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Four Contemporary Issues Concerning Ionospheric Plasma Flow to the Magnetosphere

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Abstract

In this review, we examine four specific questions/issues of contemporary interest within the overall topic of ionospheric plasma outflow into the magnetosphere. These four question areas are framed here as: (1) Are high-latitude F-region upflows predominantly driven by soft auroral electron precipitation?; (2) Is the O+ within the polar cap magnetosphere supplied primarily by the cleft ion fountain or a direct polar cap ionospheric source?; (3) Is centrifugal acceleration an important mechanism in the acceleration of ionospheric plasma outflows?; and (4) Are lobe ionospheric outflows captured by the plasma sheet?

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, USA

    J.L. Horwitz

  2. Space Plasma Branch, Space Sciences Laboratory, Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama, USA

    T.E. Moore

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  1. J.L. Horwitz
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  2. T.E. Moore
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Horwitz, J., Moore, T. Four Contemporary Issues Concerning Ionospheric Plasma Flow to the Magnetosphere. Space Science Reviews 80, 49–76 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004973603955

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