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Ebihara et al. 2006
Ebihara, Y., Yamada, M., Watanabe, S. and Ejiri, M. (2006). Fate of outflowing suprathermal oxygen ions that originate in the polar ionosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research 111: doi: 10.1029/2005JA011403. issn: 0148-0227.

We investigate the transport and ultimate fate of outflowing suprathermal O+ ions by kinetic means using a full-particle tracing scheme. We launched O+ ions in order to determine their final destination in terms of the magnetopause, the distant tail, the ring current (L-shell of 5), and the atmosphere. The number of O+ ions that reached each of the destinations was calculated quantitatively by employing an empirical model of the outflowing ion distribution. This empirical model is based on long-term data from the Suprathermal Ion Mass Spectrometer aboard the Akebono satellite and depends on Kp and the sunspot number. Major results are as follows: (1) Under an active-time magnetic field and a midstrength convection electric field, the majority of outflowing ions with initial speed greater than the escaping speed reached the ring current, with lesser amounts reaching the magnetopause, the distant tail, and the atmosphere. (2) The presence of an active-time magnetic field results in an increase in the number of ions that reach the ring current by a factor of ~3, the magnetopause by a factor of ~0.5, the distant tail by a factor of ~200, and the atmosphere by a factor of ~0.01 in comparison with those under a quiet time magnetic field. (3) An energy distribution of ions at L = 5 shows that in addition to a thermal/suprathermal component, an energetic component peaking at ~20 keV appears for the active condition, which resembles an averaged spectrum of ring current O+ ions.

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Magnetospheric Physics, Plasma sheet, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetospheric configuration and dynamics, Magnetospheric Physics, Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions, Magnetospheric Physics, Numerical modeling, Ionosphere, Topside ionosphere
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
http://www.agu.org/journals/jb/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
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