Statistical features of the global polarity reversal of the Venusian induced magnetosphere in response to the polarity change in interplanetary magnetic field

Abstract

AbstractIn this study we present the first statistical analysis on the effects of heliospheric current sheet crossings on the induced magnetosphere of Venus. These events are of particular interest because they lead to the reconfiguration of the induced magnetosphere with opposite polarity. We use a statistical approach based on 117 orbit pairs, and we study the spatial distribution of the heavy ion flux measurements in the plasma environment of Venus. The average and median heavy ion flux measurements are compared before and after the polarity reversal events. The results show that after the events the average and median heavy ion fluxes in the magnetotail are reduced by the factors of 0.75 ± 0.09 and 0.52, respectively. We find that even if a passage of a current sheet is a short time scale event lasting about 10 min, its effect on the near‐Venus plasma environment lasts for a few hours. We conclude that the observations show similarities to the previous comet studies and the polarity reversal of the induced magnetosphere might be accompanied with dayside reconnection and magnetic disconnection of the plasma tail from the planetary ionosphere.