The Contribution of Plasma Sheet Bubbles to Stormtime Ring Current Buildup and Evolution of Its Energy Composition

Simple item page
dc.citation.articleNumbere2023JA031693en_US
dc.citation.issueNumber11en_US
dc.citation.journalTitleJournal of Geophysical Research: Space Physicsen_US
dc.citation.volumeNumber128en_US
dc.contributor.authorSciola, A.en_US
dc.contributor.authorMerkin, V. G.en_US
dc.contributor.authorSorathia, K.en_US
dc.contributor.authorGkioulidou, M.en_US
dc.contributor.authorBao, S.en_US
dc.contributor.authorToffoletto, F.en_US
dc.contributor.authorPham, K.en_US
dc.contributor.authorLin, D.en_US
dc.contributor.authorMichael, A.en_US
dc.contributor.authorWiltberger, M.en_US
dc.contributor.authorUkhorskiy, A.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-03T15:51:09Zen_US
dc.date.available2024-05-03T15:51:09Zen_US
dc.date.issued2023en_US
dc.description.abstractThe formation of the stormtime ring current is a result of the inward transport and energization of plasma sheet ions. Previous studies have demonstrated that a significant fraction of the total inward plasma sheet transport takes place in the form of bursty bulk flows, known theoretically as flux tube entropy-depleted “bubbles.” However, it remains an open question to what extent bubbles contribute to the buildup of the stormtime ring current. Using the Multiscale Atmosphere Geospace Environment Model, we present a case study of the 17 March 2013 storm, including a quantitative analysis of the contribution of plasma transported by bubbles to the ring current. We show that bubbles are responsible for at least 50% of the plasma energy enhancement within 6 RE during this strong geomagnetic storm. The bubbles that penetrate within 6 RE transport energy primarily in the form of enthalpy flux, followed by Poynting flux and relatively little as bulk kinetic flux. Return flows can transport outwards a significant fraction of the plasma energy being transported by inward flows, and therefore must be considered when quantifying the net contribution of bubbles to the energy buildup. Data-model comparison with proton intensities observed by the Van Allen Probes show that the model accurately reproduces both the bulk and spectral properties of the stormtime ring current. The evolution of the ring current energy spectra throughout the modeled storm is driven by both inward transport of an evolving plasma sheet population and by charge exchange with Earth's geocorona.en_US
dc.identifier.citationSciola, A., Merkin, V. G., Sorathia, K., Gkioulidou, M., Bao, S., Toffoletto, F., Pham, K., Lin, D., Michael, A., Wiltberger, M., & Ukhorskiy, A. (2023). The Contribution of Plasma Sheet Bubbles to Stormtime Ring Current Buildup and Evolution of Its Energy Composition. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 128(11), e2023JA031693. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JA031693en_US
dc.identifier.digitalTheContributionPlasmaSheetBubblesen_US
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1029/2023JA031693en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/115544en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherWileyen_US
dc.rightsExcept where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the terms of the license or beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en_US
dc.titleThe Contribution of Plasma Sheet Bubbles to Stormtime Ring Current Buildup and Evolution of Its Energy Compositionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.type.dcmiTexten_US
dc.type.publicationpublisher versionen_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
TheContributionPlasmaSheetBubbles.pdf
Size:
10.86 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download
Collections
Faculty Publications
Physics and Astronomy Publications