An electrodynamic model of electric currents and magnetic fields in the dayside ionosphere of Venus

The dynamics of the Venus ionosphere: 1. A simulation of the solar wind compression of the upper dayside ionosphere

“…Third, because of the radial nature of our model, the calculations strictly apply only to the subsolar region, although we feel that they may be valid out as far as --•60 ø SZA. Finally, many observed features in the ionosphere may, in fact be due to a combination of steady-state phenomena, including J x B forces arising from large scale magnetic structures within the ionosphere Cloutier et al, 1980], or simply the geometry of the spacecraft orbit (one does not, in general, obtain anything resembling a radial slice of the ionosphere). Clearly, there are a number of possible interpretations of the data at this point.…”

“…In addition to neutral molecules, horizontal magnetic fields may play a significant role in the structure of the lower ionosphere Cloutier et al, 1980] and the rate at which heat is conducted through the ionosphere [Cravens et al, 1980]. Although the present model is only one-dimensional it is possible to include the effects of horizontal B fields in the calculations by adding a term in the momentum equation and including the effects of magnetic fields in the electron and ion conductivities.…”

Magnetic fields in the ionosphere of Venus

“…As discussed earlier, Cloutier et al (1981) proposed that flux ropes were due to the breakup of the large scale ionospheric field by shear instability within the ionosphere rather than at its boundary. This poses some difficulty for the production of flux ropes observed in the subsolar region where the shear is small, but ) as pointed out in a different in situ model of flux rope origin by Luhmann and Elphic (1985), one certainly cannot ignore the possibility that the same ionospheric processes that create the large scale fields play a role in producing the small-scale fields.…”

“…The final phase in the progression of Rice models of currents and fields in planetary ionospheres was first described in a paper by Cloutier et al (1981). Herein, the authors present three modifications to their earlier model including the effects of plasma depletion and magnetic field enhancement near the ionopause, velocity-shear induced Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instabilities in the ionosphere, and the variability of the solar wind and IMF direction.…”

Comment on “On the response of ionospheric magnetization to solar wind dynamic pressure from Pioneer Venus measurements”

“…and coworkers in a series of papers (e.g., Cloutier et al, 1981;Cloutier, 1984). These authors proposed that the magnetized regions of the ionosphere represented a static structure bounded latitudinally by vertical currents, and that the magnetic profiles observed by PVO resulted from spacecraft transit of this structure.…”