Semikinetic modeling of the outflow of ionospheric plasma through the topside collisional to collisionless transition region

Details Semikinetic modeling of the outflow of ionospheric plasma through the topside collisional to collisionless transition region Semikinetic modeling of the outflow of ionospheric plasma through the topside collisional to collisionless transition region

Jul 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992jgr....9710551w&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 97, no. A7, July 1, 1992, p. 10,551-10,565.

Physics

30

Collisionless Plasmas, Earth Ionosphere, Hydrogen Ions, Ionic Collisions, Space Plasmas, Distribution Functions, Earth Magnetosphere, Heat Flux, Oxygen Ions, Supersonic Flow, Velocity Distribution

Scientific paper

A collisional semikinetic model is applied to the study of the topside ionosphere transition region. The paper considers the transition from (1) O(+) to H(+) dominance; (2) subsonic to supersonic H(+) flow; and (3) collisional to collisionless plasma. The H(+) ions flow upward from a relatively low altitude of 500-1000 km to a high altitude of 7000 km. These ions are subjected to collisions with O(+) ions and self collisions, as well as the effects of macroscopic forces such as the magnetic mirror force, gravity, and the ambipolar electric force. When supersonic outflow occurs, the H(+) velocity-distribution function shows a large departure from Maxwellian with a large positive and then negative heat flow, particularly in the region where the flow Mach number passes through one. In cases where subsonic outflow occurs and the H(+) density is relatively low, distribution functions with two peaks can occur. In these situations the H(+) ions have large parallel temperatures and large heat flows when the two peaks are of unequal height.

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