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- SM12A-05: Plasmaspheric-Origin Ions in the Plasma Sheet as a Source of the Ring Current (invited)
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NOLA CC
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Suk-Bin Kang, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (First Author, Presenting Author)
Mei-Ching Fok, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Alex Glocer, NASA/GSFC
Cristian Ferradas, New Mexico Consortium
Joseph Huba, Syntek Technologies Inc
The Earth's plasmasphere is a toroidal region consisting of dense (10²–10⁴/cm³), cold (~1 eV) ions and electrons. In contrast, the plasma sheet and ring current are characterized by hot ions and electrons. Despite these distinct populations, they are dynamically interconnected. In particular, plasmaspheric-origin ions play an important but often overlooked role in forming the ring current, a significant feature of Earth's magnetic environment during geomagnetic storms. Using advanced computer simulations, we investigate how ions from the plasmasphere migrate into the plasma sheet, where they are energized and significantly contribute to the ring current during the early stages of a storm. Our simulations closely match real observations from the RBSP spacecraft, validating our model's accuracy. We find that these ions substantially enhance plasma sheet density, particularly early in the storm when they account for as much as 60% of the local pressure. This increased pressure arises because ions originating from the plasmasphere accumulate and become energized on the dawnside of the plasma sheet. As the storm progresses and the plasmasphere is depleted, followed by slow refilling, the contribution from these ions diminishes. Our research highlights the critical role of plasmaspheric ions in shaping storm-time dynamics in Earth's magnetic environment.
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