The Earth’s inner magnetosphere hosts diverse charged particle populations, including the Van Allen belts, ring current, and plasmaspheric particles, with energies from eV to MeV. Interactions among these populations provide feedback mechanisms that shape magnetospheric dynamics. For example, ring current particles generate EMIC and chorus waves, which regulate radiation belt evolution through wave–particle interactions. Ring current electrons may be accelerated to relativistic energies, while the plasmasphere modulates these processes. Coupling extends beyond the magnetosphere: precipitation affects the ionosphere, while ionospheric upflows supply plasma back into the magnetosphere. Understanding these processes is vital for fundamental science and for improving space weather forecasting.
Particle precipitation into planetary atmospheres is a key heliophysical process, controlled by solar wind, magnetospheric, and ionospheric interactions. At Earth, precipitation channels energy into the upper atmosphere, producing aurora, ionospheric currents, and enhanced satellite drag. These processes demonstrate the coupling of plasma regimes and their consequences for both natural variability and technological systems. This session emphasizes a system-science perspective on precipitation across a wide range of energies and impacts. We invite studies on the roles of different drivers, the spatiotemporal dynamics of solar wind structures and geomagnetic storms, and the effects on ionospheric conductivity, atmospheric chemistry, and dynamics.
Comparative studies of outer planet magnetospheres, shaped by unique but related drivers, further highlight universal coupling processes. We welcome theoretical, modeling, and observational contributions on the dynamics of inner magnetospheres at Earth and other planets, including magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling and responses to solar wind disturbances. Relevant datasets include MMS, THEMIS, Van Allen Probes, Arase, Cluster, LEO satellites, CubeSats, Juno, SuperDARN, magnetometers, optical imagers, incoherent scatter radars, and ground-based VLF measurements.
Chao Yue