Premium
Warm O + polar wind and the De‐1 polar cap electron density profile
Author(s) -
Ho C. Wing,
Horwitz J. L.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/93gl01980
Subject(s) - polar , electron density , ion , altitude (triangle) , electron , atomic physics , physics , range (aeronautics) , atmospheric sciences , materials science , nuclear physics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , astronomy , composite material
Theoretical steady state semikinetic polar wind density profiles, based on DE1/RIMS polar wind data [Chandler et al., 1991] at low altitudes (up to 3700 km), were obtained which agree very well with the power law (n e = 490 r −3.85 cm −3 ) electron density profile measured by the DE1/PWI for high altitudes [Persoon et al., 1983] (2–5R E ). The polar wind is found to be O + dominated for the full altitude range considered (up to 8 R E ). Multiple solutions are obtained for various combinations of base altitude ion temperatures and electron temperatures, such that the densities fit the Persoon et al. profile. For example, good fits to measured density profile are found for low base ion temperatures (5000 K) and high electron temperatures (9000 K), and also for unheated H + and O + (3000 K) with electron temperatures of 11,000 K. Below 2.8 R E the theoretical polar wind density deviates somewhat from the r −3.85 power law. It is concluded that this theoretical polar wind density profile, with a sum of base electron and ion temperatures of 14,000 K, yields a close match with the measured DE‐1 electron density profile.