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Kallio & Janhunen 2003
Kallio, E. and Janhunen, P. (2003). Solar wind and magnetospheric ion impact on Mercury's surface. Geophysical Research Letters 30: doi: 10.1029/2003GL017842. issn: 0094-8276.

The impact of the solar wind protons on the surface of Mercury is studied by a global hybrid model. In the three-dimensional self-consistent quasi-neutral hybrid (ions are particles, electrons are a fluid) model ions can hit the surface of the planet. The response of the impact to several solar wind conditions is studied by analyzing four upstream cases: pure northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), pure southward IMF, the Parker spiral IMF, and atypically high solar wind speed. Three different high impact regions on the surface can be identified: (1) auroral impact on the equatorward side of the open/closed field line boundary, (2) cusp impact on the dayside in the noon midnight meridian plane, and (3) nose impact around the subsolar point when the solar wind dynamic pressure is high. The particle flux also has North-South and dawn-dusk asymmetries.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Numerical modeling, Magnetospheric Physics, Planetary magnetospheres (5443, 5737, 6030), Magnetospheric Physics, Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions, Planetary Sciences, Magnetospheres, Planetology, Solar System Objects, Mercury
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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