HR: 09:00h
AN: SM21B-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Pulsating Aurora and Associated Particle Precipitation as Observed by the Rocket Observations of Pulsating Aurora Mission
AU: * Jones, S L
EM: sarah.jones@unh.edu
AF: Space Science Center, University of New Hampshire 39 College Rd., Durham, NH 03824, United States
AU: Lessard, M R
EM: marc.lessard@unh.edu
AF: Space Science Center, University of New Hampshire 39 College Rd., Durham, NH 03824, United States
AU: Lynch, K A
EM: kristina.lynch@dartmouth.edu
AF: Dartmouth College, Department of Physics and Astronomy 6127 Wilder Lab., Hanover, NH 03755, United States
AU: Kintner, P M
EM: pmk1@cornell.edu
AF: Cornell University, Electrical and Computer Engineering 302 Rhodes Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States
AU: Stenbaek-Nielsen, H C
EM: hnielsen@gi.alaska.edu
AF: Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska - Fairbanks 903 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775, United States
AB: The Rocket Observations of Pulsating Aurora sounding rocket was launched on February 12, 2007 at 12:45:04UT from Poker Flat Research Range into a region of pulsating aurora. Approximately 4.5 minutes into flight, the rocket crossed the well-defined, high latitude boundary of the pulsating aurora into a region of diffuse, non- pulasting aurora. Previous measurements of electron precipitation associated with pulsating aurora have varied with many showing high energy, tens to hundreds of keV, modulated populations. The ROPA particle instruments measured at least three distinct populations of precipitating electrons and a lack of the higher energy electrons often observed. Several parameters that have been modeled for this event using Open-GGCM show the pulsating aurora to have developed within a larger region of widespread diffuse aurora, as was observed from the Poker allsky camera images. The Poker MSP keogram shows proton aurora in the poleward region, as observed previously by Viereck and Stenbaek-Nielsen [1979]. Observations of the development of pulsating aurora within a region of diffuse plasma sheet electron precipitation and the correlation of the pulsating aurora with the diffuse proton aurora provides information about the relationship between the precipitation mechanisms involved. In this presentation, we discuss the transition from diffuse to pulsating aurora and the possible role of protons in regulating the characteristics of the pulsating aurora.
DE: 2407 Auroral ionosphere (2704)
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2704 Auroral phenomena (2407)
DE: 2716 Energetic particles: precipitating
DE: 2736 Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions (2431)
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting