A Model Relating the Radial Changes of the Plasmapause in the Dusk Sector to Geomagnetic Activity,
Abstract
The theory of magnetospheric convection is reviewed with special attention paid to the dusk sector. A model is presented which relates the dawn-dusk electric field, which drives the convection, to the square of the solar wind speed. Assuming that the plasmapause is located at the equatorial distance where the dawn-dusk electric field concels the electric field due to the rotation of the earth, we were able to compute the changes of the plasmapause for various values of solar wind speed. Furthermore, using a previously obtained empirical relation between the solar wind speed and the geomagnetic index Kp, we have plotted the equatorial radius of the plasmapause in the dusk sector vs. the Kp index. Extrapolating along L-shells to ionospheric heights, the predictions of this model are found to be in good agreement with a statistical relation between Kp and the invariant latitude of the ionospheric trough. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0708495
Entities
People
- Michael J. Mendillo
- Michaēl D. Papagiannēs
Organizations
- Boston University