Solar wind-Magnetosphere Interaction at Mercury

Details Solar wind-Magnetosphere Interaction at Mercury Solar wind-Magnetosphere Interaction at Mercury

May 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agusm..sm42a02s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2001, abstract #SM42A-02

Physics

0343 Planetary Atmospheres (5405, 5407, 5409, 5704, 5705, 5707), 2756 Planetary Magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6030), 2784 Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions

Scientific paper

Since Mercury's sodium exosphere was discovered in 1986, two competing mechanisms have been proposed to account for the rapid time variability and high latitude enhancements seen in sodium emission. We developed an analytical model of the Hermean magnetosphere, based on the Toffoletto-Hill 1993 model, to determine the locus of field lines for particular conditions of solar wind speed, density and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Of particular interest were open field lines along which solar wind ions can flow. We predict a dependence of sodium emissions on the IMF orientation, as well as on the solar wind ram pressure. Since IMF conditions at Mercury are not known, we attempted to reconstruct the IMF using sodium optical data obtained during a week of observations in November, 1997. We conclude that sodium ions associated with an ion sputtering source mechanism can not escape Mercury's magnetosphere.

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