Plasmapause Test Particle (PTP) Simulations

On this page you can download the output of a very simple plasmapause test particle (PTP) simulation that reproduces Van Allen Probes plasmapause observations to within 0.4 RE [Goldstein et al., 2014b]. The PTP model represents the time-varying global plasmapause as an ensemble of cold test particles subject only to ExB drift. The convection electric (E) field is driven by solar wind data and the Kp geomagnetic index.

NEW: STORM SIMULATIONS

Plasmapause Simulations for 60 Storms from 2012 to 2017

Here you can download the results of running an ensemble of storm events with peak Dst values ranging from -60 nT to -223 nT.

Each simulation run download includes several days' worth of ASCII output files, a movie of the output with simulated flythroughs of the Van Allen Probes, and a ReadMe file describing how to use the ASCII files.

Click on the Storm Peak Dates Below

List of 60 Storms (2012 – 2017)
Storm Peak for Each Event				Start of Each 4-day Simulation
	Date of Storm Peak (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD)	UT of Storm Peak	Dst of Peak (nT)	Date of Simulation Start	UT of Simulation Start
1	2012 / 09 / 03	10:30	−69	2012 / 09 / 02	09:30
2	2012 / 10 / 01	04:30	−122	2012 / 09 / 30	04:30
3	2012 / 10 / 09	08:30	−109	2012 / 10 / 08	00:30
4	2012 / 10 / 13	07:30	−90	2012 / 10 / 12	07:30
5	2012 / 11 / 01	20:30	−65	2012 / 10 / 31	19:30
6	2012 / 11 / 14	07:30	−108	2012 / 11 / 13	07:30
7	2013 / 03 / 17	20:30	−132	2013 / 03 / 16	19:30
8	2013 / 03 / 29	17:30	−61	2013 / 03 / 28	13:30
9	2013 / 05 / 01	18:30	−67	2013 / 04 / 30	17:30
10	2013 / 06 / 01	08:30	−119	2013 / 05 / 31	06:30
11	2013 / 06 / 07	05:30	−73	2013 / 06 / 06	04:30
12	2013 / 06 / 29	01:30	−98	2013 / 06 / 27	23:30
13	2013 / 07 / 06	18:30	−79	2013 / 07 / 05	17:30
14	2013 / 07 / 14	23:30	−73	2013 / 07 / 13	14:30
15	2013 / 10 / 02	07:30	−67	2013 / 10 / 01	06:30
16	2013 / 10 / 09	01:30	−62	2013 / 10 / 08	00:30
17	2013 / 11 / 09	08:30	−81	2013 / 11 / 08	08:30
18	2013 / 12 / 08	08:30	−66	2013 / 12 / 07	08:30
19	2014 / 02 / 19	08:30	−116	2014 / 02 / 18	06:30
20	2014 / 02 / 27	23:30	−94	2014 / 02 / 26	21:30
21	2014 / 04 / 12	09:30	−81	2014 / 04 / 11	09:30
22	2014 / 04 / 30	09:30	−64	2014 / 04 / 29	09:30
23	2014 / 08 / 27	18:30	−80	2014 / 08 / 26	18:30
24	2014 / 09 / 12	23:30	−75	2014 / 09 / 11	23:30
25	2015 / 01 / 04	21:30	−71	2015 / 01 / 03	19:30
26	2015 / 01 / 07	11:30	−99	2015 / 01 / 06	11:30
27	2015 / 02 / 18	00:30	−64	2015 / 02 / 16	19:30
28	2015 / 03 / 17	22:30	−223	2015 / 03 / 16	18:30
29	2015 / 04 / 11	09:30	−75	2015 / 04 / 10	09:30
30	2015 / 04 / 16	23:30	−79	2015 / 04 / 15	21:30
31	2015 / 05 / 13	06:30	−76	2015 / 05 / 12	06:30
32	2015 / 06 / 08	08:30	−73	2015 / 06 / 07	08:30
33	2015 / 06 / 23	04:30	−204	2015 / 06 / 22	04:30
34	2015 / 07 / 05	05:30	−67	2015 / 07 / 04	05:30
35	2015 / 07 / 13	15:30	−61	2015 / 07 / 12	15:30
36	2015 / 07 / 23	07:30	−63	2015 / 07 / 22	06:30
37	2015 / 08 / 16	07:30	−84	2015 / 08 / 15	07:30
38	2015 / 08 / 27	20:30	−92	2015 / 08 / 26	12:30
39	2015 / 09 / 09	12:30	−98	2015 / 09 / 08	11:30
40	2015 / 09 / 20	15:30	−75	2015 / 09 / 19	15:30
41	2015 / 10 / 07	22:30	−124	2015 / 10 / 06	22:30
42	2015 / 11 / 04	12:30	−60	2015 / 11 / 03	12:30
43	2015 / 11 / 07	06:30	−89	2015 / 11 / 06	06:30
44	2015 / 12 / 20	22:30	−155	2015 / 12 / 19	21:30
45	2016 / 01 / 01	00:30	−110	2016 / 01 / 01	00:30
46	2016 / 01 / 20	16:30	−93	2016 / 01 / 19	16:30
47	2016 / 03 / 06	21:30	−98	2016 / 03 / 05	21:30
48	2016 / 04 / 07	21:30	−60	2016 / 04 / 06	11:30
49	2016 / 05 / 08	08:30	−83	2016 / 05 / 07	05:30
50	2016 / 08 / 23	21:30	−74	2016 / 08 / 22	18:30
51	2016 / 09 / 29	09:30	−66	2016 / 09 / 28	09:30
52	2016 / 10 / 13	17:30	−104	2016 / 10 / 12	13:30
53	2016 / 10 / 25	17:30	−60	2016 / 10 / 24	17:30
54	2016 / 10 / 29	03:30	−64	2016 / 10 / 28	00:30
55	2017 / 03 / 01	21:30	−61	2017 / 02 / 28	21:30
56	2017 / 03 / 27	14:30	−74	2017 / 03 / 26	14:30
57	2017 / 05 / 28	07:30	−125	2017 / 05 / 27	07:30
58	2017 / 07 / 16	15:30	−72	2017 / 07 / 15	12:30
59	2017 / 09 / 08	01:30	−142	2017 / 09 / 07	00:30 (5-day sim)
60	2017 / 09 / 28	06:30	−76	2017 / 09 / 27	04:30
Supplemental Storms (selected)
	Event Identifier (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD)			Date of Simulation Start
61	2016 / 07 / 19			2016 / 07 / 19
62	2017 / 07 / 15			2017 / 07 / 15
63	2017 / 08 / 31			2017 / 08 / 31

