LAVORENTI , Federico

Magnetic reconnexion and Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability are usually recognized as the two main mixing processes along magnetopauses. However, a recent work [Dargent et al., 2019] showed that in Mercury"s conditions, another instability can grow faster than the KH instability along the magnetopause. This instability seems to rely on gradients...

Mercury is the only telluric planet of the solar system, apart from Earth, possessing an intrinsic magnetic field. This magnetic field influences the dynamics of the solar wind plasma impinging on the planet, forming a magnetosphere. Mercury's magnetosphere has been investigated by multiple space missions in the past, notably the NASA Mariner10...

Context. Mercury presents a highly dynamic, small magnetosphere in which magnetic reconnection plays a fundamental role.Aim. We aim to model the global characteristics of magnetic reconnection in the Hermean environment. In particular, we focus on waves observed during the third BepiColombo flyby.Method. In this work, we used two fully kinetic...

Context. Density inhomogeneities are ubiquitous in space and astrophysical plasmas, particularly at contact boundaries between different media. They often correspond to regions that exhibit strong dynamics across a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Indeed, density inhomogeneities are a source of free energy that can drive various...

Density inhomogeneities are ubiquitous in space and astrophysical plasmas, in particular at contact boundaries between different media. They often correspond to regions that exhibits strong dynamics on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Indeed, density inhomogeneities are a source of free energy that can drive various plasma...

Boundary layers in space and astrophysical plasmas are the location of complex dynamics where different mechanisms coexist and compete eventually leading to plasma mixing. In this work, we present fully kinetic Particle-In-Cell simulations of different boundary layers characterized by the following main ingredients: a velocity shear, a density...

Mercury is the only telluric planet of the solar system, other than Earth, with an intrinsic magnetic field. Thus, the Hermean surface is shielded from the impinging solar wind via the presence of an "Earth-like" magnetosphere. However, this cavity is twenty times smaller than its alike at the Earth. The relatively small extension of the...

Mutual impedance experiments are active electric instruments that provide in situ diagnostic in space plasmas, such as the plasma density and electron temperature. The instrumental technique is based on the coupling between electric antennas embedded in the plasma, and characterizes the local properties of the plasma dielectric. Different...

Rocky objects in the Solar System (such as planets, asteroids, moons, and comets) undergo a complex interaction with the ow of magnetized, supersonic plasma emitted from the Sun called solar wind. We address the interaction of such a ow with the planet Mercury, considered here as the archetype of a weakly magnetized, airless, telluric body...

Mercury is the archetype of a weakly magnetized, airless, telluric body immersed in the solar wind. Due to the lack of any substantial atmosphere, the solar wind directly precipitates on Mercury's surface. Using a 3D fully-kinetic self-consistent plasma model, we show for the first time that solarwind electron precipitation drives (i) efficient...

Context. The planet Mercury possesses a small but highly dynamic magnetosphere in which the role and dynamics of electrons are still largely unknown. Aims. We aim to model the global dynamics of solar-wind electrons impinging on Mercury's magnetosphere. Particular relevance is given to local acceleration processes and the global circulation...

Mercury is the only telluric planet of the solar system, other than Earth, with an intrinsic magnetic field. Thus, the Hermean surface is shielded from the impinging so- lar wind via an "Earth-like" magnetosphere. This magnetic cavity is however twenty times smaller than its counterpart at the Earth and Mercury occupies a large portion of this...

Mercury is the only telluric planet of the solar system, other than Earth, with an intrinsic magnetic field. Thus, the Hermean surface is shielded from the impinging solar wind via an "Earth-like" magnetosphere. This magnetic cavity is however twenty times smaller than its counterpart at the Earth and Mercury occupies a large portion of this...

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun, possesses a weak intrinsic magnetic field, and has only a very tenuous atmosphere (exosphere). These three conditions result in a direct coupling between the plasma emitted from the Sun (namely, the solar wind) and Mercury's surface. The planet's magnetic field leads to a nontrivial pattern of plasma...