Using a paraboloid model of an Earth-like exoplanetary magnetospheric magnetic field, developed from a model of the Earth, we investigate the magnetospheric structure of planets located in the habitable zone around G-type stars. Different directions of the stellar wind magnetic field are considered and the corresponding variations in the magnetospheric structure are obtained. It is shown that the exoplanetary environment significantly depends on stellar wind magnetic field orientation and that the parameters of magnetospheric current systems depend on the distance to the stand-off magnetopause point.

A wide variety of interactions take place between the magnetized solar wind plasma outflow from the Sun and celestial bodies within the solar system. Magnetized planets form magnetospheres in the solar wind, with the planetary field creating an obstacle in the flow. The reconnection efficiency of the solar-wind-magnetized planet interaction depends on the conditions in the magnetized plasma flow passing the planet. When the reconnection efficiency is very low, the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) does not penetrate the magnetosphere, a condition that has been widely discussed in the recent literature for the case of Saturn. In the present paper, we study this issue for Saturn using Cassini magnetometer data, images of Saturn's ultraviolet aurora obtained by the HST, and the paraboloid model of Saturn's magnetospheric magnetic field. Two models are considered: first, an open model in which the IMF penetrates the magnetosphere, and second, a partially closed model in which field lines from the ionosphere go to the distant tail and interact with the solar wind at its end. We conclude that the open model is preferable, which is more obvious for southward IMF. For northward IMF, the model calculations do not allow us to reach definite conclusions. However, analysis of the observations available in the literature provides evidence in favor of the open model in this case too. The difference in magnetospheric structure for these two IMF orientations is due to the fact that the reconnection topology and location depend on the relative orientation of the IMF vector and the planetary dipole magnetic moment. When these vectors are parallel, two-dimensional reconnection occurs at the low-latitude neutral line. When they are antiparallel, three-dimensional reconnection takes place in the cusp regions. Different magnetospheric topologies determine different mapping of the open-closed boundary in the ionosphere, which can be considered as a proxy for the poleward edge of the auroral oval.

We present simulations of the terrestrial and Martian paleo-magnetosphere for ~4.1-4.0 billion years (Gyr) ago, which were performed with adapted versions of the Paraboloid Magnetospheric Model (PMM) of the Skobeltsyn Institute for Nuclear Physics of the Moscow State University. For the Earth our simulations show that the paleo-magnetosphere was significantly smaller than today, with a standoffdistance rs ranging from ~3.4 to ~8.2 Re, depending on the chosen input parameters. Our simulations also show that the Martian paleo-magnetosphere should have been comparable in size to the terrestrial paleomagnetosphere until its cessation ~4.0 Gyr ago. At Earth, a nitrogen-dominated atmosphere would not have survived the harsh conditions during the late Hadean eon, i.e. ~4.1 Gyr ago, whereas a CO2dominated atmosphere could have survived. Further implications for the ancient atmospheres of Earth and Mars will be discussed.

Nowadays innovative activity is usually considered as the most effective tool of increasing the competitiveness of organizations and their development. Therefore, the qualified employees which are willing to accompany the innovative process at all organizational levels are highly demanded. Most of them are expected to have a special expertise and skills that ensure their successful participation in innovative activities. The article is aimed at the analysis of the contemporary Russian educational standards to reveal a specific area of such expertise and skills which is innovative competences. It also presents the results of the sociological research that involved the teachers of secondary schools. The purpose of the research was to confirm the advisability of introducing the concept of innovative competences in educational standards and to define this concept.

