Modeling Magnetospheric Current Systems

Abstract:

Planetary environments provide compelling natural laboratories for exploring and quantifying a spectrum of dynamic magnetospheric processes. Current systems play an important role in coupling various regions of the magnetosphere, and can produce magnetic signatures that reveal details of local plasma interactions. This presentation will provide an overview of various methods developed for modeling magnetospheric currents throughout the solar system. Specifically, I will explore the assumptions implemented in these models as well as the methods used for comparing and validating against observable quantities. The focus will be split between models describing large-scale magnetospheric currents and those exploring smaller-scaled moon-magnetosphere systems, where recent observations of asymmetric neutral plumes and charged dust have forced us to re-examine how we model the currents in these small but complex environments.