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Numerical simulation of ionization enhancement in the topside ionosphere of cusp foot-point region caused by low energy particle precipitation

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Wuhan University Journal of Natural Sciences

Abstract

The Graz Ionospheric Flux Tube Simulations (GIFTS) has been improved. The improved GIFTS model was used to numerically investigate the energy particle precipitation on the distribution of electron density in the ionospheric cusp foot-point region under conditions of large plasma convection during magnetic storm. After including the effects of low energy incident particles, the ionospheric electron densities increase remarkably above altitude of ∼250 km, showing a peak at about 350 km. The percent enhancements of electron densities increase gradually with altitude, exceeding 60% near the upper boundary of the calculation. The calculated ionospheric F 2-peak was remarkably enhanced and lifted up by the incident low energy electrons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Electronic Information/Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment and Geodesy of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Hongtao Cai & Shuying Ma

  2. Institute for Geophysics, Astrophysics and Meteorology, University of Graz, Graz, A-8010, Austria

    G. Kirchengast

Authors
  1. Hongtao Cai
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  2. Shuying Ma
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  3. G. Kirchengast
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Correspondence to Hongtao Cai.

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Foundation item: Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(40404015, 40390150) and the Open Foundation of the Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment and Geodesy of Ministry of Education

Biography: CAI Hongtao(1976–), male, Associate professor, Ph.D., research direction: polar magnetosphere and ionosphere.

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Cai, H., Ma, S. & Kirchengast, G. Numerical simulation of ionization enhancement in the topside ionosphere of cusp foot-point region caused by low energy particle precipitation. Wuhan Univ. J. Nat. Sci. 13, 185–190 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11859-008-0211-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11859-008-0211-4

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