A. V. Suvorova, A. V. Dmitriev
The pressure balance at the magnetopause is formed by magnetic field and
plasma in the magnetosheath, on one side, and inside the magnetosphere, on the
other side. In the approach of dipole earth's magnetic field configuration and
gas-dynamics solar wind flowing around the magnetosphere, the pressure balance
predicts that the magnetopause distance R depends on solar wind dynamic
pressure Pd as a power low R ~ Pd^alpha, where the exponent alpha=-1/6. In the
real magnetosphere the magnetic filed is contributed by additional sources:
Chapman-Ferraro current system, field-aligned currents, tail current, and
storm-time ring current. Net contribution of those sources depends on
particular magnetospheric region and varies with solar wind conditions and
geomagnetic activity. As a result, the parameters of pressure balance,
including power index alpha, depend on both the local position at the
magnetopause and geomagnetic activity. In addition, the pressure balance can be
affected by a non-linear transfer of the solar wind energy to the
magnetosheath, especially for quasi-radial regime of the subsolar bow shock
formation proper for the interplanetary magnetic field vector aligned with the
solar wind plasma flow.
View original:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1110.5209
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