|
Mesoscale electrodynamics and flows (including BBFs)
|
As wide as possible (30° elevation with all azimuths)
|
Within auroral oval
|
20 × 20; multi-static meas.
|
Magnetometers, optical equipment, tomography radio receivers, SuperDARN
|
|
Small-scale (auroral) dynamics
|
100 km in the F region, 33 km in the E region
|
Within the auroral oval
|
30 in N-S, 10 in E-W; Multi-static meas.
|
Optical equipment, rockets
|
|
– “–
|
– “–
|
– “–
|
– “–
|
|
Fine-scale auroral structures
|
5 km in the E region, within 10–20 km from magnetic zenith in the F region
|
Within the auroral oval
|
5–7 N-S, 1–7 E-W; multi-static meas., interferometric studies
|
Optical equipment, rockets
|
|
– “–
|
– “–
|
– “–
|
– “–
|
|
Ion outflow (natural and heater-induced)
|
~100 km curvature of field line
|
Within the auroral oval
|
N-S fan of 5–10 beams
|
Optical equipment, rockets
|
|
NEIALs (aperture synthesis imaging)
|
40 km × 40 km at 700 km
|
Within the auroral oval
|
Spreading the beam in the F-A direction; plasma lines ±6 MHz
|
Optical equipment, rockets
|
|
Ionospheric irregularities
|
As wide as possible
|
Within the auroral oval
|
20 × 20
|
GPS scintillation measurements, rockets
|
|
Topside composition (O+, He+, H+)
|
N/A (field line tracing)
| |
Fan, enough to cover field line curving
|
Optical equipment, rockets
|
|
Transition region composition (NO+/O2
+ vs. O+)
|
N/A
| |
One; heater ion-cyclotron freq. gives additional information
|
Optical equipment, rockets
|
|
High-energy particle events (SEPs, etc.)
|
As wide as possible
|
Oval and just equatorward of the oval
|
20 × 20
|
VLF, riometers, MF radar, satellites (POES, GOES, LANL, etc.), rockets
|
| |
– “–
| |
– “–
|
|
Atmosphere-ionosphere coupling (AGW, winds)
|
As wide as possible
|
Auroral oval and at the edge of the polar vortex
|
20 × 20
|
MST radar, MF radar, meteor radar, lidar, airglow imager, FPI, sounding rockets, heater (API)
|
|
Mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) small-scale dynamics
|
As wide as possible
|
Location inside the polar winter vortex favourable for some questions
|
20 × 20 (M), one (ST); additional low-power TX mode, dual frequency (200–1000-kHz separation) for interferometric distance determination
|
MST radar, MF radar, meteor radar, lidar, airglow imager, sounding rockets, heater
|
|
D region phenomena
|
As wide as possible
|
Oval and just equatorward of the oval
|
20 × 20
|
Riometer, VLF, MF radar, rockets, heater
|
|
PMSE, PMWE
|
As wide as possible
| |
20 × 20
|
MST radar, additional ISR at higher frequency, lidar, sounding rockets, heater
|
|
Meteoroids and their effects on the background (Es, PMSE, etc.), high-power mode
|
Fattened beam or multiple beams
| |
Tracking mode (20 × 20 piggyback), fan for receiver beams, multi-static measurements for trajectory
|
Meteor radar, MST radar, optical networks
|
|
Planets and asteroids
|
Low elevation look direction to the south, at least 25°
|
As far south as possible
|
One; arbitrary polarisation TX and RX, hydrogen maser clocks
|
Other IS radars, optical instruments
|
|
Interplanetary scintillation
|
Low elevation with all azimuths, particularly to the south
| |
One; BW > 20 MHz, minimal RFI and ability to clip out individual narrow-frequency bands prior to integration over the bandwidth
|
Other radio receiver networks, including LOFAR and e-MERLIN
|
|
Heating experiments
|
20° zenith angle
|
Auroral oval
|
10 × 10
|
MST radar, airglow imager, FPI, sounding rockets
|
|
Heating experiments, aperture synthesis imaging
|
20° zenith angle
| |
Fatten the beam or multiple beams (10 × 10)
|
MST radar, airglow imager, FPI, sounding rockets
|
|
Space debris monitoring and satellite tracking
|
25° elevation with all azimuths
|
North for satellite tracking
|
N/A; multi-static meas. for trajectory, multiple overlapping receiver beams for interferometric angle determination, dual freq. (200–1000-kHz separation) for interferometric distance determination
| |
|
Meteoroid monitoring (piggyback and low-power mode)
|
N/A
| |
N/A
|
Meteor radar, MST radar, optical networks
|
