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Van Allen Probes Bibliography is from August 2012 through September 2021 Notice:
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The Evolution of the Plasma Sheet Ion Composition: Storms and Recoveries
| Author | Denton, M.; Thomsen, M.; Reeves, G.; Larsen, B.; Henderson, M.; Jordanova, V.; Fernandes, P.; Friedel, R.; Skoug, R.; Funsten, H.; MacDonald, E.; Spence, H.; |
| Keywords | plasma sheet; Van Allen Probes |
| Abstract | The ion plasma sheet (~few hundred eV to ~few 10s keV) is usually dominated by H+ ions. Here, changes in ion composition within the plasma sheet are explored both during individual events, and statistically during 54 calm-to-storm events and during 21 active-to-calm events. Ion composition data from the HOPE (Helium, Oxygen, Proton, Electron) instruments onboard Van Allen Probes satellites provide exceptional spatial and temporal resolution of the H+, O+, and He+ ion fluxes in the plasma sheet. H+ shown to be the dominant ion in the plasma sheet in the calm-to-storm transition. However, the energy-flux of each ion changes in a quasi-linear manner during extended calm intervals. Heavy ions (O+ and He+) become increasingly important during such periods as charge-exchange reactions result in faster loss for H+ than for O+ or He+. Results confirm previous investigations showing that the ion composition of the plasma sheet can be largely understood (and predicted) during calm intervals from knowledge of: (a) the composition of previously injected plasma at the onset of calm conditions, and (b) use of simple drift-physics models combined with calculations of charge-exchange losses. |
| Year of Publication | 2017 |
| Journal | Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics |
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| Date Published | 10/2017 |
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| URL | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2017JA024475/full |
| DOI | 10.1002/2017JA024475 |
