A More Viscous‐Like Solar Wind Interaction With All the Giant Planets

Abstract

AbstractIdentifying and quantifying the different drivers of energy flow through a planetary magnetosphere is crucial for understanding how each planetary system works. The magnetosphere of our own planet is primarily driven externally by the solar wind through global magnetic reconnection, while a viscous‐like interaction with the solar wind involving growth of the Kelvin‐Helmholtz (K‐H) instability is a secondary effect. Here we consider the solar wind‐magnetosphere interaction at all magnetized planets, exploring the implications of diverse solar wind conditions. We show that with increasing distance from the Sun the electric fields arising from reconnection at the magnetopause boundary of a planetary magnetosphere become weaker, whereas the boundaries become increasingly K‐H unstable. Our results support the possibility of a predominantly viscous‐like interaction between the solar wind and every one of the giant planet magnetospheres, as proposed by previous authors and in contrast with the solar wind‐magnetosphere interaction at Earth.