GEM: The Entry of Ions into and Population of the Magnetosphere During Quiet Times

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This project will map the entry and subsequent transport of plasma into Earth's magnetosphere and magnetotail. The research will be conducted by tracing the paths taken by billions of ions originating in the solar wind and in the ionosphere. The particle tracing will be done using the time-dependent electric and magnetic fields calculated with a global magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model of the magnetosphere. The MHD model will be driven by observed data (velocity, density, and the interplanetary magnetic field) from the solar wind. The project will address the following questions: 1. Where do the solar wind ions that reach the plasma sheet and the ring current enter the magnetosphere? 2. What is the role of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in ion access to the magnetosphere? 3. What is the cause of the observed dawn-dusk asymmetry in ion entry and ion distributions in the magnetotail? 4. What is the spatial distribution in the magnetotail of the ions originate from the ionosphere? And 5. What is the relative abundance of ionospheric and solar wind ions as a function of solar wind parameters?The project will concentrate on plasma entry during quiet magnetic conditions. Understanding the entry and distribution of ions during quiet times will provide a baseline for understanding how the system changes during magnetically disturbed times such as during magnetic storms. The transition from quiet to disturbed magnetic conditions is an important consideration in understanding space weather events.