0473474 - ÚFA 2017 FR eng A - Abstract
Šafránková, J. - Šimůnek, Jiří - Němeček, Z. - Přech, L.
Shape of the dayside equatorial magnetopause.
4th Cluster and THEMIS workshop: Book of abstracts. Paris: European Space Agency (ESA), 2017. s. 55-56.
[Cluster-THEMIS Workshop /4./. 07.11.2016-12.11.2016, Palm Springs]
Institutional support: RVO:68378289
Keywords : solar wind * magnetopause * THEMIS spacecraft
Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics
http://themis.igpp.ucla.edu/events/CLUSTER_THEMIS_2016/Workshop_abstracts_v3.pdf

A magnetopause location is generally believed to be determined by the solar wind
dynamic pressure and by a sign and value of the interplanetary magnetic field
vertical (Bz) component. The contribution of other parameters is usually considered
to be minor or negligible near the equatorial plane. A great majority of present
magnetopause models describes the magnetopause shape with an ellipsoid or
paraboloid of revolution. The axis of such surface usually reflects the Earth orbital
motion around the Sun. Ten years of magnetopause observations near the equatorial plane by the THEMIS spacecraft allow to tests of this description and
facilitates search for a better approximation of the magnetopause shape. We present
a statistical study based on more than 10.000 magnetopause crossings identified in
the THEMIS data. The study accounts for the dependence of the magnetopause
location on the upstream solar wind dynamic pressure and expects that all other
effects can be averaged. The study suggests a very simple expression for the shape
of the dayside magnetopause and examines the influence of interplanetary magnetic
field and solar wind parameters on this shape. The effects of the magnetospheric
current systems are discussed.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0270586