Magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling during plasmoid evolution: First results

Journal Article · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/91JA00440· OSTI ID:5256148

Hesse, M; Birn, J ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)

The influence of magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling on the dynamic evolution of the magnetotail is investigated by a three-dimensional resistive MHD code that includes the effects of the closure of field-aligned currents in a simple resistive model ionosphere. Particular emphasis is on the role of this coupling during substorm evolution and the modification of the latter by the convection driven by the ionospheric electric fields. For comparison, the authors present results from a simulation which uses an infinitely conducting ionosphere but is otherwise identical. Comparison of the two simulations shows that the major impact of magnetosphere-ionosphere communication is an acceleration of magnetotail evolution. Otherwise, phenomena in the two models are qualitatively similar. They conclude that ionospheric effects do not significantly affect substorm associated magnetotail dynamics.

• OSTI ID: 5256148
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 96:A7; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MAGNETOTAIL
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
PLASMOIDS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONVECTION
DATA
DYNAMICS
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
INTERACTIONS
IONOSPHERE
IONOSPHERIC EFFECTS
MAGNETIC BAYS
CURRENTS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ENERGY TRANSFER
EVALUATION
HEAT TRANSFER
INFORMATION
MASS TRANSFER
MECHANICS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
SIMULATION
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena