MHD Simulation of Comets: The Plasma Environment of Comet Hale-Bopp |
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Authors: | Gombosi Tamas I. Hansen Kenneth C. DeZeeuw Darren L. Combi Michael R. Powell Kenneth G. |
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Affiliation: | (1) Space Physics Research Laboratory, Department of Atmospheric Oceanic and Space Sciences, TheUniversity of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;(2) W.M. Keck Foundation CFD Laboratory, Department of Aerospace Engineering, The University ofMichigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA |
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Abstract: | MHD simulation results of the interaction of the expanding atmosphere of comet Hale-Bopp with the magnetized solar wind are presented. At the upstream boundary a supersonic and superalfvénic solar wind enters into the simulation box 25 million km upstream of the nucleus. The solar wind is continuously mass loaded with cometary ions originating from the nucleus. The effects of photoionization, recombination and ion-neutral frictional drag are taken into account in the model. The governing equations are solved on an adaptively refined unstructured Cartesian grid using our MUSCL-type upwind numerical technique, MAUS-MHD (Multiscale Adaptive Upwind Scheme for MHD). The combination of the adaptive refinement with the MUSCL-scheme allows the entire cometary atmosphere to be modeled, while still resolving both the shock and the diamagnetic cavity of the comet. Detailed simulation results for the plasma environment of comet Hale-Bopp for slow and fast solar wind conditions are presented. We also calculate synthetic H2O+, CO+ and soft x-ray images for observing conditions on April 11, 1997. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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Keywords: | MHD comets Hale-Bopp cometary x-rays |
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