HR: 1340h
AN: SM53C-1412    [Abstracts]
TI: Structure of Mercury's magnetosphere for different solar wind beta: three dimensional hybrid simulations
AU: * Travnicek, P
EM: trav@alenka.ufa.cas.cz
AF: Astronomical Institute, ASCR, Bocni II/1401, Prague, CZ-14131, Czech Republic
AU: * Travnicek, P
EM: trav@alenka.ufa.cas.cz
AF: Institute of Atmospheric Physics, ASCR, Bocni II/1401, Prague, CZ-14131, Czech Republic
AU: Schriver, D
EM: dave@igpp.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA, IGPP 3871 Slichter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, United States
AU: Hellinger, P
EM: Petr.Hellinger@ufa.cas.cz
AF: Institute of Atmospheric Physics, ASCR, Bocni II/1401, Prague, CZ-14131, Czech Republic
AB: Recent results of 3D hybrid simulations of Mercury's magnetosphere revealed its basic structure with well pronounced cusp regions and also a closed ion ring forms around the planet. In general the plasma within the magnetosphere is more energetic in the high solar wind pressure case and the ion foreshock contains hotter magnetosheath plasma. Particles originating from the planet disperse throughout the magnetosphere, with the greatest congregation occuring in the inner magnetospheric drift-driven rings in both cases. These planetary particles can also leak upstream into the foreshock region. We study changes in properties and structure of the Mercury's magnetosphere with different solar wind beta, in particular the magnetosheath. We also predict values of basic plasma parameters obtained during the flyby of MESSENGER in January 2008.
DE: 2700 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS (6939)
DE: 2728 Magnetosheath
DE: 2753 Numerical modeling
DE: 2756 Planetary magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6033)
DE: 6235 Mercury
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting