Database of Plasmapause Test Particle (PTP) Simulations: Run A (initialized with structure) versus Run B (no structure)

Plasmapause Test Particle (PTP) Simulation Output J. Goldstein ([e-mail]) The output of the PTP simulation is found in a sequence of ".ppa" files, described herein. Please note that these are pure text files. If you "double click" you might find your OS interprets the ".ppa" suffix as indicating a Powerpoint. You may need to manually drag and drop into a text file editor program. PPA FILES INFORMATION: Information about PTP plasmapause (".ppa") files The following is a very brief description of the primary plasmapause location files, the "ppa" files. Each file contains a table of points (L and phi values) that represent the plasmapause as simulated by an ensemble of ExB-drifting cold test particles. For more information about this simulation method, see Goldstein et al. [2003, 2005a, 2005b],Goldstein and Sandel [2005], and Goldstein et al. [2014a, b] (references listed below). The update by Goldstein et al. [2014b] includes a simple treatment of refilling. File Naming Convention Each file is named according to the convention YYYYDDDHHMM.ppa, where YYYY = 4-digit year, DDD = 3-digit day of year (e.g., day 1=Jan 1), HH = 2-digit UT hour, MM = 2-digit UT minute, ".ppa" = 3-letter extension ("ppa" = shorthand for plasmapause). File Contents In each file, you will find all the plasmapause location points corresponding to a single snapshot (in time) of the simulation. That is, all the points in a given file are simultaneous, and each file depicts a different time in the simulation. The .ppa file consists of ASCII text, 2 columns consisting of: • L : L-shell location (defined as the radial distance in the magnetic equator in Earth radii RE). • phi : angular location (radians), defined as phi=0 at 1200 MLT (noon), phi=π at 2400 MLT, etc. At the end of the .ppa file, you will find a Fourier expansion of the (L,phi) points. This Fourier expansion is useful in cases where one wishes to determine electric fields from the plasmapause motion (as described in Goldstein et al., [2004]). The Fourier expansion is only a good representation of the plasmapause when the plasmapause (L vs phi) curve is single-valued. Improper use of the Fourier expansion can provide a very innaccurate plasmapause! If you have any questions about how to use PTP plasmapause data, please contact Jerry Goldstein ([e-mail]). References Goldstein, J., M. F. Thomsen, and A. DeJong (2014a), In situ signatures of residual plasmaspheric plumes, J. Geophys. Res., 119, 4706, doi:10.1002/2014JA019953. Goldstein, J., S. De Pascuale, C. Kletzing, W. Kurth, K. J. Genestreti, R. M. Skoug, B. A. Larsen, L. M. Kistler, C. Mouikis, H. Spence (2014b), Simulation of Van Allen Probes plasmapause encounters, J. Geophys. Res., doi:10.1002/2014JA020252. Goldstein, J., and B. R. Sandel (2005), The global pattern of evolution of plasmaspheric drainage plumes, in Inner Magnetosphere Interactions: New Perspectives from Imaging, edited by J. L. Burch, M. Schulz, and H. Spence, p. 1, American Geophysical Union, Washington, D. C., doi:10.1029/159GM01. Goldstein, J., B. R. Sandel, M. F. Thomsen, T. F. Forrester, and M. R. Hairston (2005b), Global plasmasphere evolution 22--23 April 2001, J. Geophys. Res., 110, A12218, doi:10.1029/2005JA011282. Goldstein, J., J. L. Burch, and B. R. Sandel (2005a), Magnetospheric model of subauroral polarization stream, J. Geophys. Res., 110, A09222, doi:10.1029/2005JA011135. Goldstein, J., R. A. Wolf, B. R. Sandel, and P. H. Reiff (2004c), Electric fields deduced from plasmapause motion in IMAGE EUV images, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31(1), L01801, doi:10.1029/2003GL018797. Goldstein, J., B. R. Sandel, P. H. Reiff, and M. R. Hairston (2003), Control of plasmaspheric dynamics by both convection and sub-auroral polarization stream, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(24), 2243, doi:10.1029/2003GL018390.