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Large-scale structure and dynamics of the magnetotails of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn

Large-scale structure and dynamics of the magnetotails of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn
Large-scale structure and dynamics of the magnetotails of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn

Spacecraft observations have established that all known planets with an internal magnetic field, as part of their interaction with the solar wind, possess well-developed magnetic tails, stretching vast distances on the nightside of the planets. In this review paper we focus on the magnetotails of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn, four planets which possess well-developed tails and which have been visited by several spacecraft over the years. The fundamental physical processes of reconnection, convection, and charged particle acceleration are common to the magnetic tails of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn. The great differences in solar wind conditions, planetary rotation rates, internal plasma sources, ionospheric properties, and physical dimensions from Mercury's small magnetosphere to the giant magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn provide an outstanding opportunity to extend our understanding of the influence of such factors on basic processes. In this review article, we study the four planetary environments of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn, comparing their common features and contrasting their unique dynamics.

Earth, Jupiter, Magnetosphere, Magnetotail, Mercury, Saturn
0038-6308
85-154
Jackman, C. M.
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Arridge, C. S.
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André, N.
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Bagenal, F.
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Birn, J.
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Freeman, M. P.
dc974e00-a73d-4d41-a2a8-3c5aebd7a5b5
Jia, X.
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Kidder, A.
cb78b617-58a8-410a-bef2-493f2547b5b6
Milan, S. E.
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Radioti, A.
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Slavin, J. A.
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Vogt, M. F.
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Volwerk, M.
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Walsh, A. P.
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Jackman, C. M.
9bc3456c-b254-48f1-ade0-912c5b8b4529
Arridge, C. S.
2efb7acf-be5b-41b4-bade-8b4ff0d78236
André, N.
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Bagenal, F.
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Birn, J.
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Freeman, M. P.
dc974e00-a73d-4d41-a2a8-3c5aebd7a5b5
Jia, X.
0b268c4d-354d-40fe-bf84-8618bed40f33
Kidder, A.
cb78b617-58a8-410a-bef2-493f2547b5b6
Milan, S. E.
b6dd5367-b0c4-4f30-953a-f2d13078d656
Radioti, A.
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Slavin, J. A.
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Vogt, M. F.
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Volwerk, M.
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Walsh, A. P.
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Jackman, C. M., Arridge, C. S., André, N., Bagenal, F., Birn, J., Freeman, M. P., Jia, X., Kidder, A., Milan, S. E., Radioti, A., Slavin, J. A., Vogt, M. F., Volwerk, M. and Walsh, A. P. (2014) Large-scale structure and dynamics of the magnetotails of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn. Space Science Reviews, 182 (1-4), 85-154. (doi:10.1007/s11214-014-0060-8).

Record type: Review

Abstract

Spacecraft observations have established that all known planets with an internal magnetic field, as part of their interaction with the solar wind, possess well-developed magnetic tails, stretching vast distances on the nightside of the planets. In this review paper we focus on the magnetotails of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn, four planets which possess well-developed tails and which have been visited by several spacecraft over the years. The fundamental physical processes of reconnection, convection, and charged particle acceleration are common to the magnetic tails of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn. The great differences in solar wind conditions, planetary rotation rates, internal plasma sources, ionospheric properties, and physical dimensions from Mercury's small magnetosphere to the giant magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn provide an outstanding opportunity to extend our understanding of the influence of such factors on basic processes. In this review article, we study the four planetary environments of Mercury, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn, comparing their common features and contrasting their unique dynamics.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 25 July 2014
Keywords: Earth, Jupiter, Magnetosphere, Magnetotail, Mercury, Saturn

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 436457
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/436457
ISSN: 0038-6308
PURE UUID: 7bc7d0ba-3f97-4193-90b1-ae15f20fda68
ORCID for C. M. Jackman: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0635-7361

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Date deposited: 11 Dec 2019 17:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 12:36

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Contributors

Author: C. M. Jackman ORCID iD
Author: C. S. Arridge
Author: N. André
Author: F. Bagenal
Author: J. Birn
Author: M. P. Freeman
Author: X. Jia
Author: A. Kidder
Author: S. E. Milan
Author: A. Radioti
Author: J. A. Slavin
Author: M. F. Vogt
Author: M. Volwerk
Author: A. P. Walsh

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