Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Reiff, P. H.
• Collin, H. L.
• Craven, J. D.
• Burch, J. L.
• Winningham, J. D.

Titel

Determination of auroral electrostatic potentials using high- and low-altitude particle distributions

Ist Teil von

• Journal of Geophysical Research, 1988-07, Vol.93 (A7), p.7441-7465

Ort / Verlag

Legacy CDMS: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

1988

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The auroral electrostatic potential differences were determined from the particle distribution functions obtained nearly simultaneously above and below the auroral acceleration region by DE-1 at altitudes 9000-15,000 km and DE-2 at 400-800 km. Three independent techniques were used: (1) the peak energies of precipitating electrons observed by DE-2, (2) the widening of loss cones for upward traveling electrons observed by DE-1, and (3) the energies of upgoing ions observed by DE-1. The assumed parallel electrostatic potential difference calculated by the three methods was nearly the same. The results confirmed the hypothesis that parallel electrostatic fields of 1-10 kV potential drop at 1-2 earth radii altitude are an important source for auroral particle acceleration.