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MESSENGER observations of Mercury's magnetosphere during northward IMF
Author(s) -
Slavin James A.,
Anderson Brian J.,
Zurbuchen Thomas H.,
Baker Daniel N.,
Krimigis Stamatios M.,
Acuña Mario H.,
Benna Mehdi,
Boardsen Scott A.,
Gloeckler George,
Gold Robert E.,
Ho George C.,
Korth Haje,
McNutt Ralph L.,
Raines Jim M.,
Sarantos Menelaos,
Schriver David,
Solomon Sean C.,
Trávníček Pavel
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.1029/2008gl036158
Subject(s) - magnetosheath , magnetopause , magnetosphere , physics , solar wind , geophysics , plasma sheet , interplanetary magnetic field , planet , mercury's magnetic field , magnetic field , astrophysics , quantum mechanics
MESSENGER's January 14, 2008, flyby of Mercury has provided new observations of the planet's magnetosphere for northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The dusk magnetopause was located inward from the mean magnetopause surface, possibly due to reduced tail magnetic flux content for IMF B z > 0 and/or the pressure of planetary pickup ions as they respond to the dawnward – v × B electric field in the magnetosheath. Within the plasma sheet rotations of the magnetic field are observed consistent with, Kelvin–Helmholtz vortices ∼1 R M in diameter (R M is Mercury's radius). MESSENGER exited through a 1,000 km‐wide boundary layer bordered by inner and outer current sheets that resemble rotational and tangential discontinuities, respectively. The total magnetic field change across this layer is consistent with the predicted solar wind ram pressure at Mercury during the MESSENGER flyby.