Bibliography

Upper limit of proton anisotropy and its relation to EMIC waves in the inner magnetosphere

Abstract Proton anisotropy in velocity space has been generally accepted as a major parameter for exciting electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves. In this study, we estimate the proton anisotropy parameter as defined by the linear resonance theory using data from the Van Allen Probes mission. Our investigation uses the measurements of the inner magnetosphere (L < 6) from January 2013 to February 2018. We find that the proton anisotropy is always clearly limited by an upper bound and it well follows an inverse relationship with the parallel proton β (the ratio of the plasma pressure to the magnetic pressure) within a certain range. This upper bound exists over wide spatial regions, AE conditions, and resonance energies regardless of the presence of EMIC waves. EMIC waves occur when the anisotropy lies below but close to this upper bound within a narrow plasma β range: The lower cutoff β is due to an excessively high anisotropy threshold and the upper cutoff β is possibly due to the predominant role of a faster-growing mirror mode instability. We also find that the anisotropy during the observed EMIC waves is unstable, leading to the linear ion cyclotron instability. This result implies that the upper bound of the anisotropy is due to nonlinear processes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Noh, Sung-Jun; Lee, Dae-Young; Kim, Hyomin; Lanzerotti, Louis; Gerrard, Andrew; Skoug, Ruth;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 04/2021

YEAR: 2021     DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028614

Proton Anisotropy; Ion cyclotron instability; Proton distribution; Van Allen Probes; Wave-particle interaction

Observations of Particle Loss due to Injection-Associated EMIC Waves

AbstractWe report on observations of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and their interactions with injected ring current particles and high energy radiation belt electrons. The magnetic field experiment aboard the twin Van Allen Probes spacecraft measured EMIC waves near L = 5.5 − 6. Particle data from the spacecraft show that the waves were associated with particle injections. The wave activity was also observed by a ground-based magnetometer near the spacecraft geomagnetic footprint over a more extensive temporal range. Phase space density (PSD) profiles, calculated from directional differential electron flux data from Van Allen Probes, show that there was a significant energy-dependent relativistic electron dropout over a limited L-shell range during and after the EMIC wave activity. In addition, the NOAA spacecraft observed relativistic electron precipitation associated with the EMIC waves near the footprint of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft. The observations suggest EMIC wave-induced relativistic electron loss in the radiation belt.

Kim, Hyomin; Schiller, Quintin; Engebretson, Mark; Noh, Sungjun; Kuzichev, Ilya; Lanzerotti, Louis; Gerrard, Andrew; Kim, Khan-Hyuk; Lessard, Marc; Spence, Harlan; Lee, Dae-Young; Matzka, Jürgen; Fromm, Tanja;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 01/2021

YEAR: 2021     DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028503

EMIC waves; ring current; Radiation belt; wave particle interaction; injection; Particle precipitation; Van Allen Probes

Mirror instabilities in the inner magnetosphere and their potential for localized ULF wave generation

Results from the NASA Van Allen Probes mission indicate extensive observations of mirror/drift-mirror (M/D-M hereafter) unstable plasma regions in the nightside inner magnetosphere. Said plasmas lie on the threshold between the kinetic and frozen-in plasma regimes and have favorable conditions for the formation of M/D-M modes and subsequent ultra-low frequency (ULF) wave signatures in the surrounding plasma. We present the results of a climatological analysis of plasma-γ (anisotropy measure) and total plasma-β (ratio of particle to magnetic field pressure) in regard to the satisfaction of instability conditions on said M/D-M modes under bi-Maxwellian distribution assumption, and ascertain the most likely region for such plasmas to occur. Our results indicate a strong preference for the pre-midnight sector of the nightside magnetosphere, with events ranging in time scales from half a minute (roughly 200 km in scale size) to several hours (multiple Earth radii). The statistical distribution of these plasma regions explicitly identifies the source region of “storm time Pc5 ULF waves” and suggests an alternative mechanism for their generation in the nightside inner magnetosphere.

Cooper, M.; Gerrard, A.; Lanzerotti, L.; Soto-Chavez, A.; Kim, H.; Kuzichev, I.; Goodwin, L.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 12/2020

YEAR: 2020     DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JA028773

Mirror mode-unstable plasma; ULF waves; magnetotail injections; inner magnetosphere; Van Allen Probes

Observational evidence of the drift-mirror plasma instability in Earth\textquoterights inner magnetosphere

We report on evidence for the generation of an ultra-low frequency plasma wave by the drift-mirror plasma instability in the dynamic plasma environment of Earth\textquoterights inner magnetosphere. The plasma measurements are obtained from the Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment onboard NASA\textquoterights Van Allen Probes Satellites. We show that the measured wave-particle interactions are driven by the drift-mirror instability. Theoretical analysis of the data demonstrates that the drift-mirror mode plasma instability condition is well satisfied. We also demonstrate, for the first time, that the measured wave growth rate agrees well with the predicted linear theory growth rate. Hence, the in-situ space plasma observations and theoretical analysis demonstrate that local generation of ultra-low frequency and high amplitude plasma waves can occur in the high beta plasma conditions of Earth\textquoterights inner magnetosphere.

Soto-Chavez, A.; Lanzerotti, L.; Manweiler, J.; Gerrard, A.; Cohen, R.; Xia, Z.; Chen, L.; Kim, H.;

Published by: Physics of Plasmas      Published on: 04/2019

YEAR: 2019     DOI: 10.1063/1.5083629

Van Allen Probes

The Relationship Between EMIC Wave Properties and Proton Distributions Based on Van Allen Probes Observations

Plasma kinetic theory predicts that sufficiently anisotropic proton distribution will excite electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves, which in turn relax the proton distribution to a marginally stable state creating an upper bound on the relaxed proton anisotropy. Here, using EMIC wave observations and coincident plasma measurements made by Van Allen Probes in the inner magnetosphere, we show that the proton distributions are well constrained by this instability to a marginally stable state. Near the threshold, the probability of EMIC wave occurrence is highest, having left-handed polarization and observed near the magnetic equator with relatively small wave normal angles, indicating that these waves are locally generated. In addition, EMIC waves are distributed in two magnetic local time regions with different intensity. Compared with helium band waves, hydrogen band waves behave similarly except that they are often observed in low-density regions. These results reveal several important features regarding EMIC waves excitation and propagation.

Yue, Chao; Jun, Chae-Woo; Bortnik, Jacob; An, Xin; Ma, Qianli; Reeves, Geoffrey; Spence, Harlan; Gerrard, Andrew; Gkioulidou, Matina; Mitchell, Donald; Kletzing, Craig;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 04/2019

YEAR: 2019     DOI: 10.1029/2019GL082633

EMIC waves; helium-band; hydrogen-band; plasma beta; proton temperature anisotropy; Van Allen Probes

The composition of plasma inside geostationary orbit based on Van Allen Probes observations

The composition of the inner magnetosphere is of great importance for determining the plasma pressure, and thus the currents and magnetic field configuration. In this study, we perform a statistical survey of equatorial plasma pressure distributions and investigate the relative contributions of ions and electron with different energies inside of geostationary orbit under two AE levels based on over sixty months of observations from the HOPE and RBSPICE mass spectrometers on board Van Allen Probes. We find that the total and partial pressures of different species increase significantly at high AE levels with Hydrogen (H+) pressure being dominant in the plasmasphere. The pressures of the heavy ions and electrons increase outside the plasmapause and develop a strong dawn-dusk asymmetry with ion pressures peaking at dusk and electron pressure peaking at dawn. In addition, ring current H+ with energies ranging from 50 keV up to several hundred keV is the dominant component of plasma pressure during both quiet (> 90\%) and active times (> 60\%), while Oxygen (O+) with 10 < E < 50 keV and electrons with 0.1 < E < 40 keV become important during active times contributing more than 25\% and 20\% on the nightside, respectively, while the Helium (He+) contribution is generally small. The results presented in this study provide a global picture of the equatorial plasma pressure distributions and the associated contributions from different species with different energy ranges, which advance our knowledge of wave generation and provide models with a systematic baseline of plasma composition.

Yue, Chao; Bortnik, Jacob; Li, Wen; Ma, Qianli; Gkioulidou, Matina; Reeves, Geoffrey; Wang, Chih-Ping; Thorne, Richard; T. Y. Lui, Anthony; Gerrard, Andrew; Spence, Harlan; Mitchell, Donald;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 07/2018

