Monitoring Energetic Electron Precipitation Using a Ground-based Radio Array
Abstract
The Van Allen radiation belts are regions of trapped energetic particles in near-Earth space. Radiation belt loss mechanisms into the atmosphere are still not well quantified, a process known as electron precipitation. This thesis describes a method for monitoring energetic electron precipitation using the ground-based Array for Broadband Observations of Very low frequency/extremely low frequency Emissions (ABOVE). A signal processing algorithm is described to calculate the relative time delay and power of a signal travelling hundreds to thousands of kilometers from transmitter to receiver. Instrument response is shown to be consistent with the literature for energetic electron precipitation. Instrumental uncertainty is evaluated, revealing a random instrument uncertainty substantially less than electron precipitation signatures. The method is applied to two case studies. The flux, energy, and location of energetic electron precipitation are inferred in both studies, and the use of ABOVE for monitoring energetic electron precipitation is validated.
Description
Keywords
Atmospheric Science, Electricity and Magnetism, Fluid and Plasma, Physics--Radiation
Citation
Davis, E. (2016). Monitoring Energetic Electron Precipitation Using a Ground-based Radio Array (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26998