Turbulent Plasma Mixing in the Magnetotail

We investigate the transport of ions into the plasma sheet during a turbulent magnetic storm time. The plasma sheet plasma is supplied by both the solar wind, and by the ionosphere. During magnetic storms, the O+ density increases, indicating that the ionosphere becomes a more important source. We use global magnetosphere simulations with the OpenGGCM in conjunction with fluid particle tracing to determine the entry paths of the plasma. We specifically study the August 17, 2001 Cluster apogee pass through the plasma sheet, which was at this time very turbulent. Comparison of the data with the model results shows how the presence of bursty bulk flows and fluid turbulence affects the mixing of plasmas from different sources.