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Cumulative flux of interplanetary and cislunar space dust particles by Mariner 4 and OGO 3 spacecraft, noting particle impact rate
The history of the energetic particle experiments on the International Sun Earth Explorer 1 and 2 spacecraft is outlined, and descriptions of the instruments are given. The inflight performance and data analysis are summarized. The research is completed and ongoing are described and a bibliography is included.
Ionospheric low energy electron and proton fluxes near equator from Isis 1 satellite soft particle spectrometer observations, considering energy spectra and pitch angle distribution
The data needed in the future for trapped particle modeling are summarized. A short summary of past and future modeling activities and a list of satellite data that have not yet been considered in the modeling efforts is included.
Researchers discuss the radial dependence of the peak flux and the fluence of solar flare produced energetic particles under the assumption that they propagate diffusively in the heliosphere.
A rocket-borne experiment containing a vector magnetometer and a set of charged-particle detectors was launched from Poker Flat, Alaska, at 2217 LT on February 13, 1971, over a single auroral arc. Particle data in the energy range 0.5-20 kev, obtained during part of the flight, show a peak incident flux of 40 millions electrons per sq cm sec ster kev in the energy range 1-2 kev. The pitch angle distributions of these precipitating electrons were found to be fairly isotropic from 0 to 60 deg and to decrease from 60 to 90 deg. The results of the vector magnetometer indicate the existence of a system of Birkeland currents with magnitudes of 5 microamperes/sq m in the vicinity of the auroral arc. Two different models that fit the data are discussed.
The local time variations of particle distributions, which can be produced by the sudden enhancement of a cross-tail electric field, are examined by using adiabatic theory. The strong coupling between acceleration, inward motion, and east-west drift is emphasized. The model is used to interpret recent measurements of delay times of newly accelerated electrons at different local times at geostationary orbit. Observations of the asymmetric storm time 'ring current' are interpreted in terms of the model without invoking particle loss.
Electron and proton precipitation measurements in auroral zone by soft particle spectrometer in ISIS-1 satellite
The diffusive streaming of low-energy protons has been found to be predominately toward the sun during periods between prompt solar particle events. This occurs for essentially all solar wind velocities and proton intensities. The average radial component of this anisotropy (14%) and its dependence on the solar wind velocity agree with values found by a steady-state propagation model. The average radial component (16%) of the diffusive flow of low-energy alpha particles is similar to that observed for protons, suggesting a common origin. The sunward diffusion of alpha particles and protons indicates that these slightly enhanced fluxes contain a positive radial gradient. The direction of the diffusive anisotropy is a function of the magnetic field direction.
A high time resolution electron detector has been developed for use in sounding rocket studies of the aurora. The detector is used to look for particle bunching in the range 50 kHz-10 MHz. The design uses an electron multiplier and an onboard frequency spectrum analyzer. By using the onboard analyzer, the data can be transmitted back to ground on a single 93-kHz voltage-controlled oscillator. The detector covers the 50 kHz-10 MHz range six times per second and detects modulation on the order of a new percent of the total electron flux. Spectra are presented for a flight over an auroral arc.
This experiment is designed to take advantage of the ISEE Mother/Daughter dual spacecraft system to study energetic particle phenomena in the earth's outer magnetosphere and beyond. Large geometric factor fixed voltage electrostatic analyzers and passively cooled semiconductor detector telescopes provide high time resolution coverage of the energy range from 1.5 to 300 keV for both ions and electrons. Essentially identical instrumentation is placed on the two spacecraft to separate temporal from spatial effects in the observed particle phenomena.
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 rocket with the experiment was fired from Fort Churchill, Canada, over a homogeneous arc at 2000 local time on Feb. 26, 1969. Detectors measured the pitch-angle distribution of the fluxes of electrons with energies in the range from 2 to 18 and energies above 50 keV, and of protons with energies in the range from 2 to 18 and in the range from 80 to 1000 keV. The total backscattered flux was about 20% of the downward flux in the same energy range. No protons in the range from 2 to 18 keV, or any higher energy particles, were found in significant quantities. It was found that the energetic auroral electrons carry a substantial part of the Birkeland current. The arc extended at least 1500 km in an east-west direction and was not associated with substorm activity.