YEAR: 2018     DOI: 10.1029/2018JA025344

ion composition; plasma pressure; Plasmapause; Van Allen Probes

Ring Current He-Ion Control by Bounce Resonant ULF Waves

Ring current energy He-ion (\~65 keV to \~520 keV) differential flux data from the Radiation Belt Storm Probe Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instrument aboard the Van Allan Probes spacecraft show considerable variability during quiet solar wind and geomagnetic time periods. Such variability is apparent from orbit to orbit (\~9 hours) of the spacecraft and is observed to be \~50\textendash100\% of the nominal flux. Using data from the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS) instrument, also aboard the Van Allen Probes spacecraft, we identify that a dominant source of this variability is from ULF waveforms with periods of 10\textquoterights of sec. These periods correspond to the bounce resonant timescales of the ring current He-ions being measured by RBSPICE. A statistical survey using the particle and field data for one full spacecraft precession period (approximately two years) shows that the wave and He-ion flux variations are generally anti-correlated, suggesting the bounce resonant pitch-angle scattering process as a major component in the scattering of He-ions.

Kim, Hyomin; Gerrard, Andrew; Lanzerotti, Louis; Soto-Chavez, Rualdo; Cohen, Ross; Manweiler, Jerry;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 09/2017

YEAR: 2017     DOI: 10.1002/2017JA023958

bounce resonance; Helium ion; ring current; ULF waves; Van Allen Probes

The characteristic pitch angle distributions of 1 eV to 600 keV protons near the equator based on Van Allen Probes observations

Understanding the source and loss processes of various plasma populations is greatly aided by having accurate knowledge of their pitch angle distributions (PADs). Here, we statistically analyze ~1 eV to 600 keV hydrogen (H+) PADs near the geomagnetic equator in the inner magnetosphere based on Van Allen Probes measurements, to comprehensively investigate how the H+ PADs vary with different energies, magnetic local times (MLTs), L-shells, and geomagnetic conditions. Our survey clearly indicates four distinct populations with different PADs: (1) a pancake distribution of the plasmaspheric H+ at low L-shells except for dawn sector; (2) a bi-directional field-aligned distribution of the warm plasma cloak; (3) pancake or isotropic distributions of ring current H+; (4) radiation belt particles show pancake, butterfly and isotropic distributions depending on their energy, MLT and L-shell. Meanwhile, the pancake distribution of ring current H+ moves to lower energies as L-shell increases which is primarily caused by adiabatic transport. Furthermore, energetic H+ (> 10 keV) PADs become more isotropic following the substorm injections, indicating wave-particle interactions. The radiation belt H+ butterfly distributions are identified in a narrow energy range of 100 < E < 400 keV at large L (L > 5), which are less significant during quiet times and extend from dusk to dawn sector through midnight during substorms. The different PADs near the equator provide clues of the underlying physical processes that produce the dynamics of these different populations.

Yue, Chao; Bortnik, Jacob; Thorne, Richard; Ma, Qianli; An, Xin; Chappell, C.; Gerrard, Andrew; Lanzerotti, Louis; Shi, Quanqi; Reeves, Geoffrey; Spence, Harlan; Mitchell, Donald; Gkioulidou, Matina; Kletzing, Craig;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 08/2017

YEAR: 2017     DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024421

bi-directional field-aligned; H+ Pitch angle distributions; plasmaspheric H+; radiation belt H+; ring current; Van Allen Probes; warm Plasma cloak

Dominance of high energy (>150 keV) heavy ion intensities in Earth\textquoterights middle to outer magnetosphere

Previous observations have driven the prevailing assumption in the field that energetic ions measured by an instrument using a bare solid state detector (SSD) are predominantly protons. However, new near-equatorial energetic particle observations obtained between 7 and 12 RE during Phase 1 of the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission challenge the validity of this assumption. In particular, measurements by the Energetic Ion Spectrometer (EIS) instruments have revealed that the intensities of heavy ion species (specifically oxygen and helium) dominate those of protons at energies math formula150-220 keV in the middle to outer (>7 RE) magnetosphere. Given that relative composition measurements can drift as sensors degrade in gain, quality cross-calibration agreement between EIS observations and those from the SSD-based Fly\textquoterights Eye Energetic Particle Spectrometer (FEEPS) sensors provides critical support to the veracity of the measurement. Similar observations from the Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instruments aboard the Van Allen Probes spacecraft extend the ion composition measurements into the middle magnetosphere and reveal a strongly proton-dominated environment at math formula, but decreasing proton intensities at math formula. It is concluded that the intensity dominance of the heavy ions at higher energies (>150 keV) arises from the existence of significant populations of multiply-charged heavy ions, presumably of solar wind origin.

