2D MHD simulation of the magnetic dipole tilt and IMF influence on the magnetosphere

Global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) models, developed to solve the magnetospheric configuration and provide a self-consistent picture of the solar windmagnetosphere interaction, has been successfully used for the past decades. Here, we modified a 2D MHD code to include a magnetic dipole tilt angle different from zero. Our goal is to investigate the formation of the earth’s magnetosphere for different magnetic dipole tilt and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) configurations. Our results for the effects of the magnetic dipole inclination on the magnetosphere structure, considering null IMF and three different tilt angles, are consistent with previous works. The position of the magnetospheric current system is dependent on the magnetic dipole tilt. Introducing IMF into the system intensifies or decreases those current systems. The variation of the density current intensity ocurrs for opposite directions for northward and southward IMF condition. Those intensifications are coincident with regions predicted by the reconnection theory.