Study of Magnetosphere Dynamics under Various Alfven Mach Numbers for the Northward IMF Condition: 3D Global PIC Simulations

Abstract

Abstract. For a long time, the interactions of the solar wind with the Earth’s magnetosphere have been analyzed with the help of three-dimensional (3D) global particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation where the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is steadily northward. Yet the Earth’s magnetosphere and the Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) in a global, dayside and nightside magnetotail configuration using the 3D PIC simulations has not been well examined. In this work, we compared the simulation results for both high and low Alfven Mach numbers of MA=5 and MA=1, respectively. Our results show diverse magnetospheric dynamics by taking into account the various Alfvenic Mach conditions. The relationship between the upstream magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere behavior is investigated. In both the meridian and equatorial planes, the effects of Alfven Mach number on magnetospheric characteristics such as electron/ion densities and current densities are explored. The structure of the magnetosphere is also investigated at high and low Alfven Mach numbers. The solar-terrestrial interaction as a result of various solar activities is investigated in this work utilizing a large-scale global three-dimensional PIC simulation.