CEDAR: An Investigation of the Anomalous Pedersen Current Driven by the E Region Plasma Turbulence

该项目旨在对120公里附近极光电离层（E区）电子携带的电场取向（Pederson）电流进行经验估计。 电子佩德森电流，通常比离子携带的电流小得多，被假设为在强电场条件下通过被称为Farley-Buneman波的等离子体不稳定性的耗散来驱动。 这种“异常”佩德森电流的估计将推断从地面总磁偏转之间的差异所测量的一个广泛的网络的高纬度磁强计和来自非相干散射雷达（ISR）测量使用多波束传输模式。 将使用一套大的磁力计和ISR综合数据，对热层/电离层的异常电子Pederson电流和相关湍流加热率进行统计估计。 这个项目将涉及研究生和本科生在SRI国际和伍斯特理工学院之间的夏季合作的参与。

This project is to derive empirical estimates of the electric field-aligned (Pederson) current carried by electrons in the auroral ionosphere near 120 km (the E-region). The electron Pederson current, typically much smaller than that carried by ions, is hypothesized to be driven under conditions of strong electric fields by the dissipation of plasma instabilities known as Farley-Buneman waves. Estimates of this "anomalous" Pederson current will be inferred from discrepancies between total ground magnetic deflection as measured by an extensive network of high-latitude magnetometers and that derived from incoherent scatter radar (ISR) measurements using a multiple-beam transmission mode. A large set of combined magnetometer and ISR data will be used to generate statistical estimates of the anomalous electron Pederson current and associated turbulence heating rate of the thermosphere/ionosphere. This project will involve the participation of both graduate and undergraduate students during summer collaborations between SRI International and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.