Simultaneous rocket and radar measurements of currents in an auroral arc

Journal Article · Tue Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA086iA09p07703· OSTI ID:5801933

Robinson, R M; Bering, E A; Vondrak, R R; Anderson, H R; Cloutier, P A

A detailed study of electric field, current and conductivities associated with an auroral arc was made in a coordinated rocket and radar experiment in Alaska on March 9, 1978. The payload, designated 29.007 UE, was launched at 1013 p.m. local time. It penetrated the diffuse aurora on the upleg and at apogee traversed field lines connected to a stable auroral arc of 40 kR intensity. Among the instruments carried by the payload were a vector magnetometer, a set of electrostatic double probes and a set of electron and proton spectrometers. Simultaneous electron density and line-of-sight velocity measurements were made by Chatanika radar operating in an elevation scan mode in the magnetic meridian plane. Both the radar and rocket measurements indicated that the zonal electric field was westward and approximately constant across the arc with a magnitude of about 7 mV/m. Small differences between the rocket and radar zonal electric field measurements indicated the presence of upward drifting ions in the region of the arc. The meridional field was large and northward equatorward of the arc, but negligible within the arc. Conductivities computed from measured fluxes of energetic electrons agreed well with the conductivities derived from the radar measureements of electron density. The electric field and conductivity measurements indicated that the zonal currents were eastward equatorward of the arc and westward within the arc. These electrojet currents agreed well with those inferred from the rocket magnetometer data. Better agreement was obtained when a westward neutral wind was added. The westward wind was also consistent with differences between the rocket and radar meridional electric fields. The meridional currents computed from the electric field measurements were northward over the entire region.

• Research Organization: Rice University, Department of Space Physics and Astronomy, Houston, Texas 77001
• OSTI ID: 5801933
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States) Vol. 86:A9; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAE
AURORAL OVAL
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
CURRENTS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRON DENSITY
HARANG DISCONTINUITY
ION DENSITY
ION DRIFT
IONOSPHERE
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
WIND