Effects of the interplanetary magnetic field on the twisting of the magnetotail: Global MHD results

We used the global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation to investigate effects of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) on the twisting of the magnetotail. It is shown that the cross section of the magnetotail is elongated along a certain direction close to the IMF orientation. The elongated direc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of geophysical research. Space physics 2014-03, Vol.119 (3), p.1887-1897
Main Authors: Wang, J. Y., Wang, C., Huang, Z. H., Sun, T. R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Current sheets
Elongation
Interplanetary magnetic fields
Magnetic fields
Magnetohydrodynamics
magnetotail twisting
MHD
MHD simulation
Orientation
Simulation
Twisting
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Summary:We used the global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation to investigate effects of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) on the twisting of the magnetotail. It is shown that the cross section of the magnetotail is elongated along a certain direction close to the IMF orientation. The elongated direction twists with the IMF orientation, magnitude, and the distance away from Earth, and the quantitative relationship has been given. In addition, the current sheet has a similar twisting behavior as the magnetotail magnetopause, with a smaller twisting angle. Our simulated results fall within the range that people have deduced from observations. Key Points Quantitative investigation of the IMF on the twisting of the magnetotail The current sheet has similar twisting behavior to IMF conditions The twisting angle from simulations agrees with observations
ISSN:2169-9380
2169-9402
DOI:10.1002/2013JA019257