Measuring the magnetic connectivity of the geosynchronous region of the magnetosphere
This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The purpose of this project was to determine the magnetic connectivity of the geosynchronous region of the magnetosphere to the auroral zone in the polar ionosphere in order to test and refine current magnetospheric magnetic field models. The authors used plasma data from LANL instruments on three geosynchronous satellites and from USAF instruments on three low-altitude, polar-orbiting, DMSP satellites. Magnetic connectivity is tested by comparing plasma energy spectra at DMSP and geosynchronous satellites when they are in near conjunction. The times of closest conjugacy are used to evaluate the field models. They developed the tools for each step of the process and applied them to the study of a one-week test set of conjunctions. They automated the analysis tools and applied them to four months of two-satellite observations. This produced a database of about 130 definitive magnetic conjunctions. They compared this database with the predictions of the widely-used Tsyganenko magnetic field model and showed that in most cases one of the various parameterizations of the model could reproduce the observed field line connection. Further, they explored various measurables (e.g., magnetospheric activity indices or the geosynchronous field orientation) that might point to the appropriate parameterization of the model for these conjunctions, and ultimately, for arbitrary times.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 206600
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR--96-753; ON: DE96006145
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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