[IGPP Everyone] TODAY: Space Physics Seminar, Fri. 9/30 3:30pm: "MHD coupling with PIC to study the magnetic reconnection process in the Martian plasma tail" (Yingjuan Ma, UCLA EPSS)

[Emmanuel V. Masongsong]

SPACE PHYSICS SEMINAR 

DEPARTMENT OF EARTH, PLANETARY, AND SPACE SCIENCES 

DEPARTMENT OF ATMOSPHERIC AND OCEANIC SCIENCES 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES 

(AOS M275A, EPSS M288A) 






MHD coupling with PIC (particle-in-cell) to study the magnetic reconnection process in the Martian plasma tail 




Yingjuan Ma 

Department of Earth Planetary and Space Sciences 

UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 




Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental physical process in space plasmas that changes magnetic topology and converts magnetic energy into both kinetic energy and thermal energy. It is believed as a common process occurring at the magnetosphere s of magnetized planets such as Earth, both on the dayside magnetopause and in the magnetotail when the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field is opposite to the planetary magnetic field. Even through Mars does not have a global intrinsic magnetic field, various magnetic reconnection signatures have been observed at Mars, from both previous Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and the ongoing Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission. Here we use a coupled approach to numerically study the detailed physical process and its global consequences of the magnetic reconnection process in the near-Mars magnetotail. Such a coupled approach solves the solar wind-Mars plasma interaction using a global MHD model with an embedded kinetic model (particle-in-cell). This approach takes advantages of both models: the efficiency of the global MHD model and the ability to include kinetic effects by the PIC model. Our model results show that the Martian 

magnetotail is highly dynamic and the magnetic reconnection process does enhance the ion escape rate of heavy ions by ~ 30%. 




Friday, September 30, 2016 

Room 6704 Geology 

3:30 - 5:00 PM 



In Charge 

Marco Velli 

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