Average characteristics of the polar rain and their relationship to the solar wind and the interplanetary magnetic field

Journal Article · Fri Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1986 · J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA091iA02p01557· OSTI ID:5936019

Riehl, K B; Hardy, D A

A study of the characteristics of the polar rain has been completed using data from the SSJ/3 sensor on the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F2 satellite. Approximately 262 polar passes of data were analyzed. Orbits were chosen which exhibited an extended region of polar rain and for which solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) data were available. For each pass, 45-s-averaged spectra of polar rain were calculated. In approximately 70% of the cases the resulting spectra are well fit by a single simple Maxwellian distribution with an average temperature of 80 +- 13 eV and an average density of 5.5 x 10/sup -2/ +- 3.8 x 10/sup -2/ cm/sup -3/. In the remaining 30% of the cases an additional hot component was fit by a second Maxwellian.

• Research Organization: Space Physics Division, Air Force Geophysics Laboratory, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts
• OSTI ID: 5936019
• Journal Information: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States) Vol. 91:A2; 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
AURORAL ZONES
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRON PRECIPITATION
ELECTRON SPECTRA
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
ENERGY LEVELS
INTERPLANETARY MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
SATELLITES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR WIND
SPECTRA