Longitudinal Dependence of the H~+ Concentration Distribution in the Plasmasphere according to INTERBALL-1 Satellite Data

摘要

The paper has presented a study of the dependence of the H+ ions concentration in the plasmasphere on geographic longitude. A vast database of measurements of the cold plasma density by the Alpha-3 instrument on board the INTERBALL-1 satellite has been used for the study. Based on these measurements, a dependence of the H+ ions concentration in the filled magnetic flux tube in the plasmasphere in the equatorial plane under quiet geomagnetic conditions has been obtained as a function of geographic longitude. Studies have been performed for two seasons, summer and winter. It has been shown that, during the summer in the near-midnight sector, the minimum in the H+ concentration falls within geographic longitudes of 270A degrees-315A degrees. The ratio of the concentration of H+ ions at various longitudes could reach a factor of three. During the winter, in the near-noon sector, the maximum of the H+ ions concentration falls within longitudes of 180A degrees-225A degrees, whereas the concentration ratio could reach a factor of 2.2.