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The paper presents results of laboratory experiment modeling the interaction between Lunar magnetic anomalies and Solar wind. To model the LMA we use quadrupole magnetic field. The main dimentionless parameter of the problem, the ion inertia length relative to the mini-magnetosphere size, well corresponds between experiment and LMA conditions. The main result is measurement of the magnetically reflected proton fluxes, which show qualitative agreement to available satellite data.

In previous experiments by the authors on a magnetic dipole interacting with a laser-produced plasma the generation of an intense field-aligned current (FAC) system on terrella poles was observed. In this paper the question of the origin of these currents in a low-latitude boundary layer of magnetosphere is investigated. Experimental evidence of such a link was obtained by measurements of the magnetic field generated by tangential drag and sheared stress. This specific azimuthal field was found to have quadruple symmetry and local maxima inside the magnetosphere adjacent to the boundary layer. Cases of metallic and dielectric dipole covers modeling good conductive and non-conductive ionosphere revealed that the presence or absence of FACs results in different amplitudes and spatial structures of the sheared field. The current associated with the azimuthal field flows upward at the dawnside, and toward the equator plane at the duskside. It was found to coincide by direction and to correspond by amplitude to a total cross-polar current measured independently. The results suggest that compressional and Alfven waves are responsible for FAC generation. The study is most relevant to FACgeneration in the magnetospheres of Earth and Mercury following pressure jumps in solar wind.

Magnetosphere at ion kinetic scales, or mini-magnetosphere, possesses unusual features as predicted by numerical simulations. However, there are practically no data on the subject from space observations and the data which are available are far too incomplete. In the present work we describe results of laboratory experiment on interaction of plasma flow with magnetic dipole with parameters such that ion inertia length is smaller than a size of observed magnetosphere. A detailed structure of non-coplanar or out-of-plane component of magnetic field has been obtained in meridian plane. Independence of this component on dipole moment reversal, as was reported in previous work, has been verified. In the tail distinct lobes and central current sheet have been observed. It was found that lobe regions adjacent to boundary layer are dominated by non-coplanar component of magnetic field. Tail-ward oriented electric current in plasma associated with that component appears to be equal to ion current in the frontal part of magnetosphere and in the tail current sheet implying that electrons are stationary in those regions while ions flow by. Obtained data strongly support the proposed model of mini-magnetosphere based on two-fluid effects as described by the Hall term.

A problem of magnetosphere formation on ion inertia scale around weakly magnetized bodies is investigated by means of laboratory experiment, analytical analysis and 2.5D Hall MHD simulation. Experimental evidence of specific magnetic field generated by the Hall term is presented. Direct comparison of regimes with small and large ion inertia length revealed striking differences in measured magnetopause position and plasma stand off distance. Analytical model is presented, which explains such basic features of mini-magnetosphere observed in previous kinetic simulations as disappearance of bow shock and plasma stopping at Stoermer particle limit instead of pressure balance distance. Numerical simulation is found to be in a good agreement with experiments and analytical model. It gives detailed spatial structure of Hall field and reveals that while ions penetrate deep inside mini-magnetosphere electrons overflow around it along magnetopause boundary., Comment: 23 pages, 18 figures