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Circulation of Heavy Ions and Their Dynamical Effects in the Magnetosphere: Recent Observations and Models

Dandouras, Iannis; Malova, Helmi V.; Grigorenko, Elena E. +13 more

Knowledge of the ion composition in the near-Earth's magnetosphere and plasma sheet is essential for the understanding of magnetospheric processes and instabilities. The presence of heavy ions of ionospheric origin in the magnetosphere, in particular oxygen (O⁺), influences the plasma sheet bulk properties, current sheet (CS) thickness …

Kelvin Helmholtz Instability in Planetary Magnetospheres

Wing, Simon; Delamere, Peter A.; Johnson, Jay R.

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability plays a particularly important role in plasma transport at magnetospheric boundaries because it can control the development of a turbulent boundary layer, which governs the transport of mass, momentum, and energy across the boundary. Waves generated at the interface can also couple into body modes in the plasma sheet a…

Review of Solar Wind Entry into and Transport Within the Plasma Sheet

Escoubet, C. P.; Wing, S.; Lavraud, B. +8 more

The plasma sheet is populated in part by the solar wind plasma. Four solar entry mechanisms are examined: (1) double cusp or double lobe reconnection, (2) Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI), (3) Kinetic Alfvén waves (KAW), and (4) Impulsive Penetration. These mechanisms can efficiently fill the plasma sheet with cold dense ions during northward in…