Modeling Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability at the High-Latitude Boundary Layer in a Global Magnetosphere Simulation.

ABSTRACT: The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability at the magnetospheric boundary plays a crucial role in solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, particle entry, and energization. The full extent of its impact has remained an open question due, in part, to global models without sufficient resolution to capture waves at higher latitudes. Using global magnetohydrodynamic simulations, we investigate an event when the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission observed periodic low-frequency waves at the dawn-flank, high-latitude boundary layer. We show the layer to be unstable, even though the slow solar wind with the draped interplanetary magnetic field is seemingly unfavorable for wave generation. The simulated velocity shear at the boundary is thin ( ∼ 0.65 R E ) and requires commensurately high spatia

SUBMITTER: Michael AT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9285077 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature