Göttingen 2025 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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EP: Fachverband Extraterrestrische Physik

EP 5: Near-Earth Space I & Planets and Small Bodies II

EP 5.6: Vortrag

Dienstag, 1. April 2025, 17:45–18:00, ZHG005

Investigation of Mercury's Bow Shock Crossings — •Kristin Pump, Daniel Heyner, and Ferdinand Plaschke — Institut für Geophysik und extraterrestrische Physik, TU Braunschweig

Mercury's intrinsic magnetic field is an obstacle to the supermagnetosonic solar wind and thus a bow shock and magnetopause form. The characteristics of the magnetopause depend on various parameters such as the heliocentric distance (~ pdyn) and the IMF orientation. In theory the bow shock shape and location depend on the Mach number which could not be shown for Mercury's bow shock with in-situ data so far.

In this study we analyze bow shock crossings observed by MESSENGER. From the magnetic shock parameters, we retrieve the Mach number (as a function of plasma beta). This enables new possibilities of evaluating the shape and location of Mercury's bow shock under different upstream conditions. We demonstrate our analysis by showing some specific cases and provide a statistical overview. We compare our findings to heliospheric MHD simulations and Parker Solar Probe measurements. The discovered relationship between the bow shock position and solar wind conditions can enhance our comprehension of the highly dynamic processes in Mercury's space environment.

Keywords: Mercury; Bowshock; Magnetic Field; Alfvenic Mach Number