The Interaction of Rapidly Flowing Plasmas with Venus, Mars and Titan
Location
Yosemite National Park
Start Date
2-14-2014 11:30 AM
End Date
2-14-2014 12:00 PM
Description
Venus, Mars and Titan are the only three objects in the solar system with substantial atmosphere but no global magnetic field. Even though each object has its own characteristics and their external plasma flows range from supersonic solar wind to subsonic magnetosphere co-rotational flow, the plasma interactions around these objects share similar global structure. As a consequence of the interaction, the external magnetic field lines pile-up and drape over the highly conducting obstacles represented by the ionosphere to form a well-defined induced magnetosphere. The interplay between the induced magnetosphere and the ionosphere is critical to understand the magnetic field signature and ionosphere structure. In this presentation, we will discuss various numerical models being applied to the three objects and discuss what has been learned regarding the interaction of non-magnetized obstacles with their plasma environments.
The Interaction of Rapidly Flowing Plasmas with Venus, Mars and Titan
Yosemite National Park
Venus, Mars and Titan are the only three objects in the solar system with substantial atmosphere but no global magnetic field. Even though each object has its own characteristics and their external plasma flows range from supersonic solar wind to subsonic magnetosphere co-rotational flow, the plasma interactions around these objects share similar global structure. As a consequence of the interaction, the external magnetic field lines pile-up and drape over the highly conducting obstacles represented by the ionosphere to form a well-defined induced magnetosphere. The interplay between the induced magnetosphere and the ionosphere is critical to understand the magnetic field signature and ionosphere structure. In this presentation, we will discuss various numerical models being applied to the three objects and discuss what has been learned regarding the interaction of non-magnetized obstacles with their plasma environments.