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Observation of a heated electron population associated with the 6300Å SAR arc emission
Author(s) -
Gurgiolo C.,
Slater D. W.,
Winningham J. D.,
Burch J. L.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl009i009p00965
Subject(s) - electron precipitation , electron , population , ion , photometer , physics , flux (metallurgy) , atomic physics , arc (geometry) , electron temperature , plasma , materials science , astrophysics , magnetosphere , optics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , sociology , metallurgy , demography , geometry
Conjunctive observations of the Dynamics Explorer satellite pair and the Pacific Northwest Laboratory scanning photometer unit at Richland, WA have allowed identification of the low energy, heated, electron population associated with the 6300Å SAR arc emission. Measurements over the SAR arc on day 296 of 1981 show an enhanced flux in the low altitute 5‐12 ev electrons. Analysis of this electron population shows them to be fairly Maxwellian with temperatures on the of order of 9900 ± 1100°K and an earthward field aligned velocity of approximately 275 ± 60 km/sec. The electrons are not accompanied by ion precipitation. The ion loss cone is empty at least as high as 6000 km. This fact may cast some doubt as to the role of the ring current ions in the SAR arc production.