Collaborative Research: Relativistic Particle Precipitation and Upper Atmospheric Effects

该项目将研究高能粒子沉淀如何影响高层和中层大气的电导率和电场。 它将研究太阳高能质子如何进入中层大气，并将利用入射质子发射的伽马射线来确定入射粒子的能谱。 该项目还将研究加速、传输和沉淀相对论电子的机制。该项目将分析来自两个气球数据集的数据，这些数据集包含多个高能粒子沉淀事件。 将建立模型来描述这些高能粒子在高层和中层大气中产生的影响。 模型结果将与测量的中层大气辐射、电导率和电场进行比较。 为了确定加速、传输和沉淀相对论电子的机制，气球观测将与地面和航天器观测相结合，以检验降水的波粒相互作用理论，该项目的结果将提高我们预测可能影响各种卫星并可能改变大气化学成分的高能降水事件的能力。 该项目是一个合作项目，涉及达特茅斯学院、华盛顿大学和休斯顿大学的师生。

This project will examine how energetic particle precipitation affects the electrical conductivity and fields in the upper and middle atmosphere. It will examine how solar energetic protons access the middle atmosphere and will utilize the gamma rays emitted by the incoming protons to determine the energy spectrum of the incoming particles. It will also investigate the mechanisms which accelerate, transport, and precipitate relativistic electrons.The project will analyze data from two balloon data sets that contain multiple episodes of energetic particle precipitation. Models will be constructed to describe the effects these energetic particles produce in the upper and middle atmosphere. Model results will be compared with measured middle atmosphere radiation, conductivity, and electric fields. To determine the mechanisms which accelerate, transport and precipitate relativistic electrons the balloon observations will be combined with ground and spacecraft observations to test wave-particle interaction theories for precipitation.The results from the project will improve our ability to predict energetic precipitation events that can affect a variety of satellites and can alter the chemical composition of the atmosphere. The project is a collaborative one involving faculty and students at Dartmouth College, the University of Washington and the University of Houston.