Tycho von Rosenvinge

Astrophysics Science Division
NASA/GSFC
Code 661, Astroparticle Physics Laboratory
Greenbelt, MD 20771

tel: 301-286-6721
fax: 301-286-1682
e-mail: tycho.t.vonrosenvinge @ nasa.gov

Present Position

Astrophysicist
Project Scientist for the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE)
Project Scientist for the Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX), NASA's first Small Explorer (SMEX)
Principal Investigator, WIND/EPACT
Co-Investigator, ACE
Co-Investigator, STEREO

Brief Bio

Dr. von Rosenvinge came to GSFC in September, 1969 and worked on IMPs VI, IMP VII, and IMP VIII. IMP VIII continues to be tracked to this day. The IMP instruments incorporated a new system for preferentially reading out heavy elements, which led to major improvements in knowledge of solar abundances (Teegarden et al., 1973; McGuire, von Rosenvinge, and McDonald, 1986). A key prediction of a conroversial theory regarding the anomalous component was verified by observing anomalous neon for the first time (von Rosenvinge and McDonald, 1975). This theory was ultimately validated by the SAMPEX mission, but not until more than 15 years later! (Cummings, et al., 1993)

In 1971 Dr. von Rosenvinge became Project Scientist for the International Sun-Earth Explorer Heliocentric Spacecraft (ISEE-3) as well as Principle Investigator for the Medium Energy Cosmic Ray Experiment on ISEE-3. The ISEE Project was an extremely effective collaboration between scientists in the U.S. and in Europe. ISEE-3 was the first spacecraft to use a halo orbit at the sunward libration point (L1), which positioned the spacecraft at an ideal point to observe interplanetary phenomena.

Results from IMP-VIII and ISEE-3 showed for the first time that there are two distinct types of solar energetic particle events: impulsive events and long-duration events. Impulsive events tend to be 3He-rich and Fe-rich and are well associated with electrons and type III radio bursts. Long-duration events are associated with coronal shocks which accelerate the bulk of the particles in the event. Most of the events studied in the early days were long-duration events. The impulsive events were mostly overlooked, in part because researchers used proton intensities to search for solar events and impulsive events are often accompanied by few, if any, protons.

After several years at L1, ISEE-3 was redirected towards the earth's distant magnetotail. Double lunar swing-bys were used for the first time to offset seasonal precession and maintain ISEE-3 in the earth's tail. A third phase of the ISEE-3 mission was undertaken with a lunar swing-by within 35 km of the moon's surface. This set ISEE-3 on a trajectory to intercept the comet Giacobini-Zinner (cf. von Rosenvinge, Brandt and Farquhar, 1986). This was the first encounter of a spacecraft with a comet, preceding the Halley comet encounters by about 6 months. Despite initial reservations by many, the intercept of comet Giacobini-Zinner was a considerable success, in part because detectable disturbances from the comet, including waves generated in conjunction with the acceleration of solar-wind particles, extended over a much larger region than had been expected.

Dr. von Rosenvinge is currently participating in the WIND mission (EPACT PI) and the ACE mission (CRIS and SIS; Project Scientist). He is also a Co-Investigator on the IMPACT investigation for STEREO, to be launched in 2006.

Educational Background

1970- Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
1963- A.B., Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts

Research Interests

Astrophysics of energetic-particle acceleration at the Sun, in the heliosphere and in the galaxy. Design, fabrication and test of energetic particle telescopes and their related electronics and on-board software.

Current Projects

STEREO
ACE/CRIS and ACE/SIS
WIND/EPACT

Selected Publications

"Two components in major solar particle events", Cane, H. V., von Rosenvinge, T. T., Cohen, C. M. S., Mewaldt, R. A., 2003,
Geophysical Research Letters, Volume 30, Issue 12, pp. SEP 5-1, CiteID 8017, DOI 10.1029/2002GL016580

"Measurement of the Secondary Radionuclides 10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, 54Mn, and 14C and Implications for the Galactic Cosmic-Ray Age",
Yanasak, N. E., Wiedenbeck, M. E., Mewaldt, R. A., Davis, A. J., Cummings, A. C., George, J. S., Leske, R. A., Stone, E. C., Christian, E. R., von Rosenvinge, T. T., Binns, W. R., Hink, P. L., Israel, M. H., 2001, Astrophys. J., 563, 768-792.

"Constraints on the Time Delay between Nucleosynthesis and Cosmic-Ray Acceleration from Observations of 59Ni and 59Co",
Wiedenbeck, M. E., Binns, W. R., Christian, E. R., Cummings, A. C., Dougherty, B. L., Hink, P. L., Klarmann, J., Leske, R. A., Lijowski, M., Mewaldt, R. A., Stone, E. C., Thayer, M. R., von Rosenvinge, T. T., Yanasak, N. E., Astrophys. J., 523, L61-L64.

"Interplanetary Magnetic Field Periodicity of ~153 Days", H.V. Cane, I.G. Richardson, and T.T. von Rosenvinge, 1998, Geophys. Res. Letters, 25, 4437.

"The Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer for the Advanced Composition Explorer", E.C. Stone, C.M.S. Cohen, W.R. Cook, A.C. Cummings, B. Gauld, B. Kecman, R.A. Leske, R. A. Mewaldt, M. R. Thayer, B.L. Dougherty, R.L. Grumm, B.D. Milliken, R.G. Radocinski, M.E. Wiedenbeck, E.R. Christian, H. R. Trexel, T.T. von Rosenvinge, W.R. Binns, D.J. Crary, P. Dowkontt, J. Epstein, P.L. Hink, J. Klarmann, M. Lijowski and M.A. Olevitch, 1998, Space Science Reviews, 86, 285-356.

"The Solar Isotope Spectrometer for the Advanced Composition Explorer", E.C. Stone, C.M.S. Cohen, W.R. Cook, A.C. Cummings, B. Gauld, B. Kecman, R.A. Leske, R. A. Mewaldt, M. R. Thayer, B.L. Dougherty, R.L. Grumm, B.D. Milliken, R.G. Radocinski, M.E. Wiedenbeck, E.R. Christian, S. Shuman, and T.T. von Rosenvinge, 1998, Space Science Reviews, 86, 357-408.

"Evidence for Multiply Charged Anomalous Cosmic Rays", R.A. Mewaldt, R.S. Selesnick, J.R. Cummings, E.C. Stone and T.T. von Rosenvinge, 1996, Astrophys. J. Lett., 466, L43.

"The Energetic Particles: Acceleration, Composition, and Transport (EPACT) Experiment on the Wind Spacecraft", T.T. von Rosenvinge, L.M. Barbier, J. Karsh, R. Liberman, M.P. Madden, J.T. Nolan, D.V. Reames, L. Ryan, S. Singh, H. Trexel, G. Winkert, G.M. Mason, D.C. Hamilton, and P. Walpole, 1994, Space Sci. Rev., 71, 155.

"New Evidence for Anomalous Cosmic Rays Trapped in the Magnetosphere", A.C. Cummings, J.R. Cummings, R.A. Mewaldt, R.S. Selesnick, E.C. Stone and T.T. von Rosenvinge, 1993, GRL, 20, 2003.

"The International Cometary Explorer Mission to Comet P/Giacobini- Zinner", T.T. von Rosenvinge, J.C. Brandt and R.W. Farquhar, 1986, Science, 232, 353.

"The Composition of Solar Energetic Particles", R.E. McGuire, T.T. von Rosenvinge and F.B. McDonald, 1986, Astrophys. J., 301, 938.

"Two Classes of Solar Energetic Particle Events Associated with Impulsive and Long Duration Soft X-ray Flares", H.V. Cane, R.E. McGuire and T.T. von Rosenvinge, 1986, Astrophys. J., 301, 448.

"Solar 3He-rich Events and Non-Relativistic Electron Events: A New Association", D.V. Reames, T.T. von Rosenvinge, and R.P. Lin, 1985, Astrophys. J., 292, 716.

"The Interplanetary Acceleration of Energetic Nucleons", F.B. McDonald, B.J. Teegarden, J.H. Trainor, T.T. von Rosenvinge and W.R. Webber, 1976, Astrophys. J., 203, 149.