Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 1907.05480

Simulating the interaction of a non-magnetized planet with the stellar wind produced by a sun-like star using the FLASH Code

Edgard de Freitas Diniz Evangelista·Oswaldo Duarte Miranda·Odim Mendes·Margarete Oliveira Domingues
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The study of the interaction between solid objects and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluids is of great importance in physics as consequence of the significant phenomena generated, such as planets interacting with stellar wind produced by their host stars. There are several computational tools created to simulate hydrodynamic and MHD fluids, such as the FLASH code. In this code there is a feature which permits the placement of rigid bodies in the domain to be simulated. However, it is available and tested for pure hydrodynamic cases only. Our aim here is to adapt the existing resources of FLASH to enable the placement of a rigid body in MHD scenarios and, with such a scheme, to produce the simulation of a non-magnetized planet interacting with the stellar wind produced by a sun-like star. Besides, we consider that the planet has no significant atmosphere. We focus our analysis on the patterns of the density, magnetic field and velocity around the planet, as well as the influence of the viscosity on such patterns. At last, an improved methodological approach is available to other interested users.

Explore related subjects

physics.space-phastro-ph.EPastro-ph.SR

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Edgard de Freitas Diniz Evangelista, Oswaldo Duarte Miranda, Odim Mendes, Margarete Oliveira Domingues. 2019-07-11. Simulating the interaction of a non-magnetized planet with the stellar wind produced by a sun-like star using the FLASH Code. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13538-019-00689-y

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Microphysical Diversity in Two Very Closely Spaced Magnetic Switchbacks Observed by Parker Solar Probe

Parker Solar Probe observations near the Sun reveal frequent, sudden reversals of the magnetic field known as switchbacks (SBs). Despite their ubiquity, the internal plasma structure and associated heating within SBs remain poorly understood. We present a case study of two closely spaced SBs (referred in text as SB_1 and SB_2) observed on 24 January 2020 using high-cadence magnetic and plasma measurements. Magnetic fluctuations are decomposed into components parallel and perpendicular to the mean field, and their power spectra are analyzed to characterize the turbulent cascade. The Partial Variance of Increments (PVI) method is applied to identify intermittent current-sheet-like features. Both SB intervals exhibit clear Alfvenic behavior and enhanced radial flow; however, their microphysics differ: SB_1 shows a higher proton temperature, larger fluctuation amplitudes, and a denser population of current sheets compared to SB_2. The two events also differ in spectral index, with SB_1 exhibiting a steeper perpendicular slope than SB_2. The elevated intermittency, proton temperature, and transient $β> 1$ excursion in SB_1 suggest that localized dissipation at small-scale structures is a plausible driver of the observed heating. These findings demonstrate that SBs are not uniform kinematic deflections but dynamically evolving plasma structures whose internal turbulence may regulate local energy conversion and contribute to the spatially intermittent heating of the near-Sun solar wind.

physics.space-ph↗
arXiv2026

In-situ measurements of space plasma: recent progress and future challenges

Space plasmas like the solar wind or the Earth's space environment offer unique opportunities to observe fundamental plasma processes and their impact in situ. With modern space instrumentation, we measure the velocity distribution function of the plasma particles as well as the electromagnetic fields at high resolution and with minimal perturbation of the observed plasma systems. Plasma measurements like this are often not possible in laboratory settings on Earth. This review article focuses on modern diagnostic methods for the in-situ detection of plasma particles in space. It presents the detection principle of top-hat electrostatic analysers and highlights recent examples of scientific discoveries based on data from the heliospheric space missions Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter. These examples demonstrate the capabilities of modern space plasma instrumentation. The article then discusses future directions in space plasma physics as well as the involved challenges in terms of the required plasma diagnostics. These new developments include, for example, upcoming and proposed space missions such as the operational space-weather mission Vigil, the multi-spacecraft mission HelioSwarm, the Mars mission M-MATISSE, and the electron-astrophysics mission Debye.

physics.space-ph↗
arXiv2026

Alfvénicity and Proximity to Parallel-Mode Marginal Stability in the Slow Solar Wind

The proton temperature anisotropy in the solar wind is bounded by the thresholds of pressure-anisotropy-driven kinetic instabilities, and the distance at which the plasma settles from these thresholds is thought to be regulated by compressive fluctuations through the fluctuating anisotropy effect. We test whether the level of Alfvénicity is associated with this distance in the slow solar wind. Using five years of Wind/SWE bi-Maxwellian proton measurements (2004--2008), we separate slow-wind intervals into Alfvénic and non-Alfvénic populations on the basis of normalized cross helicity and residual energy. We compare their magnetic compressive fraction and normalized compressive amplitude, and measure their proximity to marginal stability in the plane of parallel proton beta and temperature anisotropy using the maximum growth rate over the scanned parallel wavenumbers, $γ_{\parallel,\max}$, from a Vlasov dispersion solver. At low matched parallel beta, the Alfvénic slow wind has lower normalized field-strength fluctuation amplitude and reaches the parallel-mode marginal-stability criterion more often than the non-Alfvénic slow wind. This association is consistent with a weaker fluctuating-anisotropy effect in the Alfvénic slow wind, but does not establish a causal relation.

physics.space-ph↗