Cohen, Ian; Mitchell, Donald; Kistler, Lynn; Mauk, Barry; Anderson, Brian; Westlake, Joseph; Ohtani, Shinichi; Hamilton, Douglas; Turner, Drew; Blake, Bern; Fennell, Joseph; Jaynes, Allison; Leonard, Trevor; Gerrard, Andrew; Lanzerotti, Louis; Allen, Robert; Burch, James;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 08/2017

YEAR: 2017     DOI: 10.1002/2017JA024351

energetic ion composition; magnetospheric ion composition; Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS); outer magnetosphere; ring current composition; suprathermal ions; Van Allen Probes

Climatology of high-β plasma measurements in Earth\textquoterights inner magnetosphere

Since their launch in August 2012, the Radiation Belt Storm Probe Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instruments on the NASA Van Allen Probes spacecraft have been making continuous high-resolution measurements of Earth\textquoterights ring current plasma environment. After a full traversal through all magnetic local times, a climatology (i.e., a survey of observations) of high-beta (β) plasma events (defined here as β > 1) as measured by the RBSPICE instrument in the \~45 keV to \~600 keV proton energy range in the inner magnetosphere (L < 5.8) has been constructed. In this paper we report this climatology of such high-β plasma occurrences, durations, and their general characteristics. Specifically, we show that most high-β events in the RBSPICE energy range are associated with postdusk/premidnight sector particle injections or plasma patches and can last from minutes to hours. While most of these events have a β less than 2, there are a number of observations reaching β greater than 4. Other observations of particular note are high-β events during relatively minor geomagnetic storms and examples of very long duration high-β plasmas. We show that high-β plasmas are a relatively common occurrence in the inner magnetosphere during both quiet and active times. As such, the waves generated by these plasmas may have an underappreciated role in the inner magnetosphere, and thus the study of these plasmas and their instabilities may be more important than has been currently addressed.

Cohen, Ross; Gerrard, Andrew; Lanzerotti, Louis; Soto-Chavez, A.; Kim, Hyomin; Manweiler, Jerry;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 01/2017

YEAR: 2017     DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022513

climatology; high-beta plasma; inner magnetosphere; RBSPICE; Van Allen Probes

Climatology of high β plasma measurements in Earth\textquoterights inner magnetosphere

Since their launch in August 2012, the Radiation Belt Storm Probe Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instruments on the NASA Van Allen Probes spacecraft have been making continuous high resolution measurements of Earth\textquoterights ring current plasma environment. After a full traversal through all magnetic local times, a climatology (i.e., a survey of observations) of high beta (β) plasma events (defined here as β>1) as measured by the RBSPICE instrument in the \~45-keV to \~600-keV proton energy range in the inner magnetosphere (L<5.8) has been constructed. In this paper we report this climatology of such high β plasma occurrences, durations, and their general characteristics. Specifically, we show that most high β events in the RBSPICE energy range are associated with post-dusk/pre-midnight sector particle injections or plasma patches and can last from minutes to hours. While most of these events have a β less than 2, there are a number of observations reaching β greater than 4. Other observations of particular note are high β events during relatively minor geomagnetic storms and examples of very long duration high β plasmas. We show that high β plasmas are a relatively common occurrence in the inner magnetosphere during both quiet and active times. As such, the waves generated by these plasmas may have an under-appreciated role in the inner magnetosphere, and thus the study of these plasmas and their instabilities may be more important than has been currently addressed.

Cohen, Ross; Gerrard, Andrew; Lanzerotti, Louis; Soto-Chavez, A.; Kim, Hyomin; Manweiler, Jerry;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 12/2016

YEAR: 2016     DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022513

climatology; high beta plasma; inner magnetosphere; RBSPICE; Van Allen Probes

RBSPICE measurement of ion loss during the 2015 March storm: Adiabatic response to the geomagnetic field change

A strongly energy-dependent ring current ion loss was measured by the RBSPICE instrument on the Van Allen Probes A spacecraft in the local evening sector during the 17 March 2015 geomagnetic storm. The ion loss is found to be energy dependent where only ions with energies measured above \~ 150 keV have a significant drop in intensity. At these energies the ion dynamics are principally controlled by variations of the geomagnetic field which, during magnetic storms, exhibits large scale variations on timescales from minutes to hours. Here we show that starting from \~ 19:10 UTC on March 17 the geomagnetic field increased from 220 to 260 nT on a time scale of about an hour as captured by RBSPICE-A close to spacecraft apogee, L = 6.1 and MLT = 21.85 hr. [GSM coordinates X=-4.89, Y=3.00, Z=-0.73)]. We demonstrate the relationship between this large geomagnetic field increase and the drop-outs of the inline image 150 keV ring current ions.

Soto-Chavez, A.; Lanzerotti, L.; Gerrard, A.; Kim, H.; Bortnik, J.; Manweiler, J.;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 09/2016

YEAR: 2016     DOI: 10.1002/2016JA022512

inner magnetosphere; Magnetic Storms; Ring current ion.; Van Allen Probes

Extreme ionospheric ion energization and electron heating in Alfv\ en waves in the storm-time inner magnetosphere

We report measurements of energized outflowing/bouncing ionospheric ions and heated electrons in the inner magnetosphere during a geomagnetic storm. The ions arrive in the equatorial plane with pitch angles that increase with energy over a range from tens of eV to > 50 keV while the electrons are field-aligned up to ~1 keV. These particle distributions are observed during intervals of broadband low frequency electromagnetic field fluctuations consistent with a Doppler-shifted spectrum of kinetic Alfv\ en waves and kinetic field-line resonances. The fluctuations extend from L≈3 out to the apogee of the Van Allen Probes spacecraft at L≈6.5. They thereby span most of the L-shell range occupied by the ring current. These measurements suggest a model for ionospheric ion outflow and energization driven by dispersive Alfv\ en waves that may account for the large storm-time contribution of ionospheric ions to magnetospheric energy density.

Chaston, C.; Bonnell, J.; Wygant, J.; Kletzing, C.; Reeves, G.; Gerrard, A.; Lanzerotti, L.; Smith, C.;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 12/2015

YEAR: 2015     DOI: 10.1002/2015GL066674

Alfven waves; electron precipitation; Geomagnetic storms; ion acceleration; ion outflow; ion upflo

An impenetrable barrier to ultrarelativistic electrons in the Van Allen radiation belts

Early observations1, 2 indicated that the Earth\textquoterights Van Allen radiation belts could be separated into an inner zone dominated by high-energy protons and an outer zone dominated by high-energy electrons. Subsequent studies3, 4 showed that electrons of moderate energy (less than about one megaelectronvolt) often populate both zones, with a deep \textquoteleftslot\textquoteright region largely devoid of particles between them. There is a region of dense cold plasma around the Earth known as the plasmasphere, the outer boundary of which is called the plasmapause. The two-belt radiation structure was explained as arising from strong electron interactions with plasmaspheric hiss just inside the plasmapause boundary5, with the inner edge of the outer radiation zone corresponding to the minimum plasmapause location6. Recent observations have revealed unexpected radiation belt morphology7, 8, especially at ultrarelativistic kinetic energies9, 10 (more than five megaelectronvolts). Here we analyse an extended data set that reveals an exceedingly sharp inner boundary for the ultrarelativistic electrons. Additional, concurrently measured data11 reveal that this barrier to inward electron radial transport does not arise because of a physical boundary within the Earth\textquoterights intrinsic magnetic field, and that inward radial diffusion is unlikely to be inhibited by scattering by electromagnetic transmitter wave fields. Rather, we suggest that exceptionally slow natural inward radial diffusion combined with weak, but persistent, wave\textendashparticle pitch angle scattering deep inside the Earth\textquoterights plasmasphere can combine to create an almost impenetrable barrier through which the most energetic Van Allen belt electrons cannot migrate.

Baker, D.; Jaynes, A.; Hoxie, V.; Thorne, R.; Foster, J.; Li, X.; Fennell, J.; Wygant, J.; Kanekal, S.; Erickson, P.; Kurth, W.; Li, W.; Ma, Q.; Schiller, Q.; Blum, L.; Malaspina, D.; Gerrard, A.; Lanzerotti, L.;

Published by: Nature      Published on: 11/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1038/nature13956

Magnetospheric physics; ultrarelativistic electrons; Van Allen Belts; Van Allen Probes

Initial Measurements of O-ion and He-ion Decay Rates Observed from the Van Allen Probes RBSPICE Instrument

