Three-dimensional Multispecies Simulation of the Solar Wind Interaction with Mars Under Different Interplanetary Magnetic Field Orientations

Abstract

Abstract Without the intrinsic magnetic field, the solar wind interaction with Mars can be significantly different from the interaction with Earth and other magnetized planets. In this paper, we investigate how a global configuration of the magnetic structures, consisting of the bow shock, the induced magnetosphere, and the magnetotail, is modulated by the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientation. A 3D multispecies numerical model is established to simulate the interaction of solar wind with Mars under different IMF directions. The results show that the shock size including the subsolar distance and the terminator radius increases with Parker spiral angle, as is the same case with the magnetotail radius. The location and shape of the polarity reversal layer and inverse polarity reversal layer in the induced magnetotail are displaced to the y < 0 sector for a nonzero flow-aligned IMF component, consistent with previous analytical solutions and observations. The responses of the Martian global magnetic configuration to the different IMF directions suggest that the external magnetic field plays an important role in the solar wind interaction with unmagnetized planets.