The paraboloid model of Saturn's magnetosphere describes the magnetic field as being due to the sum of contributions from the internal field of the planet, the ring current, and the tail current, all contained by surface currents inside a magnetopause boundary which is taken to be a paraboloid of revolution about the planet-Sun line. The parameters of the model have previously been determined by comparison with data from a few passes through Saturn's magnetosphere in compressed and expanded states, depending on the prevailing dynamic pressure of the solar wind. Here we significantly expand such comparisons through examination of Cassini magnetic field data from 18 near-equatorial passes that span wide ranges of local time, focusing on modelling the co-latitudinal field component that defines the magnetic flux passing through the equatorial plane. For 12 of these passes, spanning pre-dawn, via noon, to post-midnight, the spacecraft crossed the magnetopause during the pass, thus allowing an estimate of the concurrent subsolar radial distance of the magnetopause R-1 to be made, considered to be the primary parameter defining the scale size of the system. The best-fit model parameters from these passes are then employed to determine how the parameters vary with R-1, using least-squares linear fits, thus providing predictive model parameters for any value of R-1 within the range. We show that the fits obtained using the linear approximation parameters are of the same order as those for the individually selected parameters. We also show that the magnetic flux mapping to the tail lobes in these models is generally in good accord with observations of the location of the open-closed field line boundary in Saturn's ionosphere, and the related position of the auroral oval. We then investigate the field data on six passes through the nightside magnetosphere, for which the spacecraft did not cross the magnetopause, such that in this case we compare the observations with three linear approximation models representative of compressed, intermediate, and expanded states. Reasonable agreement is found in these cases for models representing intermediate or expanded states.

A unique set of images of Saturn's northern polar UV aurora was obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2011 and 2012 at times when the Cassini spacecraft was located in the solar wind just upstream of Saturn's bow shock. This rare situation provides an opportunity to use the Kronian paraboloid magnetic field model to examine source locations of the bright auroral features by mapping them along field lines into the magnetosphere, taking account of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) measured near simultaneously by Cassini. It is found that the persistent dawn arc maps to closed field lines in the dawn to noon sector, with an equatorward edge generally located in the inner part of the ring current, typically at ~ 7 Saturn radii (RS) near dawn, and a poleward edge that maps variously between the centre of the ring current and beyond its outer edge at ~ 15 RS, depending on the latitudinal width of the arc. This location, together with a lack of response in properties to the concurrent IMF, suggests a principal connection with ring-current and nightside processes. The higher-latitude patchy auroras observed intermittently near to noon and at later local times extending towards dusk are instead found to straddle the model open–closed field boundary, thus mapping along field lines to the dayside outer magnetosphere and magnetopause. These emissions, which occur preferentially for northward IMF directions, are thus likely associated with reconnection and open-flux production at the magnetopause. One image for southward IMF also exhibits a prominent patch of very high latitude emissions extending poleward of patchy dawn arc emissions in the pre-noon sector. This is found to lie centrally within the region of open model field lines, suggesting an origin in the current system associated with lobe reconnection, similar to that observed in the terrestrial magnetosphere for northward IMF.

Sharp changes of the solar wind parameters determining the dynamic pressure jump lead to strong magnetosphere-ionosphere disturbances. Here the effect on the Earth’s ionospheric high latitudes of the solar wind dynamic pressure pulse caused only by the increase of the interplanetary plasma density under southward constant IMF is considered. We investigate reaction of the cross-polar cap potential on the increase of AL index and/or jump of the solar wind density. It is found that for the case of 10 January 1997 the main contribution to the polar cap potential drop increase gave the growth of AL index relative to the input of the solar wind density jump. We also study the influence of the solar wind density increase on the crosspolar cap potential for the quiet magnetospheric conditions. It occurred that the polar cap potential difference decreases with the great increase of the interplanetary plasma density. For the disturbed magnetosphere the main role in the polar cap potential drop increase plays increase of AL. Thus, we found the change of the cross-polar cap potential due to the AL index variations and/or the solar wind density drop even in a case when the interplanetary electric field is constant.

In view of the actual question regarding the effect of a solar-wind pressure jump on disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere, events with high velocity and density gradients are of special interest. In this work, we consider the response of the current at the dayside magnetopause to these events and the corresponding strengthening of the geomagnetic field in the low-latitude magnetosphere. A transient process is studied that accompanies reconfiguration of the magnetosphere under the effect of disturbances of solar wind parameters. An analytical equation is received for estimation of an increase in the northern component of low-latitude magnetic field of the magnetosphere in a transient current system (transient ring current) versus initial values of the solar-wind velocity and density and their disturbances.

