M-I Coupling: Incoherent Scatter Radar Measurements of Ion Upflow: Establishing Ionospheric Boundary Conditions for Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Mass Coupling

M-I 耦合：离子上流的非相干散射雷达测量：建立磁层-电离层质量耦合的电离层边界条件

• 批准号: 0334733
• 负责人: Ennio Sanchez
• 金额: $ 23.98万
• 依托单位: SRI International
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2003
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2003-12-01 至 2007-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0334733&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Coupling; Incoherent; Scatter; Radar; Measurements

Spacecraft observations have established the general properties of ion outflows for different solar and interplanetary wind inputs, seasons, and local times, but they have not provided an understanding of what the ionospheric conditions are that enables the most efficient ion extraction. This project will utilize Incoherent Scatter radar (ISR) data along with satellite/radar conjunctions to determine the altitude profiles of field-aligned ion number flux, electron density, electron temperature, and ion temperature associated with ion outflow events. The project will determine how the ion energization that produces ion upflows in the F region of the ionosphere relates to energization processes that produce ion outflows at higher altitudes. It will quantify the net upward ion flux above the topside ionosphere as a function of external energy input (from the convection electric field, particle precipitation and EUV irradiation) and ionospheric boundary conditions. An expanded ISR database, spanning one solar cycle, will be used to quantify statistically the same ionospheric parameters and their vertical gradients as functions of particle precipitation, heat flux, convection electric field, and solar illumination in the frame of reference of auroral oval boundaries. The project has a strong societal impact because it will bring space research one step closer to achieving a predictive space weather capability. At the present time, MHD models of the magnetosphere have a well-developed formalism to describe mass loading from the solar wind, but they lack a formalism to describe mass loading from the ionosphere. The statistical maps generated by this project will establish the lower boundary condition for all ion extraction models, which in turn can be coupled to upper boundary conditions from the MHD magnetosphere models to produce a self-consistent picture of ionospheric mass loading of the magnetosphere. The results will be made available on publicly accessible FTP and websites at SRI International.

航天器的观察结果已经确定了离子流出的一般特性，用于不同的太阳和星际风输入，季节和当地时代，但他们尚未对电离层条件的理解，从而实现了最有效的离子提取。该项目将利用不连贯的散射雷达（ISR）数据以及卫星/雷达连词来确定与离子流出事件相关的场对齐离子数量通量，电子密度，电子温度和离子温度的高度曲线。该项目将确定在电离层的F区域产生离子上流的离子能量如何与在较高高度下产生离子流出的能量过程有关。它将根据外部能量输入（从对流电场，颗粒降水和EUV辐射）和电离层边界条件来量化顶部电离层上方的净向上磁通量。跨越一个太阳周期的扩展的ISR数据库将用于统计上相同的电离层参数及其垂直梯度与粒子降水，热通量，对流电场和太阳照明的功能相同，并在极光椭圆形边界的参考框架中进行量化。该项目具有强大的社会影响，因为它将使太空研究更接近实现可预测的太空天气能力。目前，磁层的MHD模型具有完善的形式主义，可以描述太阳风中的质量负载，但它们缺乏形式主义来描述电离层的质量负荷。该项目生成的统计图将建立所有离子提取模型的下部边界条件，而MHD磁层模型可以耦合到上边界条件，以产生磁层电离层质量载荷的自一致图片。该结果将在SRI International公开访问的FTP和网站上提供。