scholarly journals Comparative Study on Planetary Magnetosphere in the Solar System

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1673
Author(s):  
Ching-Ming Lai ◽  
Jean-Fu Kiang
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Solar System ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Tilt Angle ◽  
Planetary Magnetosphere ◽  
Field Distributions ◽  
Mhd Simulations ◽  
The Magnetic Field

The magnetospheric responses to solar wind of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Uranus are compared via magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. The tilt angle of each planetary field and the polarity of solar wind are also considered. Magnetic reconnection is illustrated and explicated with the interaction between the magnetic field distributions of the solar wind and the magnetosphere.

Magnetic Curvature Analysis on Reconnection Related Structures at Earth’s Magnetopause

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Qi ◽  
Christopher T. Russell ◽  
Robert J. Strangeway ◽  
Yingdong Jia ◽  
Roy B. Torbert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Solar Wind Plasma ◽  
Radius Of Curvature ◽  
Plasma Properties ◽  
Magnetospheric Multiscale ◽  
Reconnection Site ◽  
Field Lines ◽  
The Magnetic Field

<p>Magnetic reconnection is a mechanism that allows rapid and explosive energy transfer from the magnetic field to the plasma. The magnetopause is the interface between the shocked solar wind plasma and Earth’s magnetosphere. Reconnection enables the transport of momentum from the solar wind into Earth’s magnetosphere. Because of its importance in this regard, magnetic reconnection has been extensively studied in the past and is the primary goal of the ongoing Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission. During magnetic reconnection, the originally anti-parallel fields annihilate and reconnect in a thinned current sheet. In the vicinity of a reconnection site, a prominently increased curvature of the magnetic field (and smaller radius of curvature) marks the region where the particles start to deviate from their regular gyro-motion and become available for energy conversion. Before MMS, there were no closely separated multi-spacecraft missions capable of resolving these micro-scale curvature features, nor examining particle dynamics with sufficiently fast cadence.</p><p>In this study, we use measurements from the four MMS spacecraft to determine the curvature of the field lines and the plasma properties near the reconnection site. We use this method to study FTEs (flux ropes) on the magnetopause, and the interaction between co-existing FTEs. Our study not only improves our understanding of magnetic reconnection, but also resolves the relationship between FTEs and structures on the magnetopause.</p>

scholarly journals The role of magnetic handedness in magnetic cloud propagation

2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 1075-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Taubenschuss ◽  
N. V. Erkaev ◽  
H. K. Biernat ◽  
C. J. Farrugia ◽  
C. Möstl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Interplanetary Magnetic Field ◽  
Equatorial Plane ◽  
Magnetic Clouds ◽  
Geometrical Parameters ◽  
Meridional Plane ◽  
Mhd Simulations

Abstract. We investigate the propagation of magnetic clouds (MCs) through the inner heliosphere using 2.5-D ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. A numerical solution is obtained on a spherical grid, either in a meridional plane or in an equatorial plane, by using a Roe-type approximate Riemann solver in the frame of a finite volume approach. The structured background solar wind is simulated for a solar activity minimum phase. In the frame of MC propagation, special emphasis is placed on the role of the initial magnetic handedness of the MC's force-free magnetic field because this parameter strongly influences the efficiency of magnetic reconnection between the MC's magnetic field and the interplanetary magnetic field. Magnetic clouds with an axis oriented perpendicular to the equatorial plane develop into an elliptic shape, and the ellipse drifts into azimuthal direction. A new feature seen in our simulations is an additional tilt of the ellipse with respect to the direction of propagation as a direct consequence of magnetic reconnection. During propagation in a meridional plane, the initial circular cross section develops a concave-outward shape. Depending on the initial handedness, the cloud's magnetic field may reconnect along its backside flanks to the ambient interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), thereby losing magnetic flux to the IMF. Such a process in combination with a structured ambient solar wind has never been analyzed in detail before. Furthermore, we address the topics of force-free magnetic field conservation and the development of equatorward flows ahead of a concave-outward shaped MC. Detailed profiles are presented for the radial evolution of magnetoplasma and geometrical parameters. The principal features seen in our MHD simulations are in good agreement with in-situ measurements performed by spacecraft. The 2.5-D studies presented here may serve as a basis under more simple geometrical conditions to understand more complicated effects seen in 3-D simulations.

scholarly journals In situ magnetotail magnetic flux calculation

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 769-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Shukhtina ◽  
E. Gordeev
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
Empirical Formula ◽  
Calculation Algorithm ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Mhd Simulations ◽  
External Sources ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Abstract. We explore two new modifications of the magnetotail magnetic flux (F) calculation algorithm based on the Petrinec and Russell (1996) (PR96) approach of the tail radius determination. Unlike in the PR96 model, the tail radius value is calculated at each time step based on simultaneous magnetotail and solar wind observations. Our former algorithm, described in Shukhtina et al. (2009), required that the "tail approximation" requirement were fulfilled, i.e., it could be applied only tailward x ∼ −15 RE. The new modifications take into account the approximate uniformity of the magnetic field of external sources in the near and middle tail. Tests, based on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations, show that this approach may be applied at smaller distances, up to x ∼ −3 RE. The tests also show that the algorithm fails during long periods of strong positive interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz. A new empirical formula has also been obtained for the tail radius at the terminator (at x = 0) which improves the calculations.

scholarly journals Complexity of Magnetic-field Turbulence at Reconnection Exhausts in the Solar Wind at 1 au

2021 ◽  
Vol 923 (2) ◽  
pp. 132
Author(s):  
Rodrigo A. Miranda ◽  
Juan A. Valdivia ◽  
Abraham C.-L. Chian ◽  
Pablo R. Muñoz
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Magnetic Energy ◽  
Minimum Variance ◽  
Inertial Subrange ◽  
Order Structure ◽  
Entropy Index ◽  
Magnetic Field Turbulence ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Abstract Magnetic reconnection is a complex mechanism that converts magnetic energy into particle kinetic energy and plasma thermal energy in space and astrophysical plasmas. In addition, magnetic reconnection and turbulence appear to be intimately related in plasmas. We analyze the magnetic-field turbulence at the exhaust of four reconnection events detected in the solar wind using the Jensen–Shannon complexity-entropy index. The interplanetary magnetic field is decomposed into the LMN coordinates using the hybrid minimum variance technique. The first event is characterized by an extended exhaust period that allows us to obtain the scaling exponents of higher-order structure functions of magnetic-field fluctuations. By computing the complexity-entropy index we demonstrate that a higher degree of intermittency is related to lower entropy and higher complexity in the inertial subrange. We also compute the complexity-entropy index of three other reconnection exhaust events. For all four events, the B L component of the magnetic field displays a lower degree of entropy and higher degree of complexity than the B M and B N components. Our results show that coherent structures can be responsible for decreasing entropy and increasing complexity within reconnection exhausts in magnetic-field turbulence.

scholarly journals Magnetopause reconnection and interlinked flux tubes

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 1853-1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. R. Cardoso ◽  
W. D. Gonzalez ◽  
D. G. Sibeck ◽  
M. Kuznetsova ◽  
D. Koga
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Mhd Simulation ◽  
Flux Tubes ◽  
Magnetic Structures ◽  
Mhd Simulations ◽  
Magnetopause Reconnection

Abstract. Magnetic reconnection can be a continuous or a transient process. Global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations are important tools to understand the relevant magnetic reconnection mechanisms and the resulting magnetic structures. We have studied magnetopause reconnection using a global 3-D MHD simulation in which the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has been set to large positive By and large negative Bz components, i.e., a south-duskward direction. Flux tubes have been observed even during these constant solar wind conditions. We have focused on the interlinked flux tubes event resulting from time-dependent, patchy and multiple reconnection. At the event onset, two reconnection modes seem to occur simultaneously: a time-dependent, patchy and multiple reconnection for the subsolar region; and, a steady and large-scale reconnection for the regions far from the subsolar site.

