Riku Jarvinen

On vertical electric fields at lunar magnetic anomalies

We study the interaction between a magnetic dipole mimicking the Gerasimovich magnetic anomaly on the lunar surface and the solar wind in a self-consistent 3-D quasi-neutral hybrid simulation where ions are modeled as particles and electrons as a charge-neutralizing fluid. Especially, we consider the origin of the recently observed electric potentials at lunar magnetic anomalies. An antimoonward Hall electric field forms in our simulation resulting in a potential difference of <300V on the lunar surface, in which the value is similar to observations. Since the hybrid model assumes charge neutrality, our results suggest that the electric potentials at lunar magnetic anomalies can be formed by decoupling of ion and electron motion even without charge separation.

Energization of planetary pickup ions in the solar system

We study the solar wind-induced ion escape from planetary atmospheres at different radial heliospheric distances in the solar system. We derive histograms of the gyroaveraged E×B velocities, energies, and Larmor radii of planetary ions in the solar wind at Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. The statistical analysis is based on the interplanetary Pioneer Venus Orbiter and OMNI solar wind data sets. In addition to the energization in the undisturbed solar wind we also model how planetary heavy ions get energized in the solar wind interaction of an unmagnetized planet at different distances to the Sun. We found that due to the Parker spiral, pickup ions are expected to be found on average at lower energies and at velocities more perpendicular to the solar wind flow, the closer to the Sun a planet or a comet is. According to a global hybrid simulation, planetary heavy ion energization is influenced qualitatively in a similar way in the presence of an induced magnetosphere than in the upstream solar wind under different Parker spiral angles due to fact that the structure of an induced magnetosphere depends strongly on the interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind conditions. Finally, the energization and dynamics of the pickup ions vary considerably with the solar activity. The variation is stronger the farther away from the Sun an object is. The Larmor radii of the pickup ions are largest during a solar minimum while the pickup ion energies are highest during the declining phase of a solar cycle.

Comparison of Global Martian Plasma Models in the Context of MAVEN Observations

Global models of the interaction of the solar wind with the Martian upper atmosphere have proved to be valuable tools for investigating both the escape to space of the Martian atmosphere and the physical processes controlling this complex interaction. The many models currently in use employ different physical assumptions, but it can be difficult to directly compare the effectiveness of the models since they are rarely run for the same input conditions. Here we present the results of a model comparison activity, where five global models (single‐fluid MHD, multi‐fluid MHD, multi‐fluid electron pressure MHD, and two hybrid models) were run for identical conditions corresponding to a single orbit of observations from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft. nWe find that low altitude ion densities are very similar across all models, and are comparable to MAVEN ion density measurements from periapsis. Plasma boundaries appear generally symmetric in all models and vary only slightly in extent. Despite these similarities there are clear morphological differences in ion behavior in other regions such as the tail and southern hemisphere. These differences are observable in ion escape loss maps, and are necessary to understand in order to accurately use models in aiding our understanding of the martian plasma environment.

Oxygen Ion Energization at Mars: Comparison of MAVEN and Mars Express Observations to Global Hybrid Simulation

We study oxygen ion energization in the Mars-solar wind interaction by comparing particle and magnetic field observations on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) and Mars Express missions to a global hybrid simulation. We find that large-scale structures of the Martian-induced magnetosphere and plasma environment as well as the Mars heavy ion plume as seen by multispacecraft observations are reproduced by the model. Using the simulation, we estimate the dynamics of escaping oxygen ions by analyzing their distance and time of flight as a function of the gained kinetic energy along spacecraft trajectories. In the upstream region the heavy ion energization resembles single-particle solar wind ion pickup acceleration as expected, while within the induced magnetosphere the energization displays other features including the heavy ion plume from the ionosphere. Oxygen ions take up to 80 s and travel the distance of 20,000 km after their emission from the ionosphere to the induced magnetosphere or photoionization from the neutral exosphere before they have reached energies of 10 keV in the plume along the analyzed spacecraft orbits. Lower oxygen ion energies of 100 eV are reached faster in 10-20 s over the distance of 100-200 km in the plume. Our finding suggests that oxygen ions are typically observed within the first half of their gyrophase if the spacecraft periapsis is on the hemisphere where the solar wind convection electric field points away from Mars.

Foreshock Properties at Typical and Enhanced Interplanetary Magnetic Field Strengths: Results From Hybrid‐Vlasov Simulations

In this paper, we present a detailed study of the effects of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength on the foreshock properties at small and large scales. Two simulation runs performed with the hybrid-Vlasov code Vlasiator with identical setup but with different IMF strengths, namely, 5 and 10 nT, are compared. We find that the bow shock position and shape are roughly identical in both runs, due to the quasi-radial IMF orientation, in agreement with previous magnetohydrodynamic simulations and theory. Foreshock waves develop in a broader region in the higher IMF strength run, which we attribute to the larger growth rate of the waves. The velocity of field-aligned beams remains essentially the same, but their density is generally lower when the IMF strength increases, due to the lower Mach number. Also, we identify in the regular IMF strength run ridges of suprathermal ions which disappear at higher IMF strength. These structures may be a new signature of the foreshock compressional boundary. The foreshock wave field is structured over smaller scales in higher IMF conditions, due to both the period of the foreshock waves and the transverse extent of the wave fronts being smaller. While the foreshock is mostly permeated by monochromatic waves at typical IMF strength, we find that magnetosonic waves at different frequencies coexist in the other run. They are generated by multiple beams of suprathermal ions, while only a single beam is observed at typical IMF strength. The consequences of these differences for solar wind-magnetosphere coupling are discussed. Plain Language Summary Our solar system is filled with a stream of particles escaping from the Sun, called the solar wind. The Earth is shielded from these particles by its magnetic field, which creates a magnetic bubble around our planet, the magnetosphere. Because the solar wind flow is supersonic, a bow shock forms in front of the magnetosphere to slow it down. The outermost region of the near-Earth space is called the foreshock. It is a very turbulent region, filled with particles reflected off the Earth’s bow shock, and with a variety of magnetic waves. These waves can be transmitted inside the magnetosphere and create disturbances in the magnetic field on the Earth’s surface. In this work, we use supercomputer simulations to study how the foreshock changes when the solar magnetic field, carried by the solar wind, intensifies. This happens in particular during solar storms, which create stormy space weather at Earth and can have adverse consequences on, for example, spacecraft electronics and power grids. We find that the foreshock properties are very different during these events compared to normal conditions and that these changes may have consequences in the regions closer to Earth.

Forcing continuous reconnection in hybrid simulations

We have performed hybrid simulations of driven continuous reconnection with open boundary conditions. Reconnection is started by a collision of two subsonic plasma fronts with opposite magnetic fields, without any specified magnetic field configuration as initial condition. Due to continued forced plasma inflow, a current sheet co-located with a dense and hot plasma sheet develops. The translational symmetry of the current sheet is broken by applying a spatial gradient in the inflow speed. We compare runs with and without localized resistivity: reconnection is initiated in both cases, but localized resistivity stabilizes it and enhances its efficiency. The outflow speed reaches about half of Alfven speed. We quantify the conversion of magnetic energy to kinetic energy of protons and to Joule heating and show that with localized resistivity, kinetic energy of protons is increased on average five-fold in the reconnection in our simulation case.