A statistical survey on the magnetic field distribution in Mercury's magnetotail current sheet based on MESSENGER observations

doi:10.6038/cjg2018L0225

	A statistical survey on the magnetic field distribution in Mercury's magnetotail current sheet based on MESSENGER observations
	Ding Yuan 1,2; Rong ZhaoJin 1,2,3
刊名	CHINESE JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICS-CHINESE EDITION
	2018-02-01
卷号	61 期号:2 页码:411-422
关键词	Mercury Magnetosphere Magnetotail current sheet Dawn-dusk asymmetry
ISSN号	0001-5733
DOI	10.6038/cjg2018L0225
文献子类	Article
英文摘要	In this study, we use the magnetic field data measured by MESSENGER from 2011 to 2015 to survey the average magnetic field distribution in Mercury's magnetotail current sheet. It is found that the tail current sheet coincidently lies in the magnetic equator plane due to the ignorable dipole tilt angle (<3 degrees). The magnetic field B-z component is much larger than the B-y component at the current sheet center, which suggests that the field structure is almost vertical to the equatorial plane. In comparison with the region closer to Mercury (-1.5R(M)>X>2.ORM), at the distant region (-2.0R(M)>X>-2.5R(M)) the magnetic field strength B-min as well as the B-z component are weaker, B-y component is stronger, while the signature of negative B-z tends to appear there. Thus, the distant current sheet (-2.0R(M)>X>-2. 5R(M)) is more dynamic than the closer current sheet. The distributions of B-min as well as the B-z show evident dawn-dusk asymmetry, e. B-min and B-z are relatively weaker duskward within the azimuthal angle 1200-1900 where the data points of weaker B-z(B-z <5 nT) also show higher occurrence probability. In contrast, the strong By component (vertical bar By vertical bar>5 nT) at the current sheet tends to appear at the dawnward region (Y<0). In addition, the statistical study shows that the B-y component does not have a significant correlation with the B-y, component of interplanetary magnetic field. By comparison with the Earth's magnetotail current sheet, the mechanisms to control the dawn-dusk asymmetry of magnetic field at Mercury's tail current sheet are discussed.
WOS关键词	CLUSTER OBSERVATIONS ; X-LINE ; GEOTAIL ; MAGNETOSPHERE ; RECONNECTION ; MAGNETOPAUSE ; MODEL ; TAIL ; PENETRATION ; INSTRUMENT
WOS研究方向	Geochemistry & Geophysics
语种	英语
出版者	SCIENCE PRESS
WOS记录号	WOS:000425840900002
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.iggcas.ac.cn/handle/132A11/82898]
专题	中国科学院地质与地球物理研究所
通讯作者	Rong ZhaoJin
作者单位	1.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Geol & Geophys, Key Lab Earth & Planetary Phys, Beijing 100029, Peoples R China 2.Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Coll Earth Sci, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China 3.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Earth Sci, Beijing 100029, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Ding Yuan,Rong ZhaoJin. A statistical survey on the magnetic field distribution in Mercury's magnetotail current sheet based on MESSENGER observations[J]. CHINESE JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICS-CHINESE EDITION,2018,61(2):411-422.
APA	Ding Yuan,&Rong ZhaoJin.(2018).A statistical survey on the magnetic field distribution in Mercury's magnetotail current sheet based on MESSENGER observations.CHINESE JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICS-CHINESE EDITION,61(2),411-422.
MLA	Ding Yuan,et al."A statistical survey on the magnetic field distribution in Mercury's magnetotail current sheet based on MESSENGER observations".CHINESE JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICS-CHINESE EDITION 61.2(2018):411-422.