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The influence of the interplanetary magnetic field on the entry of solar wind ions into the magnetosphere
Author(s) -
Peroomian Vahé
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2002gl016627
Subject(s) - magnetopause , magnetosphere , physics , solar wind , interplanetary magnetic field , geophysics , magnetic reconnection , polar wind , electric field , magnetohydrodynamics , magnetosphere of saturn , field line , magnetosheath , mercury's magnetic field , magnetosphere of jupiter , computational physics , magnetic field , quantum mechanics
This study investigated the entry of solar wind ions into the magnetosphere by following particle orbits from the solar wind through the magnetopause boundary in time‐dependent electric and magnetic fields obtained from a 3D global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of the magnetosphere; five different orientations of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) were considered. We found the region of the upstream solar wind that mapped to the magnetopause entry regions to be parallel to the y ‐ z orientation of the IMF. However, significant asymmetries were caused by the history of the IMF, the orientation of the interplanetary electric field (IEF), the nonadiabatic acceleration of ions at the magnetopause reconnection region, and acceleration by the magnetopause electric fields. Ions generally entered the magnetosphere through extended dayside regions corresponding to the reconnection region for each IMF and were accelerated by that region's electric fields. Entry also occurred along high‐latitude open field lines convecting into the magnetotail.