Plasmapause Simulations for the Van Allen Probes Mission (2012-2015)

The plasmapause model results are available from several years of the Van Allen Probes mission, in monthly (31-day) simulation runs, at the links below.

Each simulation run download includes month's worth of ASCII output files, a movie of the output with simulated flythroughs of the Van Allen Probes, and a ReadMe file describing how to use the ASCII files.

Plasmapause Test Particle (PTP) Simulation: DOWNLOAD
How to Use PTP Sim Results (PDF)
		2012 Sep	2012 Oct	2012 Nov	2012 Dec
2013 Jan	2013 Feb	2013 Mar	2013 Apr	2013 May	2013 Jun
2013 Jul	2013 Aug	2013 Sep	2013 Oct	2013 Nov	2013 Dec
2014 Jan	2014 Feb	2014 Mar	2014 Apr	2014 May	2014 Jun
2014 Jul	2014 Aug	2014 Sep	2014 Oct	2014 Nov	2014 Dec
2015 Jan	2015 Feb	2015 Mar	2015 Apr	2015 May	2015 Jun
2015 Jul	2015 Aug

 

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., 119, 7464, doi:10.1002/2014JA020252.

Goldstein, J., et al. (2016), The relationship between the plasmapause and outer belt electrons, J. Geophys. Res., 121, 8392, doi:10.1002/2016JA023046.

Goldstein, J., et al. (2017), Cross-scale observations of the 2015 St. Patrick¿s day storm: THEMIS, Van Allen Probes, and TWINS, J. Geophys. Res., 122, 368, doi:10.1002/2016JA023173.