Solar Rotation Period Driven Modulations of Plasmaspheric Density and Convective Electric Field in the Inner Magnetosphere

S. A. Thaller; J. R. Wygant; C. A. Cattell; A. W. Breneman; E. Tyler; S. Tian; A. Engel; S. De Pascuale; W. S. Kurth; C. A. Kletzing; J. Tears; David M. Malaspina

doi:10.1029/2018JA026365

Solar Rotation Period Driven Modulations of Plasmaspheric Density and Convective Electric Field in the Inner Magnetosphere

S. A. Thaller, J. R. Wygant, C. A. Cattell, A. W. Breneman, E. Tyler, S. Tian, A. Engel, S. De Pascuale, W. S. Kurth, C. A. Kletzing, J. Tears, David M. Malaspina

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Abstract

This paper presents the first analysis of Van Allen Probes measurements of the cold plasma density and electric field in the inner magnetosphere to show that intervals of strong modulation at the solar rotation period occur in the locations of the outer plasmasphere and plasmapause (~0.7 R _E peak-to-peak), in the large-scale electric field (~0.24 mV/m peak-to-peak), and in the cold plasma density (~250 to ~70 cm ⁻³ peak-to-peak). Solar rotation modulation of the inner magnetosphere is more apparent in the declining phase of the solar cycle than near solar maximum. The periodicities in these parameters are compared to solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance, solar wind dawn-dusk electric field, and Kp. The variations in the plasmapause location at the solar rotation period anticorrelate with solar wind electric field, magnetospheric electric field, and Kp, but not with extreme ultraviolet irradiance, indicating that convective erosion is the dominant physical process controlling the plasmapause at these timescales.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1726-1737
Number of pages	12
Journal	Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Volume	124
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JA026365
State	Published - Mar 2019

Funding

The authors wish to thank Dennis Gallagher for useful conversations. Work at the University of Minnesota was supported by APL contract to UMN 922613 under NASA contract to APL NAS5-01072. The EFW data are online at the website (http://www.space.umn.edu/missions/rbspefw-home-university-of-minnesota/). The work at the University of Iowa was performed under the support of JHU/APL contract 921647 under NASA Prime contract NAS5-01072. EMFISIS data may be obtained from the website (http://emsis.physics.uiowa.edu/data/index). The authors would also like to thank NASA GSFC for OMNI data; CDAweb through which the OMNI data and Kp were obtained, online at https://cdaweb.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html/; Kyoto WDC for providing the Dst index, online at http://wdc.kugi.kyoto-u.ac.jp/index.html; and LASP Interactive Solar IRradiance Datacenter (LISIRD) for the TIMED/SEE EUV 121.5-nm irradiance, available online at the website (http://lasp.colorado.edu/lisird3/missions/TIMED). The authors wish to thank Dennis Gallagher for useful conversations. Work at the University of Minnesota was supported by APL contract to UMN 922613 under NASA contract to APL NAS5‐01072. The EFW data are online at the website (http://www.space.umn. edu/missions/rbspefw‐home‐ university‐of‐minnesota/). The work at the University of Iowa was performed under the support of JHU/APL contract 921647 under NASA Prime contract NAS5‐01072. EMFISIS data may be obtained from the website (http:// emsis.physics.uiowa.edu/data/index). The authors would also like to thank NASA GSFC for OMNI data; CDAweb through which the OMNI data and Kp were obtained, online at https:// cdaweb.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html/; Kyoto WDC for providing the Dst index, online at http://wdc.kugi.kyoto‐ u.ac.jp/index.html; and LASP Interactive Solar IRradiance Datacenter (LISIRD) for the TIMED/SEE EUV 121.5‐nm irradiance, available online at the website (http://lasp.colorado.edu/ lisird3/missions/TIMED).

