Research reveals a new model for interpreting magnetic clouds, improving understanding of solar wind dynamics.
Magnetic clouds (MCs) are large-scale magnetic structures in the solar wind whose internal physical processes remain only partially understood. In this work, we present an extended analytical model of MCs that simultaneously describes the magnetic field, plasma pressure, current density, and induced electric field during the spacecraft crossing of the structure. Building upon previous non-force-free formulations, the model incorporates the induced electric field as an additional physical constraint linking magnetic and plasma dynamics. The model is applied to a set of representative MC events observed by the Wind spacecraft. By fitting multiple observables simultaneously, the approach reduces parameter correlations and leads to more stable determinations of the flux-rope axis orientation compared to earlier versions based solely on magnetic field measurements. The inclusion of plasma-related quantities allows departures from idealized force-free configurations to be identified and provides additional insight into the internal topology and evolution of MCs. The comparison of several example events illustrates both the capabilities and limitations of the model, showing that its performance degrades in cases exhibiting enhanced short-timescale variability or boundary interactions. Overall, the present formulation provides a more physically consistent framework for interpreting in situ observations of MCs in the interplanetary medium.
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M. A. Hidalgo (2026) studied this question.
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