Electron transport and optical emissions in the aurora

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1987A one-dimensional, steady state auroral model is developed based on a linear electron transport calculation. A set of cross sections for electron neutral collisions describing elastic scattering, energy loss, and photon emission is compiled and used in conjunction with a discrete ordinate transport code. Calculated electron intensities are compared with in situ rocket measurements. Auroral optical emissions that result from direct electron impact on neutrals are calculated for synthetic and observed electron spectra. A systematic dependence of the brightness of auroral features on energy flux, characteristic energy, and atmospheric composition is found and parameterized. A method for interpreting the brightness and the ratio of brightnesses of certain auroral emissions in terms of the energy flux, characteristic energy, and relative oxygen density is described. Application of this method to auroral images acquired by nadir viewing instruments aboard a satellite is discussed and the distribution of energy flux, characteristic energy, and ionospheric conductances over the auroral oval is determined. Emissions that are suitable for analysing auroral spectra in terms of the atomic oxygen abundance in the auroral zone are identified

The dynamic cusp at low altitudes: A case study combining Viking, DMSP, and Sondrestrom incoherent scatter radar observations

A case study involving data from three satellites and a ground-based radar are presented. Focus is on a detailed discussion of observations of the dynamic cusp made on 24 Sep. 1986 in the dayside high-latitude ionosphere and interior magnetosphere. The relevant data from space-borne and ground-based sensors is presented. They include in-situ particle and field measurements from the DMSP-F7 and Viking spacecraft and Sondrestrom radar observations of the ionosphere. These data are augmented by observations of the IMF and the solar wind plasma. The observations are compared with predictions about the ionospheric response to the observed particle precipitation, obtained from an auroral model. It is shown that observations and model calculations fit well and provide a picture of the ionospheric footprint of the cusp in an invariant latitude versus local time frame. The combination of Viking, Sondrestrom radar, and IMP-8 data suggests that we observed an ionospheric signature of the dynamic cusp. Its spatial variation over time which appeared closely related to the southward component of the IMF was monitored

Electron Impact Ionization: A New Parameterization for 100 eV to 1 MeV Electrons

Low, medium and high energy electrons can penetrate to the thermosphere (90-400 km; 55-240 miles) and mesosphere (50-90 km; 30-55 miles). These precipitating electrons ionize that region of the atmosphere, creating positively charged atoms and molecules and knocking off other negatively charged electrons. The precipitating electrons also create nitrogen-containing compounds along with other constituents. Since the electron precipitation amounts change within minutes, it is necessary to have a rapid method of computing the ionization and production of nitrogen-containing compounds for inclusion in computationally-demanding global models. A new methodology has been developed, which has parameterized a more detailed model computation of the ionizing impact of precipitating electrons over the very large range of 100 eV up to 1,000,000 eV. This new parameterization method is more accurate than a previous parameterization scheme, when compared with the more detailed model computation. Global models at the National Center for Atmospheric Research will use this new parameterization method in the near future