Andrew W. Yau University of Calgary, Canada

CASSIOPE Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe (e-POP)

University of Alberta, October 25, 2007

Outline

1. e-POP Mission Objective

2. CASSIOPE and e-POP

3. e-POP Science Targets

4. e-POP Mission Strategy

5. e-POP Instruments & Measurements

6. Conclusions

e-POP Mission Objective

• Observations of space weather processes

– Micro- and meso-scale processes

– In topside polar ionosphere

– At highest possible resolution

– Focus on plasma outflow, neutral escape, auroral

currents, irregularities, radio propagation

The CASSIOPE Small Satellite

e-POP Science Payload

High resolution studies of space plasma processes;

wave-particle interactions

Small Satellite Bus

Generic, low-cost bus for Canadian small-sat missions

Cascade Tech Payload

High bandwidth store-and-forward data delivery demo

ENHANCED POLAR OUTFLOW PROBE (e-POP)

SciencePlasma outflow Acceleration; WPI; auroral connection

Wave propagation 3D structure of ionospheric irregularities

Neutral escape Temperature enhancement, non-thermal escape

Mission Concept

Highest-resolution in-situ measurements

Radio wave propagation 3D studies

Fast imaging of meso-scale aurora

Mission Design

Polar orbit: 325 × 1500 km; 80° incl.

3-axis stabilized

Large data storage and downlink bandwidth (>1 TB, 300 Mbps)

Science Objective #1: Plasma Outflow

Facts

Significant energetic ionospheric ion injection to magnetosphere: ≥1026s-1

Topside polar ionosphere is source of multiple “cold” ion populations

Questions

Cold ions and driving processes: What is (are) the critical first step(s) in ionosphere-magnetosphere mass transfer?

e-POP ObjectivesPlasma outflow and waves:Micro-scale ion upflow/acceleration; wave particle interaction; auroral connection

Science Objective #2: Radio Propagation

Facts

Plasma can refract, scatter, amplify, damp, or decompose electromagnetic waves.

Refraction depends on ionospheric conditions.

Questions

How does M-I energy-mass coupling manifest in ionospheric irregularities?

How do irregularities interact with waves - and affect radio wave propagation?

SuperDARN

e-POP Objectives

Waves propagation in plasma: 3D structure of ionospheric irregularities; radio/GPS occultation studies

Science Objective #3: Neutral Escape

Facts

Charged/neutral H, He, and O rapidly charge-exchange in laboratory – and in space

Questions

Role of thermosphere in magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere mass transfer?

e-POP ObjectivesExplore neutral atmospheric escape:

Temperature enhancement; non-thermal escape

ENHANCED POLAR OUTFLOW PROBE (e-POP)

SciencePlasma outflow Acceleration; WPI; auroral connection

Wave propagation 3D structure of ionospheric irregularities

Neutral escape Temperature enhancement, non-thermal escape

Mission Concept

Highest-resolution in-situ measurements

Radio wave propagation 3D studies

Fast imaging of meso-scale aurora

Mission Design

Polar orbit: 325 × 1500 km; 80° incl.

3-axis stabilized

Large data storage and downlink bandwidth (>1 TB, 300 Mbps)

Sub-Decameter Scale Structures in Topside Ionosphere

• MARIE rocket, 500-600 km altitude, large substorm (LaBelle 1986)

• “Spikelets”– Localized lower hybrid waves

– Lower hybrid solitary structures

• Often coincided with localized regions of TAI (“perpendicular ion conics”)

1 ms time scale and/or 1 m horizontal/vertical extent

Dynamic Small-scale Structures in Visual Aurora

• Auroral spatial scales: 10-100 km (bands), to 0.1-1 km (curtains)

• Auroral curls (Trondsen 1998): – 1-2 km spatial scale

– Anti-clockwise rotation and motion (when viewed anti-parallel to B)

13.5 km 1

0.1

km

10.8 km

W

N

ENHANCED POLAR OUTFLOW PROBE (e-POP)

SciencePlasma outflow Acceleration; WPI; auroral connection

Wave propagation 3D structure of ionospheric irregularities

Neutral escape Temperature enhancement, non-thermal escape

Mission Concept

Highest-resolution in-situ measurements

Radio wave propagation 3D studies

Fast imaging of meso-scale aurora

Mission Design

Polar orbit: 325 × 1500 km; 80° incl.

