2 research outputs found
Stellar winds and planetary bodies simulations: Magnetized obstacles in super-Alfvénic and sub-Alfvénic flows
Most planetary bodies are moving in the solar wind, in a stellar wind, or in a plasma flow within the
magnetosphere of a planet. The interaction of the body with the flowing plasma provides us with various
interaction types, which mainly depend on the flow speed, the magnetization of the body, its conductivity, the
presence of an ionosphere, and the size of the body.We establish two cornerstones representing highly
magnetized obstacles embedded in a super Alfvénic and sub-Alfvénic plasma. Those two cornerstones complete
the two cornerstones defined in our previous study on inert obstacles in super-Alfvénic and Sub Alfvénic regimes.
Tracking the transitions between these cornerstones enable better understanding of the feedback of the obstacle
onto the plasma flow. Each interaction is studied by means of the hybrid model simulation code AIKEF. The
results are summarized in three dimensional diagrams showing the current structures, which serve as a basis for
our descriptions. We identify the major currents such as telluric, magnetosonic, Chapman Ferraro, and bowshock
currents as the signatures of the particular state of development of the interaction region. We show that
each type of interactions can be identified by studying the shape and the magnitude of its specific currents