GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS VOL NO PAGES XRay Emission from the Terrestrial Magnetosheath

Abstract Xrays are generated throughout the terres trial magnetosheath as a consequence of charge transfer col lisions between heavy solar wind ions and geocoronal neu trals The solar wind ions resulting from these collisions are left in highly excited states and emit extreme ultraviolet or soft Xray photons A model has been created to sim ulate this Xray radiation Published terrestrial exospheric hydrogen distributions and solar wind speed density and temperature distributions were used in this model Simu lated images were created as seen from an observation point outside the geocorona The locations of the bow shock and magnetopause are evident in these images Perhaps this X ray emission can be used to remotely sense the solar wind ow around the magnetosphere Since similar Xrays are produced in the heliosphere the challenge will be however to eliminate this background emissio