EarthRef.org Reference Database (ERR)
Development and Maintenance by the EarthRef.org Database Team

Detailed Reference Information
Wing Ho et al. 1994
Wing Ho, C., Horwitz, J.L. and Moore, T.E. (1994). DE1 observations of polar O+ stream bulk parameters and comparison with a model of the centrifugally-accelerated polar wind. Geophysical Research Letters 21: doi: 10.1029/94GL02340. issn: 0094-8276.

A survey of bulk parameters of analyzable O+ outward streams in the midaltitude (3-4.7 RE geocentric distance) polar cap magnetosphere is obtained from measurements by the Retarding Ion Mass Spectrometer (RIMS) aboard the Dynamics Explorer 1 (DE1) spacecraft. There is wide scatter in the obtained densities, but they do display discernible trends: the average O+ density in these streams decreases from about 30 ions cm-3 at 3.5 RE to about 1 ion cm-3 at 4.6 RE. The streaming velocities are somewhat more defined, and their average increases from about 8 km s-1 at 3.5 RE to about 12 km s-1 at 4.6 RE. The outward ion flux increases by a factor of 4 with magnetic activity from Kp=2 to 5. We have further compared these observational trends with model profiles for the centrifugally-accelerated polar wind as recently described by Horwitz et al. [1994>. The large outflow velocities observed can be understood in part as centrifugally-driven by convection with ionospheric electric field magnitudes of the order 50--70 mV m-1, perhaps including plasma expansion effects. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1994

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Polar cap phenomena, Ionosphere, Polar ionosphere, Space Plasma Physics, Numerical simulation studies, Space Plasma Physics, Transport processes
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
http://www.agu.org/journals/gl/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
2000 Florida Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-1277
USA
1-202-462-6900
1-202-328-0566
service@agu.org
Click to clear formClick to return to previous pageClick to submit