Premium
Asymmetric Structure of Uranus' Magnetopause Controlled by IMF and Planetary Rotation
Author(s) -
Cao Xin,
Paty Carol
Publication year - 2021
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 - 10.1029/2020gl091273
Subject(s) - uranus , magnetopause , physics , magnetosphere , geophysics , interplanetary magnetic field , cusp (singularity) , rotation (mathematics) , computational physics , magnetic field , astrophysics , planet , solar wind , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
To investigate the diurnal variations of the magnetopause boundary under different Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) orientations during the solstice season, we implemented a multifluid magnetohydrodynamic model of Uranus' magnetosphere in combination with Voyager 2 observations, which provided a good ability to simulate and predict the variability of the magnetospheric boundaries. In this study, we quantitatively studied Uranus' magnetopause in terms of the subsolar stand‐off distance and the flaring parameter and tracked the variation in cusp indentation, which are good indicators to describe the general topology of the boundary. During this season, the stand‐off distance fluctuated within a small range. In contrast, the flaring parameter and cusp indentation were strongly impacted by Uranus' rotation. Meanwhile, the IMF orientation also modulated the variation of the flaring parameter and cusp indentation. These results show that the asymmetry of the magnetopause is highly dependent on the rotation of Uranus and its IMF orientations.