A Dynamic Model of Mercury's Magnetospheric Magnetic Field.

ABSTRACT: Mercury's solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field environment is highly dynamic, and variations in these external conditions directly control the current systems and magnetic fields inside the planetary magnetosphere. We update our previous static model of Mercury's magnetic field by incorporating variations in the magnetospheric current systems, parameterized as functions of Mercury's heliocentric distance and magnetic activity. The new, dynamic model reproduces the location of the magnetopause current system as a function of systematic pressure variations encountered during Mercury's eccentric orbit, as well as the increase in the cross-tail current intensity with increasing magnetic activity. Despite the enhancements in the external field parameterization, the residuals between the

SUBMITTER: Korth H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5726378 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature