Plasma flow disturbances in the magnetospheric plasma sheet during substorm activations

We have considered variations in fields and particle fluxes in the near-Earth plasma sheet on the THEMIS-D satellite together with the auroral dynamics in the satellite-conjugate ionospheric part during two substorm activations on December 19, 2014 with K _p = 2. The satellite was at ~8.5R_E and MLT = 21.8 in the outer region of captured energetic particles with isotropic ion fluxes near the convection boundary of electrons with an energy of ~10 keV. During substorm activations, the satellite recorded energetic particle injections and magnetic field oscillations with a period of ~90 s. In the satellite-conjugate ionospheric part, the activations were preceded by wavelike disturbances of auroral brightness along the southern azimuthal arc. In the expansion phase of activations, large-scale vortex structures appeared in the structure of auroras. The sudden enhancements of auroral activity (brightening of arcs, auroral breakup, and appearance of NS forms) coincided with moments of local magnetic field dipolarization and an increase in the amplitude Pi2 of pulsations of the B_z component of the magnetic field on the satellite. Approximately 30–50 s before these moments, the magnetosphere was characterized by an increased rate of plasma flow in the radial direction, which initiated the formation of plasma vortices. The auroral activation delays relative to the times when plasma vortices appear in the magnetosphere decreased with decreasing latitude of the satellite projection. The plasma vortices in the magnetosphere are assumed to be responsible for the observed auroral vortex structures and the manifestation of the hybrid vortex instability (or shear flow ballooning instability) that develops in the equatorial magnetospheric plane in the presence of a shear plasma flow in the region of strong pressure gradients in the Earthward direction.     

Effect of large and sharp changes of solar wind dynamic pressure on the earths’s magnetosphere: analysis of several events

The magnetosphere and ionosphere response to arrival of large changes of the solar wind dynamic pressure with sharp fronts to the Earth is considered. It is shown that, under an effect of an impulse of solar wind pressure, the magnetic field at a geosynchronous orbit changes: it grows with increasing solar wind pressure and decreases, when the solar wind pressure drops. Energetic particle fluxes also change: on the dayside of the magnetosphere the fluxes grow with arrival of an impulse of solar wind dynamic pressure, and on the nightside the response of energetic particle fluxes depends on the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) direction. Under the condition of negative Bz-component of the IMF on the nightside of the magnetosphere, injections of energetic electron fluxes can be observed. It is shown, that large and fast increase of solar wind pressure, accompanied by a weakly negative Bz-component of the IMF, can result in particless’ precipitation on the dayside of the auroral oval, and in the development of a pseudobreakup or substorm on the nightside of the oval. The auroral oval dynamics shows that after passage of an impulse of solar wind dynamic pressure the auroral activity weakens. In other words, the impulse of solar wind pressure in the presence of weakly negative IMF can not only cause the pseudobreakup/substorm development, but control this development as well.     

Enhancements of fluxes of precipitating energetic electrons on the boundary of the outer radiation belt of the earth and position of the auroral oval boundaries

An analysis of enhancements in the fluxes of electrons with energies above 300 keV registered onboard of the Coronas-F satellite in the polar regions at the boundary of the outer radiation belt is performed. Cases are revealed when the increases in question were observed consequently during multiple crossings of the outer radiation belt boundary. Localization of the revealed events relative to the auroral oval using the data of almost simultaneous observations of electrons with energies of 0.1–10 keV on the Meteor-3M satellite and OVATION model is studied. It is shown that almost all studied increases in relativistic electrons are localized at latitudes of the auroral oval. Various mechanisms which could cause the observed increases are discussed, as well as a possibility of formation of local traps of energetic particles in the high-latitude magnetosphere.     

Electron flux variations at altitudes of 600–800 km in the second half of 2014. preliminary results of an experiment using RELEC equipment onboard the satellite <Emphasis Type="Italic">VERNOV</Emphasis>

The results of measurements of fluxes and spectra carried out using the RELEC (relativistic electrons) equipment onboard the VERNOV satellite in the second half of 2014 are presented. The VERNOV satellite was launched on July 8, 2014 in a sun-synchronous orbit with an altitude from 640 to 830 km and an inclination of 98.4°. Scientific information from the satellite was first received on July 20, 2014. The comparative analysis of electron fluxes using data from RELEC and using experimental data on the electron detection by satellites Elektro-L (positioned at a geostationary orbit) and Meteor-M no. 2 (positioned at a circular polar orbit at an altitude of about 800 km as the VERNOV satellite) will make it possible to study the spatial distribution pattern of energetic electrons in near-Earth space in more detail.     

