Magnetic field aligned modeling for the upper F region and for the plasmasphere

Abstract

Existing empirical models, e.g., the IRI and the PRIME model, have shortcomings for the upper-most F region and usually have no realistic formulation for the plasmasphere. These shortcomings can be overcome by replacing purely height oriented modeling by magnetic field aligned approaches.A magnetic field approximation is presented which uses dipole field lines with apexes above the dip equator. Modeling along these field lines can be based on diffusive equilibrium. For a single ion plasma (e.g., an H+ plasma) the integrations which are necessary to model along the field lines in a realistic way can be carried out by means of series expansions. For a multiple ion plasma and in case of arbitrary dependence of electron and ion temperatures on the coordinates one has to apply numerical integration.The principles of joining a field aligned model to a height oriented one are discussed including a method to cross the dip equator in a consistent way.A practical example is presented with a plasmasphere model added to the global model NeUoG which was developed at the University of Graz. The future development aims at replacing all of the topside F region of the model by a magnetic field aligned approach.