Physics
Scientific paper
May 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agusmsm41a..04w&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2002, abstract #SM41A-04
Physics
2708 Current Systems (2409), 2740 Magnetospheric Configuration And Dynamics, 2753 Numerical Modeling, 2756 Planetary Magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6030)
Scientific paper
We have used a global magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the interaction of Jupiter's magnetosphere with the solar wind to investigate the effects of the solar wind on the structure of currents in the Jovian magnetosphere. A thin equatorial current sheet with currents flowing around Jupiter dominates Jupiter's middle magnetosphere. However, in our simulations this current is not uniform in azimuth. It is weaker on dayside than the night side with local regions where the current density decreases by more than 50 percent. In addition to this ring current the current sheet contains strong radial "corotation enforcement" currents. Outward radial currents are found at most local times but there are regions with currents directed toward Jupiter. The current pattern is especially complex in the local afternoon and evening regions. In the near equatorial magnetosphere the field-aligned current pattern also is complex. There are regions with currents both towards and away from Jupiter's ionosphere. However when we mapped the currents from the inner boundary of the simulation to the ionosphere we found a pattern more like that expected for the ionosphere to drive corotation. The currents are away from Jupiter at lower latitudes and toward current Jupiter at higher latitudes. Since upward field-aligned currents are associated with aurora at the Earth they may be associated with aurora at Jupiter. The upward field aligned currents map to larger distances on the nightside (40RJ to 60RJ) than on the dayside (20RJ to 30RJ). In the simulations changing the solar wind dynamic pressure did not make major changes in the current sheet or field-aligned currents (both were slightly stronger for higher pressures). The interplanetary magnetic field had a stronger effect on the currents with the strongest currents for northward IMF. However, it took a very long time for the magnetosphere to respond to the changes in the IMF.
Ogino Takeshi
Walker Ray J.
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