Studying and Modeling the Solar Cycle Variations of Topside Electron Temperature and Ion Composition

研究人员将建立一个国际研究合作，收集覆盖三个太阳系的顶侧电离层中电子温度和离子成分的数据记录。 他们将利用这一数据库为国际参考电离层（IRI）制定这些参数的太阳周期变化的改进规格。 IRI是广泛使用的电离层参数国际标准。 研究人员将联合收割机结合美国、捷克/俄罗斯和日本卫星的现场测量数据，从而建立一个涵盖1964年至1993年这一时期的数据库。 最终的数据集和模型将从NASA的国家空间科学数据中心公开提供。 顶侧电子温度和上跃迁高度是了解电离层-等离子体层/磁层临界跃迁区粒子和能量通量的重要参数。 电子温度和离子组成的准确规格将有利于IRI在科学，工程和教育中的许多应用，并将为更准确地预测和预报顶侧电离层的空间天气条件提供基础。 它将建立一个经验基线，根据该基线可以比较理论模型的输出，并根据该基线可以衡量和识别干扰行为。 这项活动将在美国、捷克共和国和日本的机构之间建立一个合作科学项目。 该活动将涉及三个研究地点的研究生和暑期学生的参与。 拟议研究的结果将是一个可供公众使用的电离层数据库和模型。 这些数据和模型将成为课堂活动和课程工作的宝贵资源。 IRI已经是一种广泛用于教育目的的工具。

The investigators will establish an international research collaboration to assemble a data record of electron temperatures and ion composition in the topside ionosphere covering three solar. They will use this database to develop an improved specification of solar cycle variations of these parameters for the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). IRI is a widely used international standard for ionospheric parameters. The researchers will combine in situ measurements from US, Czech/Russian and Japanese satellites and thus establish a database that covers the time period 1964 to 1993. The final data sets as well as models will be made publicly available from NASA's National Space Science Data Center. The topside electron temperature and the upper transition height are important parameters for the understanding of the flux of particles and energy in the critical transition region between ionosphere and plasmasphere/magnetosphere. An accurate specification of the electron temperature and ion composition will benefit the many applications of IRI in science, engineering, and education, and will provide the basis for more accurate predictions and forecast of space weather conditions in the topside ionosphere. It will establish an empirical baseline against which output from theoretical models can be compared and against which disturbed behavior can be scaled and identified. This activity will establish a collaborative science project between institutions in the US, the Czech Republic, and Japan. The activity will involve participation of graduate students and summer students at the three research locations. The result of the proposed study will be a publicly available ionospheric database and model. The data and model will be a valuable resource for classroom activities and course work. IRI is already a widely used tool for educational purposes.