Solar wind interactions with planets that possess neither an intrinsic magnetic field nor a significant ionosphere have not been well studied. We have constructed a model to simulate the interaction between a hot magnetized plasma and a planet containing only a neutral atmosphere. Examination of the boundary conditions that yield a physically valid solution shows that the interaction is similar to the solar wind interaction with Venus. We show that most (97%) of the incident flow is deflected around the atmosphere, and the small fraction that enters interacts in such a way as to transfer the flowing momentum through the neutral atmosphere to the planetary body. This demonstrates that the true barrier to a flowing plasma, such as the solar wind, is neither its ionosphere nor its intrinsic magnetic field, but rather the planetary body itself.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:RICE/oai:scholarship.rice.edu:1911/13736 |
Date | January 1993 |
Creators | Hoogeveen, Gary |
Contributors | Cloutier, Paul A. |
Source Sets | Rice University |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Thesis, Text |
Format | 64 p., application/pdf |
Page generated in 0.0014 seconds