Magnetospheric electric convection field (nonfiction)

The magnetospheric electric convection field is an electric field in the earth's inner magnetosphere generated by the interaction between solar wind and the magnetosphere.

The field's general direction is from dawn to dusk. The co-rotating thermal plasma within the inner magnetosphere drifts orthogonal to that field and to the geomagnetic field Bo.

The generation process is not yet completely understood:

• One possibility is viscous interaction between solar wind and the boundary layer of the magnetosphere (magnetopause).
• Another process may be magnetic reconnection.
• A hydromagnetic dynamo process in the polar regions of the inner magnetosphere may be possible.

Direct measurements via satellites have given a fairly good picture of the structure of that field.

A number of models of that field exists, notably the widely used Volland-Stern model.

• Corotation electric field (nonfiction)
• Magnetopause (nonfiction)
• Magnetosphere (nonfiction)
• Solar wind (nonfiction)

• Magnetospheric electric convection field @ Wikipedia