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VISIONS: Remote Observations of a Spatially-Structured Filamentary Source of Energetic Neutral Atoms near the Polar Cap Boundary During an Auroral SubstormWe report initial results from the VISualizing Ion Outflow via Neutral atom imaging during a Substorm (VISIONS) rocket that flew through and near several regions of enhanced auroral activity and also sensed regions of ion outflow both remotely and directly. The observed neutral atom fluxes were largest at the lower energies and generally higher in the auroral zone than in the polar cap. In this paper, we focus on data from the latter half of the VISIONS trajectory when the rocket traversed the polar cap region. During this period, many of the energetic neutral atom spectra show a peak at 100 electronvolts. Spectra with peaks around 100 electronvolts are also observed in the Electrostatic Ion Analyzer (EIA) data consistent with these ions comprising the source population for the energetic neutral atoms. The EIA observations of this low energy population extend only over a few tens of kilometers. Furthermore, the directionality of the arriving energetic neutral atoms is consistent with either this spatially localized source of energetic ions extending from as low as about 300 kilometers up to above 600 kilometers or a larger source of energetic ions to the southwest.
Document ID
20160005726
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Collier, Michael R.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Chornay, D.
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Clemmons, J.
(Aerospace Corp. El Segundo, CA, United States)
Keller, J. W.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Klenzing, J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Kujawski, J.
(Siena Coll. Londonville, NY, United States)
McLain, J.
(Maryland Univ. College Park, MD, United States)
Pfaff, R.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Rowland, D.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD United States)
Zettergren, M.
(Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univ. Daytona Beach, FL, United States)
Date Acquired
May 3, 2016
Publication Date
August 24, 2015
Publication Information
Publication: Advances in Space Research
Publisher: Elsevier
Volume: 56
Issue: 10
ISSN: 0273-1177
Subject Category
Geophysics
Instrumentation And Photography
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN31303
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: HSRP No.ITM14_2-0038
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX09AI51G
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG06EO90A
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Polar Cap
Substorm
Visions

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