Dynamics of ion energy-dispersed structures near the plasma sheet outer boundary

An analysis of energy-dispersed structures of protons and populations of electrons has been made using the Interball-2 satellite data for the apogee parts of 1579 (September 13, 1997) and 1276 (July 2, 1997) orbits. At each orbit, the satellite crossed the auroral zone twice at altitudes of 13500–19000 km moving first poleward (the first crossing) and then equatorward (the second crossing). A transformation of the types of energy-dispersed structures near the outer boundary of the auroral zone was observed at the first and second crossings: VDIS into TDIS (orbit 1579) and TDIS into VDIS (orbit 1276). The VDIS represent solitary structures of 0.3–10 keV consisting of several small-scale structures 2–5 min long, while the TDIS are repeating injections of 1–14 keV 1–3 min long with the repetition period of 2–4 min. It is shown that the VDIS-to-TDIS and TDIS-to-VDIS transformations are distinctly related to the phase of a substorm. The VDIS were observed under magnetically quiet conditions before a substorm or at the recovery phase of a substorm, while TDIS were observed during the main phase of a substorm.     

Suppression of auroral kilometric radiation by an HF heating facility

The results of a joint experiment using the Tromsø heating facility and the INTERBALL-2 satellite are presented. It is shown that fluxes of accelerated ionospheric electrons reach an altitude of 11200 km, suppressing the auroral kilometric radiation. The timescales of the observed phenomena are estimated and possible physical mechanisms are discussed.     

Effects of small-scale plasma disturbance on the IKB-1300 spacecraft potential

The potential of the Intercosmos-Bulgaria-1300 (IKB-1300) satellite launched to a circular orbit at an altitude ～900 km was measured with several instruments. Care was taken to equalize the potential along the satellite surface. The satellite was placed inside the conducting screen and the solar cells had a metal coating. The satellite potential slightly varied along the trajectory and in the typical case it was “?2”B that corresponds to 5 kTe/e. While the satellite crossed the auroral zone small-scale fluctuations of plasma and field parameters, known as shocks, were recorded. In this region a sharp decrease of the satellite negative potential is often observed. In this case the potential variations well correlate with the increasing flux of energetic electrons. The observed variations can be explained by secondary electron emission from the satellite surface.     

Spatial structure of Pc5 waves in the outer magnetosphere according to observations onboard the THEMIS satellites

We have analyzed oscillations in the Pc5 range recorded in the outer region of the evening magnetosphere onboard 5 THEMIS satellites when all vehicles were moving with a small distance along one and the same orbit. Gradients of the spatial structure of oscillations and fluxes of energetic protons are determined. The observed phase shifts of the oscillation field between the satellites are presumably caused by their sunward (westward) propagation with azimuthal wave numbers m ～ 30–60. According the data of particle detectors, non-equilibrium character of the distribution of protons is found: their non-monotonous distribution in energy and sharp spatial heterogeneity. The calculated parameters of plasma and oscillations are not consistent with the assumption on drift-mirror instability as a source of the oscillations. A complete theory of these waves should include effects of the finite Larmor radius and simultaneous existence of two types of nonequilibrium plasma.     

Structure of the Disturbed Magnetosphere

The quasitrapping region (QTR) at the night side of a disturbed magnetosphere in the majority of models is either absent completely or merges with the plasma sheet of the magnetosphere tail. At the same time these two regions are different both in the topology of the magnetic field and in the character of motion of charged particles. Moreover, it is the region of quasitrapping that is conjugate to the zone of auroral active forms; i.e., it can be called the auroral magnetosphere. Models of the magnetosphere in which the tail structures of the magnetic field are directly adjacent to the boundary of stable trapping (in particular, the isotropic boundary model) are based on erroneous assumptions. Our understanding of the processes of magnetosphere substorms and magnetic storms depends on a correct understanding of the magnetosphere structure.     

Studies of the substorm on March 12, 1991: 1. Structure of substorm activity and auroral ions

The substorm on March 12, 1991 is studied using the data of ground-based network of magnetometers, all-sky cameras and TV recordings of aurora, and measurements of particle fluxes and magnetic field onboard a satellite in the equatorial plane. The structure of substorm activity and the dynamics of auroral ions of the central plasma sheet (CPS) and energetic quasi-trapped ions related to the substorm are considered in the first part. It is shown that several sharp changes in the fluxes and pitch-angle distribution of the ions which form the substorm ion injection precede a dipolarization of the magnetic field and increases of energetic electrons, and coincide with the activation of aurora registered 20° eastward from the satellite. A conclusion is drawn about different mechanisms of the substorm acceleration (injection) of electrons and ions.     

Radiation Electrification of Spacecraft Leeward Surfaces by Auroral Electrons in the Ionosphere

A methodology of the physical modeling of radiation electrification of the leeward surfaces of the materials used to construct space vehicles by auroral electrons, when the vehicles are flown supersonically around by the ionospheric plasma at low and middle heights, is developed. Based on laboratory modeling, numerical experiments, and in situ observations, the dependencies of charging levels and equilibrium potentials on the ratio of the auroral electron density to the positive ions in the near wake behind the body and in the undisturbed plasma are determined.     

Electrostatic Noise Spectrum at the Electron Cyclotron Frequency and Electromagnetic Emission in the Inhomogeneous Plasma of the Topside Ionosphere

Measurements of the wave emission of the topside ionosphere made onboard the APEX satellite using the electric component of the wave field in the 0.1–10 MHz frequency band are presented. At middle latitudes a wave intensity decrease was observed in the broad-band spectrum of the electrostatic noise at the electron cyclotron frequency. It is shown that a break in the spectrum of electrostatic modes at the electron cyclotron frequency (the absence of the plasma eigen-frequencies) may be a cause of the observed effect. The increase of the intensity at the electron cyclotron frequency in the ionospheric trough and at latitudes above the trough region as compared to middle latitudes may be explained by the capture by plasma irregularities of the electromagnetic emission of the auroral electron fluxes.__________Translated from Kosmicheskie Issledovaniya, Vol. 43, No. 3, 2005, pp. 201–208.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Izhovkina, Prutensky, Pulinets, Kiraga, Klos, Rothkael.     

International Practices to Protect the Geostationary Ring

Since more than 20 years reorbiting of geostationary satellites at the end of their mission is recommended and partially performed to protect the GEO environment. Now a worldwide accepted reorbiting altitude was defined by the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC). Still only one-third of the aging satellites follow this IADC rule. Based on orbital data in the DISCOS database, the situation in the geostationary ring is analyzed. From 878 known objects, 305 are controlled inside their longitude slots, 353 are drifting above, below or through GEO, and 125 are in a libration orbit (status of January 2001). In the last four years (1997–2000) 58 spacecraft reached end-of-life. Twenty of them were reorbited in compliance with the IADC recommendations, 16 were reorbited below this recommendation and 22 were abandoned without any end-of-life disposal manoeuvre.     

Observations of the auroral hectometric radio emission onboard the <Emphasis Type="Italic">INTERBALL-1</Emphasis> satellite

The results of five-year (1995–2000) continuous observations of the auroral radio emission (ARE) in the hectometric wavelength range on the high-apogee INTERBALL-1 satellite are presented. Short intense bursts of the auroral hectometric radio emission (AHR) were observed at frequencies of 1463 and 1501 kHz. The bursts were observed predominantly at times when the terrestrial magnetosphere was undisturbed (in the quiet Sun period), and their number decreased rapidly with increasing solar activity. The bursts demonstrated seasonal dependence in the Northern and Southern hemispheres (dominating in the autumn-winter period). Their appearance probably depends on the observation time (UT). A qualitative explanation of the AHR peculiarities is given.     

