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Observations are reported of radio waves in the range 2.5-6 MHz, emitted by the aurora. Two distinct types of emissions are seen: bursts, which are broad band emissions with a time scale of the order of .1 sec, and roars, which are narrow band (300 kHz) emissions with a time scale of ten minutes.
Using the Apollo-Soyuz mission's extreme ultraviolet telescope, it proved possible to observe the equatorial aurora on four different occasions. The observations were made from 220 km in quiet geomagnetic conditions. In all cases, signals were well above ambient background in the 50 to 150 A, 114 to 150 A, 170 to 600 A, and 500 to 780 A bands. The existence of a strong feature in the 50 to 150 A region may be an indication that other elements besides helium - possibly oxygen and nitrogen - contribute to the enhancement.
The paper demonstrates that the broad band of whistler-mode waves observed within the high density torus surrounding Io is consistent with electron cyclotron generation. Cyclotron resonant instability of Jovian energetic electrons is enhanced due to the lower resonant electron energy within the equatorial high density plasma torus surrounding the orbit of Io. The higher energy resonant electron scattering and the corresponding energetic electron lifetimes indicate that an efficient local acceleration process is required to replenish the precipitating relativistic electrons. Calculated energy deposition into the Jovian atmosphere should provide a dominant source of middle atmospheric ionization and excite a continuous band of diffuse auroral emission. It is suggested that the diffuse Jovian aurora should be influenced by the variable volcanic activity on Io which is thought to be an important source of plasma, since the cyclotron scattering process is strongly influenced by the ambient equatorial thermal plasma density.
The present paper deals with species-identifying distribution function measurements of auroral primary particles, made during a magnetically quiet presubstorm period above a hydrogen-associated diffuse aurora. Only ions identified as H(+) and He(++) were detected. In the mass spectrum data, the He(++) was not clearly above background. At energies between 2.5 and 12 keV, the He(++)/H(+) intensity ratio had an upper limit of 2 to 4 percent. The same upper limit applies to all other ions, such as He(+) and O(+). Though this would suggest a solar wind source for these ions, an admixture including an appreciable fraction of polar wind protons is not precluded. This situation contrasts sharply with a number of recently reported observations of large intensities of precipitating O(+) ions during magnetic storms, and may be characteristic of undisturbed periods.
The incident particle flux ion and neutral composition data taken on the AE-D satellite have been used to investigate the quantal emission of N2(plus) at 4278 A, N(D-2) at 5200 A, and the ion chemistry in aurorae. The results of a time dependent auroral model have been compared to the data. The calculated 4278 A emission of N2(plus), the 5200 A emission of N(D-2), the densities of O2(plus), NO(plus), N2(plus), O(plus), and the electron density are generally in agreement with the measured values. These results are consistent with the branching ratios and quenching rates deduced from previous studies of the N(D-2) densities in the day-time, mid-latitude ionosphere. It is found that in an auroral arc, the measured atomic oxygen density is lower than predicted by the MSIS model.
A systematic temporal correlation has been found between the energetic particle intensity variations measured at 6.6 earth radii and the development of large scale auroral features. The intensification and equatorward drift of eastwest oriented stable discrete homogeneous auroral arc systems coincide with the decrease in energetic particle intensity at 6.6 earth radii as the nightside magnetosphere develops into a more tail-like configuration. The subsequent major breakup of the aurora coincides with the recovery in particle intensity as the field returns to a more dipolar configuration. Since this prominent decrease-increase sequence must be related to the intensification or inward convection of the tail current plasma sheet configuration followed by its diversion or dissipation, the auroral correlation documented here closely links the auroral particle precipitation to the plasma sheet and tail current dynamics.
The six most significant production and seven most significant loss mechanisms are identified for NO(+)(a3 Sigma) in the aurora. Rate constants are given for these reactions as well as for the 14 most important reactions competing with the production of NO(+)(a). Using available data and certain crucial deductions on chemical reaction rates to simulate a number of altitude profiles, it is concluded that the two predominant sources of NO(+)(a3 Sigma) are probably N(+) + O2 yields NO(+)(a) + O and N2(+) + NO yields NO(+)(a) + N2. Radiative decay is not the primary loss mechanism but can dominate above 150 km. Destruction via charge exchange with N2 and O are most important below 150 km.
The extreme ultraviolet telescope on the Apollo-Soyuz mission observed the equatorial aurora from an altitude of 220 km on four separate occasions in July 1975, in quiet geomagnetic conditions (Ap = 6). In all cases signals well above ambient background in the 50-150, 114-150, 170-600, and 500-780 A bands were recorded as the spacecraft moved across the equator and the instrument viewed the atmosphere below it. The observed emissions are confined to a band roughly 10 to 20 deg in width with the peak emission occurring in the range -15 to +2 deg magnetic latitude. No enhancement on the 1350-1550 A channel was noted. The observed signals are interpreted as recombination radiation of energetic helium and, possibly, oxygen ions originating in the terrestrial ring current.
There is a fundamental relationship between the power that is extracted from Jupiter's rotation to drive magnetospheric processes and the rate at which mass is injected into the Io plasma torus. Half of this power is consumed by bulk motion of the plasma and the other half represents an upper limit on the energy from rotation available for dissipation and in particular to excite the Jovian aurora. Since the rotation of the planet is the only plausible source of energy, the power inferred from the observed auroral intensities requires a plasma injection rate of 2.6 x 10 to the 29th AMU/sec or greater. This in turn leads to a residence time of a torus particle of 48 days or less. These results raise doubts about the applicability of equilibrium thermodynamics to the determination of plasma parameters in the Io torus.
