Open AccessRole of periodic loading‐unloading in the magnetotail versus interplanetary magnetic field B z flipping in the ring current buildup
Author(s) -
Taktakishvili A.,
Kuznetsova M. M.,
Hesse M.,
Fok M.C.,
Rastätter L.,
Maddox M.,
Chulaki A.,
Tóth G.,
Gombosi T. I.,
De Zeeuw D. L.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2007ja012845
Subject(s) - physics , geosynchronous orbit , substorm , kinetic energy , interplanetary magnetic field , magnetic reconnection , ring current , magnetohydrodynamics , current sheet , interplanetary spaceflight , magnetosphere , magnetic field , computational physics , atomic physics , solar wind , classical mechanics , satellite , quantum mechanics , astronomy
Introducing kinetic corrections into the to BATSRUS code in the magnetotail region leads to fast reconnection rates observed in kinetic simulations and quasi‐periodic loading‐unloading cycles in the magnetotail during a long period of steady southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) B z (Kuznetsova et al., 2006, 2007). We use the global MHD code BATSRUS output to drive the Fok Ring Current (FRC) model, which then exhibits quasi‐periodic oscillations of geosynchronous energetic particle fluxes, similar to “sawtooth” injection profiles. We compare these results with the results of the FRC model driven by BATSRUS for periodically flipping IMF B z component, without kinetic corrections. The comparison shows the dominant role of quasi‐periodic loading‐unloading in the tail over the role of flipping IMF B z component in the formation of geosynchronous fluxes for various energies. This same result is confirmed by the analysis of particle number and energy content within geosynchronous orbit.