A Multi‐Satellite Case Study of Low‐Energy H+ Asymmetric Field‐Aligned Distributions Observed by MMS in the Earth's Magnetosphere

Abstract

AbstractField‐aligned distributions of H+ with energy less than 100 eV in the magnetosphere originate from the ionosphere through ionospheric outflow. Recently, a statistical interhemispheric asymmetry in this ion outflow was reported. In this study, we investigate a case study of asymmetric field‐aligned distributions (E < 100 eV) resulting from asymmetric outflow observed on 13 August 2019 by the Hot Plasma Composition Analyzer onboard the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. During the reported event, the average phase space density in the parallel direction (pitch angle < 45°) is about 4.7 times higher than in the anti‐parallel direction (pitch angle > 135°), indicating greater outflow from the southern hemisphere. In this event, electron precipitation fluxes are also asymmetric between hemispheres, with more electrons traveling to the southern hemisphere than to the northern hemisphere. Global MHD simulation results (SWMF/BAT‐S‐RUS available from the CCMC) confirm that several ionospheric parameters (joule heating, convection velocities, and energy fluxes of precipitating electrons) are more enhanced in the southern hemisphere. We suggest that these interhemispheric asymmetries might cause a stronger outflow from the southern hemisphere than from the northern hemisphere, to produce the observed asymmetric field‐aligned distributions for the low‐energy H+.