GEM: The Role of Ring Current Composition in the Recovery Rate of Magnetic Storms

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This project will use the extensive archival data set from the AMPTE/CCE satellite to investigate the way in which the composition of the ring current (specifically, H+ and O+) affects the rate of ring current decay and hence the recovery from a magnetic storm. The investigators will examine the various loss processes involved, such as charge exchange, coulomb collisions, and wave-particle interactions. Storms vary in the total energy pumped into the ring current and the H+/O+ ratio also varies. The differing cross-sections to the various loss mechanisms can therefore lead to very different magnetic storms. An understanding of the details of these processes will likely lead to a better understanding of recovery process. This can in turn lead to improvements in the models of the ring current and radiation belts that are expected to become part of the Global Geospace Circulation Model (GGCM). This is therefore an important topic for the Geospace Environment Modeling program (GEM). It also has significance to the Space Weather program.