DOI

Disk-shaped current distributions are useful tools in modeling the magnetospheres of Earth and other planets and have also been adapted for modeling the geotail. Such models usually start with an axisymmetric vector potential but may be modified to account for observed asymmetries, variable thickness, and warping in response to an inclined Orientation of the planetary dipole axis. Models of this type until now either have lacked the ability to simulate a sharp inner edge of the current and to control accurately its falloff with distance or did not allow a simple analytical representation. Here existing methods will be reviewed, after which a new class of models which overcomes the above deficiencies and also allows the modeling of current disks of finite thickness flanked by current-free regions will be presented.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)199-205
Number of pages7
JournalJOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS
Volume99
Issue numberA1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 1994

    Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy(all)

    Research areas

  • CURRENT DISK, PLASMA SHEET, RING CURRENT, QUANTITATIVE MODELS, MAGNETOSPHERE, MAGNETOTAIL

ID: 28014604