Impulsive enhancements of oxygen ions during substorms

Abstract

It has been observed that H+ is the dominant ion species in the plasma sheet and the ring current during quiet times. However, the O+/H+ density ratio increases with increasing geomagnetic storm and substorm activity. Energetic neutral atom (ENA) images from Imager for Magnetopause‐to‐Aurora Global Exploration/High Energy Neutral Atom (IMAGE/HENA) reveal the rapid increase of O+ ring current at substorm expansion. Finding the cause of this substorm‐associated O+ enhancement is the main focus of this paper. Two possible sources are suggested: direct injection from the ionosphere and energization of the preexisting oxygen ions in the magnetosphere. We perform numerical simulations to examine these two mechanisms. Millions of O+ are released from the auroral region during a simulated substorm by the Lyon‐Fedder‐Mobarry MHD model. The subsequent trajectories of these outflowing ions are calculated by solving the full equation of particle motion. A few minutes into the substorm expansion phase, an enhancement in O+ pressure is found on the nightside at ∼12 RE. After careful analysis, we conclude that this pressure peak is coming from energization of the preexisting O+ in the plasma sheet. The direct injection mechanism will introduce a significant time lag between strong ionospheric outflow and magnetospheric enhancement, so that it cannot explain the observed O+ bursts. Using the temperature and density established by the test‐particle calculations as boundary conditions to a ring current model, we calculate the O+ fluxes and the corresponding ENA emissions during the model substorm. We are able to reproduce observable features of oxygen ENA enhancements as seen by IMAGE/HENA.