HR: 15:25h
AN: SA22B-08    [PDF]
TI: 3-D Dynamic Behavior of Generalized Polar Wind
AU: * Barakat, A R
EM: arb@cc.usu.edu
AF: Utah State University, Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences, 4405 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-4405 United States
AU: Schunk, R W
EM: schunk@cc.usu.edu
AF: Utah State University, Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences, 4405 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-4405 United States
AU: Demars, H G
EM: howard@aros.net
AF: Utah State University, Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences, 4405 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-4405 United States
AB: The dynamic behavior of the high-latitude plasma during a representative geomagnetic storm is investigated using a 3-D macroscopic particle-in-cell (mac-PIC) model. In this study, we simulate the behavior of a large number ($\sim$100 to 1000) of plasma-filled geomagnetic flux tubes. Each flux tube extends from 1200 km to several Earth radii, includes $\sim$10$^{6}$ simulation particles, and is followed for $\sim$12 hours. The lower boundary conditions of the model are provided by a 3-D fluid-like model that extends down to 100 km. Several physical mechanisms are included such as wave-particle interactions, ion-ion collisions, low-altitude ion energization, and magnetospheric particles. The computing-intensive nature of the model requires the utilization of parallel programming techniques. We use a cluster of five nodes, with two (1.6 GHz) processors each, that is available at Utah State University, with the intention of transferring the code to a bigger facility in the future. A 3-D picture is assembled from the temporal evolution of the individual flux tubes by keeping track of their locations. This 3-D picture facilitates comparison with observations, such as radar and satellite measurements. The model and its preliminary results are presented.
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2437 Ionospheric dynamics
DE: 2475 Polar cap ionosphere
DE: 2788 Storms and substorms
SC: SPA - Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting