Observations of Magnetic Reconnection and Plasma Dynamics in Mercury's Magnetosphere.

Abstract

Mercury’s magnetosphere is formed as a result of the supersonic solar wind interacting with the planet’s intrinsic magnetic field. The combination of the weak planetary dipole moment and intense solar wind forcing of the inner heliosphere creates a unique space environment, which can teach us about planetary magnetospheres. In this work, we analyze the first in situ orbital observations at Mercury, provided by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft. Magnetic reconnection and the transport of plasma and magnetic flux are investigated using MESSENGER Magnetometer and Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer measurements. Here, we report our results on the effect of magnetic reconnection and plasma dynamics on Mercury’s space environment: (1) Mercury’s magnetosphere is driven by frequent, intense magnetic reconnection observed in the form of magnetic field components normal to the magnetopause, BN, and as helical bundles of flux, called magnetic flux ropes, in the cross-tail current sheet. The high reconnection rates are determined to be a direct consequence of the low plasma beta, the ratio of plasma to magnetic pressure, in the inner heliosphere. (2) As upstream solar wind conditions vary, we find that reconnection occurs at Mercury’s magnetopause for all orientations of the interplanetary magnetic field, independent of shear angle. During the most extreme solar wind forcing events, the influence of induction fields generated within Mercury’s highly conducting core are negated by erosion due to persistent magnetopause reconnection. (3) We present the first observations of Mercury’s plasma mantle, which forms as a result of magnetopause reconnection and allows solar wind plasma to enter into the high-latitude magnetotail through the dayside cusps. The energy dispersion observed in the plasma mantle protons is used to infer the cross-magnetosphere electric field, providing a direct measurement of solar wind momentum transferred into the system. We conclude that Mercury’s magnetosphere is a dynamic environment with constant plasma and magnetic flux circulation as a result of frequent and intense magnetic reconnection. These results are directly applicable to the understanding of geomagnetic storms at Earth, when coronal mass ejections produce solar wind parameters similar to those regularly experienced by Mercury.