DETERMINING THE CONTRIBUTION OF NITROGEN TO THE TOTAL IONOSPHERIC ION OUTFLOW
Abstract
Even though past observations have established that N+ is a signicant ion species in the iono-sphere and its presence in the magnetosphere is signicant, the transport and energization of N+,in addition to that of O+, have not been considered by most studies, simply because the observa-tional record has been overlooked. In spite of only 12% mass difference, nitrogen and oxygen havedifferent ionization energies, scale heights and charge exchange cross sections with the exospherichydrogen. Based on these differences, tracking the behavior of oxygen and nitrogen ions serves asa tracer for the altitude dependent transport and energization processes of ionospheric plasma.This work will quantify for the rst time the distribution of heavy ions in the upper ionosphere,the location their ionization takes place and will determine the role of ionospheric convection inthe production and outow rate of the heavy ions. This new capability opens the possibility tostudy the behavior and evolution of all major ionospheric constituents and will provide a uniqueand necessary view into the dierential transport of heavy vs. light ionospheric species.The yielded results will lead to an improved and expanded understanding of terrestrial ionospheredynamics and therefore space weather impacts. The presence of these heavy ions in the near-Earthenvironment has a profound impact on the global magnetosphere-ionosphere dynamics as theyaect the structure and properties of local plasma, as well as wave propagation in this region,which makes it highly relevant to U.S. Air Force operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 30, 2018
- Source ID
- FA95501810195
Entities
People
- Raluca Ilie
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign