Artificial electron beams in the magnetosphere and ionosphereThe Plasma Diagnostics Payload of the Echo 7 satellite carried TV cameras and photometers by means of which the luminosity around an electron beam in the polar ionosphere could be studied. It was found that, while the beam Larmor spiral could be clearly seen near 100 km, above this only a column due to suprathermal electrons was observable. At high altitudes, the emission of neutral gas both generated powerful luminosity and substantially reduced accelerator potentials. An analysis of conjugate echoes indicates that inferred magnetospheric electric fields do not map well into the ionosphere, as well as the presence of strong pitch-angle scattering.
Document ID
19910048405
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Winckler, John R. (Minnesota, University Minneapolis, United States)