Funders	Funder number
NASA GSFC	http://lasp.colorado.edu/lisird3/missions/TIMED
NASA Prime	NAS5‐01072
National Aeronautics and Space Administration	APL NAS5‐01072
University of Minnesota
University of Iowa	921647

Keywords

convection electric field
inner magnetosphere
plasmapause
plasmasphere
solar rotation

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10.1029/2018JA026365

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Thaller, S. A., Wygant, J. R., Cattell, C. A., Breneman, A. W., Tyler, E., Tian, S., Engel, A., De Pascuale, S., Kurth, W. S., Kletzing, C. A., Tears, J., & Malaspina, D. M. (2019). Solar Rotation Period Driven Modulations of Plasmaspheric Density and Convective Electric Field in the Inner Magnetosphere. Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 124(3), 1726-1737. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JA026365

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title = "Solar Rotation Period Driven Modulations of Plasmaspheric Density and Convective Electric Field in the Inner Magnetosphere",

abstract = " This paper presents the first analysis of Van Allen Probes measurements of the cold plasma density and electric field in the inner magnetosphere to show that intervals of strong modulation at the solar rotation period occur in the locations of the outer plasmasphere and plasmapause (~0.7 R E peak-to-peak), in the large-scale electric field (~0.24 mV/m peak-to-peak), and in the cold plasma density (~250 to ~70 cm −3 peak-to-peak). Solar rotation modulation of the inner magnetosphere is more apparent in the declining phase of the solar cycle than near solar maximum. The periodicities in these parameters are compared to solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance, solar wind dawn-dusk electric field, and Kp. The variations in the plasmapause location at the solar rotation period anticorrelate with solar wind electric field, magnetospheric electric field, and Kp, but not with extreme ultraviolet irradiance, indicating that convective erosion is the dominant physical process controlling the plasmapause at these timescales.",

keywords = "convection electric field, inner magnetosphere, plasmapause, plasmasphere, solar rotation",

author = "Thaller, {S. A.} and Wygant, {J. R.} and Cattell, {C. A.} and Breneman, {A. W.} and E. Tyler and S. Tian and A. Engel and {De Pascuale}, S. and Kurth, {W. S.} and Kletzing, {C. A.} and J. Tears and Malaspina, {David M.}",

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Thaller, SA, Wygant, JR, Cattell, CA, Breneman, AW, Tyler, E, Tian, S, Engel, A, De Pascuale, S, Kurth, WS, Kletzing, CA, Tears, J & Malaspina, DM 2019, 'Solar Rotation Period Driven Modulations of Plasmaspheric Density and Convective Electric Field in the Inner Magnetosphere', Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, vol. 124, no. 3, pp. 1726-1737. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JA026365

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AU - Wygant, J. R.

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AU - Breneman, A. W.

AU - Tyler, E.

AU - Tian, S.

AU - Engel, A.

AU - De Pascuale, S.

AU - Kurth, W. S.

AU - Kletzing, C. A.

AU - Tears, J.

AU - Malaspina, David M.

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N2 - This paper presents the first analysis of Van Allen Probes measurements of the cold plasma density and electric field in the inner magnetosphere to show that intervals of strong modulation at the solar rotation period occur in the locations of the outer plasmasphere and plasmapause (~0.7 R E peak-to-peak), in the large-scale electric field (~0.24 mV/m peak-to-peak), and in the cold plasma density (~250 to ~70 cm −3 peak-to-peak). Solar rotation modulation of the inner magnetosphere is more apparent in the declining phase of the solar cycle than near solar maximum. The periodicities in these parameters are compared to solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance, solar wind dawn-dusk electric field, and Kp. The variations in the plasmapause location at the solar rotation period anticorrelate with solar wind electric field, magnetospheric electric field, and Kp, but not with extreme ultraviolet irradiance, indicating that convective erosion is the dominant physical process controlling the plasmapause at these timescales.

AB - This paper presents the first analysis of Van Allen Probes measurements of the cold plasma density and electric field in the inner magnetosphere to show that intervals of strong modulation at the solar rotation period occur in the locations of the outer plasmasphere and plasmapause (~0.7 R E peak-to-peak), in the large-scale electric field (~0.24 mV/m peak-to-peak), and in the cold plasma density (~250 to ~70 cm −3 peak-to-peak). Solar rotation modulation of the inner magnetosphere is more apparent in the declining phase of the solar cycle than near solar maximum. The periodicities in these parameters are compared to solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance, solar wind dawn-dusk electric field, and Kp. The variations in the plasmapause location at the solar rotation period anticorrelate with solar wind electric field, magnetospheric electric field, and Kp, but not with extreme ultraviolet irradiance, indicating that convective erosion is the dominant physical process controlling the plasmapause at these timescales.

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Solar Rotation Period Driven Modulations of Plasmaspheric Density and Convective Electric Field in the Inner Magnetosphere

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