Details of a Hybrid Model for the Interaction between the Solar Wind and Planets Implemented in FLASH

TL;DR

This paper presents a hybrid plasma simulation model integrated into the FLASH framework, enabling detailed studies of solar wind interactions with planets like Mars, including magnetic fields and atmospheric effects.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel parallel hybrid plasma solver within FLASH that incorporates magnetic fields, ionospheric chemistry, and exospheres for planetary interaction studies.

Findings

Successfully implemented a hybrid plasma solver in FLASH.

Simulated solar wind interaction with Mars.

Demonstrated model's capability to include magnetic and atmospheric effects.

Abstract

A hybrid plasma solver treats ions as particles and electrons as a fluid. We have implemented a parallel hybrid solver in the FLASH open source software framework. The solver has been applied to studies of the interaction between the solar wind and planets. Here we discuss the implementation of different model features, such as permanent magnetic fields, ionospheric chemistry, and exospheres. Mars is used as an example.