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Dependence of Magnetopause Locations on the IMF BZ Component During the Solar Minimum

Publication at Faculty of Mathematics and Physics |
2011

Abstract

We have collected the data set of more than 7000 crossings of the subsolar and flank low-latitude magnetopause observed by five THEMIS spacecraft in the course of the solar minimum and analyzed the deviations between observed magnetopause radial distances and those predicted by an empirical magnetopause model. The empirical models usually scale a second order surface with respect to the solar wind dynamic pressure and IMF BZ component but the crossings observed by the spacecraft are often far away from the predicted locations.

The data propagated from the L1 point were used as model inputs. We discuss the influence of upstream parameters (solar wind dynamic pressure, the IMF cone angle, IMF BZ component) on magnetopause locations and compare these effects for different local times.