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Electron temperature

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Auroral Ion Outflow: Low Altitude Energization, Kristina A. Lynch, J. L. Semeter, M. Zettergren, P. Kintner, R. Arnoldy, E. Klatt, J. Labelle, R. G. Michell Oct 2007

Auroral Ion Outflow: Low Altitude Energization, Kristina A. Lynch, J. L. Semeter, M. Zettergren, P. Kintner, R. Arnoldy, E. Klatt, J. Labelle, R. G. Michell

Dartmouth Scholarship

The SIERRA nightside auroral sounding rocket made observations of the origins of ion upflow, at topside F-region altitudes (below 700 km), comparatively large topside plasma densities (above 20 000/cc), and low energies (10 eV). Upflowing ions with bulk velocities up to 2 km/s are seen in conjunction with the poleward edge of a nightside substorm arc. The upflow is limited within the poleward edge to a region (a) of northward convection, (b) where Alfvenic ´ and Pedersen conductivities are well-matched, leading to good ionospheric transmission of Alfvenic power, and (c) of ´ soft electron precipitation (below 100 eV). Models of …