GEM: Determination of the Boundary Conditions on the Ionospheric Electronic Potentials

拟议研究的最终目标是建立一个改进的极冠电离层电势模型。 第一步是确定对流边界的位置，以及在IMF的不同方向和两种地磁活动下，对流/电场反转边界周围的电势分布情况。 解决这一问题被认为是最关键的一步，朝着发展一个更好的电离层等离子体对流模型。 DE-2上矢量电场仪的测量结果将用于获得边界位置和边界周围电势的数据库。 这些数据将根据IMF方向和亚暴活动进行分类，然后将使用一种创新但经过验证的拟合数据的方法来确定对流边界的位置和作为当地磁场时间函数的潜在分布。 这些测量结果将被用作数值计算的初始边界条件，以产生合理的电离层电势模型。 该项目的结果将用于检验全球地球观测系统方案的全球地球空间大气环流模式的结果，并可用于开发全球地球空间大气环流模式代码。 拟议中的研究也将有助于获得GEM计划的亚风暴运动的目标。

The ultimate objective of the proposed research is to develop an improved model of the ionospheric electric potentials in the polar cap. The initial step will be to determine the locations of the convection boundaries, and how the electric potential is distributed around the perimeter of the convection/electric field reversal boundaries under different orientations of the IMF and two categories of geomagnetic activity. Solving this problem is perceived to be the most critical step towards the development of a better model of ionospheric plasma convection. Measurements from the Vector Electric Field Instrument on DE-2 will be used to obtain a data base of boundary locations and electric potentials around the boundaries. The data will be sorted according to IMF orientation and substorm activity, then an innovative but proven method of fitting the data will be used to determine the locations of the convection boundaries and potential distribution as a function of magnetic local time. These measurements will next be used as the initial boundary conditions for numerical calculations, to produce reasonable models of ionospheric electric potentials. The results of this project will be needed to check the results of the GEM Program's global geospace general circulation model (GGCM), and could be useful in the development of the GGCM code. The proposed research will also help to obtain the objectives of the GEM program's substorm campaign.