Plasmapause Equatorial Shape Determination via the Minimum L Algorithm: Description and Evaluation

Abstract

Algorithms for determination of the equatorial shape of the plasmapause using NASA IMAGE Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) imagery are considered. Focus is on the Minimum L Algorithm, which operates without human intervention given a single EUV image in which the plasmasphere silhouette boundary has been identified. For each line of sight (LOS) through pixels on the plasmasphere silhouette boundary, the algorithm first finds all magnetic dipole field lines intersected by the LOS and then returns as the plasmasphere's boundary the field line with the minimum L value. An analysis of the reasonableness, applicability, and accuracy of the algorithm is presented, and it is contrasted with the well-known Edge Algorithm [Roelof and Skinner, 2000]. A revised version of the Edge Algorithm is also introduced. Application of all three algorithms to real EUV imagery is demonstrated.