Kinetic methods of studying the plasma environments of non-magnetic bodies
Abstract
There has been an extensive focus on Non-Magnetic Bodies over the last few decades and certainly in the later part of the 1990's and early 2000's. These bodies include Venus, Mars, and moons of the gas giants. In the case of Mars, Titan, and other bodies the ion gyroradius is comparable and in some cases larger than the size of the body. In these situations kinetic simulations best represent the physics of the system. This is especially true if pick up ions or ionosphere loss is a major issue as it is for Mars. Kinetic simulations especially 3D global simulations are in some way easier to- build than the corresponding MHD codes, but because of the increased number of degrees of freedom in the physics, they are much more difficult to check, diagnose, and run. Further, they require substantially larger computer resources. At this juncture only a few researchers are performing these simulations. However, they produce answers that are consistent with data, while surprising in the physical connections they display. With larger and faster computers and increased availability of these computers, the kinetic approach will become more popular. In this paper we will discuss the assumptions that make the kinetic limit attractive. The basic numerics will be discussed, and some results will be presented.
- Publication:
-
34th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002cosp...34E1934B