A Global Model of Jupiter's Magnetospheric Field
Abstract
We present a progress report on our effort to build a new model of Jupiter's magnetospheric field. We are using a five-minute averaged database of magnetic field from Galileo and all the other previous missions to Jupiter. As a first step we have constructed a new model of the structure and thickness of Jupiter's equatorial current sheet. The model incorporates the delay and hinging of the current sheet at large distances. The thickness of the current sheet is modeled as a sinusoidal function of local time such that the current sheet is at its thinnest in the dawn sector and is the thickest in the dusk sector. To model the magnetic field of Jupiter's current sheet we use analytical models of disk-shaped current sheets similar to those advanced by Tsyganenko and Peredo [1994] for the Earth's current sheet. These models use an axially symmetric representation of the magnetic vector potential of a ring current to provide simple expressions for the calculation of magnetic field. Next, we use a general deformation technique [Tsyganenko, 1998] to introduce delay and hinging effects on the magnetic field of the Jovian current sheet. Finally, we discuss the use of Cartesian harmonics in specifying the field of the magnetopause and the magnetotail current system. We also discuss the importance of including the 3.2 degrees tilt between the Jovigraphic equator and the Jovian orbital plane in describing the structure of the Jovian current sheet.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002AGUFMSM21A0520K
- Keywords:
-
- 2708 Current systems (2409);
- 2740 Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics;
- 2756 Planetary magnetospheres (5443;
- 5737;
- 6030);
- 2764 Plasma sheet