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Origin of Cusp Energetic Particles by Shen-Wu Chang 08 June 2001 The magnetic cusp is the most important region for the entry of solar wind plasmas into the Earth's magnetosphere. Observations from the DE and DMSP satellites in the cusp show characteristic energies of the solar wind (~1 keV). After magnetic field lines are reconnected at the magnetopause, solar wind plasmas would enter the cusp along the field lines with a small acceleration occurring at the magnetopause current layer (< 100 eV). Energetic (~10-1000 keV) ions observed in the cusp (CEPs) by the Polar spacecraft have called attention to the associated acceleration region. There are three active model for CEPs employing different acceleration/transport mechanisms and source regions: local acceleration in the cusp, bow shock acceleration, and plasma sheet/ring current injection. We will review these three models in this talk, with the emphasis on the bow shock model which is most likely the dominant mechanism for the production of CEPs.
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