: What’s Hot in the Inner
Magnetosphere
New GEM Focus Group 2014-2018
Lois Keller Smith
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
GEM Student Workshop, 2014
1
, what?
Translation:
How the Plasmasphere,
Radiation Belt, and
Ionosphere ions and
electrons form a giant
coupled system
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Plasmapshere : 1 eV and
high density, L=1.1-7
Radiation belts : L=4-7 and
L= 1.1-3, keV and MeV
particles
Ring Current : L=3-8,
energies range ~ 10 keV to
200 keV
From pluto.space.swri.edu
Ionosphere: 75-1000 km
above Earth, low energy
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Located between 310 Earth Radii away
Mostly 0.1-10 MeV
Electrons
Highly sensitive to
geomagnetic storm
activity (source and
loss terms)
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Protons with energies
exceeding 100 MeV
Source: Decay of albedo
neutrons (cosmic ray collisions
in the upper atmosphere)
Loss: Pitch Angle scattering
triggered by fluctuations in
geomagnetic activity
From nasa.gov
There is also a substantial
electron population in the inner
belt
5
Source: hot particles
from the plasma sheet
gradient curvature
drifting
Loss: ion out flow to
magnetopause (storm time),
charge exchange (quiet time)
HEIDI model, from Ilie et al., 2008
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Torus that nearly corotates with Earth
Plasmasphere shrinks
with increasing
geomagnetic activity
Source: ionospheric
plasma along field lines
From Roxanne Katus
Loss: convection of
plasma outward to the
magnetopause
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75-1000 km above
Earth’s surface
Source: cosmic rays
and solar radiation
incident on Earth,
plasmasphere
Loss: Many – polar
outflow, particles
achieving escape
velocity, magnetic field
line transport, etc.
From
http://madrigal.haystack.mit.edu/mo
dels/IRI/index.htmlm
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1.
Self-consistent Modeling – limiting factor is
sometimes from lack of cross pollination between
scientists
2. We know the systems are coupled and still
choose to set crude boundary conditions – this is
fixable!
3. Inner Magnetosphere ion composition based on
empirical models, limiting our knowledge for
specific events
4. Foster communication between specialists of the
three
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From Khazanov, Kinetic Theory of the Inner Magnetospheric
Plasma
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Okay, let’s just look at Plasmasphere-Ionosphere
interactions…
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Choosing a solvable problem
From Fok et al.,
2005
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Why should you care about
Ring Current
RCM
THEMIS
?
Cluster
MHD Modeling
Van Allen
Probes
Ion and Electron
Precipitation
SWMF
Plasmasphere
MI Coupling
Are you involved in
Any of these
things?
Ionosphere
Radiation
Belts
Plasma
Sheet
OpenGGCM
Solar Wind
HEIDI
RAM-SCB
Physics
CRCM
Plasma Wave Environment
LFM
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Q1: How do the cold plasmasphere and ring current populations
influence wave-particle interactions and what are the feedbacks?
Calling all experts and Enthusiasts in…
Ring Current Drivers
Empirical and numerical
models of inner mag wave
distributions
Quantifying
Scattering Rates
by different waves
Wave
Evolution in
the Ring
Current
and
Radiation
Belts
Inferring cold
plasma density
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Big Question 2: How do the cross energy
population interactions alter the inner mag dynamics?
We need YOU for:
Model coupling
Studying Effects of
enhanced precipitation
on ionospheric drivers
Ionospheric
Conductivity
Model (I’m on
this one guys!)
Developing a self
consistent
circulation link
between the
ionosphere and
inner mag
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Deliverables of the
Focus Group
A [more] comprehensive, self-consistent
physics based circulation model  GEM’s
main goal!
Global Wave
Distribution Models
Dynamic Module of
Ionospheric
Conductivity
Loss Rates due to
different types of waves
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has just begun!
So Act Now by…
1. Contacting the Co-Chairs for More
Information
Yiqun Yu (yiqun@lanl.gov)
Expertise: MHD and kinetic modeling, MI
coupling
Colby Lemon (colby@aero.org) Expertise:
ring current, radiation belt
Michael Liemohn (liemohn@umich.edu)
Expertise: ring current, plasmasphere, MI
coupling
2. Attending the
Focus Group between now
and 2018 for updates and
advances!
3. Researching what’s hot
between the inner
magnetosphere,
ionosphere, and
plasmasphere!
Jichun Zhang (jichun.zhang@unh.edu)
Expertise: ring current, wave-particle
interaction
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Thank You Everyone, and remember…
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