A simulation study of east‐west IMF effects on the magnetosphere

Abstract

The effect of adding a B y magnetic component to a solar wind already carrying a B z magnetic component is studied using 3‐D MHD computer simulations. It is found that the tail structure and the B x lobe fields are rotated and become asymmetric. In addition a B y component is generated in the neutral sheet. These results are found to correlate with observational data.