) low-temperatures, (2) tenuous or strong gradients or layered media, and (3) in low-gravity plasma. Measurements with a minimum core instrument package (< 15 kg) can be used to perform such investigations in many different conditions and should be included in all deep-space missions. These investigations, if specific ranges of background parameters are considered, can also be pursued for Earth, Mars, and Venus.
Misc.
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電位が変動する飛翔体で使用可能なラングミューアプローブの開発—Development of a Langmuir Probe for Spacecraft with Varying Potential東海大学紀要. 工学部, 57(2) 49-53, Mar 31, 2018
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Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC, Jan 1, 2016Copyright © 2016 by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). All rights reserved. Japan's Venus Climate Orbiter Akatsuki was proposed to ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science) in 2001 as an interplanetary mission. We made 5 cameras with narrow-band filters to image Venus at different wavelengths to track the cloud and minor components distribution at different heights to study the Venusian atmospheric dynamics in 3 dimension. It was launched on May 21st, 2010 and reached Venus on December 7th, 2010. With the thrust by the orbital maneuver engine, Akatsuki tried to go into the westward equatorial orbit around Venus with the 30 hours' orbital period, however it failed by the malfunction of the propulsion system. Later the spacecraft has been orbiting the sun for 5 years. On December 7th, 2015 Akatsuki met Venus again after the orbit control and Akatsuki was put into the westward equatorial orbit whose apoapsis is about 0.44 million km and orbital period of 14 days. Its main target is to shed light on the mechanism of the fast atmospheric circulation of Venus. The systematic imaging sequence by Akatsuki is advantageous for detecting meteorological phenomena with various temporal and spatial scales. We have five photometric sensors as mission instruments for imaging, which are 1 m-infrared camera (IR1), 2 m-infrared camera (IR2), ultra-violet imager (UVI), long-wave infrared camera (LIR), and lightning and airglow camera (LAC). These photometers except LIR have changeable filters in the optics to image in certain wavelengths. Akatsuki's long elliptical orbit around Venus is suitable for obtaining cloud-tracked wind vectors over a wide area continuously from high altitudes. With the observation, the characterizations of the meridional circulation, mid-latitude jets, and various wave activities are anticipated. The technical issues of Venus orbit insertion in 2015 and the scientific new results will be given in this paper.
Books and Other Publications
2Presentations
307Teaching Experience
1-
Jun, 2005 - Present惑星大気科学特論 (総合研究)
Professional Memberships
3Research Projects
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Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Apr, 2023 - Mar, 2026
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Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Apr, 2018 - Mar, 2021
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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, 2012 - Mar, 2015
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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, 2010 - Mar, 2014
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Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 2008 - 2010
● 指導学生等の数
2-
Fiscal Year2021年度(FY2021)Master’s program4Students under Commissioned Guidance Student System4Students under Skills Acquisition System1
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Fiscal Year2020年度(FY2020)Master’s program3Students under Commissioned Guidance Student System3Students under Skills Acquisition System2
● 専任大学名
1-
Affiliation (university)総合研究大学院大学(SOKENDAI)
● 所属する所内委員会
3-
ISAS Committee理学委員会
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ISAS Committee観測ロケット専門委員会
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ISAS Committeeスペースチェンバー専門委員会