Characteristics of Polar Wind Flows at Altitudes of about 20000 km

Abstract

The problem of the outflow of ionospheric plasma into the magnetosphere is considered. In particular, the phenomenon of the polar wind observed in the polar cap is studied. The study of this phenomenon is complicated by the fact that the field-alined velocities of individual ions are small, and therefore, the electric field of the positively charged satellite prevents their measurement. This paper examines the measurements carried out on the Interball-2 satellite at altitudes of ~20000 km and compares them with the results of simulations within the framework of the GSM TIP model. It has been demonstrated the GSM TIP model well describes the outflow of H⁺ ions from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere in the polar cap.