The Density, Composition, and Temperature Structure of the Inner Magnetosphere: Comparisons of Theory with Observations

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This proposed research is for testing a hypothesis that the magnetospheric plasma originates in the ionosphere and the solar wind provides the source of energy. The approach is to use the ionosphere-magnetosphere model that the authors have developed over several years in conjunction with an extensive database that has been developed from various NASA satellites. The reduced data already exists at the University of Alabama. The comparison between theory and observations for particular orbits will be made to determine how well the model works. A new aspect of this study will include minor ions He+ and N+ which were not included in the previous study. The earlier studies included heavy ions of O+. The results of this study will improve quantitative understanding of the origin of the plasma in the earth's magnetosphere.