Electron and proton fluxes in Jupiter's radiation belts are calculated, along with the envelopes of dose rates. The following assumptions are made: the particles in the Jupiter belts are influenced only by the magnetic field of the planet; the particles act correspondingly to the particles in the Earth's belts and the Earth's belts can be used as a model; the magnetic field of Jupiter is essentially a dipole; the radiation of a decimetric nature received from Jupiter is synchrotron radiation due to the electrons, and to a first approximation it is emitted isotropically; and the strength of the emission in the decimetric wavelength range gives an upper bound considering how strong the field can be and how many electrons there are. The point dose rates for tissue and 0.1 gram/cm aluminum shielding at about 3 Jupiter radii are 10000 rads/hr for electrons and 1000 rads/hr for protons.
The electronic sensors of the Interplanetary Dust Experiment (IDE) recorded precise impact times and approximate directions for submicron to approximately 100-micron size particles on all six primary sides of the spacecraft for the first 346 days of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) orbital mission. Previously-reported analyses of the timed impact data have established their spatio-temporal features, including the demonstration that a preponderance of the particles in this regime are orbital debris and that a large fraction of the debris particles are encountered as megameter-size clouds, some of which persist for long times. Short-term fluxes within such clouds can rise several orders of magnitude above the long-term average. These finding are consistent with the results of the first catastrophic hypervelocity laboratory impacts on a real satellite, recently reported in the press. Analysis continues on the geometric and evolutionary characteristics of these clouds, as well as on the isolation and characterization of the natural micrometeoroid component in the IDE data, but the unexpectedly large short-term variations in debris flux raises the question of how representative an indication of the multi-year average flux is given by the nearly one year of timed data. It has, therefore, always been one of the goals of IDE to conduct an optical survey of the craters on the IDE detectors, to obtain full-mission fluxes for comparisons with the timed data. This work is underway, and the results presently in hand are significant. Optical scanning of the ram and wake (East and West) panels is complete, and it is clear that the first year was in some respects not representative of the subsequent years. The 5.75-year average flux on East panel was 90 percent of the value predicted by the average flux recorded during the first year, while it was only 34 percent on West panel. This suggests that western hemisphere spacecraft launches are a major contributor to the long-term flux and that their contribution is primarily in the smaller end of the size distribution. This conclusion follows from the fact that a closely-spaced series of launch failures (Titan, Delta, Ariane, and Challenger) caused a virtual hiatus in launch activity during a large part of the later years of the LDEF mission. We hope to provide a quantification of the particle size distribution function in this case.
The initial signatures of tail field reconfiguration observed in the near-earth magnetotail are examined using data obtained by the AMPTE/CCE magnetometer and the Medium Energy Particle Analyzer. It is found that the tail reconfiguration events could be classified as belonging to two types, Type I and Type II. In Type I events, a current disruption is immersed in a hot plasma region expanding from inward (earthward/equatorward) of the spacecraft; consequently, the spacecraft is immersed in a hot plasma region expanding from inward. The Type II reconfiguration event is characterized by a distinctive interval (explosive growth phase) just prior to the local commencement of tail phase.
Simultaneous solar proton flux measurements on IMP 7 and by the world wide neutron monitor network during the May 7, 1978 flare event led to conclusions that in the energy range from 50 MeV to 10 GeV: (1) the propagation of the flare particles in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) between the Sun and the Earth was nearly scatter free; and (2) therefore, the intensity time (IT) profiles of the solar proton fluxes observed at Earth for about one hour after onset represent the solar injection profiles even to energies as low as 50 MeV. Observations of the IMF at Helios A indicate that the IMF was undisturbed between the Sun and Helios A at the time of the May 7, 1978 flare event; and, therefore, the solar particle propagation was also scatter free from the Sun to Helios A.
We report a high-statistics magnetic spectrometer measurement of the geomagnetic cutoff rigidity and related effects at Palestine, Texas. The effective cutoffs we observe are in agreement with computer-calculated cutoffs. We also report measured spectra of albedo and atmospheric secondary particles that come below geomagnetic cutoff.