电磁监测试验卫星及其初步成果（英文）

As the first satellite of the China national geophysical field observation series of satellite missions, the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite(CSES) was designed upon an optimized CAST2000 platform for a sun synchronous orbit. Onboard CSES, there are total eight types of scientific payloads including the Search-coil Magnetometer, Electric Field Detector, High Precision Magnetometer, GNSS Occupation Receiver, Plasma Analyzer, Langmuir Probe, Energetic Particle Detector Package, and a Three-band Transmitter to individually acquire the global electromagnetic field, electromagnetic waves, ionospheric plasma parameters as well as energetic particles. Up to now, CSES has been operating normally in orbit for 2 years. By using the various sensor data acquired by CSES, we have achieved scientific research in the areas of the global geomagnetic field modeling, space weather, earthquake event analysis, the Lithosphere-Atmosphere-Ionosphere coupling mechanism and so on.     

Identification of sources of Pc1 geomagnetic pulsations on the basis of proton aurora observations

The relationship between proton aurora and geomagnetic pulsations Pc1, which are an indicator of development of ion-cyclotron instability in the equatorial magnetosphere, are studied on the basis of the observations of proton aurora from the IMAGE satellite, observations of particle fluxes onboard the low-orbiting NOAA satellites, and geomagnetic pulsation observations at the Lovozero observatory. A conclusion is drawn that the subauroral spots in the proton emission projected into the magnetosphere near the plasmapause are two-dimensional images at the ionospheric “screen” of the region of intense scattering of energetic protons into the loss cone at the development of an ion-cyclotron instability.     

Some features of solar cosmic ray penetration into the Earth’s magnetosphere

We compared fluxes of the 1–100 MeV solar energetic particles (SEP) measured in the interplanetary medium (ACE) and in the magnetosphere (Universitetsky-Tatiana, POES—in polar caps, and GOES-11—at geosynchronous orbit) during several SEP events of 2005–2006. Peak intensities of the SEP fluxes inside and outside the magnetosphere were compared for each event. It is shown that observed inside-outside difference depends mainly on direction of interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), on degree of the SEP anisotropy (pitch-angle distribution) in IMF, and on distance of the dayside magnetopause from the Earth.     

Hectometer radio bursts and energetic electrons during solar flares according to observations onboard the Interball-1 satellite

Radio bursts in the frequency range 100–1500 kHz and fluxes of energetic electrons with energies of 20–450 keV recorded onboard the Interball-1 satellite during prominent chromospheric flares on the Sun are studied. The time of propagation of the electrons to the Earth is estimated using the method of comparison of the moments of the beginning of radio emission generation during the explosive phase of the flare and the arrival of the accelerated electrons to the Earth.     

对GEO卫星照相的HEO卫星变轨策略研究

为对地球同步轨道卫星近距离光学照相,设计了大椭圆任务轨道.在考虑地球扁率J2的动力学模型下,研究了大椭圆轨道变轨策略,提出了轨道设计方案,并进行了仿真计算.基于STK软件对变轨方案进行了仿真验证,结果表明所提出的轨道设计方案能够满足对地球同步轨道卫星近距离光学照相要求.     

Near-Equatorial Electrons as Measured onboard the MirSpace Station

Some results of studying the electrons with energies of tens to hundreds of keV at the low and near- equatorial geomagnetic latitudes by using the instruments Sprut-V and Ryabina-2 onboard the Mirspace station in 1991 are presented. It is found that at L< 1.2 the enhanced electron fluxes are sporadically detected, being localized within three longitudinal intervals, 180° W–0°–15° E, 90°– 120° E, and 160° E–180°–135° W. The most intense electron fluxes are observed at the lower edge of the near-equatorial boundary of the inner radiation belt on longitudes of the South Atlantic Anomaly between 14 and 20 h MLT. The occurrence of electron bursts does not depend on the geomagnetic disturbance level. A hardening of the electron spectra is observed near the geomagnetic equator. At L< 1.1, the more energetic particles are located closer to the geomagnetic equator. The results are compared with the data on the low-frequency waves and fields at low and near-equatorial latitudes obtained by the Ariel-4and San Marco Dsatellites, as well as by the spacecraft and ground-based observations of the thunderstorm global distribution. The thunderstorms are considered as a possible source of electron production near the geomagnetic equator.