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Magnetosphere particle motion

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particles are somehow placed in the equatorial region of that field, most of them stay trapped, because every time their motion along the field line brings them into the strong field region, they "get mirrored" and bounce back and forth between hemispheres. Only particles whose motion is very close to parallel to the field line, with near-zero μ, avoid mirroring—and these are quickly absorbed by the atmosphere and lost. Their loss leaves a bundle of directions around the field line which is empty of particles—the "loss cone".
180: 22: 124: 562: 262: 553:. This change in curvature makes ions advance sideways, while electrons, which gyrate in the opposite sense, advance sideways in the opposite direction. The net result, as already noted, produces the ring current, though additional effects (like non-uniform distribution of plasma density) also affect the result. 536:
In addition to gyrating around their guiding field lines and bouncing back and forth between mirror points, trapped particles also drift slowly around Earth, switching guiding field lines but staying at approximately the same distance (another adiabatic invariant is involved, "the second invariant").
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Magnetic mirroring makes possible the "trapping" in the dipole-like field lines near Earth of particles in the radiation belt and in the ring current. On all such lines the field is much stronger at their ends near Earth, compared to its strength when it crosses the equatorial plane. Assuming such
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is outlined by field lines. Not much plasma can cross such a stiff boundary. Its only "weak points" are the two polar cusps, the points where field lines closing at noon (-z axis GSM) get separated from those closing at midnight (+z axis GSM); at such points the field intensity on the boundary is
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is not affected by the field, because no magnetic force exists in that direction. That velocity just stays constant (as long as the field does), and adding the two motions together gives a spiral around a central guiding field line. If the field curves or changes, the motion is modified, but the
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is a constant one– straight parallel field lines and constant field intensity. In such a field, if an ion or electron enters perpendicular to the field lines, it can be shown to move in a circle (the field only needs to be constant in the region covering the circle). If q is the charge of the
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The conservation of μ is tremendously important (in laboratory plasmas as well as in space). Suppose the field line guiding a particle, the axis of its spiral path, belongs to a converging bundle of lines, so that the particle is led into an increasingly larger B. To keep μ constant,
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Because the magnetic force is perpendicular to the velocity, it performs no work and requires no energy—nor does it provide any. Thus magnetic fields (like the Earth's) can profoundly affect particle motion in them, but need no energy input to maintain their effect.
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and heat flow are also channeled by such lines — easy along them, blocked in perpendicular directions. Indeed, field lines in the magnetosphere have been likened to the grain in a log of wood, which defines an "easy" direction along which it easily gives way.
483:/2mγB) stays very nearly constant. The "very nearly" qualifier sets it apart from true constants of motion, such as energy, reducing it to merely an "adiabatic invariant." For most plasmas in the magnetosphere, the deviation from constancy is negligible. 569:", showing oxygen, helium, and hydrogen ions which gush into space from regions near the Earth's poles. The faint yellow area shown above the north pole represents gas lost from Earth into space; the green area is the 521:. The particle briefly gyrates perpendicular to its guiding field line, and then retreats back to the weaker field, the spiral unwinding again in the process. It may be noted that such motion was first derived by 548:
increases as Earth is approached. The gyration around the guiding field line is therefore not a perfect circle, but curves a little more tightly on the side closer to the Earth, where the larger B gives a smaller
222:. These represent the force that a north magnetic pole would experience at any given point. (Denser lines indicate a stronger force.) Plasmas exhibit more complex second-order behaviors, studied as part of 494:
However, as noted before, the total energy of a particle in a "purely magnetic" field remains constant. What therefore happens is that energy is converted, from the part associated with the parallel motion
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field lines manage to cross the boundary. As discussed further below, that extent depends very much on the direction of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field, in particular on its southward or northward slant.
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The spacing between field lines is an indicator of the relative strength of the magnetic field. Where magnetic field lines converge the field grows stronger, and where they diverge, weaker.
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zero, posing no barrier to the entry of plasma. (This simple definition assumes a noon-midnight plane of symmetry, but closed fields lacking such symmetry also must have cusps, by the
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in 1895, for a charged particle in the field of a magnetic monopole, whose field lines are all straight and converge to a point. The conservation of μ was only pointed by
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The amount of solar wind energy and plasma entering the actual magnetosphere depends on how far it departs from such a "closed" configuration, i.e. the extent to which
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of Earth is near the top of the diagram, the South Pole near the bottom. Notice that the South Pole of that magnet is deep in Earth's interior below Earth's
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In the 1980s, a "plasma fountain" of hydrogen, helium, and oxygen ions was discovered flowing from the Earth's North Pole.
