Sub-Auroral Morning Proton Spots (SAMPS) as a Result of Plasmapause-Ring-Current Interaction H. U. Frey, G. Haerendel, S.B. Mende, W.T. Forrester, T. J. Immel, N. Ostgaard The proton aurora imager SI-12 on the IMAGE spacecraft occasionally observes Sub-Auroral Morning Proton Spots (SAMPS) that rotate with 70-95% of the Earth's corotation speed. Coincident particle measurements by DMSP confirm the source to be pure precipitating protons with mean energies likely above the detector limit of 30 keV. The spots appear in the recovery phase after magnetic storms and last for 1-4 hours in the magnetic local time region of 0300-1200 hours. The latitude location is very strongly related to the minimum Dst of the previous geomagnetic storm with the lowest latitude observations after the strongest storms. IMAGE-EUV observations of the plasmasphere indicate a relationship with density gradients in the expanding plasmasphere after magnetic storms. We interpret these spots as the result of the interaction of ring current protons with electromagnetic ion-cyclotron (EMIC) waves as a result of the expansion and sub-rotation of the dense, cold plasmasphere ions. It is therefore a consequence of plasmasphere refilling after geomagnetic storms. _______________ Submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research, 2004