First in situ plasma and neutral gas measurements at comet Halley

We present the first in situ observations and a description of the large-scale behaviour of comet Halley's plasma environment. The PLASMAG-1 experiment, carried aboard the spacecraft Vega 1 and Vega 2, had the following aims: (1) to study the change of plasma parameters and distributions as a function of distance from the nucleus; (2) to investigate the existence and structure of the cometary bow shock; (3) to determine the change in chemical composition of the heavily mass-loaded plasma as the spacecraft approached the comet; and (4) to measure the neutral gas distribution along the spacecraft trajectory. We observe a discontinuity (the `cometopause') between the solar-wind-controlled cometosheath and heavy-ion mantle and the magnetized cometary plasma region. From the measured neutral gas density distribution we estimate a total gas production rate of 1.3×10³⁰ molecules s^-1.