MAGNETIC ASYMMETRIES OF UNMAGNETIZED PLANETS

This letter discusses the results produced by 3‐D hybrid particle code simulations of the solar wind interaction with unmagnetized planets such as Venus and Mars. The solar wind velocity is perpendicular to the IMF in the cases studied. It is found that there are asymmetries in both the magnetic structure and shock location for spherical obstacles ranging in radius from 1000 km to 6000 km. The asymmetries found are due to differences in the electron and ion currents paths (diamagnetic behavior). Mass loading of 0+ was not included in these simulations. Copyright 1990 by the American Geophysical Union.