Numerical solution of the time-dependent heat energy equations for the magnetosphere

A new solution of the magnetospheric heat equations capable of covering the whole region from 300 km along a field line to the equatorial plane has been achieved by adapting the searching procedure of Murphy (1974). It has been found that the protonospheric heat reservoir is sufficient to maintain T_e >T_n down to the height of the F2-peak electron density all through the night at mid-latitudes. Full solution of the equations has also shown that T_i >T_e in the protonosphere at night and the ions constitute a significant source of heat for the electrons.