Energetic ions, large diamagnetic cavities, and Chapman‐Ferraro cusp

Abstract

Extremely large diamagnetic cavities with a size of as large as 6 RE have been observed in the dayside high‐altitude cusp regions. These diamagnetic cavities were associated with strong magnetic field turbulence. Associated with these cavities are >40 keV ions that are more typical of the trapped ring current and radiation belt populations than the solar wind. The charge state distribution of these cusp cavity ions was indicative of their seed populations being a mixture of ionospheric and solar wind particles. In April 1999, the cusp diamagnetic cavities were observed by the Polar spacecraft almost in every orbit, indicating that such cavities are always there day by day. Some of the diamagnetic cavities were independent of the interplanetary magnetic field directions, suggesting that the cusp diamagnetic cavities are different from the magnetospheric sash predicted by MHD simulations. During a high solar wind pressure period on 21 April 1999, the Polar spacecraft observed lower energetic (>20 keV/e) ion fluxes in the dayside high‐latitude magnetosheath than that in the neighboring cusp cavities. By their geometry cusp magnetic field lines are connected to all of the magnetopause boundary layers. These energetic particles in the cusp diamagnetic cavity together with the cusp's connectivity probably have significant global impacts on the geospace environment.