RAS Specialist Discussion Meeting: Numerical Modelling of Planetary Magnetospheres

Meeting abstract

Within a planetary magnetosphere, a variety of dynamic processes can occur (for example, wave-particle interactions, magnetic reconnection, interactions with the solar wind, coupling between the magnetosphere and ionosphere) which affect the behaviour of charged particles within the region. These processes occur over a wide range of temporal and spatial scales and are affected by the internal dynamics of the specific magnetosphere, such as the rate of planetary rotation, offset between magnetic dipole and spin axes, and the presence (or lack) of plasma sources within the magnetosphere.

Through a combination of fundamental physics and inferred parameters (e.g. from in situ spacecraft measurements), numerical modelling allows invaluable insight and understanding of the physical behaviour of these complex systems. As a result of the unique dynamics and varying scale sizes in magnetospheric processes, numerical models can range from simple 1-D steady-state treatise to full 3-D time-dependent simulations. By comparing their output with in-situ data, numerical models can be constrained, refined, and used to predict the behaviour of hitherto unexplored magnetospheres.

This meeting is timely, owing to the variety of recent (e.g. FAST, Cassini), ongoing (Cluster, Juno) and proposed (SMILE, JUICE) spacecraft missions to explore the magnetospheres of our solar system. While there are intrinsic differences between terrestrial and outer planet magnetospheres, the techniques and practices used to model them are similar. Their study is an active research topic, and this meeting will allow attendees to share numerical techniques, recent results and to promote knowledge exchange, collaboration, and discussion within the community. We welcome submissions from anyone involved in the modelling of planetary magnetospheres.

Meeting format

This meeting will be held as a Zoom webinar, and will consist of both invited and contributed talks. We also welcome poster contributions, which will be held in a Gather.town room. The Gather.town space can also be used for discussion between attendees.

Invited presentations

• Marina Galand – Auroral precipitation
• Jon Nichols – Magnetosphere-Ionosphere coupling
• Minna Palmroth – Vlasiator model
• Katherine Garcia-Sage – Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere coupling

Registration

All participants will need to register before the meeting. Registration is free for Fellows of the Royal Astronomical Society, and £5.00 for non-Fellows. Please register on the dedicated RAS event page, via the Book Now button above.
 
Should you have any questions about accessibility or the meeting in general, please get in touch with one of the organisers.

Dr Dave Constable (Lancaster University)

Prof Nick Achilleos (UCL)

Image

Earth is surrounded by a giant magnetic bubble called the magnetosphere, which is is part of a dynamic, interconnected system that responds to solar, planetary, and interstellar conditions. Credit: NASA