Simulation of H+ and He+ Dynamics During Plasmasphere Refilling

The refilling of the H+ and He+ plasmaspheres is simulated over long times (days) using the SAMI2 (Sami2 is Another Model of the Ionosphere) code[1]. It is shown that the plasmaspheric He+ population reaches saturation more rapidly than the H+ population and that, if left undisturbed, the H+ density at L=3 can continue to increase for as long as 10 weeks. [1] Huba, J.D., G. Joyce, and J.A. Fedder, JGR, 105, 23,035, 2000 Work supported by ONR