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contains all the available energy, it can grow no more and no further advance into the stronger field can occur.
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If the initial velocity of the particle has a different direction, one only needs resolve it into a component
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A simulated charged particle, its trajectory determined primarily by the Earth's magnetosphere.
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about 50 years later, and the connection to adiabatic invariant was only made afterwards.
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decreases, the angle between v and B then increases, until it reaches 90°. At that point W
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Now, it can be shown that in the motion of gyrating particles, the "magnetic moment" μ = W
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which is responsible for many of the particle motion in the magnetosphere. Furthermore,
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A simulation of a charged particle being deflected from the Earth by the magnetosphere.
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general character of spiraling around a central field line persists: hence the name "
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Schematic view of the different current systems which shape the Earth's magnetosphere
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Piddington, J. H. (1979). "The Closed Model of the Earth's Magnetosphere".
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representing the source of Earth's magnetic field as a magnet The
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was mentioned earlier in connection with the ring current.
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Solar Wind Squeezes Some of Earth's Atmosphere into Space
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parallel to B, and replace v in the above formula with v
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Thus in the "closed" model of the magnetosphere, the
573:-or plasma energy pouring back into the atmosphere. 1044: 993: 950: 874: 806: 740: 699: 46:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 655:3D Earth Magnetic Field Charged-Particle Simulator 544:One reason for the drift is that the intensity of 366: 677: 8: 319:must equal the magnetic force qvB. One gets 241:boundary between the magnetosphere and the 684: 670: 662: 307:particle, m its mass, v its velocity and R 347: 332: 326: 167:Learn how and when to remove this message 106:Learn how and when to remove this message 260: 228: 591: 198:that produce electrical currents there. 468:Magnetic Mirroring and Magnetic Drift 7: 44:adding citations to reliable sources 446:The velocity parallel to the field 383:perpendicular to B and a component 184:A sketch of Earth's magnetic field 14: 985:Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility 504:to the perpendicular part. As v 144:Layout of mathematical formulas. 122: 20: 601:Journal of Geophysical Research 55:"Magnetosphere particle motion" 31:needs additional citations for 361: 352: 1: 841:Interplanetary magnetic field 783:Magnetosphere particle motion 367:{\displaystyle R_{g}=mv/(qB)} 255:Interplanetary Magnetic Field 302:The simplest magnetic field 290:Motion of charged particles 142:. The specific problem is: 1136: 846:Heliospheric current sheet 576: 479:/B (or relativistically, p 311:the radius of the circle ( 138:to meet Knowledge (XXG)'s 798:Van Allen radiation belt 778:Magnetosphere chronology 707:Atmospheric circulation 621:10.1029/ja084ia01p00093 517:The result is known as 717:Earth's magnetic field 574: 368: 299: 266: 234: 216:Earth's magnetic field 199: 821:Coronal mass ejection 741:Earth's magnetosphere 564: 369: 297: 264: 232: 218:generally follow its 214:interacting with the 182: 994:Other magnetospheres 856:Solar particle event 325: 224:magnetohydrodynamics 220:magnetic field lines 149:improve this article 40:improve this article 613:1979JGR....84...93P 248:fixed point theorem 192:North Magnetic Pole 575: 519:magnetic mirroring 364: 300: 283:Birkeland currents 267: 235: 200: 1115:Planetary science 1097: 1096: 951:Research projects 919: 890: 831:Geomagnetic storm 748:Birkeland current 637:, press release: 633:Plasma fountain 411:in kilometers is 313:"gyration radius" 177: 176: 169: 140:quality standards 131:This article may 116: 115: 108: 90: 1127: 1110:Electromagnetism 935:Van Allen Probes 917: 888: 700:Submagnetosphere 686: 679: 672: 663: 641: 631: 625: 624: 596: 509: 503: 491:must also grow. 454: 443: 442: 430:For electrons: R 427: 426: 391: 373: 371: 370: 365: 351: 337: 336: 172: 165: 161: 158: 152: 126: 125: 118: 111: 104: 100: 97: 91: 89: 48: 24: 16: 1135: 1134: 1130: 1129: 1128: 1126: 1125: 1124: 1100: 1099: 1098: 1093: 1040: 989: 946: 870: 802: 736: 695: 693:Magnetospherics 690: 649: 644: 632: 628: 598: 597: 593: 589: 581: 579:Plasma fountain 571:aurora borealis 567:plasma fountain 559: 557:Plasma fountain 552: 513: 508: 505: 502: 499: 490: 482: 478: 470: 453: 450: 441: 437: 435: 433: 425: 421: 419: 417: 414:For protons: R 410: 406: 402: 395: 390: 387: 382: 328: 323: 322: 318: 310: 292: 173: 162: 156: 153: 146: 127: 123: 112: 101: 95: 92: 49: 47: 37: 25: 12: 11: 5: 1133: 1131: 1123: 1122: 1117: 1112: 1102: 1101: 1095: 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83: 76: 69: 62: 50: 38:Please help 33:verification 30: 973:Unwin Radar 899:Double Star 836:Heliosphere 826:Solar flare 539:This motion 418:= (144/B) 151:if you can. 1104:Categories 1021:Ganymedian 894:Cluster II 875:Satellites 851:Heliopause 808:Solar wind 758:Ionosphere 732:Polar wind 727:Jet stream 587:References 243:solar wind 188:North Pole 157:March 2018 66:newspapers 1057:Gas torus 1052:Flux tube 1036:Neptunian 1026:Saturnian 980:SuperDARN 881:Full list 753:Bow shock 722:Geosphere 460:motion." 208:electrons 96:June 2016 133:require 1087:Neptune 1072:Jupiter 1031:Uranian 1011:Martian 1001:Hermian 904:Geotail 609:Bibcode 436:√ 420:√ 135:cleanup 80:scholar 1082:Uranus 1077:Saturn 1016:Jovian 958:EISCAT 930:THEMIS 918:(2015) 916:  889:(2016) 887:  712:Aurora 635:Source 527:Alfvén 271:plasma 212:plasma 196:dynamo 82:  75:  68:  61:  53:  1006:Lunar 968:SHARE 963:HAARP 924:Polar 909:IMAGE 885:Arase 210:of a 87:JSTOR 73:books 941:Wind 403:=m v 399:If W 206:and 204:ions 202:The 59:news 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North Pole
North Magnetic Pole
dynamo
ions
electrons
plasma
Earth's magnetic field
magnetic field lines
magnetohydrodynamics

magnetopause
solar wind
fixed point theorem
Interplanetary Magnetic Field

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