Modeling of the magnetic field in the magnetosheath region

In recent years, many advanced numerical techniques and codes have been developed to calculate the location of the bow shock and the magnetohydrodynamic parameters in the sheath region for various types of inflows and obstacle shapes. Some of these methods are applicable to the Earth's magnetosphere. On the other hand, only a few attempts have been made to describe the problem analytically. In this paper, we consider the discontinuities at the bow shock surface and at the magnetopause as boundary conditions for the construction of the magnetic field in the region between these two surfaces. The locations and the (parabolic) shapes of the two surfaces are specified depending on the solar wind parameters, viz. velocity, density, temperature, and magnetic field. In the inner magnetosphere, i.e., below the magnetopause, the magnetic field is considered as given by a modified dipole. The solution is derived in parabolic coordinates. Copyright 2008 by the American Geophysical Union.status: publishe