Antarctic Auroral Imaging

拟议的工作将修改南极现有的4通道全天空照相机，以便观测几种类型的极光，并将尖点重联极光与正常的等离子体片沉淀区分开来。 相机将同时在四个波长区域工作，从而可以区分高能电子（1 keV）和低能（500 eV）降水产生的极光。 尖点是等离子体通过磁场重联过程进入磁层的位置。这种重连发生在行星际磁场（IMF）和地球磁场方向相反的地方。利用IMAGE（磁层顶至极光全球探测成像仪）卫星的紫外光学数据表明，在不同的区域可以看到尖点降水，这取决于IMF的方向。南极站的位置独特，适合光学观测极光，因为南极冬季24小时无光，而且在全天空照相机的视野内出现极光椭圆。

The proposed work would modify an existing 4-channel all-sky camera at South Pole in order to observe several types of auroras, and to distinguish the cusp reconnection aurora from the normal plasma sheet precipitation. The camera will simultaneously operate in four wavelength regions that allow a distinction between auroras that are created by higher energy electrons ( 1 keV) and those created by low energy (500 eV) precipitation. The cusp is the location where plasma enters the magnetosphere through the process of magnetic reconnection. This reconnection occurs where the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) and the terrestrial magnetic field are oriented in opposite directions. Using the IMAGE (Imager for Magnetopause to Aurora Global Exploration) satellite ultraviolet optical data it has been shown that cusp precipitation can be seen in different regions, which depend on the orientation of the IMF. South Pole station is uniquely located for optical observations of the aurora because of the 24 hours of darkness during austral winter and the appearance of the auroral oval within the field of view of all-sky cameras.