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Mercury's magnetic field explained? (Forwarded)



 
 
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Old January 4th 07, 10:26 PM posted to sci.astro
Andrew Yee
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Default Mercury's magnetic field explained? (Forwarded)

Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany

21st December 2006

Press Release 10/2006

Mercury's magnetic field explained?

Most planets have a magnetic field, like Earth, but with different
strength or structure. It shields the planet from the energetic particles
of the solar wind. The origin of the magnetic field is explained by a
dynamo process, driven by the convective flow of an electrically
conducting fluid in the planet's core. Computer models based on the dynamo
theory reproduce the properties of Earth's magnetic field well, but the
weakness of Mercury's field is a puzzle. Theory predicts that it should
have 30% of Earth's strength, but only 1% has been observed.

Ulrich Christensen of the Max-Planck-Institute for Solar System Research,
Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, presents a new model, in which the outer part
of Mercury's iron core does not convect and a dynamo operates only in its
deep part. Computer simulations show that here a strong but fluctuating
magnetic field is generated. Similar to the skin effect in high frequency
technology, where rapidly varying currents and magnetic fields hardly
penetrate to the centre of a wire, only a small fraction of the
dynamo-generated field can escape through the stagnant part of the iron
core.

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, being on its way to Mercury, and the ESA
mission Bepi Colombo, planned for the next decade, will test the model
predictions for Mercury's field. If they are confirmed, remaining doubts
about the general validity of the dynamo theory for the generation of
planetary magnetic fields will be removed.

Reference

Christensen, U.R., A deep dynamo generating Mercury's magnetic field.
Nature, Vol. 444, 1056-1068 (December, 21, 2006).

Further information

Prof. Ulrich Christensen
Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
Max-Planck-Strasse 2
37191 Katlenburg-Lindau
Tel.: 05556-979-542
Fax: 05556-979-219

IMAGE:
[http://www.mps.mpg.de/images/aktuell...z_20061221.jpg
(50KB)]
Credits: MPS


 




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