The Earth's Radiation Belts, Auroral Zones, and Polar Caps: Particle Models, Event Studies, and Effects on Materials

• Main Author: Carovillano, R. L.
• Other Authors: BOSTON COLL CHESTNUT HILL MA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: Astrophysics; Atmospheric Physics; Computer Programming and Software; *DATA BASES; *AURORAE; *POLAR CAP; *RADIATION BELTS; *ASTROPHYSICS; ALGORITHMS; GEOMAGNETISM; IONOSPHERE; MAGNETIC FIELDS; CURRENTS; UNMANNED SPACECRAFT; SCIENTIFIC SATELLITES; CONVECTION(ATMOSPHERIC); MODELS; ENERGY; BOUNDARY LAYER; ELECTRIC FIELDS; METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITES; STATISTICAL ANALYSIS; ION DISPERSION; EMPIRICAL ION POLAR CAP BOUNDARY; ANALYTICAL FIT; MAGNETIC ACTIVITY DEPENDENCE; IONOSPHERIC CONVECTION; FIELD ALIGNED CURRENTS; CRRES(COMBINED RELEASE AND RADIATION EFFECTS SATELLITE); SCATHA(SPACECRAFT CHARGING AT HIGH ALTITUDES); THDB(TIME HISTORY DATA BASE); P78-1 DATA BASE; LMT(MAGNETIC LOCAL TIME); AE(GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY INDEX); AURORAL BOUNDARY INDEX; POLAR RAIN INDEX; ION PRECIPITATION BOUNDARY; DMSP(DEFENSE METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITE PROGRAM); PE62101F; WUPL760120AB; Geomagnetic Pole
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA256690; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA256690

Projects include: (1) An empirical DMSP data base of the most poleward ion precipitation boundary: The data base was analyzed statistically and analytically. At each MLT there is great variance, and the ion boundary correlates best with AE. The average boundary is a circle offset from the geomagnetic pole that expands with geomagnetic activity. (2) An analytical model of convection and currents in the height-integrated ionosphere coupled to field aligned currents: Results include the effect of auroral conductivity; deterministic coupling between Region 1 and Region 2 currents; the generation of auroral electrojet currents; the electrical shielding of low latitudes; two cell and multiple cell convection patterns; and conductivity gradient effects. (3) Energy dispersion discovered at the ion polar cap boundary: Interpretations have the ions originating in the plasma sheet boundary laye (4) Various tasks and services with Air Force data bases: Tasks included particle event studies, the auroral boundary index, the polar rain index, and several CRRES projects including the static radiation belt model. Services included algorithm development, provision for data storage, access, and documentation.