The magnetosheath is the region of space between the
magnetopause
The magnetopause is the abrupt boundary between a magnetosphere and the surrounding Plasma (physics), plasma. For planetary science, the magnetopause is the boundary between the planet's magnetic field and the solar wind. The location of the ma ...
and the
bow shock of a
planet's magnetosphere
In astronomy and planetary science, a magnetosphere is a region of space surrounding an astronomical object in which charged particles are affected by that object's magnetic field. It is created by a celestial body with an active interior Dynamo ...
. The regularly organized
magnetic field
A magnetic field (sometimes called B-field) is a physical field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular ...
generated by the planet becomes weak and irregular in the magnetosheath due to interaction with the incoming
solar wind
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the Sun's outermost atmospheric layer, the Stellar corona, corona. This Plasma (physics), plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy betwee ...
, and is incapable of fully deflecting the highly
charged particle
In physics, a charged particle is a particle with an electric charge. For example, some elementary particles, like the electron or quarks are charged. Some composite particles like protons are charged particles. An ion, such as a molecule or atom ...
s. The density of the particles in this region is considerably lower than what is found beyond the bow shock, but greater than within the
magnetopause
The magnetopause is the abrupt boundary between a magnetosphere and the surrounding Plasma (physics), plasma. For planetary science, the magnetopause is the boundary between the planet's magnetic field and the solar wind. The location of the ma ...
, and can be considered a transitory state.
Scientific research into the exact nature of the magnetosheath has been limited due to a longstanding misconception that it was a byproduct of the bow shock/magnetopause interaction and had no inherently important properties of its own. Recent studies indicate, however, that the magnetosheath is a dynamic region of turbulent
plasma flow which may play an important role in the structure of the bow shock and the magnetopause, and might help to dictate the flow of energetic particles across those boundaries. Kinetic plasma instabilities may cause further complexity by generating
plasma waves and energetic
particle beams in the magnetosheath and foreshock regions.
The
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...
's magnetosheath typically occupies the region of space approximately 10 Earth radii on the upwind (
Sun
The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...
-facing) side of the planet, extending significantly further out on the downwind side due to the pressure of the solar wind. The exact location and width of the magnetosheath depends on variables such as
solar activity
Solar phenomena are natural phenomena which occur within the Stellar atmosphere, atmosphere of the Sun. They take many forms, including solar wind, Solar radio emission, radio wave flux, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, Stellar corona#Coron ...
.
[Ali H. Sulaiman, Adam Masters, Michele K. Dougherty,
and Xianzhe Jia "The Magnetic Structure of Saturn's Magnetosheath" from "JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 119, 5651 - 5661, DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020019" (February 2015). https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1502/1502.05504.pdf]
See also
*
Earth's magnetic field
Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from structure of Earth, Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from ...
*
Interplanetary magnetic field (IMF)
*
Magnetotail
*
Van Allen radiation belt
The Van Allen radiation belt is a zone of energetic charged particles, most of which originate from the solar wind, that are captured by and held around a planet by that planet's magnetosphere. Earth has two such belts, and sometimes others ma ...
*
Plasmasphere
The plasmasphere, or inner magnetosphere, is a region of the Earth's magnetosphere consisting of low-energy (cool) plasma. It is located above the ionosphere. The outer boundary of the plasmasphere is known as the plasmapause, which is defined b ...
*
Ionosphere
The ionosphere () is the ionized part of the upper atmosphere of Earth, from about to above sea level, a region that includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere. The ionosphere is ionized by solar radiation. It plays ...
*
Space weather
Space weather is a branch of space physics and aeronomy, or heliophysics, concerned with the varying conditions within the Solar System and its heliosphere. This includes the effects of the solar wind, especially on the Earth's magnetosphere, ion ...
and
heliophysics
Heliophysics (from the prefix "wikt:helio-, helio", from Attic Greek ''hḗlios'', meaning Sun, and the noun "physics": the science of matter and energy and their interactions) is the physics of the Sun and its connection with the Solar System. ...
References
External links
The Encyclopedia of Astrobiology, Astronomy, and Spaceflight
Planetary science
Space plasmas
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