Meridian-scanning photometer, coherent HF radar, and magnetometer observations of the cusp: a case study, Ann

• Main Authors: S. E. Milan, M. Lester, S. W. H. Cowley, J. Moen, C. J. Owen
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1999
• Subjects: Lesund; Svalbard
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.371.4804; http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/31/65/23/PDF/angeo-17-159-1999.pdf

Abstract. The dynamics of the cusp region and postnoon sector for an interval of predominantly IMF By, Bz < 0 nT are studied with the CUTLASS Finland coherent HF radar, a meridian-scanning photometer located at Ny A Ê lesund, Svalbard, and a meridional network of magnetometers. The scanning mode of the radar is such that one beam is sampled every 14 s, and a 30 ° azimuthal sweep is completed every 2 minutes, all at 15 km range resolution. Both the radar backscatter and red line (630 nm) optical observations are closely colocated, especially at their equatorward boundary. The optical and radar aurora reveal three di€erent behaviours which can interchange on the scale of minutes, and which are believed to be related to the dynamic nature of energy and momentum transfer from the solar wind to