Injection of a bubble into the inner magnetosphere

[1] Magnetic reconnection in the magnetotail or other forms of current sheet disruption are believed to produce plasma bubbles, which consist of flux tubes that have lower entropy content PV than their surroundings. We present an initial Rice-Convection-Model-based simulation of the injection of a bubble into the inner magnetosphere and explore the consequences on ring current formation. As the bubble moves into the inner magnetosphere, region-1-sense Birkeland currents form along its eastward and westward edges while strong westward electric field and earthward flow form inside it; gradient/curvature drift causes it to drift westward. The simulations indicate that the presence of a bubble results in an increase in the peak particle pressure in the ring current region. Results are presented from several computer experiments to determine sensitivities to assumptions. Citation: Zhang, J.-C., R. A. Wolf, S. Sazykin, and F. R. Toffoletto (2008), Injection of a bubble into the inner magnetosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L02110, doi:10.1029/ 2007GL032048.