Particle-In-Cell PIC 3D and MHD simulations of the Earth's Bow show.

Particles-In-Cell (PIC) and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) 3D models are used to simulate Earth's magnetosphere under similar solar wind (SW) and north interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions. The bow shock's position is found by both codes at a distance of ~14.8 RE along the Sun-Earth line, and ~29 RE on the dusk side, consistent with past in situ observations. Based on our comparison, running PIC and MHD models under similar input SW parameters elucidates the strengths and drawbacks of these approaches and demonstrates the use of both models in a complementary, rather than competitive, manner for a better understanding of magnetospheres.