Current–voltage relationship

Potential drops accelerate ions and electrons along magnetic field lines and create currents flowing into and out of the ionosphere. Kinetic exospheric models similar to those developed for the polar wind have been used to determine the current density as a function of the electrostatic potential difference. In the upward current region of the auroral zone, the current–voltage relationship depends on the number density and temperature of the hot plasma of the plasmasheet and is quasi-linear for 100 V