Magnetometers along the Eastern Atlantic Seaboard for Undergraduate Research and Education (MEASURE-II): A Ground-Based Plasmasphere Monitor Array

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will study to propagation of Ultra-Low Frequency (ULF) waves in the magnetosphere and ionosphere and will study the behavior of the inner magnetosphere and the plasmapause. It will expand and continue the operations of the ground-based magnetometer array known as the Magnetometers along the Eastern Atlantic Seaboard for Undergraduate Research and Education (MEASURE). The MEASURE array is designed to exploit several techniques to determine the natural frequencies of ULF waves propagating in the inner magnetosphere. The array will be expanded to include higher latitudes, allowing the measurements to routinely determine the location of the plasmapause, even under relatively quiet magnetic conditions. The magnetometer data will be coupled with measurements of the total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere and inner magnetosphere by utilizing low earth orbit (LEO) satellites and GPS signals. The coupled measurements will make it possible to invert the data using tomographic techniques to produce a new model of the particle density of the plasmasphere as a function of magnetic conditions. In addition to the fundamental scientific research, the project also contains a strong educational component, covering educational activities from K-12 to undergraduate and graduate levels. The research undertaken by this project also involves international collaborations with other magnetometer chains including magnetometers in Canada and in South America and Antarctica.