A Dynamic Fluid-Kinetic(DyFK) Model for Ionosphere-Magnetosphere Plasma Transport: Effects of Ionization and Thermal Electron Heating by Soft Electron Precipitation

Abstract

In order to efficiently and self-consistently describe the transport of high-laitude ionospheric plasma into the magnetosphere, we have developed a Dynamic coupled Fluid-Kinetic (DyFK) model for describing plasma flow along a magnetic flux tube. The collision-dominated ionospheric plasma is treated with a low-speed fluid approach for altitudes between 120-1100km, while a generalized semikinetic approach is used for the topside and higher altitudes, starting at 800 km. This paper presents a description of the new DyFK model, along with illustrative results obtained from modeling the effects of soft (100 eV) auroral electron precipitation using the new model. The results demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the new DyFK model and illustrate how soft electron precipitation provides a mechanism to drive observed upflows of high-latitude ionospheric plasma along geo magnetic field lines.

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Published by The Chinese Geoscience Union