Open AccessModeling the quiet time inner plasma sheet protons
Author(s) -
Wang ChihPing,
Lyons Larry R.,
Chen Margaret W.,
Wolf Richard A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2000ja000377
Subject(s) - plasma sheet , physics , current sheet , plasma , atmospheric pressure plasma , proton , pressure gradient , magnetic pressure , magnetic field , convection , boundary layer , atomic physics , magnetosphere , computational physics , magnetohydrodynamics , mechanics , nuclear physics , magnetization , quantum mechanics
In order to understand the characteristics of the quiet time inner plasma sheet protons, we use a modified version of the Magnetospheric Specification Model to simulate the bounce averaged electric and magnetic drift of isotropic plasma sheet protons in an approximately self‐consistent magnetic field. Proton differential fluxes are assigned to the model boundary to mimic a mixed tail source consisting of hot plasma from the distant tail and cooler plasma from the low latitude boundary layer (LLBL). The source is local time dependent and is based on Geotail observations and the results of the finite tail width convection model. For the purpose of self‐consistently simulating plasma motion and a magnetic field, the Tsyganenko 96 magnetic field model is incorporated with additional adjustable ring‐current shaped current loops. We obtain equatorial proton flow and midnight and equatorial profiles of proton pressure, number density, and temperature. We find that our results agree well with observations. This indicates that the drift motion dominates the plasma transport in the quiet time inner plasma sheet. Our simulations show that cold plasma from the LLBL enhances the number density and the proton pressure in the inner plasma sheet and decreases the dawn‐dusk asymmetry of the equatorial proton pressure. From our approximately force‐balanced simulations the magnetic field responds to the increase of pressure gradient force in the inner plasma sheet by changing its configuration to give a stronger magnetic force. At the same time, the plasma dynamics is affected by the changing field configuration and its associated pressure gradient force becomes smaller. Our model predicts a quiet time magnetic field configuration with a local depression in the equatorial magnetic field strength at the inner edge of the plasma sheet and a cross‐tail current separated from the ring current, results that are supported by observations. A scale analysis of our results shows that in the inner plasma sheet the magnitude of the Hall term in the generalized Ohm's law is not small compared with the quiet time electric field. This suggests that the frozen‐in condition E = − v × B is not valid in the inner plasma sheet and that the Hall term needs to be included to obtain an appropriate approximation of the generalized Ohm's law in that region.