| Term: | RingCurrent |
| Definition: |
One of the major current systems confinedwithin planetary magnetospheres. The ring current circles in the magneticequatorial plane of magnetospheres. It is generated by the longitudinaldrift of energetic charged particles trapped on inner, dipole-likemagnetospheric field lines. At the Earth, the ring current is carried by 10to 200 keV charged particles typically located at L-shells between 3 and 6.The ring current is also the primary driver of the Sym H and Dst Indices ofmagnetic storm activity at the Earth. |