Observations of the radial magnetosheath profile and a comparison with gasdynamic model predictions

Physics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

12

Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetopause, Cusp, And Boundary Layers, Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosheath, Magnetospheric Physics: Solar Wind/Magnetosphere Interactions

Scientific paper

The gasdynamic model of the magnetosheath flow predicts changes of plasma parameters across the magnetosheath. According to this model, the ion flux peaks at the bow shock and decreases toward the magnetopause. MHD models predict a further plasma depletion near the magnetopause for specific orientations of the interplanetary magnetic field. We present a statistical study of ion flux measurements on the dusk flank of the magnetosheath and its comparison with present magnetosheath models. The study is based on three years of INTERBALL-1 measurements supported by simultaneous WIND solar wind observations. Our results reveal a much flatter magnetosheath radial profile than was expected from the gasdynamic prediction. The profile becomes steeper for higher upstream Mach number or plasma beta. The depletions of the ion flux behind the bow shock and at the magnetopause are attributed to the reflection and acceleration of particles in the bow shock region and magnetopause reconnection, respectively. A comparison of the measured and predicted ion fluxes suggests that the magnetosheath thickness is a rising function of the IMF magnitude.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Observations of the radial magnetosheath profile and a comparison with gasdynamic model predictions does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Observations of the radial magnetosheath profile and a comparison with gasdynamic model predictions, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Observations of the radial magnetosheath profile and a comparison with gasdynamic model predictions will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1385315

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.