CEDAR-GEM Postdoc: High Resolution Measurements and Modeling of Auroral Small-scale Processes

Trustees Of Boston University, Boston

Investigators

Abstract

The investigators will study fine-scale structure of the aurora using simultaneous data from multi-spectral imaging and incoherent scatter radars. The goal is to better understand the acceleration mechanisms for the energetic particles that produce the aurora. The aurora is the visible manifestation of the complex interplay of plasma processes in the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. Fine-scale morphology in the aurora is related to structuring of currents and electric fields. Detailed spatial, spectral and temporal observations are crucial in understanding the electrodynamic processes taking place in the coupled ionosphere magnetosphere system. High resolution, spectral measurements provide deeper insight into the processes occurring on small scales. This study requires the development of tunable liquid crystal optical filters, a new technique not used previously for observing the aurora. The optical observations will be made in conjunction with the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) near Fairbanks, Alaska. The new instrumentation techniques will demonstrate new methods to obtain precise and flexible spectral measurements. The observations will be interpreted using theoretical models that account for structuring in auroral forms. The study will be a collaborative effort involving Boston University and a post-doctoral fellow from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.