A Semi-Kinetic Model of Plasmasphere Refilling Following Geomagnetic Storms and Comparison with Hydrodynamic Results

Authors

Kausik Chatterjee, NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterFollow
Robert W. Schunk, Utah State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.

Publication Date

2020

First Page

1

Last Page

18

Abstract

The objective of this paper is the development of a kinetic model for plasmasphere refilling following geomagnetic storms. The kinetic model is based on the ‘particle-in-cell’ method, a method based on the simulation of particle motion and thus well-suited to high altitude, low-density regimes, where the plasma transport equations are not valid. The model was validated with exact, analytical benchmarks, which are provided in this paper. The refilling results obtained from the kinetic model were then compared with results from a recently developed hydrodynamic solution methodology based on the ‘flux-corrected transport’ (FCT) method, and the limitations of hydrodynamic modeling for low-density flow at high altitudes were explored.

Recommended Citation

Chatterjee, Kausik, and Schunk, Robert. "A Semi-Kinetic Model of Plasmasphere Refilling Following Geomagnetic Storms and Comparison with Hydrodynamic Results." Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 2020, pp. 1-18.