An Electric Field Inferred from Backscattered Electrons Over a Pulsating Aurora

Computer Science – Sound

Scientific paper

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2407 Auroral Ionosphere (2704), 2451 Particle Acceleration, 2455 Particle Precipitation

Scientific paper

A sounding rocket, equipped to study pulsating aurora and launched from Poker Flat, Alaska on March 13, 1997, measured electron precipitation over the range 10~eV to 500~keV. For the first time, pulsations were observed in low energy (E~<~500~eV) electrons. Similarity between the up and downgoing low energy (E~<~1~keV)electron spectra as well as low energy isotropic pitch-angle distributions are consistent with an electric potential of ~~1~kV which causes upgoing electrons to reverse their trajectories and be detected as downgoing electrons. This new observation explains the presence of the steady precipitation of low energy (E~<~1~keV)electrons seen during this pulsating aurora. Using a velocity dispersion argument, the turning point in the electron trajectory has been estimated to be located ~~4000~km above the rocket. The low energy electrons are observed during both pulsation and non-pulsation time intervals, indicating that the electric field exists regardless of the presence of pulsations. This conclusion along with the observation of pulsations in energies up to 60~keV, while the electric field is on the order of 1~kV, suggests that the electron pulsations are not modulated by the low altitude parallel electric field.

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