A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Mirror modes in the Earth's magnetosheath: Results from a global hybrid-Vlasov simulation




AuthorsHoilijoki S, Palmroth M, Walsh BM, Pfau-Kempf Y, von Alfthan S, Ganse U, Hannuksela O, Vainio R

PublisherAMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION

Publication year2016

JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics

Journal name in sourceJOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS

Journal acronymJ GEOPHYS RES-SPACE

Volume121

Issue5

First page 4191

Last page4204

Number of pages14

ISSN2169-9380

eISSN2169-9402

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1002/2015JA022026


Abstract
We investigate mirror mode structures in the Earth's magnetosheath using our global kinetic Vlasiator simulation, which models ion behavior through their distribution function and treats electrons as a charge-neutralizing fluid. We follow the evolution of waves as they advect along velocity streamlines through the magnetosheath. We find that mirror mode waves are observed preferentially in the quasi-perpendicular magnetosheath along velocity streamlines that enter the sheath in the vicinity of the foreshock ULF wave boundary where there are enough initial perturbations in the plasma for the mirror modes to grow, and the plasma properties fulfill the mirror instability condition better than elsewhere in the magnetosheath. We test selection criteria defined by previous studies and show that the spatial extent over which mirror modes occur ranges from much of the magnetosheath on the quasi-perpendicular side of the subsolar point to very small isolated regions depending on the criteria.



Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 23:31