Abstract
Summary In an earlier paper the magnetic vector potential of an axisymmetric distribution of azimuthal electric currents was expanded in a Legendre series. It was shown that the method may be used to study the magnetic field of a geomagnetic ring current of charged particles spiralling in a dipole field. The purpose of this further work is to determine the self-magnetic energy for various model ring current belts. The pitch angle parameter a commonly used in such models is taken to be constant. Other parameters are ko, the distance (measured in Earth radii) of the maximum particle density from the centre of the Earth, and g,, g,, constants such that the particle density is proportional to exp {-glZ(R-k,)Z} for R < ko and to exp{-g22(R-ko)2} for R 2 k,; here R denotes the radial distance from the Earth‘s centre (measured in Earth radii) in the dipole equatorial plane. Numerical results are given within the range - 1 6 a < 5, 2 < ko < 6, 0.5 G g, < 3, 0.5 6 g, < 3. The distribution of magnetic energy between the various harmonics is also given.
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