The observations on ISEE 1 and ISEE 2 correlate the presence of intense electromagnetic and electrostatic emissions with enhanced fluxes of 1-6 keV electrons at the earth's magnetopause. The measured proton to electron ratio in the 1-10 keV energy range indicates the presence of substantial fluxes of electrons at energies below 1 keV. The 1.3-1.7 keV proton flux was essentially unchanged as the spacecraft moved from the magnetosheath into the wave-particle layer at and inside the magnetopause. The consequences of the magnetopause wave-particle interactions reported are consistent with the known features of the dayside aurora.
Aurorally-excited emissions of atomic and molecular hydrogen come from a narrow circumpolar band near 80 deg north and south latitude on Saturn. The aurorae, which lie near the edge of the polar cap region, are continuously excited in both the north and south. If the strong variations observed in the auroral intensity are temporal, rather than longitudinal, they may be related to the periodic structure in the Saturn kilometric radiation.
A series of observations of the northern hemisphere of Jupiter was made in January 1981 using the International Ultraviolet Explorer short-wavelength spectrograph. Exposures of 15 minutes each were made at regular intervals of about 45 minutes around the time when Jupiter's north magnetic pole was tilted toward the earth. The auroral emissions of H Lyman-alpha, and the H2 Lyman- and Werner-bands are seen to emanate from a localized region near the north pole. Their intensity increases and decreases in a periodic way as the planet rotates with the maximum occurring at lambda sub III approximately equal to 185 deg. Using the three observations nearest the observed maximum, a composite spectrum of the aurora is obtained with about 8 A resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio, and many of the H2 Lyman- and Werner-bands in this spectral region (1150-1700 A) are identified. This spectrum is compared with a laboratory H2 spectrum and with photoabsorption cross sections for CH4 and C2H6. An upper limit to the slant column density of these hydrocarbons above the auroral emissions is found to be approximately 2 x 10 to the 17th/sq cm.
Several examples are presented to illustrate the behavior of the 989- to 7990-A complex. For the most part, these are chosen to correspond to particular observations of the airglow and aurora. In particular, the 989-A dayglow is computed for comparison with the data of Gentieu et al. (1979). In addition, line ratios are provided for comparison with the high-resolution data reported by Christensen et al. (1982). Several examples of auroral phenomena, including expected emissions from the dayside cleft region, are adduced, and the implications of high-resolution observations of line ratios and selective absorption by N2 are addressed. Finally, the utility of 989- to 7990-A multiplets as diagnostics of the atmospheric O I abundance is studied.
A compilation of records of the aurora observed in China from the Time of the Legends (2000 - 3000 B.C.) to the mid-18th century has been used to infer the frequencies and strengths of solar activity prior to modern times. A merging of this analysis with auroral and solar activity patterns during the last 200 years provides basically continuous information about solar activity during the last 2000 years. The results show periodicities in solar activity that contain average components with a long period (approx. 412 years), three middle periods (approx. 38 years, approx. 77 years, and approx. 130 years), and the well known short period (approx. 11 years).
A mechanism is proposed whereby the solar wind flowing past the magnetosphere of Uranus causes a Faraday disk dynamo topology to be established and power to be extracted from the kinetic energy of rotation of Uranus. An immediate consequence of this dynamo is the generation of Birkeland currents that flow in and out of the sunlit polar cap with the accompanying production of polar aurora. The power extracted from planetary rotation is calculated as a function of planetary dipole magnetic moment and the ionospheric conductivity of Uranus. For plausible values of ionospheric conductivity, the observed auroral power requires a magnetic moment corresponding to a surface equatorial field of the order of 4 Gauss, slightly larger than the value 1.8 Gauss given by the empirical 'magnetic Bodes law'.
Attention is given to the results of a satellite observation of a nightside aurora. The observations had been made with the aid of an instrument which was designed specifically to detect and to measure accurately the intensity of features in a wavelength range from 300 to 900 A. The considered data were acquired by an EUV spectrometer on the USAF STP 78-1 satellite launched on February 24, 1979. A bright, discrete auroral arc was selected for study, taking into account the intense O II, 834 A emission line as the most distinctive auroral diagnostic feature in the wavelength region from 300 to 900 A. There is found to be an excellent correspondence between most of the auroral features and the brightest O II laboratory discharge emission lines.
Electric field plasma wave observations were made with a sounding rocket payload in and near a quiet auroral arc. This payload was launched on March 9, 1978 from Poker Flat, Alaska. The payload trajectory was close to the magnetic meridian and passed over a 40 kR auroral arc. The present investigation is concerned with ac electric field observations in the ELF and lower VLF covering a frequency range from 2.5 Hz to 8 kHz. Attention is given to aspects of instrumentation, the general situation, a data analysis, and the obtained results. Waves were observed at low altitude in a region of downward parallel current and diffuse aurora. These waves had properties consistent with those expected for hydrogen and oxygen electrostatic ion cyclotron (EIC) waves.
Ion composition data obtained from a particularly well observed cross-polar cap auroral feature (theta aurora) are presented. Two components of the hot plasma are identified, one from the ionosphere below and the second from the distant plasma sheet. These observations provide strong support for the conclusion that the cross-polar cap auroral feature occurs on field lines closing through the distant plasma sheet or plasma sheet boundary layer. Taken together with the previously published observations, these new results establish substantial constraints on models for the overall polar cap topology. However, they do not unambiguously favor either of the two principal topologies discussed in the literature.