A magnetosphere comparable in size to ion inertial length, known as a mini-magnetosphere, possesses unusual features which have been predicted by numerical simulations and shown in recent experiments. In the present paper we study a pronounced difference between the west and east flanks of a mini-magnetosphere observed for the first time in pioneering terrella experiments of 60 s duration. It manifests itself in plasma penetration deep inside the west flank and the formation of a return current that effects the magnetic structure, in contrast to the east flank which has a well-defined boundary layer and plasma cavity. We propose that the plasma penetration and the return current can be understood in the framework of a test-particle model. This model serves to illustrate in simple terms the Hall physics which was found to be behind similar features at the frontal part and the tail of the mini-magnetosphere observed in our previous experiments. Because of the large gyroradius, ions tend to be deflected by the dipole field at the east flank and drawn into the west flank. To verify that the return electric current in the magnetospheric plasma is carried by ions, we measured it directly using a Rogovski coil and compared it with the ion flux measured by Langmuir probe.
Laboratory simulation of field aligned currents in an experiment on laser-produced plasma interacting with a magnetic dipole