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Evolution of large scale irregularities in the polar ionosphere controlled by the solar wind

03/06/2016

IPGP - Îlot Cuvier

11:00

Séminaires communs Géomagnétisme-Paléomagnétisme

Salle 310

Renata Lukianova

Geophysical Center of RAS, Moscow Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, St-Petersburg

The high latitude ionosphere is driven by both the magnetospheric and the solar UV inputs and, therefore, extremely variable and poorly predictable. The electric field of magnetospheric origin and energetic particle precipitations form the main large scale irregularities in the polar F region ionosphere. Physics-based mathematical models are able to calculate the response of the ionospheric plasma to these external forcings. A new numerical model is presented, that takes into account the solar wind parameters. The flux tubes of plasma are followed as they convect and corotate through a moving neutral atmosphere during many hours. The main output is the 3-D electron density distribution at a specified time under a specified solar wind conditions. The model results in the polar topside ionosphere are compared with observations of the Svalbard Incoherent Scater Rarad and Swarm satellites. The effects of field-aligned currents (FACs) on the electron density (Ne) at different ionospheric heights (E and F regions) are analyzed. Quantitative characteristics of the relationship between the enhanced Ne and the upward FAC in the night side ionosphere are obtained using the theoretical approach and the observational data. Geomagnetic signatures of FAC revealed from satellite measurements are discussed.