Configuration of the Uranus magnetosphere as seen from the point of view of the least energy criterion

The magnetic energy of idealized magnetospheric configurations has been investigated on the basis of the three-parameter family of 2D magnetospheres constructed in the author's earlier papers. The tilt angle λ can assume any value and the tail is characterized by the flux content Φ and the dimensionless parameter p. For fixed λ and Φ the value of p can be determined using the least energy criterion. The energetics of a configuration depends on the flux content in the tail. The results obtained in the 2D case can be translated to 3D. This enables to expect that the Uranian magnetosphere in the pole-on position will be axially symmetric when the flux in the tail is large. When the flux is small, then the neutral sheet will be a slightly bent surface.