Kinetic instabilities in Mercury's magnetosphere: Three-dimensional simulation results

0337453 - ÚFA 2010 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Trávníček, Pavel M. - Hellinger, Petr - Schriver, D. - Herčík, David - Slavin, J.A. - Anderson, B.J.
Kinetic instabilities in Mercury's magnetosphere: Three-dimensional simulation results.
[Kinetická instabilita v magnetosféře Merkuru: výsledky třídimenzionální simulace.]
Geophysical Research Letters. Roč. 36, - (2009), L07104/1-L07104/5. ISSN 0094-8276. E-ISSN 1944-8007
R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA300030805
Grant - others:ESA PECS(XE) 98068
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30420517; CEZ:AV0Z10030501
Keywords : Mercury * magnetosphere * instability * ion temperature anisotropy * plasma flow * magnetosheath
Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics
Impact factor: 3.204, year: 2009

A self-consistent global three-dimensional kinetic study of Mercury's magnetosphere is carried out examining waves and instabilities generated by ion temperature anisotropy and plasma flow. The overall structure of Mercury's upstream bow shock and magnetosheath are qualitatively very similar to those of Earth. Beam-generated long-wavelength oscillations are present upstream of Mercury's quasi-parallel bow shock, whereas large-amplitude mirror waves develop downstream of the quasi-parallel bow shock in the magnetosheath. A train of mirror waves forms also downstream of the quasi-perpendicular bow shock. A velocity shear near the magnetopause can lead to formation of vortex-like structures. The magnetospheric cavity close to the planet's equatorial plane is filled with ions much hotter than the solar wind protons. A drift-driven plasma belt close to the equator is present in the model and contains plasma with high-temperature anisotropy, and the loss cone for charged particles in this region is large.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0181443