• ISSN 2097-1893
    • CN 10-1855/P

    行星环电流的基本图像与动态变化过程

    Basic image and dynamic variation processes of planetary ring currents

    • 摘要: 环电流是行星磁层中的重要电流系统,它由带电粒子的环向漂移运动而形成,对行星磁场及磁层动力学过程具有关键影响. 本文系统性地综述了地球、水星、木星及土星环电流的基本图像和动态变化的近期研究进展. 在地球环电流方面,研究结果表明氧离子在磁暴期间对于压强和能量密度贡献的占比显著提升,其损失机制(如电荷交换)也得到了进一步分析;另外,地磁亚暴对环电流整体强度、时间演化以及空间分布的影响(如经由粒子注入增强昏侧环电流)也得到了详细的研究. 进一步的分析证实这两者对于环电流的影响并非独立,而是正向相关的:地磁亚暴期间的氧离子能量密度占比也有显著提升. 水星环电流的存在此前一直未得到确认,而借助 MESSENGER卫星的观测与测试粒子模拟,近期的研究首次从理论与观测上发现并证实了沿 Shabansky轨道运行的能量质子构成的环电流存在,并进一步分析了强太阳活动期间水星磁暴的整体特征. 木星与土星的环电流研究则在相当程度上依赖于航天器的观测数据. 得益于Juno与Cassini号航天器提供的丰富数据资料,近年来的研究在以往结果的基础上更进一步. 于木星而言,从IO轨道到接近晨侧磁层顶范围内环电流等离子体的共转特性、主导成分占比及其空间分布,以及电流片的整体结构均已得到确定;于土星而言,其环电流的碗型结构、能量中性原子(ENA)成像特征及其11年周期性变化规律也被逐渐发现. 尽管这些研究取得了显著进展,关于行星环电流目前仍然存在许多尚待解决的问题,如地球强磁暴中氧离子高占比与环电流增强的因果关系、水星环电流对太阳风变化的响应及其磁暴的具体过程、巨行星环电流的形态和动力学过程的差异等. 新的卫星计划将为行星环电流研究提供新的观测数据,从而推动行星环电流研究获得进一步突破性进展.

       

      Abstract: Ring currents, an important current system formed by the azimuthal drift of charged particles in planetary magnetospheres, play a key role in disturbing planetary magnetic fields and driving magnetospheric dynamics. This paper systematically reviews recent research progress on the basic features and dynamic processes of ring currents around Earth, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. For Earth's ring current, the contribution ratio of oxygen ions to the plasma pressure and energy density during geomagnetic storms significantly increases, and their loss mechanisms (such as charge exchange) have also been further discussed. In addition, the impact of geomagnetic substorms on the overall intensity, time variations, and spatial distributions of ring currents (such as enhancing dusk side ring currents via particle injections) has also been extensively studied. Further analysis confirms that the impacts of these two factors are not independent, but have positive relations: the energy density ratio of oxygen ions also increases during geomagnetic substorms. The existence of a ring current around Mercury had not been confirmed before. However, using observations from the MESSENGER spacecraft and test particle simulations, recent studies have, for the first time, both observationally and theoretically discovered and confirmed the existence of ring currents that are formed by energetic protons orbiting along the Shabansky orbits. The basic characteristics of Mercury magnetic storms during strong solar activity periods are further studied. Research on the ring currents of Jupiter and Saturn relies highly on the datasets. Thanks to the rich data information provided by the Juno and Cassini spacecraft, recent research has, on the basis of previous results, obtained further conclusions on the giants’ ring current. For Jupiter, the co-rotation characteristics, the dominant plasma component and their proportions, the spatial distributions, as well as the overall structure of the current sheet from the IO orbit to near the dawn side magnetopause have been established. For Saturn, studies have revealed its bowl-shaped ring current structure, ENA features, and the 11-year variation cycles. Despite these significant advances, many questions about planetary ring currents remain unresolved, including: (1) the causal relationship between a high ratio of oxygen ions and ring current intensification during intense geomagnetic storms; (2) the response of Mercury’s ring current to solar wind variations and the specific processes during Mercury’s magnetic storms; and (3) the differences in the structure and dynamics of ring currents among giant planets. Future satellite missions will provide novel observational data for ring current research, driving new breakthroughs in the discovery of planetary ring currents.

       

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