3-axis stabilized

Large data storage and downlink bandwidth (>1 TB, 300 Mbps)

FAI

e-POP Instrument Complement

Name Instrument PI Measurements

IRM Imaging and rapid ion mass spectrometer

Calgary

Amerl

0.5-100 eV ions

SEI Suprathermal electron imager

Calgary

Knudsen

1-200 eV electrons

NMS Neutral mass and velocity spectrometer

JAXA/ISAS

Hayakawa

0.1-2 km/s neutrals

MGF Magnetic field instrument Calgary

WallisB j//

RRI Radio receiver instrument CRC

James

HF, VLF E(), k()

GAP GPS attitude, position, and profiling experiment

UNB

Langley

L1, L2 Irregularity

CER Coherent electromagnetic radio tomography

NRL

Bernhardt

VHF Irregularity

FAI Fast auroral imager Calgary

Murphree

630 nm, NIR

IRMSEI

CER

NMS

RRI

MGF

GAP

In-situ Instruments

e-POP Instrument Complement

Name Instrument PI Measurements

IRM Imaging and rapid ion mass spectrometer

Calgary

Amerl

0.5-100 eV ions

SEI Suprathermal electron imager

Calgary

Knudsen

1-200 eV electrons

NMS Neutral mass and velocity spectrometer

JAXA/ISAS

Hayakawa

0.1-2 km/s neutrals

MGF Magnetic field instrument Calgary

WallisB j//

RRI Radio receiver instrument CRC

James

E, k: HF, VLF (10 Hz –18 MHz)

GAP GPS attitude, position, and profiling experiment

UNB

Langley

L1, L2 Irregularity

CER Coherent electromagnetic radio tomography

NRL

Bernhardt

VHF Irregularity

FAI Fast auroral imager Calgary

Murphree

630 nm, NIR

IRMSEI

CERFAI

NMS

RRI

MGF

GAP

Radio Instruments

e-POP Instrument Complement

Name Instrument PI Measurements

IRM Imaging and rapid ion mass spectrometer

Calgary

Amerl

0.5-70 eV ions

SEI Suprathermal electron imager

Calgary

Knudsen

1-200 eV electrons

NMS Neutral mass and velocity spectrometer

JAXA/ISAS

Hayakawa

0.1-2 km/s neutrals

MGF Magnetic field instrument Calgary

WallisB j//

RRI Radio receiver instrument CRC

James

HF, VLF E(), k()

GAP GPS attitude, position, and profiling experiment

UNB

Langley

L1, L2 Irregularity

CER Coherent electromagnetic radio tomography

NRL

Bernhardt

VHF Irregularity

FAI Fast auroral imager Calgary

Murphree

630 nm, NIR

IRMSEI

CERFAI

NMS

RRI

MGF

GAP

Auroral Imager

e-POP Science Team and Partner OrganizationsCommunications Research Centre: HG James, P Prikryl

Royal Military College: JM Noel

U. Alberta: R Rankin, C Watt

U. Athabasca: M Connors

U. Calgary: PV Amerl, LL Cogger, E Donovan, DJ Knudsen, JS Murphree, TT Trondsen, DD Wallis, AW Yau

U. New Brunswick: A Hamza, PT Jayachandran, D Kim, R Langley

U. Saskatchewan: G Hussey, S Koustov, G Sofko, JP St Maurice

U. Victoria: RE Horita

U. Western Ontario: L Kagan, J MacDougall

York U: JG Laframboise, J McMahon

JAXA/ISAS, Japan: T Abe, H Hayakawa, K Tsuruda

NRL, USA: PA Bernhardt, C Siefring UNH, USA: M Lessard

Conclusions

e-POP …

• Part of multi-purpose CASSIOPE mission

• Mission objective: highest-resolution space weather observation– Plasma outflow, wave propagation, and neutral escape

• Payload: 8 plasma, field, optical, radio instruments

• Focus: hi-res particle/wave observations and fast auroral imaging

• Use non-spinning orbiter, large data storage, fast downlink

• Coordinated operation with ground facilities an essential element

For more information, please visit:

http://mertensiana.phys.ucalgary.ca

Thank You!

Lower Hybrid Solitary Structures in Topside Ionosphere

• LHSS signatures

– Density depletion

– TAI and/or BB VLF noise

• GEODESIC rocket, 980 km (Burchill 2004)

• Low-energy ion distributions

– 11 ms/13 m resolution

– T 0.2 eV (rammed O+ ions)

– Heated ions at several eV

• Observed density cavity 15% depletion

– Temporal extent: 10 ms

LHSS “Heating” Width

• “Heating” width of LHSS on GEODESIC

– from velocity images

• Average width: 63 m

• Standard dev.: 25 m

• Range: 13 – 190 m

• “Density depletion” width 20 m

Burchill et al., 2004