A New Tool for Understanding the Solar Wind–Venus Interaction: Three-dimensional Multifluid MHD Model

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new tool to investigate the interaction of the solar wind with Venus with the approach of a global multifluid magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model. The continuity, momentum, and energy equations for H ^+ , O ^+ , ${{\rm{O}}}_{2}^{+}$ , and ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}^{+}$ are solved self-consistently together with Faraday’s law. The photochemistry of ionospheric ions are considered as the source term in the density, momentum, and energy equations for each ion. We found that the simulated ionospheric density, temperature, and the bow shock location are consistent with previous observations and simulations for both the solar maximum and minimum. The simulated magnetic fields also agree well with the Venus Express observations. Meanwhile, the high-resolving power and low numerical diffusion makes the model capable of capturing the fine structures of the Venusian-induced magnetosphere, such as the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability and the nightside wake. The escape rates have also been estimated and the results are similar to previous estimations. The high-resolution model could be an efficient tool for the exploration of the fine structures of the Venusian space environment system, and also for the application to other unmagnetized planets.

Keywords

• Magnetohydrodynamical simulations
• Planetary magnetospheres
• Planetary ionospheres