Dartmouth Events

Abstract:  The terrestrial inner magnetosphere is often described as a self-modifying system of coupled plasmas.  The solar wind-magnetosphere interaction activates a global convection cycle that erodes tens of metric tons of near-Earth plasma, while simultaneously pulling earthward the plasma-laden magnetic flux tubes of the nightside magnetotail.  Feedback from currents and fields, created by the interaction of the ring current and ionosphere, then actively modifies global convection, amplifying it in some regions and partially shielding it in others.  Given such a dynamically-coupled system, it is a remarkable fact that simple models can still offer a practical tool to understand and predict key aspects of the inner magnetospheric response.  In this talk I will focus on how a simple model of the plasmsphere, the cold and dense core of the magnetosphere, has provided insight and context for observations by four NASA missions:  IMAGE, TWINS, the Van Allen Probes, and MMS.