Calculation of the Initial Magnetic Field for Mercury’s Magnetosphere Hybrid Model

Several types of numerical models are used to analyze the interactions of the solar wind flow with Mercury’s magnetosphere, including kinetic models that determine magnetic and electric fields based on the spatial distribution of charges and currents, magnetohydrodynamic models that describe plasma as a conductive liquid, and hybrid models that describe ions kinetically in collisionless mode and represent electrons as a massless neutralizing liquid. The structure of resulting solutions is determined not only by the chosen set of equations that govern the behavior of plasma, but also by the initial and boundary conditions; i.e., their effects are not limited to the amount of computational work required to achieve a quasi-stationary solution. In this work, we have proposed using the magnetic field computed by the paraboloid model of Mercury’s magnetosphere as the initial condition for subsequent hybrid modeling. The results of the model have been compared to measurements performed by the Messenger spacecraft during a single crossing of the magnetosheath and the magnetosphere. The selected orbit lies in the terminator plane, which allows us to observe two crossings of the bow shock and the magnetopause. In our calculations, we have defined the initial parameters of the global magnetospheric current systems in a way that allows us to minimize paraboloid magnetic field deviation along the trajectory of the Messenger from the experimental data. We have shown that the optimal initial field parameters include setting the penetration of a partial interplanetary magnetic field into the magnetosphere with a penetration coefficient of 0.2.     

Regularization of the Perturbed Spatial Restricted Three-Body Problem by <Emphasis Type="Italic">L</Emphasis>-Transformations

Equations of motion for the perturbed circular restricted three-body problem have been regularized in canonical variables in a moving coordinate system. Two different L-matrices of the fourth order are used in the regularization. Conditions for generalized symplecticity of the constructed transform have been checked. In the unperturbed case, the regular equations have a polynomial structure. The regular equations have been numerically integrated using the Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg method. The results of numerical experiments are given for the Earth–Moon system parameters taking into account the perturbation of the Sun for different L-matrices.     

On the Accuracy of the Conjugation of High-Orbit Satellites with Small-Scale Regions in the Ionosphere

The degree of uncertainty that arises when mapping high-orbit satellites of the Cluster type into the ionosphere using three geomagnetic field models (T89, T98, and T01) has been estimated. Studies have shown that uncertainty is minimal in situations when a satellite in the daytime is above the equatorial plane of the magnetosphere at the distance of no more than 5 R_E from the Earth’s surface and is projected into the ionosphere of the northern hemisphere. In this case, the dimensions of the uncertainty region are about 50 km, and the arbitrariness of the choice of the model for projecting does not play a decisive role in organizing satellite support based on optical observations when studying such large-scale phenomena as, e.g., WTS, as well as heating experiments at the EISCAT heating facility for the artificial modification of the ionosphere and the generation of artificial fluctuations in the VLF band. In all other cases, the uncertainty in determining the position of the base of the field line on which the satellite is located is large, and additional information is required to correctly compare the satellite with the object in the ionosphere.     

Using the Subsurface Soil Sounding Radar for Investigating the Structure and Total Electron Content of the Martian Ionosphere

The possibilities of using the Martian soil subsurface sounding radar for investigating the structure of the plasma shell surrounding the planet have been considered. Based on the numerical modeling results and actual soil sounding data, it has been shown that the soil sounding mode of the radio-locating MARSIS radar can be used to assess the structure of the Martian ionosphere. As the emitted signals pass to the planet’s surface, it is possible to use the reflected signals to estimate the total electron content of the Martian ionosphere along the flight track of the spacecraft.     

On the dynamics of latitudinal profiles of low-energy solar protons in the Earth magnetosphere

Many works have been devoted to studying the boundaries of the penetration of solar protons into the Earth’s magnetosphere. This work first considers the dynamics of not only the boundary, but the latitudinal profiles of penetration in general depending on the energy and local time of measurement according to the data of the low-altitude CORONAS-F satellite. When flying through the polar cap, the isotropic pitchangle distribution of protons leads to the equality of the recorded precipitating flux and the proton flux in the interplanetary space. Beginning at a particular latitude, the proton flux begins to drop and, over time, reaches the level of the background of galactic cosmic rays. The latitudinal profile measured in this manner on the night side reaches the bending point when the Larmor radius of the proton becomes comparable with the radius of the curvature of the line of force; after partial trapping, the flux of precipitating protons successively drops. The protons are transferred to the day side by the magnetic drift and, unlike the night profile, the character of the day profile depends on the configuration of the entire magnetosphere. The character of latitudinal profiles has been studied depending on the local time and energy of the particles, which enabled the features of the magnetosphere deformation to be evaluated at certain times of magnetic storms.     

Studying the change in characteristics of optical surfaces of a spacecraft

The change in the working characteristics of the optical element sample depending on the thickness of the contamination film applied to the sample has been estimated experimentally. As sources of contamination, the coatings of lens hoods were chosen, which are located in close proximity to the contamination- sensitive optical system of a spacecraft. A series of experiments for applying contamination films of different thickness to the sample of the optical element has been carried out. Based on preliminary estimations, the thickness of the contamination during the entire period of the active existence of the spacecraft will not exceed 3500 Å.     

Acceleration and particle transport in collisionless plasma in the process of dipolarization and nonstationary turbulence

This work is devoted to studying the processes of the acceleration of plasma particles in thin current sheets that appear during magnetospheric substorms in the Earth’s magnetosphere tail. A numerical model of magnetic dipolarization accompanied by plasma turbulence has been constructed and studied. The model allows one to investigate the particle acceleration due to the action of three principal mechanisms: (1) plasma turbulence; (2) magnetic dipolarization; (3) their simultaneous action. For the given velocity kappa-distributions, we obtained energy spectra of three types of accelerated particles, i.e., protons p⁺, ions of oxygen O⁺, and electrons e^–. It has been shown that the combined mechanism of dipolarization with turbulence (3) makes the largest contribution to the increase in the energy of protons and heavy ions as compared with a separate action of each of mechanisms (1) and (2); in this case, electrons accelerate less. The consideration of the joint action of acceleration mechanisms (1) and (2) can explain the apparition of particles with energies on the order of magnitude equal to hundreds keV in the Earth’s magnetosphere tail.     

Dynamics of debye-scale nonstationary plasma structures in the region of auroral field-aligned currents

We consider the formation of small-scale nonstationary plasma structures in the region of relatively strong field-aligned electric currents. The formation of these structures has been shown to be associated with the density instability developed when the current velocity exceeds a critical value. The conditions for the development of this instability can be most favorable in the region of low-density plasma. Numerical calculations have been performed for the initial nonlinear stage of the structure development. The main parameters of the structure, i.e., the times of its formation and destruction, spatial scales, and electric field, have been estimated. The features of the structures are consistent with the existing data from space experiments in the region of auroral field-aligned currents of the Earth.     

Influence of Simplifying a Geometrical Model of the Gas Turbine Engine Combustion Chamber on the Results of Numerical Modeling

We studied the geometric models of combustion chambers depending on their simplification. It is shown that the error in calculating the parameters does not exceed 8 % under the constraint of the geometrical model of the gas turbine engine (GTE) combustion chamber by an angular sector with a burner device.