Comparative Analysis of Ion and Electron Contributions to Ionospheric Ionization at Auroral and Subauroral Latitudes
Abstract
Abstract Electron and proton precipitation into the nightside ionosphere is a key process in magnetosphere–ionosphere coupling. Although auroral electron precipitation at –10 keV is traditionally considered the main driver of auroral emissions, recent studies show that keV electrons and protons can significantly contribute to ionospheric energy deposition, especially during storms. While energetic electron precipitation has been studied extensively, the role of energetic proton precipitation remains poorly quantified. Here, we use coordinated ELFIN and DMSP nightside observations during two substorm events, resolving electron and proton precipitation spectra from eV to ∼MeV. We show that keV proton precipitation, consistent with curvature scattering, can have an impact on E‐region ionization comparable to that of energetic electrons. These analyses are further supported by magnetospheric observations from the Arase and THEMIS spacecraft and ground‐based incoherent scatter radar measurements from PFISR.
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Authors: S. R. Kamaletdinov, Anton Artemyev, Yangyang Shen, Xiao‐Jia Zhang, Y. Nishimura, Jun Liang, V. Angelopoulos, Yoshizumi Miyoshi, K. Keika, Kazushi Asamura, Asti Bhatt, Satoshi Kasahara, Yoshiya Kasahara, Shoya Matsuda, Tomoaki Hori, Ayako Matsuoka, M. Teramoto, Kazuhiro Yamamoto, Shoichiro Yokota, Atsuki Shinbori, F. Tsuchiya, Atsushi Kumamoto, Iku Shinohara
Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, University of Alberta, Kyoto University, Osaka City University, The University of Osaka, University of Calgary, The University of Tokyo, Tohoku University, Kanazawa University, Nagoya University, The University of Texas at Arlington, Planetary Science Institute, The University of Texas at Dallas, Osaka University of Economics, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Astronomy and Space, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, SRI International, Kyushu Institute of Technology