We study the dependence of Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field structure on the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Special attention is paid to the case of radial IMF. Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and it does not have a substantial atmosphere or ionosphere. Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, and it possesses a week intrinsic magnetic field. Due to these circumstances, IMF plays a major role in the hermean magnetospheric dynamics. Using a paraboloidal model of Mercury's magnetosphere, we study the magnetospheric magnetic field topology for different orientations of IMF including examples representative of the first MESSENGER's flyby. Variations in IMF lead to variations in the Mercury's magnetospheric magnetic field structure, which in turn, lead to changes in the distribution of open and closed magnetic field lines. Comparison with the much better investigated Earth's magnetosphere is fulfilled for clarifying the physical processes (mainly reconnection) existent in the hermean magnetosphere. We also consider the cases when MESENGER, being the Mercury's orbiter, observed flux transfer events (FTEs) in the hermean magnetosphere. When the radial IMF component (BIMFx) is significant, which is character to the Mercury, the quasi-neutral line is placed in one of the cusps (depending on the sign of BIMFx). The FTE generation at Mercury can be connected with this line, similarly to the case of southward IMF at Earth, when FTEs arise at the dayside magnetopause at the quasi-neutral line. We show examples of observations supporting this result for Mercury.

We determine the field-aligned mapping of Saturn's auroras into the magnetosphere by combining UV images of the southern dayside oval obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) with a global model of the magnetospheric magnetic field. The model is tailored to simulate prevailing conditions in the interplanetary medium, corresponding to high solar wind dynamic pressure and variable interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) strength and direction determined from suitably lagged field data observed just upstream of Saturn's dayside bow shock by the Cassini spacecraft. Two out of four images obtained in February 2008 when such simultaneous data are available are examined in detail, exemplifying conditions for northward and southward IMF. The model field structure in the outer magnetosphere and tail is found to be very different in these cases. Nevertheless, the dayside UV oval is found to have a consistent location relative to the field structure in each case. The poleward boundary of the oval is located close to the open-closed field boundary and thus maps to the vicinity of the magnetopause, consistent with previous results. The equatorward boundary of the oval then maps typically near the outer boundary of the equatorial ring current appropriate to the compressed conditions prevailing. Similar results are also found for related images from the January 2004 HST data set. These new results thus show that the mapped dayside UV oval typically spans the outer magnetosphere between the outer part of the ring current and the magnetopause. It does not encompass the region of primary corotation flow breakdown within the inner Enceladus torus.

To gain better understanding of auroral processes in Saturn's magnetosphere, we compare ultraviolet (UV) auroral images obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) with the position of the open-closed field line boundary in the ionosphere calculated using a magnetic field model that employs Cassini measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) as input. Following earlier related studies of pre-orbit insertion data from January 2004 when Cassini was located ~ 1300 Saturn radii away from the planet, here we investigate the interval 12–15 February 2008, when UV images of Saturn's southern dayside aurora were obtained by the HST while the Cassini spacecraft measured the IMF in the solar wind just upstream of the dayside bow shock. This configuration thus provides an opportunity, unique to date, to determine the IMF impinging on Saturn's magnetosphere during imaging observations, without the need to take account of extended and uncertain interplanetary propagation delays. The paraboloid model of Saturn's magnetosphere is then employed to calculate the magnetospheric magnetic field structure and ionospheric open-closed field line boundary for averaged IMF vectors that correspond, with appropriate response delays, to four HST images. We show that the IMF-dependent open field region calculated from the model agrees reasonably well with the area lying poleward of the UV emissions, thus supporting the view that the poleward boundary of Saturn's auroral oval in the dayside ionosphere lies adjacent to the open-closed field line boundary.