Statistical model of auroral-ion precipitation

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:6399140

Hardy, D A; Gussenhoven, M S; Brautigam, D

The average global characteristics of precipitating auroral ions were determined using the data from the SSJ/4 detectors on the F6 and F7 satellites of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). For this study the high-latitude region was divided into spatial elements in magnetic local time (MLT) and corrected geomagnetic latitude (CGL). One such spatial matrix was created for each of seven levels of magnetic activity as defined by Kp. Approximately 26.5 million, individual, 1-s spectra were used to determine the average spectrum over the energy range from 30 eV to 30keV in each spatial zone and at each level of activity. Where appropriate, the spectra were extrapolated to 100keV to provide a more complete estimate of the total integral energy flux, number flux, and average energy derived from the average spectra vary smoothly with latitude, MLT, and activity. For a given Kp value the higher levels of integral energy flux occur in C-shaped regions symmetric about a meridian running prenoon to premidnight. The maximum integral energy flux is found premidnight; the minimum peak integral energy flux in latitude is found prenoon. Except in the prenoon region, the overall level of integral energy flux increases with Kp with premidnight maximum increasing by a factor of 6.1 from Kp=0 to Kp >or= 6. The maximum integral number flux is centered at noon and is taken to be the center of the cusp.

• Research Organization: Air Force Geophysics Lab., Hanscom AFB, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6399140
• Report Number(s): AD-A-226584/1/XAB; GL-TR--90-0218
• 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 ZONES
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
CORRECTIONS
DISTRIBUTION
ENERGY
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD
IONS
LATITUDE EFFECT
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS
POLAR CUSP
POLAR REGIONS
SATELLITES
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SPECTRA
STATISTICS
VARIATIONS