English: Conceptual AnimationThis animation shows the two main effects of the ambipolar electric field: inflating the ionosphere and generating the polar wind.The sparkling blue haze surrounding Earth represents the plasma in the ionosphere. At the beginning of the animation, the ionosphere is dense and close to Earth, but when the ambipolar electric field is applied to the plasma, the ionosphere inflates, making it taller. This happens because the tug from the energized electrons, which are connected to the heavy ions, slightly overpowers the force of gravity, creating an upward lift.Hydrogen ions, however, are so light that the field’s upward force is ten times the downward force of gravity. This accelerates the hydrogen ions upward to supersonic speeds, enough for the ions to escape to space above Earth’s magnetic poles. This hydrogen ion outflow is known as the polar wind, shown in the animation as sparkling white lights traveling up the blue magnetic field lines and out of frame.Credit: NASA/Conceptual Image Lab