The Plasmaspheric Boundary Layer: Some Present-Day Modeling Issues

Jan J. Sojka

Center for Atmospheric and Space SciencesUtah State University

Logan, Utah

CEDAR Workshop on

Physics at the Plasmaspheric Boundary Layer

Wednesday, 18 June 2008

Zermatt, Midway, Utah

Figure Acknowledgements• Book – Inner Magnetosphere Interactions (ed. James

Burch, Michael Schulz, and Harlan Spence), Geophysical Monograph, 159, American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 2005.

• Book – Ionospheres, R. W. Schunk and A. F. Nagy, Cambridge University Press, U.K., 2000.

• A standard Introduction to Physics with Calculus text book

Photograph of an Einstein Bagel.

Plasmasheric Boundary Layer: Plasmapause

A Dipole Magnetic Field: NOT!

The Standard Plasmasphere View

Important Physics happens at the Boundary Layer, John Foster will tell us about this dynamic redistribution of plasma…. but…..

At the boundary layer and in the plasmasphere the cold plasmaInteracts with hot plasma: radiation belts and the ring current. These hot particles are guided by a “changing” magnetic fields. The cold boundary layer also has a “hot outer zone” that has a rich ion composition. Did I mention E&M waves…..

Humans can modify the plasmasphere…………..

Humans can modify the plasmasphere…………..