Abstract

We have developed a large scale, plasma transport model which treats ions as particles and electrons as a massless neutralizing fluid. In using this model to study plasmaspheric flows we have included the effects of ion Coulomb collisions, pitch angle scattering, and wave-induced perpendicular heating. We have also include electron heating. Among the results we find: (1) Coulomb collisions are sufficient for plasmasphere refilling within observed time scales, (2) Counterstreaming beams can last up to 30 hours for an L = 4.5 flux tube, provided there is not much wave-particle heating or scattering occurring, (3) At early times, pitch angle scattering and perpendicular heating acting together are much more effective than either acting alone in producing plasma accumulation, (4) Heating power levels as low as 10 −13 V 2m −2Hz −1 can result in equatorial densities of 10 cm −3 in 12 hours for an L = 4 flux tube, and (5) Equatorial electron heating can create electric potential barriers which will tend to isolate equatorially trapped ions and decouple interhemispheric flow, provided the electron heat flow is not too large. Results from cases with perpendicular ion heating and parallel electron heating are similar to what is seen in the DE RIMS ion observations.

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