HR: 1330h
AN: SA22A-0101    [PDF]
TI: Horizontal Sounding Rocket Plasma Density Measurements of Growth Phase Aurora
AU: Johnson, B
EM: ftbaj@uaf.edu
AF: Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alaska,, P.O. Box 751841, Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
AU: Conde, M
EM: mark.conde@gi.alaska.edu
AF: Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska,, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
AU: * Hawkins, J
EM: ffjgh@uaf.edu
AF: Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska,, P.O. Box 757320, Fairbanks, AK 99775 United States
AB: The Horizontal E-Region Experiment (HEX) sounding rocket was launched on March 25, 2003 at 09:50:01 UT from Poker Flat, Alaska into a near horizontal trajectory through a stable, growth phase auroral arc. The near horizontal flight path of the probe first transited a broad, diffuse aurora, then through the stable auroral arc that was the primary subject of the HEX experiment and finally through a dim, fading arc before re-entering the atmosphere. The HEX payload included a trimethyl aluminum (TMA) chemical tracer, photometer and plasma instrument to investigate vertical winds that may exist in the E-region of the ionosphere poleward of a stable auroral arc. The plasma probe measured the ambient relative plasma density to determine if plasma depletions might be associated with vertical winds observed by the TMA tracers. The plasma probe successfully returned in-situ measurements from the vicinity of the auroral arcs, but did not detect plasma depletion signatures linked to vertical winds. Analysis of the response of the plasma instrument in the context of the experiment will be presented. Primary emphasis will be placed on interpreting the response of the plasma instrument's segmented fixed DC collector to resolve ambient positive ion density and secondary auroral electron energy and density estimates as the probe passed through these three auroral regions.
DE: 2407 Auroral ionosphere (2704)
DE: 2427 Ionosphere/atmosphere interactions (0335)
DE: 3369 Thermospheric dynamics (0358)
DE: 3394 Instruments and techniques
SC: SPA - Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting