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Close up observation and inversion of low-altitude ENA emissions during a substorm event

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Abstract

During a series of substorm events on November 12 2004, the Neutral Atom Detector Unit (NUADU) flying onboard the TC-2 spacecraft observed, close to perigee, bright low-altitude Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) emissions from both north and south poles. Through utilizing high temporal and spatial resolution data inversion techniques we present here a global view the associated processes of energetic ion deposition and injection at the uniquely high temporal resolution of a few minutes. It is demonstrated that the ENA emissions observed came mainly from the, low-altitude, high magnetic latitude polar region. Since precipitating ions follow magnetic field lines and have more chance to produce ENA emissions through charge exchange there. Therefore, the employment of a low-orbit satellite to record at high temporal and spatial resolution ENA image data is inferred to be the best way to monitor those dynamic ring current variations that occur during geomagnetic activity.

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Acknowledgements

We express many thanks to the LANL and Cluster mission teams for the use of their data via the internet. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41574152). J. Balaz would like acknowledge Project (Grant No. VEGA2/0077/16).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Li Lu

  2. Space Technology Ireland, Ltd., Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland

    Susan McKenna-Lawlor & Jan Balaz

  3. Institute of Experimental Physics, Kosice, Slovakia

    Jan Balaz

Authors
  1. Li Lu
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  2. Susan McKenna-Lawlor
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  3. Jan Balaz
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Correspondence to Li Lu.

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Lu, L., McKenna-Lawlor, S. & Balaz, J. Close up observation and inversion of low-altitude ENA emissions during a substorm event. Sci. China Earth Sci. 62, 1024–1032 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-018-9307-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-018-9307-x

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