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Geocoronal structure: The effects of solar radiation pressure and the plasmasphere interaction
- Source :
- Journal of Geophysical Research. 90:5235
- Publication Year :
- 1985
- Publisher :
- American Geophysical Union (AGU), 1985.
-
Abstract
- The theory of planetary exospheres is extended to incorporate solar radiation pressure in a rigorous manner, and an evaporative geocoronal prototype (classical, motionless exobase) is constructed using Liouville's theorem. Model calculations for density and kinetic temperature at points along the earth-sun axis (solar and antisolar directions) reveal an extensive satellite component, comprising approximately 2/3 of the total hydrogen density near 10 earth radii, and a temperature profile suggestive of an isotropic quasi-Maxwellian velocity distribution for the bound component. A geotail is also evident as an enhancement of the density at local midnight compared to local noon that increases outward (from approximately 25 percent at 10 earth radii to over 60 percent at 20 earth radii). Additional mechanisms acting upon the geocorona alter the basic evaporative case in notable ways. Solar ionization has been included in a simple fashion; the effect is to partially deplete the density without otherwise altering the structure. Interaction with a simple plasmasphere via the Boltzmann equation results in 'heating' the geocorona and enhancing the escape flux at the expense of the density of the bound component, an effect not appreciated in earlier studies; the geotail survives this interaction.
- Subjects :
- Atmospheric Science
Soil Science
Plasmasphere
Astrophysics
Aquatic Science
Noon
Oceanography
Earth radius
Geochemistry and Petrology
Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
Earth-Surface Processes
Water Science and Technology
Physics
Ecology
Paleontology
Forestry
Computational physics
Solar wind
Geophysics
Atmosphere of Earth
Radiation pressure
Space and Planetary Science
Physics::Space Physics
Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics
Geocorona
Exosphere
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 01480227
- Volume :
- 90
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Geophysical Research
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........02c8b3a22408530a0f8cd8349e207cb8