Seminar

Interaction between solar wind and Solar planets' magnetosphere had been widely studied. Various of ultralow frequency (ULF) waves were stored and observed in the giant magnetospheres of Saturn and Jupiter. There is a strong evidence show that the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) at the magnetopause is the source of the pulsations. We present initial results of a global three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation of Saturn magnetosphere during steady southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions to study the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, and found that the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) has a strong asymmetry between dawn and dusk sides of Saturn. The simulation helps us to study the generation of the magnetospheric ultralow frequency (ULF) pulsations and the interaction between the sun and planets.

Additional information: Mr. ZHENG Zhiqi, lostzzq@connect.hku.hk