Electric field measurement in the ionosphere using the time-of-flight technique

Journal Article · Mon May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA094iA05p05283· OSTI ID:5838420

Nakamura, Masato; Hayakawa, Hajime; Tsuruda, Koichiro ^[1]

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1. Institute of Space and Astronautical, Kanagawa (Japan)

The first successful electric field measurement in the ionosphere using the time-of-flight technique with a lithium ion beam was carried out on a S-520 sounding rocket launched from Kagoshima Space Center, Japan on January 15, 1987. The purpose of this experiment was to prove the validity of the time-of-flight technique when it is applied to the measurement of the dc electric field in the ionosphere. A time-coded ion beam was ejected from the rocket in the direction perpendicular to the Earth's magnetic field. The beam returned to the rocket twice per rocket spin when the initial beam direction was nearly perpendicular to the electric field. The electric field and the magnetic field were derived from the travel time of these return lithium ions. The accuracy of the electric field determination was {plus minus} 0.3 mV/m. The direction of the electric field was obtained from the direction of the returning ion beam after about one ion gyration. The main constituent of the measured electric field was a V {times} B field due to the rocket motion across the geomagnetic field. The ambient field was less than 1 mV/m. The magnetic field was measured with an accuracy of {plus minus} 2.7 nT in this experiment.

• OSTI ID: 5838420
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (USA), Vol. 94:A5; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
IONOSPHERE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
BEAM INJECTION
DYNAMICS
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
GEOMAGNETIC FIELD
ION BEAMS
LITHIUM IONS
MEASURING METHODS
TIME-OF-FLIGHT METHOD
VALIDATION
BEAMS
CHARGED PARTICLES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
IONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MECHANICS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
TESTING
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena