Electron precipitation in the post midnight sector of the auroral zones

Technical Report · Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 1975

OSTI ID:7330040

Frank, L A; Saflekos, N A; Ackerson, K L

Comprehensive measurements of the angular distributions and energy spectra of electron intensities with electrostatic analyzer arrays on board the low-altitude satellite Injun 5 are reported. These are for the post-midnight sector of the auroral zones during the high-intensity events accompanying magnetic substorms. Precipitation features on closed terrestrial field lines well equatorward of the trapping boundary for energetic electrons with E greater than 45 keV were examined. No evidences of maxima in the differential energy spectra or of strongly field-aligned currents which are indicative of quasi-static electric fields aligned parallel to the geomagnetic field were found. Precipitation of low-energy electron intensities fluctuated on time scales greater than 2 seconds as viewed at the satellite position. This precipitation was characterized by isotropy for all pitch angles outside the atmospheric backscatter cone. (auth)

• Research Organization: Iowa Univ., Iowa City (USA). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
• DOE Contract Number: NAS5-10625; NAS1-8141
• OSTI ID: 7330040
• Report Number(s): N-75-24209; NASA-CR-142812; TRN: 77-002751
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAL ZONES
ELECTRON PRECIPITATION
ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRON DENSITY
ENERGY SPECTRA
FLUCTUATIONS
FLUX DENSITY
INCLINATION
MAGNETIC BAYS
MAGNETIC STORMS
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
CURRENTS
DISTRIBUTION
SPECTRA
VARIATIONS
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena