GEM: A New Geospace General Circulation Phase I Model (GGCM) of Magnetospheric Ion Sources

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will perform a systematic investigation of the entry of solar wind ions into the magnetosphere. Particles will be followed from the solar wind, through the magnetopause, and then into the various regions of the magnetosphere. It will determine whether there are mechanisms other than magnetic reconnection that allow a significant number of ions access to the magnetosphere and will also address the question of what contribution the ionosphere makes to the ion population. The project will utilize the results from prior MHD modeling of the magnetosphere to define the state of the magnetosphere and then will utilize a test-particle tracing technique to follow ions from the solar wind into the magnetosphere