Two-dimensional drift velocities from the IMAGE EUV plasmaspheric imager

The Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) Mission extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imager observes He⁺ plasmaspheric ions throughout the inner magnetosphere. Limited by ionizing radiation and viewing close to the sun, images of the He⁺ distribution are available every 10 min for many hours as the spacecraft passes through apogee in its highly elliptical orbit. As a consistent constituent at about 15%, He⁺ is an excellent surrogate for monitoring all of the processes that control the dynamics of plasmaspheric plasma. In particular, the motion of He⁺ transverse to the ambient magnetic field is a direct indication of convective electric fields. The analysis of boundary motions has already achieved new insights into the electrodynamic coupling processes taking place between energetic magnetospheric plasmas and the ionosphere. Yet to be fulfilled, however, is the original promise that global EUV images of the plasmasphere might yield two-dimensional pictures of mesoscale to macroscale electric fields in the inner magnetosphere. This work details the technique and initial application of an IMAGE EUV analysis that appears capable of following thermal plasma motion on a global basis.