Speaker
Description
Global simulations have become an invaluable tool for studies of planetary magnetospheres, aiding in interpreting satellite observations, uncovering new physics and processes, and deepening our understanding of the fundamental magnetospheric behavior. Because of their relatively large system sizes, planetary magnetospheres are normally simulated with ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) models, treating plasma ions and electrons as a combined fluid. Nevertheless, a proper treatment of key processes in planetary magnetospheres, such as magnetic reconnection, calls for global models that go beyond the ideal MHD approach. Towards this end, the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF) modeling group at the University of Michigan have developed extended MHD models and coupled fluid-kinetic models that enable us to incorporate kinetic physics into global magnetosphere simulations. In this presentation, we will focus on the applications of these sophisticated models to the innermost planet, Mercury, and Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede, both of which are magnetized bodies and thus possess intrinsic magnetospheres. We will use these examples to demonstrate our novel modeling capabilities and to discuss the new insights gained from the simulations regarding reconnection-driven dynamics as well as their implications for the global coupling between the ambient plasma and the magnetosphere.
