Observational and theoretical investigation of stable auroral red arcs and their magnetospheric energy source. (Volumes I and II)
The Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc's near monochromatic emission at 6300 A is the ionospheric signature of an energy transfer process spanning tens of thousands of kilometers - the energy source being in the equatorial plasmasphere and the ultimate energy sink being in the F region. The coplanar DE-1 and -2 satellites have made it possible to obtain nearly simultaneous particle and field measurements in the source and sink regions along a common flux tube. 31 Coordinated data sets were compiled during which DE-1 was at high altitudes and DE-2 was at F-region heights during traversals of SAR arc field lines on dates identified by ground-based photometry. Among other new observational signatures, SAR arcs colocated with: (1) thermal density enhancements at high altitudes, distinct from and, at times outside of the normal plasmasphere, and (2) invariant latitude-limited bands of intense plasmaspheric hiss. Conclusions drawn from the results of various theoretical and statistical investigations, are presented.
- Research Organization:
- Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5321844
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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