Near-Simultaneous Observations from Multiple DMSP Satellites: A New Direction in Probing the Magnetosphere

该项目将利用国防气象卫星计划(DMSP)的两颗(或更多)卫星几乎同时通过的方式来研究(1)大尺度电子加速(LSEA)事件(也称为“倒V事件”)的时空结构和(2)被称为“双尖”的现象。DMSP卫星的偶然结合有时会使这些卫星在极光区域彼此相距50公里以内。卫星测量的粒子降水可用于识别LSEA事件，卫星间观测到的差异可用于研究LSEA事件的演变。对许多这类事件的统计分析将有可能将空间结构和时间演变分开。通过日侧极光椭圆的多个DMSP实例将被用来比较中午两侧的粒子降水特征。在南北半球，当行星际磁场由东西向分量主导时，高纬度磁合并发生在正午的两侧。有人提出，起源于相反半球的粒子降水特征应该有特殊的特征。这个项目将确定这些特殊的签名是什么，并将阐明双尖点的性质。

This project will utilize near simultaneous passes of two (or more) satellites from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) to investigate (1) the spatial and temporal structure of large scale electron acceleration (LSEA) events (also referred to as "inverted-V events" and (2) the phenomenon known as a "double cusp." Fortuitous conjunctions of the DMSP satellites occasionally bring the satellites within 50 km of one another in the auroral zone. The particle precipitation measurements from the satellites can be used to identify LSEA events and the differences observed between the satellites can be used to study the evolution of the LSEA event. Statistical analysis of many such events will make it possible to separate spatial structure from temporal evolution.Instances of multiple DMSP passes through the dayside auroral oval will be used to compare the particle precipitation characteristics on opposite sides of noon. High latitude magnetic merging takes place on the opposite sides of noon in the northern and southern hemisphere when the interplanetary magnetic field is dominated by the east-west component. It has been suggested that the particle precipitation features originating from opposite hemispheres should have particular signatures. This project will determine what those particular signatures are and will elucidate the nature of the double cusp.