Open AccessThe Magnetic Field and Energy of an Axisymmetric Van Allen Belt
Author(s) -
Chapman S.,
Kendall P. C.,
Swartztrauber P. N.,
Windle D. W.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1968.tb00188.x
Subject(s) - earth's magnetic field , ring current , physics , earth radius , magnetic dipole , magnetic field , rotational symmetry , computational physics , dipole model of the earth's magnetic field , dipole , spherical harmonics , classical mechanics , geophysics , mechanics , solar wind , magnetosphere , interplanetary magnetic field , quantum mechanics
Summary In an earlier paper the magnetic vector potential of an axisymmetric distribution of azimuthal electric currents was expanded in a Legendre series. It was shown that the method may be used to study the magnetic field of a geomagnetic ring current of charged particles spiralling in a dipole field. The purpose of this further work is to determine the self‐magnetic energy for various model ring current belts. The pitch angle parameter α commonly used in such models is taken to be constant. Other parameters are k 0 , the distance (measured in Earth radii) of the maximum particle density from the centre of the Earth, and g 1 , g 1 , constants such that the particle density is proportional to exp {‐g 1 2 (R‐ k 0 ,) 2 } for R ≤ k 0 and to exp {‐g 2 2 ( R ‐ k 0 ) 2 } for R ≥ k 0 ; here R denotes the radial distance from the Earth's centre (measured in Earth radii) in the dipole equatorial plane. Numerical results are given within the rangeThe distribution of magnetic energy between the various harmonics is also given.