Bishwa Neupane

Final project
Fundamentals of Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (Phys 647)Department of Physics

University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fall 2019

The study of Vorticity Generated by Kelvin-Helmholtz  in Magnetopause Boundary of Saturn: Implication for Radial Transport

• Introduction
  

The rapidly rotating magnetosphere of Saturn has its own plasma source. Its own moon  located at ∼ 4Rs Enceladus is the main source of plasma. The plasma produced by its moon couples with the strong magnetic field of the rapidly rotating planet and also corotate with the planet. The rotating plasma experience a net outward force in non-inertial frame of reference which confines the plasma and form magnetodisc. The planet magnetic field is assumed to be dipolar and these dipolar filed lines are stretched outwards near the magnetic equatorial plane. These stretched magnetic field lines forms a cushion like structure in the middle magnetosphere. In order to have a stable magnetodisc configuration the plasma produced has to transported.  Due to the sheared flow in the magnetopause boundary it is suitable for the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability. We will look at the vorticity generated by KH and its implication for the transport.

                                                                                                      
                                                                                  

Comparison of different planetary magnetosphere: Mercury, Earth, Saturn, Jupiter.