Physics
Scientific paper
Aug 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010jgra..11508220z&link_type=abstract
Journal of Geophysical Research, Volume 115, Issue A8, CiteID A08220
Physics
2
Magnetospheric Physics: Ring Current, Magnetospheric Physics: Numerical Modeling, Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Interactions (2431), Magnetospheric Physics: Plasma Sheet, Magnetospheric Physics: Magnetosphere: Inner
Scientific paper
Using an electrically self-consistent kinetic ring current model, we investigate how different conditions of plasma sheet distribution affect the ring current properties. Results include comparative studies in (1) varying the radial distance of the plasma sheet boundary; (2) varying local time distribution of the source population; (3) varying the source spectra, with #2 as our main focus. Our results show that a source that is farther away from Earth leads to a stronger ring current than a source that is closer to the Earth. Local time distribution of the source plays an important role in determining both the radial and azimuthal (local time) location of the ring current peak pressure. We found that postmidnight source locations generally lead to a stronger ring current. This finding is in agreement with Lavraud et al. (2008). However, our results do not exhibit any simple dependence of the local time distribution of the peak ring current (within the lower energy range) on the local time distribution of the source, as suggested by Lavraud et al. (2008). Instead, the local time distribution of source populations has to compete with the dynamically updated self-consistent electric field (through the coupling to the ionosphere) in controlling the ring current intensity and peak location. Our results also show that different source spectra lead to different (though the difference may not be very significant) ring current intensities and that low-energy plasma in the kiloelectron volt range at the boundary constitutes a dominant source population to the ring current. In addition, we found that the radial location of source population is also important to ring current development.
Fok Mei Ching
Lui Anthony Tat Yin
Zheng Yihua
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