The influence of convection electric fields on thermal proton outflow from the ionosphere |
| |
| Authors: | WJ Raitt RW Schunk PM Banks |
| |
| Institution: | Department of Applied Physics and Information Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A. |
| |
| Abstract: | The continuity, momentum and energy hydrodynamic equations for an O+-H+ ionosphere have been solved self-consistently for steady state conditions when a perpendicular (convection) electric field is present. Comparison of the H+ temperature profiles obtained with and without the electric field show that the effect of the electric field is to enhance the H+ temperature at high altitudes from about 3600 to 6400 K. Due to ion heating by the electric field, there is a net reduction of O+ in the F2-region as compared with the case of a non-convecting ionosphere. When the reduction of O+ is neglected, the electric field acts to increase the H+ outward flux from 8.3 × 107 to 2.7 × 108 cm?2 sec?1 for average ionospheric conditions. However, when the reduction of O+ is included, there is a net reduction in the outward H+ flux. Nevertheless, the convection electric field still results in an increase in the rate of depletion of the F-re m?1 electric field. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
