============== | README.txt | ============== Project Information =================== Date: September 30, 2024 Dataset Title: Dataset for Multispecies MHD Simulations of the Crustal Field Influence at the Mars Magnetotail Current Sheet Dataset Creators: N. A. Quartey, M. W. Liemohn Dataset Contact: nquartey@umich.edu (N. A. Quartey) Key Words: ========== mars, magnetotail, current sheet, asymmetry, multispecies, multifluid, MAVEN, MHD Research Abstract: ================== The magnetotail current sheet of Mars exhibits a dawn-to-dusk asymmetry that has been seen in satellite observations and MHD simulations. However, the influence of season has not been thoroughly investigated in MHD simulations. This investigation incorporates seasonal variations within the BATS-R-US multispecies MHD code to examine the influence of crustal magnetic fields and the ionosphere on the magnetotail current sheet. The solar wind interaction at Mars is analyzed for the following cases: solar maximum at perihelion (PERMAX), solar maximum at aphelion (APHMAX), solar minimum at perihelion (PERMIN), and solar minimum at aphelion (APHMIN). Simulations show that the current sheet exhibits a duskward (+Y) shift when crustal fields are included. In simulations that omit crustal sources, the current sheet remains symmetric along the Y=0 plane. To induce a current sheet shift in simulations without crustal sources, the ionization rates were adjusted for the PERMAX and APHMIN cases. The ionization rates were increased by four orders of magnitude in the PERMAX case, but the current sheet did not shift. However, the APHMIN current sheet shifted slightly duskward when the ionization rates were decreased by nine orders of magnitude. These results differ from those seen in one earlier study but agree with others, suggesting that the code setups should be scrutinized for refined model comparison. The simulation results presented in this investigation provide new insights into the behavior of the magnetotail current sheet. Key Points: =========== - Crustal magnetic fields are found to dominate the magnetotail current sheet shift, inducing a +Y shift - Ionization rates must be unrealistically amplified to noticeably influence the current sheet shift - The dayside ionosphere shows no contribution to the current sheet in multispecies MHD simulations without crustal sources Methodology: ============ The data was created using the Block Adaptive Tree Solar wind Roe-Type Upwind Scheme (BATS-R-US) multispecies MHD code from the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF). The SWMF is an open-source code available for download at https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/research/theory-computational-methods/swmf-downloadable-software. Equations were implemented in the Block Adaptive Tree Solar wind Roe-type Upwind Scheme (BATS-R-US) multispecies MHD code that include seasons in the simulations, making it possible to run the solar wind interaction at Mars for PERMAX, APHMAX, PERMIN, and APHMIN. These cases were run at the University of Michigan Great Lakes High Performance Computing Cluster and the results were exported using Tecplot 360 EX. Files contained here: ===================== *Note 2025-04-28: The following files have been replaced with as these files contain the nominal solar wind conditions: z_0_mhd_permax.plt -> permax_3d.plt z_0_mhd_aphmax.plt -> aphmax_3d.plt z_0_mhd_permin.plt -> permin_3d.plt z_0_mhd_aphmin.plt -> aphmin_3d.plt *Note 2025-04-28: The following file has been removed as the slice can be extracted from permax_3d.plt: x_0_mhd_permax.plt - 3d__mhd_By+Parker3DMTGCMBcdaysmax.plt: Contains Multifluid MHD simulation result from the MAVEN simulation database - permax_3d.plt: 3-dimentsional output for the solar maximum at perihelion case - aphmax_3d.plt: 3-dimentsional output for the solar maximum at aphelion case - permin_3d.plt: 3-dimentsional output for the solar minimum at perihelion case - aphmin_3d.plt: 3-dimentsional output for the solar minimum at aphelion case - z_0_mhd_permax_omit.plt: Solar maximum at perihelion data without crustal fields in the z=0 plane. Contains magnetic field and ion density variables without crustal magnetic fields - z_0_mhd_aphmax_omit.plt: Solar maximum at aphelion data without crustal fields in the z=0 plane. Contains magnetic field and ion density variables without crustal magnetic fields - z_0_mhd_permin_omit.plt: Solar minimum at perihelion data without crustal fields in the z=0 plane. Contains magnetic field and ion density variables without crustal magnetic fields - z_0_mhd_aphmin_omit.plt: Solar minimum at aphelion data without crustal fields in the z=0 plane. Contains magnetic field and ion density variables without crustal magnetic fields - delta.py: Python script that determines the permax, aphmax, permin, and aphmin values How to use the data and code: ============================= All .plt files can be accessed using Tecplot 360 EX. The delta.py Python script can be accessed with any program capable of reading Python 3.9+ files. Related Publication: ==================== Quartey, N. A. and Liemohn M. W. 2025. Multispecies MHD Simulations of the Crustal Field Influence at the Mars Magnetotail Current Sheet. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Use and Access: =============== This data is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0).