HR: 16:15h
AN: SM34A-02 INVITED     [Abstracts]
TI: Cross-Scale Coupling in the Inner Magnetosphere and Ionosphere: New Insights From Imaging
AU: * Burch, J L
EM: jburch@swri.edu
AF: Southwest Research Institute, P. O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228-0510 United States
AB: The IMAGE (Imager for Magnetosphere-to-Ionosphere Global Exploration) satellite provides nearly continuous global views of helium ions (from resonant backscatter of solar EUV), energetic neutral atoms, auroral emissions produced by both protons and electrons, and total electron densities (from sounding) of the inner magnetosphere on a time scale of a few minutes. Results from IMAGE have shown how the plasmasphere and ring current interact, particularly in the region of plasmaspheric plumes. Simultaneous imaging of the plasmasphere, ring current, and proton aurora have shown that these interactions are responsible for precipitation of ring-current protons. Other results, only accessible through imaging, include: (1) a pronounced subcorotation of the plasmasphere, which has been shown by comparisons with DMSP ion drift measurements to be caused by the ionospheric disturbance dynamo, and (2) midnight-to-post midnight ring-current injections, which were shown to be consistent with previously observed skewing of convection electric fields in the inner magnetosphere. These results and others will be reviewed in the context of a strongly coupled inner magnetospheric and ionospheric environment. Emphasis will be on the unique global and continuous nature of the observations provided by an imaging perspective.
DE: 2700 MAGNETOSPHERIC PHYSICS (6939)
DE: 2704 Auroral phenomena (2407)
DE: 2723 Magnetic reconnection (7526, 7835)
DE: 2736 Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions (2431)
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005