Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling Using Incoherent Scatter, Magnetometer, and Other Coordinated Data

该提案要求支持一项为期三年的工作，以调查太阳风、地球磁层和电离层之间的电动力学耦合。调查的重点是高纬度极冠和极裂周围地区。在开放的磁层模型中，裂隙是开放的和封闭的地磁力线之间的白天边界。有相当多的证据表明，在裂隙区域内，可以观察到各种太阳风-磁层-电离层耦合现象的影响，包括：Birkland电流、强电场和等离子体漂移、小尺度场向电流结构的快速运动、局域区内的粒子激发、强烈的电离层加热等。基本问题围绕着确定发生在磁层顶或磁层边界层并与太阳风-磁层相互作用有关的现象的电离层特征。重新连接、开尔文-亥姆霍兹不稳定性、脉冲等离子体穿透、磁层顶对动态压力变化的响应或IMF取向的突然变化等过程都会产生动态变化，这些变化通过场向电流耦合到导电电离层。建议进行各种非相干散射雷达观测，并结合磁强计阵列数据、各种卫星数据以及来自成像测速仪、全天相机等格陵兰其他地面仪器的数据对这些数据进行协调分析，以调查被认为与太阳风向磁层和电离层的能量和动量耦合有关的大尺度和小尺度高纬度电动力学现象。

This proposal requests support for a three year effort to investigate the electrodynamic coupling between the solar wind, the Earth's magnetosphere, and the ionosphere. Investigations focus upon the high latitude polar cap and the region around the polar cleft. In open models of the magnetosphere, the cleft is the dayside boundary between open and closed geomagnetic field lines. There is considerable evidence that, within the cleft region, the effects of the full range of solar wind - magnetosphere - ionosphere coupling phenomena can be observed, including: Birkeland currents, strong electric fields and plasma drifts, rapid motions of small scale field-aligned current structures, particle energization within localized regions, intense ionospheric heating, etc. The proposed research is directed toward investigations of the cleft and its dynamic behavior in response to variations in the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Fundamental questions center around the identification of ionospheric signatures of phenomena which occur at the magnetopause or magnetospheric boundary layer and which relate to solar wind - magnetosphere interactions. Processes such as reconnection, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, impulsive plasma penetration, the magnetopause response to dynamic pressure variations or sudden changes in IMF orientation all produce dynamic variations which couple electrically to the conducting ionosphere via field-aligned currents. It is propose to undertake a variety of incoherent scatter radar observations and the coordinated analysis of these data with combinations of magnetometer array data, a variety of satellite data, as well as data from other Greenland ground instruments such as the imaging riometer, all sky camera, etc. to investigate both large scale and small scale high latitude electrodynamic phenomena which are thought to be associated with the coupling of energy and momentum from the solar wind to the magnetosphere and ionosph ere.