Modeling of the Interaction Between the Convecting Polar Wind Plasma and Inverted-V Structures

研究人员将研究等离子体的结构、动力学和耦合，这些耦合是由倒v型结构和典型的极地风等离子体在穿越极光区域时相互作用产生的。电离层-磁层耦合的一个重要目标是在小尺度和大尺度上追踪质量、能量和动量的流动。在极光区，这种耦合可以受到热等离子体和极光等离子体相互作用的影响，这可能导致等离子体通电和多尺度等离子体结构。极光区域的一个持久特征是沉淀电子能谱分布呈倒v型结构。对流极风与倒v结构的相互作用可能导致极风等离子体输运性质的急剧偏离，这是定义电离层-磁层耦合的关键因素。该研究将基于一个能够模拟中尺度等离子体流出过程的广义的、时变的、16时刻的、多物种的、多尺度的、场对准的输运模型。该模型将用于量化倒v结构在中尺度等离子体动力学、等离子体能量、密度结构和电离层等离子体流出中的作用。模式结果将有助于了解影响磁层-电离层耦合的最重要的物理过程。

The investigators will study plasma structure, dynamics, and coupling resulting from the interaction of an inverted-V structure and a typical polar wind plasma during its transit through the auroral region. An important objective in ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling is to trace the flow of mass, energy, and momentum, on both small and large scales. In the auroral region, this coupling can be affected by the interaction of thermal and auroral plasmas, which can lead to plasma energization, and multi-scale plasma structures. A persistent signature in the auroral regions is an inverted-V structure in the precipitating electron spectral distribution. The interaction of the convecting polar wind with the inverted-V structures is likely to result in dramatic departures of the polar wind plasma transport properties, which are a key factor in defining ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling. The study will be based on a generalized, time-dependent, 16-moment, multi-species, multi-scale, field-aligned transport model capable of simulating mesoscale plasma outflow processes. The model will be used to quantify the role of an inverted-V structure in mesoscale plasma dynamics, plasma energization, density structures, and ionospheric plasma outflow. The model results will help to understand the most important physical processes influencing magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling.