Effects of near-Earth stochastic acceleration and reflections of magnetotail ions on the formation of auroral arcsFindings obtained from global kinetic simulations of magnetotail plasma are discussed. A region of strongly nonadiabatic ion acceleration (known as the 'wall' region) exists in the near earth tail and demarcates two very different regimes of ion motion: adiabatic and quasi-adiabatic. After convection through the wall, ion distributions rapidly become isotropized and thermalized. A strong enhancement of the cross tail current occurs on the tailward side of the wall. Comparison of numerical and adiabatic pressure profiles indicates that nonadiabatic processes operating in this region may contribute significantly to a pressure balance relief in the course of quasi-steady magnetospheric convection.
Document ID
19950011888
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Ashour-Abdalla, Maha (California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Zelenyi, L. M. (Academy of Sciences USSR, Moscow, Ussr)
Bosqued, Jean-Michael (Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements Toulouse, France)
Peroomian, V. (California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Wang, Z. (California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Schriver, D. (California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)
Richard, R. (California Univ. Los Angeles, CA, United States)