On the electromagnetic fields generated by a slowly moving conducting body in a magnetized plasma. Possible applications for the Io-Jovian system, spacecraft, and plasma probes

Abstract

To explain self-consistently some energetic processes, radiation features, and the electromagnetic environment near the Io satellite moving in the Jovian magnetospheric plasma, as well as a spacecraft body or a plasma probe, we consider, by means of plasma kinetic theory, the process of electromagnetic interaction between a moving conducting body and the surrounding hot magnetized plasma described by the tensoreij(ω, k). We study the field structure in terms of the low-frequency, non-propagating, inductive electromagnetic mode, which is usually ignored. We investigate the plasma dielectric properties for the frequency ranges\(k_{||} v_i \ll \omega \ll k_{||} v_e ,\omega \ll \Omega _{i,e} \) and\(\omega \ll k_{||} v_i \ll k_{||} v_e \omega \ll \Omega _{i,e} \), showing the importance of the spatial dispersion connected with particle thermal motion for the behavior of inductive electromagnetic fields. These fields are localized in the vicinity of the moving conducting body and decay in space due to collisionless energy dissipation, forming some kind of local magnetosphere. Along with the influence of energy losses of the moving conducting body, inductive fields could be responsible for the appearance near the body of electromagnetic structures where charged particles will be effectively accelerated. The general analysis developed here is also applicable for the cases of any artificial spacecraft body or tethered satellite system slowly (V0≪VA, Ve) moving in the magnetized plasma of the ionosphere and in a low earth orbit.