The Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) is a future spacecraft mission supported by the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Science. It is expected that the mission will be launched in 2025 by ESA. SMILE will target the magnetopause, cusp, and bow shock regions. To investigate magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, the spacecraft will take auroral images using an ultraviolet imager (UVI). For scientific support and analysis of data collected by the UVI, a numerical model of the ionosphere and UV emission has been developed, which is presented in the poster presentation. The photoelectron transport module of the model is described in the poster. The SMILE UV-imager will take global auroral images that for calibration, require specification of the changing state of the ionosphere. We demonstrate progress in meeting this goal and showcase using an example how the model works. 

In-situ conjugate electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves observed by the Swarm mission in both hemispheres are presented. A complex and unusual pattern of Alfvénic EMIC wave energy is observed, with a mid-latitude peak close to the source at L=3.3, as well as a secondary lower L-peak. A wave propagation model reveals that the secondary peak at L=1.7 may be explained by wave power being redirected equatorward due to the Buchsbaum resonance, crossing and interfering with the same EMIC wave power propagating equatorwards from the opposite hemisphere. This interference creates a coherent equatorial driver for a low-L field line resonance at the secondary peak, and which is associated with strong shear-to-fast mode coupling in the ionosphere. This behavior complicates the interpretation of low-Earth orbit EMIC data for applications assessing radiation belt loss. Combined LEO observations and modelling enable these novel and localized magnetosphere-ionosphere EMIC wave propagation pathways to be identified.