Magnetosphere–Exosphere–Surface Coupling at Mercury

Orsini, S.; Blomberg, Lars G.; Delcourt, Dominique; Grard, R.; Massetti, S.; Seki, K.; Slavin, J. A.

doi:10.1007/s11214-007-9222-2

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…ENAs originating from the surface can be used to visualize the precipitation regions in the same way that the terrestrial aurora maps to magnetospheric dynamics (i.e., ENA "aurora" on Mercury). In addition, measurements of ENAs are important for understanding the contribution of sputtering to the formation of Mercury's neutral exosphere (e.g., Mura et al, 2006;Orsini et al, 2007). ESA's and JAXA's BepiColombo mission (Benkhoff et al, 2010;Milillo et al, 2010), which was launched in 2018 and will arrive in its final orbit around Mercury by the end of 2025, carries two ENA sensors to investigate Mercury's surface response to precipitating solar wind plasma.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, we provide detailed analysis on plasma precipitation to the surface of Mercury under different solar wind plasma dynamic pressures and IMF orientations as well as the cusp dynamics and plasma precipitation through the cusps to explain some of the observed features in Na exosphere. Our global precipitation maps provide a better understanding of the magnetosphere-exosphere-surface coupling at Mercury (Milillo et al, 2005;Orsini et al, 2007) and can be applied in Monte Carlo simulations of Mercury's exosphere (e.g., Gamborino et al, 2019;Mura et al, 2009;Schmidt, 2013;, a tool that is required to better interpret observations by the European Space Agency (ESA)'s BepiColombo mission (Benkhoff et al, 2010;Milillo et al, 2010) and future ground-based telescope observations.…”

Section: 1029/2019ja027706mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hybrid Simulations of Solar Wind Proton Precipitation to the Surface of Mercury

2020

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We examine the effects of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation and solar wind dynamic pressure on the solar wind proton precipitation to the surface of Mercury using a hybrid-kinetic model. We use our model to explain observations of Mercury's neutral sodium exosphere and compare our results with MESSENGER observations. For the typical solar wind dynamic pressure at Mercury our model shows a high proton flux precipitates through the magnetospheric cusps to the high latitudes on both hemispheres on the dayside, centered near the noon meridian with ∼11 • latitudinal extent in the north and ∼21 • latitudinal extent in the south, which is consistent with MESSENGER observations. We show that this two-peak pattern is controlled by the radial component (B x ) of the IMF and not the B z . Our model suggests that the southward IMF and its associated magnetic reconnection do not play a major role in controlling plasma precipitation to the surface of Mercury through the cusps. We found that the total precipitation rate through both of the cusps remain constant and independent of the IMF orientation. We also show that the solar wind proton incidence rate to the entire surface of Mercury is higher when the IMF has a northward component and nearly half of the incidence flux impacts the low latitudes on the nightside. During extreme solar events (e.g., coronal mass ejections), our model suggests that over 70 nPa solar wind dynamic pressure is required for the entire surface of Mercury to be exposed to the solar wind plasma.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 1029/2019ja027706mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid Simulations of Solar Wind Proton Precipitation to the Surface of Mercury

2020

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“…and the other magnetized planets. The strong influence of the IMF on the magnetosphere should also serve to enhance the coupling between the solar wind and Mercury's surfacebounded exosphere (27).…”

Section: Reportsmentioning

confidence: 99%

MESSENGER Observations of Magnetic Reconnection in Mercury’s Magnetosphere

Slavin

Acuña

Anderson

et al. 2009

Science

243

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Solar wind energy transfer to planetary magnetospheres and ionospheres is controlled by magnetic reconnection, a process that determines the degree of connectivity between the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) and a planet's magnetic field. During MESSENGER's second flyby of Mercury, a steady southward IMF was observed and the magnetopause was threaded by a strong magnetic field, indicating a reconnection rate ~10 times that typical at Earth. Moreover, a large flux transfer event was observed in the magnetosheath, and a plasmoid and multiple traveling compression regions were observed in Mercury's magnetotail, all products of reconnection. These observations indicate that Mercury's magnetosphere is much more responsive to IMF direction and dominated by the effects of reconnection than that of Earth or the other magnetized planets.

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“…The strength of the corresponding interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) will change from 45 nT to 21 nT (Russell et al, 1988;Milillo et al, 2005). Further more, the angle of the IMF Parker spiral with respect to the direction of the solar wind flow will vary from an average angle of C B $ 20°at Mercury's orbit to 45°at Earth's orbit (Milillo et al, 2005;Orsini et al, 2007). All these parameter changes mean that comparative studies of solar wind interaction processes of Mercury and of the Earth would be very interesting for magnetospheric physics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%