The role of N+ in the decay of the ring current during geomagnetic storms by means of charge exchange interactions
Zhang, Chi
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117618
Description
Title
The role of N+ in the decay of the ring current during geomagnetic storms by means of charge exchange interactions
Author(s)
Zhang, Chi
Issue Date
2022-07-26
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Ilie, Raluca
Department of Study
Electrical & Computer Eng
Discipline
Electrical & Computer Engr
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Nitrogen ion, charge exchange interactions, ring current, geomagnetic storms
Abstract
Ring current enhancement during geomagnetic storms will greatly affect the systems and technologies on the ground and in the near space of the earth. The effect of N+ in the evolution of the ring current has not been paid much attention due to the fact that most ring current detection instruments could not distinguish N+ from O+, and all of N+ was regarded as O+.
This study focuses on the differences between the behavior of N+ and O+ in the charge exchange interaction, the dominant mechanism during the decay phase of the ring current. In addition to their mass difference, N+ and O+ have different charge exchange interaction cross-sections across the energy level of the ring current.
Hot Ion Electron Drift Integrator, a model that solves the bounce-averaged Boltzmann equation, is used to calculate the distribution function of all ring current ions under six different geocorona models. The simulation takes an input of an artificial storm condition which is created based on a real storm condition. Three N+ compositions: 0%, 50%, and 100% are simulated for Hodges [1994] and Rairden et al. [1986] models to examine the effect of the N+ on the dynamics of the ring current. The results show that N+ has a shorter lifetime than O+ given the same conditions, and thus leads to a faster decay rate of the ring current than O+ does.
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