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Quasi‐thermal noise measurements on STEREO: Kinetic temperature deduction using electron shot noise model
Author(s) -
Martinović M. M.,
Zaslavsky A.,
Maksimović M.,
MeyerVernet N.,
Šegan S.,
Zouganelis I.,
Salem C.,
Pulupa M.,
Bale S. D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2015ja021710
Subject(s) - spacecraft , noise (video) , shot noise , physics , electron temperature , plasma , computational physics , electron density , electron , optics , artificial intelligence , computer science , image (mathematics) , detector , quantum mechanics , astronomy
Quasi‐thermal noise (QTN) spectroscopy is an accurate technique for in situ measurements of electron density and temperature in space plasmas. A QTN spectrum is determined by plasma and antenna properties. On STEREO/WAVES, since the antennas are relatively short and thick, the QTN spectrum is dominated by electron shot noise, especially at low frequencies, which reduces the accuracy of the method. Here we use the STEREO low‐frequency receiver, proton density measured by Plasma and Suprathermal Ion Composition instrument, and a QTN and shot noise models to provide electron temperature data from both STEREO A and B spacecraft. This derivation is important since no reliable measurements of electron temperature exist on board these spacecraft. We compare the results of our analysis with the electron temperature provided by the Wind spacecraft during the period when Wind and STEREO B were close to each other. The comparison shows that our technique is reliable when results are integrated on a time scale of the order of 50 to 60 min.