Geocoronal structure: 2. Inclusion of a magnetic dipolar plasmasphere

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Abstract
Calculations of exospheric quantities (hydrogen atom density, satellite atom fractional density, kinetic temperature, and escape flux) at locations along the Earth‐Sun axis in the noon and midnight directions have been extended to incorporate a plasmasphere characterized by a dipolar shape and an empirical temperature profile. This interaction, evaluated with parameter values corresponding to low‐to‐moderate solar conditions, results in an increased density at outer geocoronal positions; the effect is not dramatic, though, and the resulting exosphere mimics the evaporative case closely, in spite of the control of trajectory parcel content by charge exchange collisions. A careful discussion of the handling of plasmaspheric charge exchange collisions and solar ionization is included, and the effect on the exospheric kinetic distribution is analyzed in terms of pertinent examples. In addition, the geotail is demonstrated to stem primarily from the imposition of an exopause by radiation pressure dynamics.