Parabolic heavy ion flow in the polar magnetosphere

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA092iA01p00175· OSTI ID:5940167

Horwitz, J L ^[1]

---

1. Univ. of Alabama, Huntsville (United States)

Recent observations by the Dynamics Explorer 1 satellite over the dayside polar cap magnetosphere have indicated downward flows of heavy ions (O{sup +}, O{sup ++}, N{sup +}, N{sup ++}) with flow velocities of the order 1 km/s (Lockwood et al., 1985b). These downward flows were interpreted as the result of parabolic flow of these heavy ionospheric ions from a source region associated with the polar cleft topside ionosphere. Here the author utilizes a two-dimensional kinetic model to elicit features of the transport of very low energy O{sup +} ions from the cleft ionosphere. Bulk parameter (density, flux, thermal energies, etc.) distributions in the noon-midnight meridian plane illustrate the effects of varying convection electric fields and source energies. The results illustrate that particularly under conditions of weak convection electric fields and weak ion heating in the cleft region, much of the intermediate altitude polar cap magnetosphere may be populated by downward flowing heavy ions. It is further shown how two-dimensional transport effects may alter the characteristic vertical profiles of densities and fluxes from ordinary profiles computed in one-dimensional steady state models.

• OSTI ID: 5940167
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 92:A1; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CATIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
CONVECTION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ENERGY TRANSFER
HEAT TRANSFER
HEAVY IONS
ION DENSITY
ION DRIFT
IONIC COMPOSITION
IONOSPHERE
IONS
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NITROGEN IONS
OXYGEN IONS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
POLAR CUSP
POLAR REGIONS
VELOCITY