Solar wind interaction with Jupiter's magnetosphere

Abstract

We present a review of observations and theories of the dynamics of Jupiter's magnetosphere from Pioneer to New Horizons. We suggest that Jupiter's solar wind-driven magnetospheric flows are due primarily to viscous processes at the magnetopause boundary. Jupiter's magnetopause boundary is determined by a pressure balance between the solar wind dynamic pressure and the magnetospheric high- plasma. We discuss how this plasma-on-plasma interaction generates solar wind-imposed magnetic stresses that (1) generate the dawn-dusk asymmetry in plasma flows and magnetic fields, (2) dictate the location of the magnetic x line in the tail, (3) enhance escape of Jovian plasma down the magnetotail, and (4) drive global plasma flows that are consistent with Jupiter's complex polar aurora without the requirement for a persistent region of open flux. Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union.