Modeling of Polar Cap Ionospheric Patches and Attendant Plasma Instabilities: Initialization from Data and Parametric Analysis

There is a robust history of theoretical work on ionospheric plasma patches and their attendant plasma fluid irregularities, particularly within the polar cap region. Within this region though, plasma theory does not always yield tractable problems with succinct analytic solutions that are conceptually illuminating. Observational research methods and techniques, using a multitude of ground-based and in-situ systems, provide insights into this complex environment not always readily achieved throu