Fig. 3: Model of the H+ trajectories.
From: Mercury’s plasma environment after BepiColombo’s third flyby
a shows various particle trajectory projections in the equatorial plane traced backward in time. b shows the particle kinetic energy versus time. The ions are launched from different locations (closed circles) along BepiColombo’s orbit and their trajectories are traced backward in time. The color code depicts the different magnetospheric regions, viz., the Low-Latitude Boundary Layer (LLBL) in green, the umbra in blue, the Plasma Sheet Horns (PSH) in yellow, and ring current in red. The test H+ trajectories were computed using a modified Luhmann–Friesen model for the magnetic field combined with a two-cell convection pattern for the electric field20. The full equation of motion was integrated backward in time using a fourth-order Runge–Kutta technique.
