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Solar Cycle Dependence of Solar Wind Coupling With Giant Planet Magnetospheres
Author(s) -
Gershman Daniel J.,
DiBraccio Gina A.
Publication year - 2020
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 - 10.1029/2020gl089315
Subject(s) - magnetopause , physics , heliosphere , solar wind , uranus , neptune , magnetosphere of jupiter , solar cycle , coronal mass ejection , solar cycle 22 , solar minimum , planet , energetic neutral atom , geophysics , solar maximum , astronomy , interplanetary magnetic field , astrophysics , plasma , quantum mechanics
In the outer heliosphere, higher upstream Alfvénic Mach number ( M A ) values have been theorized to limit the solar wind forcing at all giant planet magnetospheres. To determine the true impact of M A on the ability for magnetopause reconnection to occur, we perform a comprehensive analysis using data collected throughout the heliosphere. We find that solar cycle variations in solar wind magnetic pressure lead to wide ranges of upstream M A in the outer heliosphere, where M A at solar maximum appears Earth‐like. These considerable M A variations combined with the significant magnetic dipole tilts at Uranus and Neptune suggest that magnetopause reconnection may yet play an important role at the ice giants, in particular at solar maximum.