| Session Details | |
| Section | PS - Planetary Sciences |
| Session Title | Solar Wind Interaction with Planetary Environments |
| Main Convener | Dr. Dominique Delcourt (French National Centre for Scientific Research, France) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Kanako Seki (The University of Tokyo, Japan) Dr. Robert Lillis (University of California, Berkeley, United States) Dr. Pontus Brandt (The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, United States) Prof. Yasumasa Kasaba (Tohoku University, Japan) |
| Session Description | A variety of missions (both present such as MAVEN at Mars, Cassini at Saturn or JUNO at Jupiter, and future such as Bepi Colombo at Mercury) are dedicated to analysis of planetary environments (neutral and ionized). It is thus appropriate to put into perspective the common knowledge that has been accumulated over the years at different planets. This session focuses on the ionized environment of planets or celestial bodies - including exoplanets - both for properties of their own and from a comparative viewpoint. As an example, MESSENGER observations at Mercury have revealed reconnection events far more frequent than at Earth as well as a rich composition of the magnetotail plasma as a result of substantial supply from the planet surface. The interaction between Mars and the solar wind is also investigated by spacecraft that provide outstanding insights into the low-altitude environment, some observations such as dispersion signatures bearing remarkable similarities with those at Earth. Extreme space weather events also are investigated that are relevant for studies of the ancient solar system. At Saturn, in-situ and global measurements suggest that the kronian magnetosphere is subjected to dynamical reconfigurations and energetic particle injections comparable to those observed at Earth during substorms. As for Jupiter, JUNO is providing a wealth of new results at high latitudes and the forthcoming JUICE mission (ESA) and Europa mission (NASA) stimulate a variety of modelling efforts and comparative studies of the interaction between the planet's magnetosphere and its satellites. This session also encompasses plasma observations from New Horizons at Pluto or from Rosetta at the comet. The aim of the proposed session is to gather works based on both in-situ and global measurements and/or numerical simulations in diverse astrophysical contexts to progress toward a global picture of the dynamics of planetary plasma environments. |