Relativistic electron precipitations in a pulsating aurora
Abstract
Data from scintillation and solid state detectors flown on rockets in Norway are used to examine the temporal and energetic characteristics of relativistic electrons precipitated during a pulsating post breakup aurora in the morning sector. Electron bursts with mildly relativistic energies discovered from the data are discribed in detail. Temporal features of these bursts showing periodic components on a time scale of 10 ms are described. These observations constitute a new regime of time and energy for electrons in morningside aurorae. A region within approximately 1 earth radius above the ionosphere on the L = 6.6 magnetic field line is determined as the point of acceleration of the electrons. These temporal, energetic and spatial characteristics are compared to the electron cyclotron resonance theory which was proposed to explain pulsating electron precipitation in a morningside aurorae. The theoretical model is shown to adequately explain some but not all of the observations. Suggestions for further theoretical and experimental treatments of this problem are made.
- Publication:
-
Ph.D. Thesis
- Pub Date:
- 1987
- Bibcode:
- 1987PhDT........15H
- Keywords:
-
- Auroras;
- Electron Precipitation;
- Magnetic Fields;
- Planetary Ionospheres;
- Relativistic Electron Beams;
- Cyclotron Resonance;
- Electron Acceleration;
- Energetic Particles;
- Morning;
- Radio Bursts;
- Geophysics