Abstract
Plane models of the magnetopause are investigated under the assumption that ionospheric electrons are able to short-circuit electric fields (exact charge neutrality). Using the Vlasov theory a general method is presented for constructing distribution functions that lead to given magnetic field and tangential bulk velocity profiles. As an example we describe the magnetic field transition in terms of error functions and obtain particle distributions in explicit form, including bulk velocities.
It is thus shown that bulk velocities in the direction of the magnetic field do not necessarily lead to a non-equilibrium magnetopause which investigations by Parker and Lerche seem to suggest.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chapman, S. and Ferraro, V. C. A.: 1931,Terrest. Magnetism Atmospheric Elec. 36, 77, 171;37, 147, 421;38, 79.
Dungey, J. W.: 1958,Cosmic Electrodynamics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 141–143.
Erdelyi, A., Magnus, Oberhettinger, F., and Tricomi: 1953,Higher Transcendental Functions, Vol. 2, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, Toronto, London.
Ferraro, V. C. A.: 1952,J. Geophys. Res. 57, 15.
Lerche, I.: 1967,J. Geophys. Res. 72, 5295.
Mead, G. D. and Beard, D. B.: 1964,J. Geophys. Res. 69, 1169.
Morse and Feshbach: 1953,Methods of Theoretical Physics, Vol. 1, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, Toronto, London.
Ness, N. F.: 1967,Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ed. by J. W. King and W. S. Newman), Academic Press, London, New York, p. 57.
Parker, E. N.: 1967,J. Geophys. Res. 72, 2315.
Sestero, A.: 1964a,Phys. Fluids 7, 44.
Sestero, A.: 1964b,Phys. Fluids 8, 739.
Sestero, A.: 1966,Phys. Fluids 9, 2006.
Vasyliunas, Y. M.: 1968,J. Geophys. Res. 73, 2839.
Völk, H.: 1961,Selbstkonsistente stationäre Lösungen der Wlassowgleichung für ein Zweikomponentenplasma, Diplomarbeit (unpublished), Munich.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Of the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO).
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alpers, W. Steady state charge neutral models of the magnetopause. Astrophys Space Sci 5, 425–437 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00652391
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00652391