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GEMSIS-Magnetosphere

Development of the GEMSIS Ring Current Model

We are developing a self-consistent numerical simulation code for the ring current ions in the inner magnetosphere that solves the five-dimensional Vlasov equation coupled with Maxwell equations. The uniqueness of our approach is that the model includes MHD modes as well. A closed set of equations (five-dimensional Vlasov equation and Maxwell equations) is derived that couples the plasma dynamics and the electromagnetic fields in a self-consistent manner. We have obtained the following results:

  • Our model successfully reproduced the propagation of MHD waves (fast magnetosonic, Alfven) in the inner-magnetosphere and the modification of drift paths due to self-consistent coupling.
  • We simulated the acceleration of relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belts due to the interplanetary pressure impulse (e.g., interplanetary shocks), using the code-coupling simulation of GEMSIS-GM and GEMSIS-RB. We demonstrated that the electrons that drift around the Earth and are drift-resonant with the Fast mode waves can be accelerated up to 1 MeV or higher within 10 min. Since the drift resonance depends on the initial drift phase and the electron energy, the selective accelerations result in the fine structure of electron energy spectrum.

Reference: Amano et al., JGR, 2011