Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsa11a1559t&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SA11A-1559
Physics
[0358] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Thermosphere: Energy Deposition, [2427] Ionosphere / Ionosphere/Atmosphere Interactions, [2475] Ionosphere / Polar Cap Ionosphere, [2736] Magnetospheric Physics / Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Interactions
Scientific paper
Observations by CHAMP satellite have regularly shown enhanced thermospheric density around dayside cusp region and such localized density enhancement is thought to be associated with enhanced Joule heating of lower thermosphere around the cusp [Luhr et al., GRL, 31, L06805, 2004]. Vasyliunas and Song [JGR, 110, A02301, 2005] have shown theoretically that the conventional Joule heating is actually the frictional heating caused by collisions between the neutral atmosphere and ionospheric plasma. The frictional heating rate is proportional to the square of relative velocity between the plasma and neutral wind. In this study we demonstrate that the thermospheric density enhancement around the dayside cusp can be explained by the locally enhanced frictional heating. Because the calculation does not involve field-aligned currents and ionospheric conductance (or geomagnetic field disturbances caused by the field-aligned currents), this approach provides a clear physical picture of the heating process and greatly simplifies the mathematical treatments. An example of height integrated frictional heating rate of thermosphere is shown in the following image. Fig.1. The image shows height integrated frictional heating rate under the indicated solar wind/IMF conditions. The strongest heating is around the dayside cusp. The neutral species density is calculated using MSIS00 model, the neutral wind from the HWM93 model and the ionosphere density from IRI2007 model.
Song Paul
Tu Jiachin
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