CEDAR Postdoc: Coupled Ionosphere/Thermosphere/Exosphere/Plasmasphere Neutral Density Measurement Initiative

尽管最近在理论模拟和观测方面取得了进展，但对上层热层和下层外部层中性物种密度的量化仍然难以捉摸。如果要取得进展，使用地面仪器常规测量中性大气参数的技术是必不可少的。该奖项利用精确的新测量能力来解决低地球轨道区域的原子氧和氢密度量化问题。这项研究将利用阿雷西博天文台和米尔斯通山天文台目前正在通过顶部电离层对F区轻离子物种密度和离子温度进行的测量。将雷达观测与灵敏的光学气辉测量相结合，利用离子能量平衡、电荷交换平衡和Boltzmann方程的耦合矩提取中性密度。该方法使用现有雷达链数据和阿雷西博集群式仪器的新测量数据。这项研究将产生一种自洽的技术，通过对耦合大气区域的地面遥感，常规和可靠地得出F区峰值及其以上的中性密度。除了评估和约束当代大气模型和理论之外，拟议的活动还将进一步解决科学界的广泛关切，因为它允许对中性大气在长期、时间、季节和太阳周期变化方面的重要特征进行描述。

Quantification of neutral species densities in the upper thermosphere and lower exosphere remains elusive in spite of recent advances in both theoretical modeling and observations. Techniques for routinely measuring neutral atmosphere parameters using ground-based instruments is essential if progress is to be made. This award takes advantage of precise new measurement capabilities to attack the problem of atomic oxygen and hydrogen density quantification in the region of low-earth orbit. The study will make use of measurements of light ion species densities and ion temperatures in the F-region through the topside ionosphere that are currently being made at the Arecibo and Millstone Hill Observatories. The radar observations are combined with sensitive optical airglow measurements, and neutral densities are extracted using ion-energy balance, charge exchange equilibrium, and the coupled moments of the Boltzmann equation. The methodology uses existing radar chain data and new measurements from clustered instrumentation at Arecibo. The study will lead to a self-consistent technique to derive neutral densities routinely and reliably at and above the F-region peak through ground based remote sensing of the coupled atmospheric regions. In addition to evaluating and constraining contemporary atmospheric models and theories, the proposed activity will further address broad concerns of the scientific community by allowing for the important characterization of the neutral atmosphere with respect to secular, temporal, seasonal, and solar cycle variations.