A Ground-Based Instrument Suite for Integrated High-Time Resolution Measurements of Pulsating Aurora With Arase

A specialized ground-based system has been developed for simultaneous observations of pulsating aurora (PsA) and related magnetospheric phenomena with the Arase satellite. The instrument suite is composed of (a) six 100 Hz sampling high-speed all-sky imagers (ASIs), (b) two 10 Hz sampling monochromatic ASIs observing 427.8 and 844.6 nm auroral emissions, (c) a 20 Hz sampling fluxgate magnetometer. The 100 Hz ASIs were deployed in four stations in Scandinavia and two stations in Alaska, which have been used for capturing the main pulsations and quasi 3 Hz internal modulations of PsA at the same time. The 10 Hz sampling monochromatic ASIs have been operative in Tromso, Norway with the 20 Hz sampling magnetometer. Combination of these multiple instruments with the European Incoherent SCATter (EISCAT) radar enables us to detect the low-altitude ionization due to energetic electron precipitation during PsA and further to reveal the ionospheric electrodynamics behind PsA. Since the launch of the Arase satellite, the data from these instruments have been examined in comparison with the wave and particle data from the satellite in the magnetosphere. In the future, the system can be utilized not only for studies of PsA but also for other classes of aurora in close collaboration with the planned EISCAT_3D project.

Automated summary

A specialized ground-based system has been developed to simultaneously observe pulsating aurora (PsA) and related magnetospheric phenomena with the Arase satellite. The system includes high-speed all-sky imagers (ASIs) with a sampling rate of 100 Hz, monochromatic ASIs with a sampling rate of 10 Hz, and a fluxgate magnetometer with a sampling rate of 20 Hz. These instruments have been deployed in Scandinavia and Alaska to capture the main pulsations and internal modulations of PsA. Combined with the EISCAT radar, the system can detect low-altitude ionization caused by energetic electron precipitation during PsA and reveal ionospheric electrodynamics. The data from these instruments have been compared with wave and particle data from the Arase satellite in the magnetosphere.