Study on kinetic interactions between the solar wind and the lunar magnetic anomaly via three-dimensional full particle simulations

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23340148
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Space and upper atmospheric physics
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: USUI HIDEYUKI 神戸大学, システム情報学研究科, 教授 (10243081)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NISHINO Masaki 名古屋大学, 大学院工学研究科, 研究員 (50466794)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 月面磁気異常 / 全粒子シミュレーション / 小型磁気圏 / 境界層電流 / 太陽風 / 電子ダイナミクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We studied the electron dynamics in the boundary current layer in the small-scale magnetosphere formed above the lunar magnetic anomaly by performing the three-dimensional electromagnetic particle simulations. We found a turn-around structure of the electron flux in the both hemispheres in the boundary current region. We also clarified that the maximum electron velocity observed in the most inner region of the magnetosphere is due to the electron cyclotron motion itself, not the drift motion of the electrons. We also confirmed that the width of the boundary current layer is approximately equal to the radius of the local electron cyclotron motion.

Free Research Field

宇宙理工学