Observations of the plasma environment during an active ionospheric ion beam

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA093iA10p11473· OSTI ID:5995156

Pollock, C J ^[1]; Erlandson, R E ^[2]; Cahill, L J ^[3]

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1. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL (United States)
2. Johns Hopkins Univ., Laurel, MD (United States)
3. Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis (United States)

Data obtained during an active rocket-borne ion beam injection experiment (ARCS 3), which was carried out in the polar cap ionosphere over Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland, are presented and discussed. Ion flux data obtained aboard the main payload show certain characteristics which are directly attributable to known beam-injection geometry parameters, and others which are not so easily understood. Specifically, when the beam is injected transverse to the geomagnetic field, strong ion fluxes near 90{degree} magnetic pitch angle are observed, as expected. The particle energies in these cases were different from those expected, however, with separate ion flux components appearing near 100 and 15 eV/q. The expected beam energy was near 200 eV/q, so that subpayload charging to levels on the order of 100 V is inferred to have taken place during transverse beam injections. During antiparallel injections a component of {approximately}200 eV/q ions is observed to be moving up the field line, in addition to two other components: one transverse component at {approximately}200 eV/q and a sedond transverse component near 15 eV/q. In this case, no spacecraft charging is inferred. The existence of ion fluxes at magnetic pitch angle sother than those anticipated during both transverse and antiparallel beam injections indicate ion emissions from the subpayload which are much less beamlike than expected based on preflight laboratory measurements and that beam-plasma interactions tend to isotropize the beam very near the emitting payload.

• OSTI ID: 5995156
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 93:A10; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ARGON IONS
BEAM INJECTION
BEAM-PLASMA SYSTEMS
BEAMS
CHARGED PARTICLES
DATA
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD
GEOMETRY
INFORMATION
ION BEAMS
IONOSPHERE
IONS
ISOTROPY
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MATHEMATICS
ORIENTATION
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
POLAR REGIONS
ROCKETS