Self-consistent modeling of the auroral ionosphere-thermospher : how does sever space weather affect low-earth orbiting satellites?

极光电离层-热层的自洽模型：恶劣的空间天气如何影响低地轨道卫星？

• 批准号: 249806-2011
• 负责人: Noel, JeanMarc
• 金额: $ 1.09万
• 依托单位: Royal Military College of Canada
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=570735
• 关键词: Self; consistent; modeling; auroral; ionosphere

The main objective of this research program is to investigate how solar activity affects the Earth's upper atmosphere at high latitudes. In particular, this program will set out to self-consistently model and explore the ionospheric-thermospheric response to extreme solar activity and study how Low-Earth Orbiting satellite (LEOs) can be affected by these changes. Recent studies using the Space Surveillance Network Two-Line Element sets has shown that solar activity has a detectable influence on the altitude of orbiting satellites. In particular, it has been observed that the rate-of-change of the altitude of so-called "dead satellites" varies in a similar way as the rate-of-change in the F10.7 solar flux index and Ap index. Using "dead satellites" allows us to neglect changes in the altitude that are due to maneuvers by the satellite operator. As a result, any changes in the orbital parameters can be considered to be due to changes in the thermospheric density, the thermospheric winds or a combination of both. The novelty in our approach is that we will use a coupled thermospheric-ionospheric model that has been recently developed at RMC to model the space environment in a self-consistent manner. The model is a two-dimensional time-dependent code that computes the temporal evolution of the number densities of the principal thermospheric and ionospheric species, their temperatures, and the field-aligned velocities of the ions and electrons. The temporal evolution of the electric potential, the electric fields, the current densities and the conductivities of the ionospheric-thermospheric system in response to variations in the particle precipitation can be computed. These simulations will serve as input for orbital propagation subroutines allowing us to model the orbit of LEOs and the effects of severe solar storms on their orbital parameters.

该研究计划的主要目标是研究太阳活动如何影响高纬度地区的地球高层大气。 特别是，该计划将着手建立自洽模型并探索电离层-热层对极端太阳活动的响应，并研究低地球轨道卫星（LEO）如何受到这些变化的影响。 最近使用空间监视网络两线元件组的研究表明，太阳活动对轨道卫星的高度有可检测到的影响。 特别是，据观察，所谓“死亡卫星”的高度变化率与F10.7太阳通量指数和Ap指数的变化率类似。 使用“死卫星”可以让我们忽略由于卫星操作员的操纵而引起的高度变化。 因此，轨道参数的任何变化都可以被认为是由于热层密度、热层风或两者的组合的变化造成的。 我们方法的新颖之处在于，我们将使用 RMC 最近开发的热层-电离层耦合模型以自洽的方式对空间环境进行建模。 该模型是一个二维时间相关代码，用于计算主要热层和电离层物质的数量密度、它们的温度以及离子和电子的场对准速度的时间演化。 可以计算电离层-热层系统的电势、电场、电流密度和电导率响应粒子降水变化的时间演变。 这些模拟将作为轨道传播子程序的输入，使我们能够模拟低地球轨道的轨道以及严重太阳风暴对其轨道参数的影响。