This article is cited in 3 papers

Numerical simulation of the ionospheric plasma diffusion along the dipolar geomagnetic field under a transversal drift

A. V. Tashchilin, E. B. Romanova

Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics SB RAS, 664033, Russia, Irkutsk, P/O Box 291

Abstract: A method for numerical simulation of the nonstationary transport equations of the ionospheric plasma in the drifting dipolar geomagnetic tubes of any size is presented. The processes of ion production and loss, the ambipolar diffusion of ionospheric plasma along geomagnetic field lines, the interaction with the horizontal atmospheric wind and transverse drift due to electric field of the magnetospheric convection are taking into account in the basic equations. We describe how to convert the partial differential equations to conservation form. To solve the obtained equations with given boundary conditions the stable difference scheme has been constructed. The counter flux-sweeping algorithm is used as the solver of the difference scheme. Some results of modeling the electron density variations in the ionosphere and the plasmasphere are presented.

Keywords: ionosphere, plasmasphere, dipolar geomagnetic field, transverse drift, numerical simulation.

UDC: 550.388.2

Received: 24.11.2011

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