The Magnetosphere of Saturn

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Badman
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Rotation Axis ◽  
Planetary Science ◽  
Rotating Magnetic Field ◽  
Forthcoming Article ◽  
Azimuthal Component ◽  
Inner Magnetosphere ◽  
The Magnetic Field

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Please check back later for the full article. Saturn’s magnetosphere is the region of space surrounding Saturn that is controlled by the planetary magnetic field. Saturn’s magnetic field is aligned to within 1 degree of the rotation axis and rotates with a period of ~10.7 h. The magnetosphere is compressed on the dayside by the impinging solar wind, and stretched into a long magnetotail on the nightside. Its surface, the magnetopause, is located where the internal and external plasma and magnetic pressures balance. As a result of the pressure distributions, the magnetopause has a bimodal distribution of standoff distance at the sub-solar point and is flattened over the poles relative to the equator. Radiation belts composed of trapped energetic electrons and protons are present in the inner magnetosphere. Their intensity is limited by the moons and rings that can absorb the energetic particles. The icy moons and rings, particularly the cryovolcanic moon Enceladus, are the main sources of mass in the form of water. When the water molecules are ionized they are confined to the equatorial plane by the rapidly rotating magnetic field. This mass-loading acts to distend the magnetic field lines from a dipolar configuration into a radially stretched magnetodisk, with an associated eastward-directed current. In situ measurements of plasma velocity indicate it generally lags behind the planetary rotation, introducing an azimuthal component of the magnetic field. Despite the alignment of the magnetic and rotation axes, so-called planetary period oscillations are ubiquitous in field and plasma measurements in the magnetosphere. Radial transport of plasma involves the centrifugal interchange instability in the inner magnetosphere and magnetic reconnection in the middle and outer magnetosphere. This allows mass from the moons and rings to be lost from the system. The outermost regions of the magnetosphere are also influenced by the surrounding solar wind through magnetic reconnection and viscous interactions. Acceleration via reconnection or other processes, or scattering of plasma into the atmosphere leads to auroral emissions detected at radio, infrared, visible, and ultraviolet wavelengths.

Flux tubes and energetic particles in Parker Solar Probe orbit 5: magnetic helicity - PVI method and ISOIS observations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Pecora ◽  
Sergio Servidio ◽  
Antonella Greco ◽  
Stuart D. Bale ◽  
David J. McComas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Magnetic Flux ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Energetic Particle ◽  
Plasma Turbulence ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Flux Tubes ◽  
Particle Measurements ◽  
The Magnetic Field

<p>Plasma turbulence can be viewed as a magnetic landscape populated by large- and small-scale coherent structures, consisting notionally of magnetic flux tubes and their boundaries. Such structures exist over a wide range of scales and exhibit diverse morphology and plasma properties.  Moreover, interactions of particles with turbulence may involve temporary trapping in, as well as exclusion from, certain regions of space, generally controlled by the topology and connectivity of the magnetic field.  In some cases, such as SEP "dropouts'' the influence of the magnetic structure is dramatic; in other cases, it is more subtle, as in edge effects in SEP confinement. With Parker Solar Probe now closer to the sun than any previous mission, novel opportunities are available for examination of the relationship between magnetic flux structures and energetic particle populations. </p><p>We present a method that is able to characterize both the large- and small-scale structures of the turbulent solar wind, based on the combined use of a filtered magnetic helicity (H<sub>m</sub>) and the partial variance of increments (PVI). The synergistic combination with energetic particle measurements suggests whether these populations are either trapped within or excluded from the helical structure.</p><p>This simple, single-spacecraft technique exploits the natural tendency of flux tubes to assume a cylindrical symmetry of the magnetic field about a central axis. Moreover, large helical magnetic tubes might be separated by small-scale magnetic reconnection events (current sheets) and present magnetic discontinuity with the ambient solar wind. The method was first validated via direct numerical simulations of plasma turbulence and then applied to data from the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) mission. In particular, ISOIS energetic particle (EP) measurements along with FIELDS magnetic field measurements and SWEAP plasma moments, are enabling characterization of observations of EPs closer to their sources than ever before.<br> <br>This novel analysis, combining H<sub>m </sub>and PVI methods, reveals that a large number of flux tubes populate the solar wind and continuously merge in contact regions where magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration may occur. Moreover, the detection of boundaries, correlated with high-energy particle measurements, gives more insights into the nature of such helical structures as "excluding barriers'' suggesting a strong link between particle properties and fields topology. This research is partially supported by the Parker Solar Probe project. </p>

scholarly journals The Location of Magnetic Reconnection at Earth’s Magnetopause

2021 ◽  
Vol 217 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. Trattner ◽  
S. M. Petrinec ◽  
S. A. Fuselier
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Magnetic Reconnection ◽  
Ion Beams ◽  
Review Article ◽  
Observational Evidence ◽  
Magnetic Shear ◽  
General Direction ◽  
Shear Model ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractOne of the major questions about magnetic reconnection is how specific solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field conditions influence where reconnection occurs at the Earth’s magnetopause. There are two reconnection scenarios discussed in the literature: a) anti-parallel reconnection and b) component reconnection. Early spacecraft observations were limited to the detection of accelerated ion beams in the magnetopause boundary layer to determine the general direction of the reconnection X-line location with respect to the spacecraft. An improved view of the reconnection location at the magnetopause evolved from ionospheric emissions observed by polar-orbiting imagers. These observations and the observations of accelerated ion beams revealed that both scenarios occur at the magnetopause. Improved methodology using the time-of-flight effect of precipitating ions in the cusp regions and the cutoff velocity of the precipitating and mirroring ion populations was used to pinpoint magnetopause reconnection locations for a wide range of solar wind conditions. The results from these methodologies have been used to construct an empirical reconnection X-line model known as the Maximum Magnetic Shear model. Since this model’s inception, several tests have confirmed its validity and have resulted in modifications to the model for certain solar wind conditions. This review article summarizes the observational evidence for the location of magnetic reconnection at the Earth’s magnetopause, emphasizing the properties and efficacy of the Maximum Magnetic Shear Model.

scholarly journals Cluster observations of sudden impulses in the magnetotail caused by interplanetary shocks and pressure increases

2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 609-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. E. J. Huttunen ◽  
J. Slavin ◽  
M. Collier ◽  
H. E. J. Koskinen ◽  
A. Szabo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Dynamic Pressure ◽  
Solar Wind Speed ◽  
Interplanetary Shock ◽  
Wind Pressure ◽  
Shock Propagation ◽  
Interplanetary Shocks ◽  
Maximum Variance ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Abstract. Sudden impulses (SI) in the tail lobe magnetic field associated with solar wind pressure enhancements are investigated using measurements from Cluster. The magnetic field components during the SIs change in a manner consistent with the assumption that an antisunward moving lateral pressure enhancement compresses the magnetotail axisymmetrically. We found that the maximum variance SI unit vectors were nearly aligned with the associated interplanetary shock normals. For two of the tail lobe SI events during which Cluster was located close to the tail boundary, Cluster observed the inward moving magnetopause. During both events, the spacecraft location changed from the lobe to the magnetospheric boundary layer. During the event on 6 November 2001 the magnetopause was compressed past Cluster. We applied the 2-D Cartesian model developed by collier98 in which a vacuum uniform tail lobe magnetic field is compressed by a step-like pressure increase. The model underestimates the compression of the magnetic field, but it fits the magnetic field maximum variance component well. For events for which we could determine the shock normal orientation, the differences between the observed and calculated shock propagation times from the location of WIND/Geotail to the location of Cluster were small. The propagation speeds of the SIs between the Cluster spacecraft were comparable to the solar wind speed. Our results suggest that the observed tail lobe SIs are due to lateral increases in solar wind dynamic pressure outside the magnetotail boundary.

scholarly journals Solar wind and substorm excitation of the wavy current sheet

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 2457-2474 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Forsyth ◽  
M. Lester ◽  
R. C. Fear ◽  
E. Lucek ◽  
I. Dandouras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Solar Wind ◽  
Current Sheet ◽  
Pressure Pulse ◽  
Wind Pressure ◽  
Expansion Velocity ◽  
Solar Wind Pressure ◽  
Wave Models ◽  
Best Fit ◽  
The Magnetic Field

Abstract. Following a solar wind pressure pulse on 3 August 2001, GOES 8, GOES 10, Cluster and Polar observed dipolarizations of the magnetic field, accompanied by an eastward expansion of the aurora observed by IMAGE, indicating the occurrence of two substorms. Prior to the first substorm, the motion of the plasma sheet with respect to Cluster was in the ZGSM direction. Observations following the substorms show the occurrence of current sheet waves moving predominantly in the −YGSM direction. Following the second substorm, the current sheet waves caused multiple current sheet crossings of the Cluster spacecraft, previously studied by Zhang et al. (2002). We further this study to show that the velocity of the current sheet waves was similar to the expansion velocity of the substorm aurora and the expansion of the dipolarization regions in the magnetotail. Furthermore, we compare these results with the current sheet wave models of Golovchanskaya and Maltsev (2005) and Erkaev et al. (2008). We find that the Erkaev et al. (2008) model gives the best fit to the observations.

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