Field-aligned distribution of the plasmaspheric electron density: An empirical model derived from the IMAGE RPI measurements
Abstract
The plasmasphere density distributions and their time variations determine the characteristics of the plasma waves (e.g., hiss, chorus, EMIC) within the plasmasphere and affect the propagation of those waves, which in turn influence the radiation belt dynamics. Therefore, it is necessary to study the plasmaspheric density distribution and to develop reliable models of the plasmaspheric density in order to investigate the wave propagation in the plasmasphere, model the radiation belt, and forecast space weather. A model of the electron densities in the plasmasphere (from the plasmapause location down to the altitude of ~2000 km) is presented. The plasma density is described as a function of L-shell and magnetic latitude. The model is based on the almost instantaneous sounding measurements of the plasma densities along the individual magnetic field lines obtained from the radio plasma imager (RPI) onboard the NASA's IMAGE satellite. The database includes more than 700 electron density profiles, that cover all magnetic local times and range from L = 1.6 to L = 4 spatially. The performance of the model is tested against the data from several satellites and the previously developed models of electron densities in the plasmasphere.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AGUFMSM33A2146O
- Keywords:
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- 2730 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS / Magnetosphere: inner;
- 2768 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS / Plasmasphere;
- 7959 SPACE WEATHER / Models