Auroral Thermosphere with Nitrogen-Ion (N2+) Lidar and Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR)

北极热层和E-区域电离层的采样与三种仪器，一种新型的氮离子（N2+）共振激光雷达，先进的模块化非相干散射雷达（AMISR），并在扑克坪阿拉斯加子午线扫描光度计。 测量同化和建模与美国空军多物种电离层化学模型，以产生一个封闭的一组E-区域连续性方程的数量密度的[O2+]，[NO+]，和[NO]的确定，除了第一个距离分辨的轮廓N2+密度从80-300公里，这是直接从激光雷达测量。 这些N2+离子数据提供了比单独从非相干散射雷达（ISR）体离子信息中提取的更精确的E区电离率估计，并且NO数据被用于研究极光NO的生命周期。该研究使用新的仪器技术实现了极光E区二维离子形态的前所未有的采样（使用AMISR的电子束转向），以及使用391纳米处的N2+共振对N2+高度分布的前所未有的测量。

The Arctic thermosphere and E-region ionosphere is sampled with three instruments, a novel nitrogen-ion (N2+) resonant lidar, the Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter radar (AMISR), and a meridian scanning photometer at Poker Flat Alaska. The measurements are assimilated and modeled with the United States Air Force multispecies ionospheric chemistry model to produce a closed set of E-region continuity equations from which the number densities of [O2+], [NO+], and [NO] are determined in addition to the first range-resolved profile of N2+ density from 80-300 kilometer that is determined directly from the lidar measurements. These N2+ ion data provide more accurate E-region ionization rate estimates than can be extracted from the incoherent scatter radar (ISR) bulk ion information alone, and the NO data are used to investigate the life cycle of auroral NO. The research uses new instrument technology to achieve unprecedented sampling of two-dimensional ion morphology in the auroral E-region (using the electronic beam steering of AMISR), and unprecedented measurements of the N2+ altitude profile using an N2+ resonance at 391 nanometer.