H-ion (~45-keV to ~600-keV), He-ion (~65-keV to ~520-keV), and O-ion (~140-keV to ~1130-keV) integral flux measurements, from the Radiation Belt Storm Probe Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instrument aboard the Van Allan Probes spacecraft B, are reported. These abundance data form a cohesive picture of ring current ions during the first nine months of measurements. Furthermore, the data presented herein are used to show injection characteristics via the He-ion/H-ion abundance ratio and the O-ion/H-ion abundance ratio. Of unique interest to ring current dynamics are the spatial-temporal decay characteristics of the two injected populations. We observe that He-ions decay more quickly at lower L-shells, on the orderof ~0.8-day at L-shells of 3\textendash4, and decay more slowly with higher L-shell, on the order of ~1.7-days at L-shells of 5\textendash6. Conversely, O-ions decay very rapidly (~1.5-hours) across all L-shells. The He-ion decay time are consistent with previously measured and calculated lifetimes associated with charge exchange. The O-ion decay time is much faster than predicted and is attributed to the inclusion of higher energy (>500-keV) O-ions in our decay rate estimation. We note that these measurements demonstrate a compelling need for calculation of high energy O-ion loss rates, which have not been adequately studied in the literature to date.

Gerrard, Andrew; Lanzerotti, Louis; Gkioulidou, Matina; Mitchell, Donald; Manweiler, Jerry; Bortnik, Jacob; Keika, Kunihiro;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 11/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1002/2014JA020374

inner magnetosphere; ion decay rates; Spacecraft measurements; Van Allen Probes

Storm time response of the mid-latitude thermosphere: Observations from a network of Fabry-Perot interferometers

Observations of thermospheric neutral winds and temperatures obtained during a geomagnetic storm on 2 October 2013 from a network of six Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs) deployed in the midwest United States are presented. Coincident with the commencement of the storm, the apparent horizontal wind is observed to surge westward and southward (towards the equator). Simultaneous to this surge in the apparent horizontal winds, an apparent downward wind of approximately 100 m/s lasting for 6 hours is observed. The apparent neutral temperature is observed to increase by approximately 400 K over all of the sites. Observations from an all-sky imaging system operated at the Millstone Hill observatory indicate the presence of a stable auroral red (SAR) arc and diffuse red aurora during this time. We suggest that the large sustained apparent downward winds arise from contamination of the spectral profile of the nominal thermospheric 630.0-nm emission by 630.0-nm emission from a different (non-thermospheric) source. Modeling demonstrates that the effect of an additional population of 630.0-nm photons, with a distinct velocity and temperature distribution, introduces an apparent Doppler shift when the combined emission from the two sources are analyzed as a single population. Thus, the apparent Doppler shifts should not be interpreted as the bulk motion of the thermosphere, calling into question results from previous FPI studies of mid-latitude storm-time thermospheric winds. One possible source of contamination could be fast O related to the infusion of low-energy O+ ions from the magnetosphere. The presence of low-energy O+ is supported by observations made by the Helium, Oxygen, Proton, and Electron spectrometer instruments on the twin Van Allen Probes spacecrafts, which show an influx of low-energy ions during this period. These results emphasize the importance of distributed networks of instruments in understanding the complex dynamics that occur in the upper atmosphere during disturbed conditions.

Makela, Jonathan; Harding, Brian; Meriwether, John; Mesquita, Rafael; Sanders, Samuel; Ridley, Aaron; Castellez, Michael; Ciocca, Marco; Earle, Gregory; Frissell, Nathaniel; Hampton, Donald; Gerrard, Andrew; Noto, John; Martinis, Carlos;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 08/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1002/2014JA019832

geomagnetic storm response; thermospheric winds; Van Allen Probes

Quiet time observations of He ions in the inner magnetosphere as observed from the RBSPICE instrument aboard the Van Allen Probes mission

He ions contribute to Earth\textquoterights ring current energy and species population density and are important in understanding ion transport and charge exchange processes in the inner magnetosphere. He ion flux measurements made by the Van Allen Probes Radiation Belt Storm Probes Ion Composition Experiment (RBSPICE) instrument are presented in this paper. Particular focus is centered on geomagnetically quiet intervals in late 2012 and 2013 that show the flux, L-shell, and energy (65 keV to 518 keV) morphology of ring current He ions between geomagnetic storm injection events. The overall He ion abundance during the first nine months of RBSPICE observations, the appearance of a persistent high energy, low L-shell He ion population, and the temporal evolution of this population all provide new insights into trapped ring current energy He ions. These data provide a unique resource that will be used to provide verifications of, and improvements to, models of He ion transport and loss in Earth\textquoterights ring current region.

Gerrard, Andrew; Lanzerotti, Louis; Gkioulidou, Matina; Mitchell, Donald; Manweiler, Jerry; Bortnik, Jacob;

Published by: Geophysical Research Letters      Published on: 02/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1002/2013GL059175

Van Allen Probes