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Detailed Reference Information |
Puhl-Quinn, P.A. and Scudder, J.D. (2000). Systematics of ion Walén analysis of rotational discontinuities using E/Z measurements. Journal of Geophysical Research 105: doi: 10.1029/1999JA000314. issn: 0148-0227. |
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The assignment of the ion counts from an E/Z detector to be exclusively protons is a routine approximation. In the process, minor ion species possessing charges and masses that differ from protons are inadvertently misassigned. We have studied the quantitative effects this has on traditional Wal¿n analysis (using ion measurements) at rotational discontinuities. The minor ions studied are alphas (He++). This study was undertaken to explain the observationally prevalent subunity values for the Wal¿n slope at the subsolar magnetopause, high-latitude cusp and in the solar wind. The simulation parameter spaces used were drawn from observations. The overall effect of the misassignment is to lower the Wal¿n slope (from the theoretical expectation of 1) as the alpha concentration increases and as the relative motion between the protons and alphas approaches the local Alfv¿n speed. The most profound reduction of the Wal¿n slope occurs for a small corner of parameter space which is infrequently observed. We conclude that the misassignment surely contributes to subunity Wal¿n slopes but is probably not the main cause. ¿ 2000 American Geophysical Union |
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Abstract |
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Keywords
Interplanetary Physics, Discontinuities, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetopause, cusp, and boundary layers, Magnetospheric Physics, Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions |
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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 |
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