Collaborative Research: CEDAR--Experimental and Modeling Study of Mesoscale Ion-Neutral Coupling in the Auroral Thermosphere

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The coupling of ions and neutrals in the auroral thermosphere, during both active and quite auroral conditions is studied using three Fabry-Perot interferometers and the AMISR incoherent scatter radar. Three components (zonal, meridional, and vertical) of the thermospheric neutral wind are isolated in a mesoscale cell approximately 50km - 75km in size, within the AMISR coverage pattern. The goal is to quantify the mesoscale response to joule heating in the auroral thermosphere, and to evaluate ion-neutral coupling in the vicinity of auroral arcs. The measurements also provide the divergence and vorticity of the neutral wind. The physics-based Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (GTIM) is applied with enhanced spatial resolution and measurement constraint to evaluate the importance of various forcing functions, including Lorentz drag, particle precipitation energy deposition, and Joule heating.