GEM: Assessing the Storm-Time Magnetic Distortion in the Inner Magnetosphere

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This project will conduct a quantitative and systematic investigation of the processes controlling the inner magnetospheric magnetic topology during geomagnetic storms. Selected storm events will be simulated with several numerical models and the results will be compared with each other and with observations. The data and model comparisons will make it possible to estimate the storm-time distortion of the magnetic field in the inner magnetosphere and to determine what current systems are responsible for which aspects of this distortion. The codes include the following: the Hot Electron and Ion Drift Integrator (HEIDI), the Inner Magnetosphere Particle Transport and Acceleration Model (IMPTAM), and the Space Weather Modeling Framework (SWMF, and the models coupled therein). This study will include extensive data analysis, particularly of magnetospheric magnetic field measurements and near-Earth plasma data (especially from Polar, Geotail, FAST, GOES and LANL geosynchronous satellites, and IMAGE), and ground-based magnetic perturbation observations. The primary objective of the study is to quantify which of the major current systems cause what aspects of the inner magnetospheric field distortion during storms. The project will examine specific storm events with physics-based numerical models to understand the flow of plasma leading to the current systems that dominate the magnetic field distortions. The relative contributions to the inner magnetosphere by convective or inductive electric fields will also be examined. The role of the plasma sheet density, temperature, and structure will be assessed to determine the influence of localized injections on the magnetic field distortions. The project involves an international collaboration and promoting underrepresented groups by bringing a woman scientist, Dr. Ganushkina of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, to Michigan to work directly with the Principal Investigator (PI).