M-I Coupling: Incoherent Scatter Radar Measurements of Ion Upflow: Establishing Ionospheric Boundary Conditions for Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Mass Coupling

航天器观测已经确定了不同太阳和行星际风输入、季节和当地时间的离子流出的一般特性，但它们还没有提供对电离层条件的理解，使最有效的离子提取成为可能。该项目将利用非相干散射雷达（ISR）数据，沿着卫星/雷达连接，以确定与离子流出事件相关的场对准离子数通量、电子密度、电子温度和离子温度的高度分布。该项目将确定在电离层F区产生离子上升流的离子对流与在更高海拔产生离子流出的对流过程之间的关系。它将量化顶侧电离层上方向上的净离子通量，作为外部能量输入（来自对流电场、粒子沉淀和极紫外辐射）和电离层边界条件的函数。一个扩展的ISR数据库，跨越一个太阳周期，将用于统计量化相同的电离层参数及其垂直梯度的粒子降水，热通量，对流电场，和太阳照射的极光椭圆边界的参考框架的功能。该项目具有强大的社会影响，因为它将使空间研究更接近实现预测空间气象能力。目前，磁层的MHD模型有一个很好的形式来描述来自太阳风的质量负荷，但他们缺乏一个形式来描述来自电离层的质量负荷。该项目生成的统计地图将为所有离子提取模型建立下边界条件，而该条件又可以与MHD磁层模型的上边界条件耦合，以生成磁层电离层质量负载的自洽图像。研究结果将在公共可访问的FTP和SRI国际网站上公布。

Spacecraft observations have established the general properties of ion outflows for different solar and interplanetary wind inputs, seasons, and local times, but they have not provided an understanding of what the ionospheric conditions are that enables the most efficient ion extraction. This project will utilize Incoherent Scatter radar (ISR) data along with satellite/radar conjunctions to determine the altitude profiles of field-aligned ion number flux, electron density, electron temperature, and ion temperature associated with ion outflow events. The project will determine how the ion energization that produces ion upflows in the F region of the ionosphere relates to energization processes that produce ion outflows at higher altitudes. It will quantify the net upward ion flux above the topside ionosphere as a function of external energy input (from the convection electric field, particle precipitation and EUV irradiation) and ionospheric boundary conditions. An expanded ISR database, spanning one solar cycle, will be used to quantify statistically the same ionospheric parameters and their vertical gradients as functions of particle precipitation, heat flux, convection electric field, and solar illumination in the frame of reference of auroral oval boundaries. The project has a strong societal impact because it will bring space research one step closer to achieving a predictive space weather capability. At the present time, MHD models of the magnetosphere have a well-developed formalism to describe mass loading from the solar wind, but they lack a formalism to describe mass loading from the ionosphere. The statistical maps generated by this project will establish the lower boundary condition for all ion extraction models, which in turn can be coupled to upper boundary conditions from the MHD magnetosphere models to produce a self-consistent picture of ionospheric mass loading of the magnetosphere. The results will be made available on publicly accessible FTP and websites at SRI International.