Collaborative Research to Study Polar Electrodynamics Using The 2002-2003 Polar Patrol Balloons

本项目是一项气球载实验，其主要目标包括：1)利用在南极洲发射的多个长时间气球，重点研究高纬度电离层电动力学（研究电磁辐射的特性及其与带电物质相互作用的方式）；2)研究响应外部输入的电场从外部到内部磁层的快速渗透。该项目与日本x射线和磁力计研究人员合作。提出的大部分工作将集中于研究极地和极光电离层的突出问题，如在不同太阳风条件下的极地帽对流的性质、日侧尖峰的动力学、太阳风与磁层的瞬态和稳态耦合、完全封闭磁场线上的瞬态现象，如行进对流涡旋（TCVs）和那些与周期大于1秒的磁脉动有关的现象。另一项重要工作将是研究电离层和磁层电场随行星际磁场变化从高纬度到低纬度的快速传输。该项目包括建造、集成和测试地球物理有效载荷的电场仪器，这些仪器是由日本国家极地研究所管理的极地巡逻气球计划2002-2003年延续的一部分。三个气球将从日本南极站放飞，而一个有效载荷将从麦克默多站发射。

This project is a balloon-borne experiment whose main goals include 1) a focused program of investigation of high latitude ionospheric electrodynamics (the study of the properties of electromagnetic radiation and the way in which it interacts with charged matter) using multiple long duration balloons launched in Antarctica, and 2) the investigation of the fast penetration of electric fields from the outer to the inner magnetosphere in response to external inputs. The project is cooperative with Japanese X-ray and magnetometer investigators. The bulk of the proposed effort will be focused on investigation of outstanding problems of the polar and auroral ionosphere such as the nature of polar cap convection under varying solar wind conditions, dynamics of the dayside cusp, the transient and steady state coupling of the solar wind to the magnetosphere, transient phenomena on wholly closed magnetic fields lines such as traveling convective vortices (TCVs) and those related to magnetic pulsations with periods greater than one second. Another important effort will be to investigate the rapid transmission of ionospheric and magnetospheric electric fields from higher to lower latitudes in response to variations in the interplanetary magnetic field. This project consists of the construction, integration and testing of the electric field instruments for the geophysics payloads that are planned as part of the 2002-2003 continuation of the Polar Patrol Balloon Program managed by the Japanese National Institute of Polar Research Three balloons will be flown from the Japanese Antarctic Station, while one payload will be launched from McMurdo Station.