Modeling the Earth's Magnetosphere using Magnetohydrodynamics

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dc.contributor.advisorToffoletto, Frank R.en_US
dc.creatorHu, Beien_US
dc.date.accessioned2013-03-08T00:34:29Zen_US
dc.date.available2013-03-08T00:34:29Zen_US
dc.date.issued2012en_US
dc.description.abstractThis thesis describes work on building numerical models of the Earth's magnetosphere using magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and other related modeling methods. For many years, models that solve the MHD equations have been the main tool for improving our theoretical understanding of the large-scale dynamics of the Earth's magnetosphere. While the MHD models have been very successful in capturing many large-scale features, they fail to adequately represent the important drift physics in the inner magnetosphere. Consequently, the ring current, which contains most of the particle energy in the inner magnetosphere, is not realistically represented in MHD models. In this thesis, Chapter 2 and 3 will describe in detail our effort to couple the OpenGGCM (Open Geospace General Circulation Model), one of the major MHD models, to the Rice Convection Model (RCM), an inner magnetosphere ring current model, with the goal of including energy dependent drift physics into the MHD model. In Chapter 4, we will describe an initial attempt to use a direct-integration method to calculate Birkeland currents in the MHD code. Another focus of the thesis work, presented in Chapter 5, addresses a longstanding problem on how a geomagnetic substorm can occur within the closed field line region of the tail. We find a scenario of a bubble-blob pair formation in an OpenGGCM simulation just before the expansion phase of the substorm begins and the subsequent separation of the bubble and the blob decreases the normal component of the magnetic field until finally an X-line occurs. Thus the formation of the bubble-blob pair may play an important role in changing the magnetospheric configuration from a stretched field to the X-line formation that is believed to be the major signature of a substorm.en_US
dc.format.extent209 p.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.callnoTHESIS PHYS. 2012 HUen_US
dc.identifier.citationHu, Bei. "Modeling the Earth's Magnetosphere using Magnetohydrodynamics." (2012) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/70265">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/70265</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.digitalHuBen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/70265en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectPure sciencesen_US
dc.subjectEarth sciencesen_US
dc.subjectEarth's magnetosphereen_US
dc.subjectMagnetohydrodynamicsen_US
dc.subjectSubstormen_US
dc.subjectBubbleen_US
dc.subjectBloben_US
dc.subjectGeophysicsen_US
dc.subjectPhysicsen_US
dc.subjectPlasma physicsen_US
dc.titleModeling the Earth's Magnetosphere using Magnetohydrodynamicsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentPhysicsen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineNatural Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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