Investigating EMIC waves as a relativistic electron precipitation mechanism during the MINIS balloon campaign

The MINIS balloon campaign was conducted in January of this year to obtain the first multi-point measurements of relativistic electron precipitation (REP). Two balloons were launched in the northern hemisphere at Churchill, Manitoba, carrying an X-ray scintillator and Hβ photometer, and four balloons were launched in the southern hemisphere at SANAE, Antarctica, carrying the same scintillator and additional field instruments. Observations from previous balloon campaigns suggest wave-particle interaction with EMIC waves as the precipitation mechanism for REP due to the location of the events in the dusk sector, near the edge of the plasmapause. [Millan et al., 2002]. REP events were detected on Jan. 21st and 25th by the MINIS campaign during the SSC, main phase, and recovery phase of the geomagnetic storm produced by the Jan. 20, 2005 CME. We investigate the precipitation mechanism for these events; specifically, whether EMIC waves play a role in REP. Ground based search coil magnetometer data are used to determine the presence of EMIC waves. We also use IMAGE Satellite data to determine the location of the REP events with respect to the plasmapause and correlated proton precipitation.