2011 SuperDARN Workshop
ABSTRACTS
The interhemispheric version of the TRANSCAR ionosphere model
A. Marchaudon (1), P.-L. Blelly (2), D. Alcayd?? (2)
(1) Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l?Environnement et de l?Espace, Orl??ns, France
(2) Centre d?Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements, Toulouse, France
abstract. In order to study the impact of coupling between hemispheres on the dynamics of the ionospheric and magnetospheric plasma, a new interhemispheric ionospheric model has been developed with a dipolar geomagnetic field geometry. This new model is based on a multi-fluid approach for ions and thermal electrons and a kinetic approach for suprathermal electrons, already used in the TRANSCAR model (Blelly et al., 2005). However, substantial developments have been made, in order to cover high altitudes, low- and mid- latitudes with a single model. The mathematical fluid approach has been extended to a 16-moments to take into account possible temperature anisotropies at high altitudes, in collisionless region. The model also integrates inertial forces, corotation at all latitudes and convection at mid and high latitudes and possible electrons precipitation at auroral latitudes. Convection and precipitation can be deduced from empirical models or from observations such as SuperDARN global maps for convection. We will present the main characteristics of this new model and shows the first simulation results.