An Arctic Winter Balloon Campaign to Study Mechanisms of Relativistic Electron Precipitation

定量地了解辐射带中的相对论电子变异性是当前辐射带研究的一个主要焦点。量化和理解电子损失现在被认为是理解这种可变性的一个组成部分。一个主要问题是如何量化加速过程与损失过程的相对重要性。基于气球的实验直接测量降水，从而为量化和研究损失提供了一种方法。该项目将使用两个小气球，每个气球携带一台用于测量相对论电子沉淀(REP)的X射线光谱仪和一台用于探测质子降水的光度计。气球将从堡垒升空。丘吉尔，马尼托巴省，2004/2005冬季。拟议的活动将支持并利用已有的气球运动，该气球运动由美国国家科学基金会南极大气和天体物理计划资助，题为“MeV电子沉淀的气球观测”，由加州大学伯克利分校领导，其中四个携带X射线仪器的小气球有效载荷将从南非南极站Sanae发射。这个项目将获得对MeV能量敏感的REP的第一次共轭气球观测。由于该项目正在进行的北半球观测将在北半球冬季进行，因此它允许使用敏感的质子降水光学测量，而这在阳光充足的南极是不可能完成的。该项目将让几名本科生参与研究，从而促进教育目标，并直接促进我们对辐射带的了解。

Attaining a quantitative understanding of relativistic electron variability in the radiation belts is a major focus of current radiation belt research. Quantifying and understanding electron losses in now recognized as an integral part of understanding this variability. A major question is how to quantify the relative importance of acceleration processes versus the loss processes. Balloon-based experiments directly measure precipitation and thus provide a method for quantifying and studying losses. This project will use two small balloons, each carrying an X-ray spectrometer for measuring relativistic electron precipitation (REP) and a photometer tuned to detect proton precipitation. The balloons will be launched from Ft. Churchill, Manitoba during winter 2004/2005. The proposed campaign will support and take advantage of an already existing balloon campaign funded by the NSF Antarctic Aeronomy and Astrophysics Program entitled, "Balloon Observations of MeV Electron Precipitation", lead by U. C. Berkeley, in which four small balloon payloads carrying X-ray instrumentation will be launched from the South African Antarctic station, SANAE. This project will obtain the first conjugate balloon observations of REP sensitive to MeV energies. Since the northern hemisphere observations being made by this project will take place during the northern winter, it allows the use of sensitive optical measurements of proton precipitation, which cannot be done in the sunlit Antarctic. The project will involve several undergraduates in the research and thus promotes educational goals as well as directly contributing to our knowledge of the radiation belts.