HR: 1340h
AN: SM53C-1409    [Abstracts]
TI: The Plasma Environment Of Venus: Comparison Of Venus Express Aspera-4 Measurements With 3D Hybrid Simulations
AU: * Martinecz, C
EM: martinecz@mps.mpg.de
AF: Max Planck Institut fuer Sonnensystemforschung, Max-Planck-Str. 2, Katlenburg-Lindau, 37191, Germany
AU: Fraenz, M
EM: fraenz@mps.mpg.de
AF: Max Planck Institut fuer Sonnensystemforschung, Max-Planck-Str. 2, Katlenburg-Lindau, 37191, Germany
AU: Krupp, N
EM: krupp@mps.mpg.de
AF: Max Planck Institut fuer Sonnensystemforschung, Max-Planck-Str. 2, Katlenburg-Lindau, 37191, Germany
AU: Woch, J
EM: woch@mps.mpg.de
AF: Max Planck Institut fuer Sonnensystemforschung, Max-Planck-Str. 2, Katlenburg-Lindau, 37191, Germany
AU: Dubinin, E
EM: dubinin@mps.mpg.de
AF: Max Planck Institut fuer Sonnensystemforschung, Max-Planck-Str. 2, Katlenburg-Lindau, 37191, Germany
AU: Roussos, E
EM: roussos@mps.mpg.de
AF: Max Planck Institut fuer Sonnensystemforschung, Max-Planck-Str. 2, Katlenburg-Lindau, 37191, Germany
AU: Barabash, S
EM: stas@irf.se
AF: Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Box 812, Kiruna, 98128, Sweden
AU: Motschmann, U
EM: u.motschmann@tu-bs.de
AF: Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 3, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
AU: Boesswetter, A
EM: a.boesswetter@tu-bs.de
AF: Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 3, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
AU: Simon, S
EM: sven.simon@tu-bs.de
AF: Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, Technische Universitaet Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 3, Braunschweig, 38106, Germany
AU: Lammer, H
EM: helmut.lammer@oeaw.ac.at
AF: Oesterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Institut fuer Weltraumforschung, Schmiedlstr. 6, Graz, 8042, Austria
AU: Lichtenegger, H
EM: Herbert.Lichtenegger@oeaw.ac.at
AF: Oesterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Institut fuer Weltraumforschung, Schmiedlstr. 6, Graz, 8042, Austria
AU: Zhang, T
EM: Tielong.Zhang@oeaw.ac.at
AF: Oesterreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Institut fuer Weltraumforschung, Schmiedlstr. 6, Graz, 8042, Austria
AU: Kulikov, Y
EM: kulikov@pgi.ru
AF: Polar Geophysical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Khalturina Str.15, Murmansk, 183010, Russian Federation
AU: Paetzold, M
EM: paetzold@geo.uni-koeln.de
AF: Institut fuer Geophysik und Meteorologie, Universitaet zu Koeln, Albertus-Magnus-Platz, Koeln, 50923, Germany
AU: Bird, M
EM: mbird@astro.uni-bonn.de
AF: Argelander-Institut fuer Astronomie, Abteilung Radioastronomie, Universitaet Bonn, Auf dem Huegel 71, Bonn, 53121, Germany
AB: We use data of the ASPERA-4 ion and electron spectrometers onboard Venus Express (VEX) to determine the locations and shapes of the plasma boundaries (bow shock, ion composition boundary and mantle) at Venus and compare our fits with previous models obtained by PVO and Venera 9, 10 observations. We also investigate the variation of the terminator bow shock position as a function of the solar wind dynamic pressure and solar EUV flux. We compare the results with a 3D hybrid simulation, originally developed for the interaction of the solar wind with weak comets. In the hybrid model, ions are treated as particles moving in self-consistently generated electromagnetic fields and electrons are modeled as a massless charge neutralizing fluid. The planetary heavy ion plasma is generated by an oxygen ionosphere and exosphere adapted to a profile, which depends on the solar zenith angle (Chapman layer). The hot oxygen exosphere is modeled based on the electron density profile obtained from the VeRa experiment onboard VEX. The comparison of the model data with the boundary positions and plasma moments obtained by the ASPERA-4 experiment allows us evaluate the accuracy of the model which then can be used to estimate boundary positions and escape fluxes from the planet under conditions different from today.
DE: 2427 Ionosphere/atmosphere interactions (0335)
DE: 6295 Venus
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting