Thermal and hyperthermal electron distributions in the midnight sector of the winter topside ionosphere. Environmental research papers
Technical Report
·
OSTI ID:6687801
A gridded spherical electrostatic analyzer aboard Injun 5 has been used to measure fluxes of thermal and hyperthermal electrons at sub-auroral latitude in the midnight sector of the northern ionosphere between altitudes of 2500 and 850 km. Due to the offset between the geomagnetic and geographic poles, hyperthermal fluxes consisting of energetic photoelectrons that have escaped from the sunlit southern hemisphere are observed along orbits over the Atlantic Ocean and North America but not over Asia. The ambient electron temperatures near 2500 km have their highest values at trough latitudes for all longitudes. On the basis of these observations it is concluded that, at trough latitudes, elevated electron temperatures in the topside ionosphere are produced by sources other than conjugate photoelectrons; Equatorward of the trough in the Atlantic Ocean, North American longitude sector conjugate photoelectrons contribute significantly to the heating of electrons in the topside ionosphere. Much of the photoelectron energy is deposited at altitudes greater than 2500 km, then conducted along magnetic field lines into the ionosphere.
- Research Organization:
- Air Force Geophysics Lab., Hanscom AFB, MA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6687801
- Report Number(s):
- AD-A-051419; AFGL-TR-77-0262; AFGL-ERP-615
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Thermal structure of the topside ionosphere observed by INJUN 5 during an intense magnetic storm. Environmental research papers
Injun 5 low-energy plasma observations during a major magnetic storm
Injun 5 observations of low-energy plasma in the high-latitude topside ionosphere
Technical Report
·
Sun Nov 27 23:00:00 EST 1977
·
OSTI ID:6681338
Injun 5 low-energy plasma observations during a major magnetic storm
Journal Article
·
Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978
· J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)
·
OSTI ID:7050207
Injun 5 observations of low-energy plasma in the high-latitude topside ionosphere
Journal Article
·
Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1978
· J. Geophys. Res.; (United States)
·
OSTI ID:6779570