Kinetic Modeling in MHD Simulations
Motivation
- Investigate particle motion in more realistic fields
- Trace sources to sinks to better understand composition
- Ultimately:
- Ask what, if anything, is missed in the MHD approximation
Method
- Develop accurate and efficient particle codes
- Compare kinetic and MHD plasmas
- Ultimately:
- ìcorrectî MHD fields using kinetic plasma currents, charges
Case-in-point
- MHD simulated substorms so far fail to produce growth phase ìdropoutsî, a common feature of observed substorms.