Open AccessSolar wind interactions with the dusty magnetosphere of Jupiter produce shocks and solitons associated with nonlinear drift waves
Author(s) -
Saleem H.,
Moslem W. M.,
Shukla P. K.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2011ja017306
Subject(s) - physics , magnetosphere , solar wind , jupiter (rocket family) , shock wave , electron , nonlinear system , bow shock (aerodynamics) , perturbation (astronomy) , plasma , bow wave , computational physics , quantum electrodynamics , mechanics , astronomy , quantum mechanics , space shuttle
It is pointed out that interactions between the solar wind and the dusty magnetospheres of planets and comets give rise to nonlinear electrostatic drift waves. It is assumed that after transient processes a local steady state is attained with the same sheared flow of electrons and ions V i 0 ( x ) = V e 0 ( x ) = V 0 ( x ) z ^along the initial constant component of B 0 z of the total sheared magnetic fieldB 0 = B 0 zz ^ + B 0 y ( x ) y ^ . The nonlinear perturbation caused by the electron temperature gradient forms solitary and shock structures, depending upon the dominant role of either the wave dispersion or dissipation, respectively. The theoretical model has been applied to the magnetosphere of Jupiter that contains positively charged dust grains. This investigation predicts the formation of short scale electrostatic solitons having width of the order of 1 m and shocks having widths of the order of 2 m.