Energetic magnetospheric protons in the plasma depletion layer

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1992 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/92JA01147· OSTI ID:7012654

Fuselier, S A ^[1]

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1. Lockheed Palo Alto Research Lab., CA (United States)

Interplanetary magnetic field draping against the Earth's dayside subsolar magnetopause creates a region of reduced plasma density and increased magnetic field called the plasma depletion layer. In this region, leakage of energetic ions from the Earth's magnetosphere onto magnetic field lines in the plasma depletion layer can be studied without interference from ions accelerated at the Earth's quasi-parallel bow shock. Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Experiment/Charge Composition Explorer (AMPTE/CCE) observations for 13 plasma depletion layer events are used to determine the characteristics of energetic protons between a few keV/e and [approximately]100keV/e leaked from the magnetosphere. Results indicate that the leaked proton distributions resemble those in the magnetosphere except that they have lower densities and temperatures and much higher velocities parallel (or antiparallel) and perpendicular to the magnetic field. Compared to the low-energy magnetosheath proton distributions present in the depletion layer, the leaked energetic proton distributions typically have substantially higher flow velocities along the magnetic field indicate that the leaked energetic proton distributions to contribute to the energetic proton population seen upstream and downstream from the quasi-parallel bow shock. However, their contribution is small compared to the contribution from acceleration of protons at the bow shock because the leaked proton densities are on the order of 10 times smaller than the energetic proton densities typically observed in the vicinity of the quasi-parallel bow shock.

• OSTI ID: 7012654
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 97:A9; ISSN JGREA2; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCELERATION
BARYONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DISTRIBUTION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EVALUATION
FERMIONS
HADRONS
INTERACTIONS
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
ION DENSITY
IONIC COMPOSITION
IONS
LEAKS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOPAUSE
MAGNETOSHEATH
MASS TRANSFER
NUCLEONS
PLASMA DENSITY
PROTONS
SHOCK WAVES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION