PLASMAPAUSE BOUNDARY IDENTIFICATION USING IMAGE EUV DATA: INSIGHTS INTO STORM-TIME MAGNETOSPHERIC DYNAMICS

Abstract

The plasmapause, delineating the boundary between the cold, dense plasmasphere and the hotter, more tenuous outer magnetosphere, plays a pivotal role in regulating magnetospheric dynamics. Utilizing data from the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) instrument onboard NASA's IMAGE spacecraft, this study investigates the plasmapause boundary location during geomagnetically quiet and disturbed periods. Advanced image processing techniques were employed to extract the plasmapause location across various magnetic local times. The analysis reveals a strong correlation between geomagnetic indices (e.g., Dst, Kp) and plasmapause contraction during storm main phases. These findings enhance our understanding of inner magnetospheric responses to solar wind forcing and provide a foundation for space weather modeling.