TY - JOUR
T1 - Asymmetrical Looping Magnetic Fields and Marsward Flows on the Nightside of Mars
AU - Li, Shibang
AU - Lu, Haoyu
AU - Cao, Jinbin
AU - Cui, Jun
AU - Ip, Wing Huen
AU - Wild, James A.
AU - Zhang, Xiaoxin
AU - Chen, Nihan
AU - Song, Yihui
AU - Wang, Jianxuan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024. The Authors. Geophysical Research Letters published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Geophysical Union.
PY - 2024/6/28
Y1 - 2024/6/28
N2 - As the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) carried by the solar wind encounters the martian atmosphere, it tends to pile up and drape around the planet, forming looping magnetic fields and inducing marsward ion flows on the nightside. Previous statistical observations revealed asymmetrical distribution features within this morphology; however, the underlying physical mechanism remains unclear. In this study, utilizing a three-dimensional multi-fluid magnetohydrodynamic simulation model, we successfully reproduce the asymmetrical distributions of the looping magnetic fields and corresponding marsward flows on the martian nightside. Analyzing the magnetic forces resulting from the bending of the IMF over the polar area, we find that the asymmetry is guided by the orientation of the solar wind motional electric field (ESW). A higher solar wind velocity leads to enhanced magnetic forces, resulting in more tightly wrapped magnetic fields with an increased efficiency in accelerating flows as they approach closer to Mars.
AB - As the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) carried by the solar wind encounters the martian atmosphere, it tends to pile up and drape around the planet, forming looping magnetic fields and inducing marsward ion flows on the nightside. Previous statistical observations revealed asymmetrical distribution features within this morphology; however, the underlying physical mechanism remains unclear. In this study, utilizing a three-dimensional multi-fluid magnetohydrodynamic simulation model, we successfully reproduce the asymmetrical distributions of the looping magnetic fields and corresponding marsward flows on the martian nightside. Analyzing the magnetic forces resulting from the bending of the IMF over the polar area, we find that the asymmetry is guided by the orientation of the solar wind motional electric field (ESW). A higher solar wind velocity leads to enhanced magnetic forces, resulting in more tightly wrapped magnetic fields with an increased efficiency in accelerating flows as they approach closer to Mars.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85196293696&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1029/2024GL109186
DO - 10.1029/2024GL109186
M3 - 期刊論文
AN - SCOPUS:85196293696
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 51
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 12
M1 - e2024GL109186
ER -