MAGNETOPAUSE STAND-OFF DISTANCE IN DEPENDENCE ON THE MAGNETOSHEATH AND SOLAR-WIND PARAMETERS

A model of the magnetosheath structure proposed in a recent paper from the authors is extended to estimate the magnetopause stand-off distan ce from solar wind data. For this purpose, the relationship of the mag netopause location to the magnetosheath and solar wind parameters is s tudied. It is shown that magnetopause erosion may be explained in term s of the magnetosheath magnetic field penetration into the magnetosphe re. The coefficient of penetration (the ratio of the magnetospheric ma gnetic field depression to the intensity of the magneto shea th magnet ic field B-m perpendicular to = -B-m sin(2) Theta/2, is estimated and found approximately to equal 1. It is shown that having combined a mag netosheath model presented in an earlier paper and the magnetosheath f ield penetration model presented in this paper, it is possible to pred ict the magnetopause stand-off distance from solar wind parameters.