Impact of solar wind turbulence on a planetary bow shock

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Behar, E., Pucci, F., Wedlund, C. Simon, Henri, P., Ballerini, G., Preisser, L., Califano, F.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866910725646057472
author Behar, E.
Pucci, F.
Wedlund, C. Simon
Henri, P.
Ballerini, G.
Preisser, L.
Califano, F.
author_facet Behar, E.
Pucci, F.
Wedlund, C. Simon
Henri, P.
Ballerini, G.
Preisser, L.
Califano, F.
contents Over the past decades, near-Earth spacecraft observations have provided insights into the physics of the bow shock, suggesting that solar wind intrinsic turbulence influences the bow shock dynamics. On the other hand, theoretical studies, based on global numerical simulations, have not yet investigated the global 3D interaction between a turbulent solar wind and a planetary magnetosphere. This paper addresses this gap for the first time by investigating the global dynamics of this interaction, providing new perspectives on the underlying physical processes. We examine how the turbulent nature of the solar wind influences the 3D structure and dynamics of magnetized planetary environments or magnetized Earth-like exoplanets, using the newly developed numerical code Menura. We use the hybrid PIC model Menura to conduct 3D simulations of the turbulent solar wind and its interaction with an Earth-like magnetized planet through global numerical simulations of the magnetosphere and its surroundings. We show that solar wind turbulence globally influences the shape and dynamics of the bow shock, the magnetosheath structures, and the ion foreshock dynamics. We show that a turbulent solar wind disrupts the coherence of foreshock fluctuations, induces large fluctuations on the quasi-perpendicular surface of the bow shock, facilitates the formation of bubble-like structures near the bow shock's nose, and modifies the properties of the magnetosheath region. None of these phenomena occur when comparing with the case in which the solar wind is laminar. The turbulent nature of the solar wind impacts the 3D shape and dynamics of the bow shock, magnetosheath, and ion foreshock region. This influence should be considered when studying solar wind-planet interactions in observations and simulations. We discuss the relevance of our findings for current and future missions launched into the heliosphere.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_17942
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Impact of solar wind turbulence on a planetary bow shock
Behar, E.
Pucci, F.
Wedlund, C. Simon
Henri, P.
Ballerini, G.
Preisser, L.
Califano, F.
Space Physics
Over the past decades, near-Earth spacecraft observations have provided insights into the physics of the bow shock, suggesting that solar wind intrinsic turbulence influences the bow shock dynamics. On the other hand, theoretical studies, based on global numerical simulations, have not yet investigated the global 3D interaction between a turbulent solar wind and a planetary magnetosphere. This paper addresses this gap for the first time by investigating the global dynamics of this interaction, providing new perspectives on the underlying physical processes. We examine how the turbulent nature of the solar wind influences the 3D structure and dynamics of magnetized planetary environments or magnetized Earth-like exoplanets, using the newly developed numerical code Menura. We use the hybrid PIC model Menura to conduct 3D simulations of the turbulent solar wind and its interaction with an Earth-like magnetized planet through global numerical simulations of the magnetosphere and its surroundings. We show that solar wind turbulence globally influences the shape and dynamics of the bow shock, the magnetosheath structures, and the ion foreshock dynamics. We show that a turbulent solar wind disrupts the coherence of foreshock fluctuations, induces large fluctuations on the quasi-perpendicular surface of the bow shock, facilitates the formation of bubble-like structures near the bow shock's nose, and modifies the properties of the magnetosheath region. None of these phenomena occur when comparing with the case in which the solar wind is laminar. The turbulent nature of the solar wind impacts the 3D shape and dynamics of the bow shock, magnetosheath, and ion foreshock region. This influence should be considered when studying solar wind-planet interactions in observations and simulations. We discuss the relevance of our findings for current and future missions launched into the heliosphere.
title Impact of solar wind turbulence on a planetary bow shock
topic Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.17942