Structure and Dynamics of the Magnetosheath

When approaching Earth, the supersonic solar wind plasma does not immediately get access into the magnetosphere but gets processed by the bow shock and the magnetosheath. The properties of the magnetosheath and magnetospheric plasma surrounding the magnetopause ultimately determine the efficiency of the physical mechanisms responsible for solar wind energy, momentum, and plasma transport into the magnetosphere. In this chapter, we review the main findings of magnetosheath properties and processes and their impact of solar wind–magnetosphere coupling placing emphasis on more recent findings from Cluster, Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS), and magnetosphere multiscale (MMS) missions.