Properties of Ganymede's magnetosphere inferred from improved three‐dimensional MHD simulations

Abstract

We describe a three‐dimensional single‐fluid MHD simulation of Ganymede's magnetosphere that accords extremely well with the Galileo particles and fields measurements. Major improvements to our previously published model involve the modification of the inner boundary condition and the implementation of an anomalous resistivity model. The improved model couples the moon's ionosphere (with finite Pedersen conductance) with the magnetosphere self‐consistently. The previous model applied only in the limit of unreasonably high ionospheric conductivity. We illustrate in detail the global convection pattern inferred from the new model and demonstrate some features of the convection that differ from that of the Earth's magnetosphere because Ganymede lacks a corotation electric field. Our new model does a better job of reproducing magnetic field and plasma observations from multiple Galileo passes, which sampled different external conditions and different regions of the magnetosphere. In particular, for a critical upstream pass (G8) during which the Galileo spacecraft entered onto closed field lines, the simulated magnetosphere provides an excellent fit to the measurements without the need for tuning the spacecraft trajectory. In comparison with the plasma measurements of the G2 flyby, our model also yields good agreement with the Galileo PLS observations and supports the conclusion reached by Vasyliūnas and Eviatar (2000) that the observed ionospheric outflow consists of oxygen ions. For constant external conditions, dynamic variations associated with magnetic reconnection on timescales of the order of tens of seconds are found over a large region near the magnetopause in the simulations. Future applications of our model, such as test particle tracing and investigating the behavior of the cross polar cap potential under different external and ionospheric conditions, will provide a more comprehensive understanding of Ganymede's magnetospheric environment.