Mercury's Plasma Sheet Horn from MESSENGER Data |
Auteur | Glass Austin |
Institution | University of Michigan Ann Arbor |
Theme | Theme1 |
| Auteur(s) supplémentaire(s) | Raines J. (1), Jia X. (1), Sun W. (1), Imber S. (2), Slavin J. (1) |
| Institution(s) supplémentaire(s) | (1) Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, US (2) University of Leicester |
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Abstract | The Mercury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft was the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Mercury, completing over 4000 orbits of the planet from 2011 to 2015. Previous analysis of MESSENGER data has established that Mercury~s magnetosphere is the most like Earth~s of any in the solar system. Chief among the similarities is the dominance of the Dungey cycle in the dynamic response of the magnetosphere to solar wind forcing. Many key regions characteristic of Dungey cycle plasma flows have previously been identified at Mercury. In this work, Mercury~s northern plasma sheet horn - a key plasma feature also present in Earth~s magnetosphere - is identified and presented in detail for the first time. Through analysis of three different cases of horn observation, we describe the northern horn with the greatest detail possible with a single spacecraft, with special attention given to the character of the plasma contained within the northern horns and its potential effects on exosphere generation and maintenance. |
