Jøran Moen

Multiscale physics, ionosphere space

weather challenges for navigation and

communication

EISCAT_3D kick-off seminar

Future perspectives

• Multi-point: Mother + daughters

• Multi-scale : Ground + in-situ (MHD, ion, and electron scales)

Cross scale

mission/

SCOPE

We will develop 4D tools to study multi-scale processes in

space plasma

4DSpace Main Objective

“We study the generation processes of turbuelence and the role

of turbulence in the energy transfer from space down to the

Earth, and its implication for space weather.”

Require multi-scale studies : 4D = 3D Space + Time

Group: 4DSpace

Different aspects

common framework

Instruments

Data analysis

4D SPACE

in situ

studies

Mechanical

solutions

Theory and

simulation

Department of Physics

- Plasma and Space Science group

- Electronics group

- Technical staff

- Electronic Lab, Mechanical Workshop

Department of Mathematics

-Fluid dynamics group

-Mechanics group

Department of Informatics

-Nanoelectronics group

Space weather effects: Ionospheric irregularities degrade GPS

signal quality

Societal impacts: Variability in GPS position accuracy and

fall out of services

The user needs: Forecasts about POSITIONING

ACCURACY, signal INTEGRITY, and

service CONTINUITY.

We need a physics

description of the

underlying physics in order

to develop numerical

forecast models

GPS Space weather

forecasts

Figure: Polar dial plots show the occurrence rate of GPS scintillations

observed at Ny-Ålesund (σϕ from (a) [0.1, 0.25] rad og (c) ≥ 0.5 rad)

Jin et al., JGR, 2015

Day : 10%

of the time

Night

0.1%

of the time

GPS scintillations

Cusp reconnection events

Oksavik et al., JGR, 2015

Plasma instibilities – driven by plasma

gradients and flow shears

• Flow channels => shears (KHI)

• Patches => density gradients (GDI)

• Auroral precipitation=> ionization gradients

(GDI)

Moen et al., 2008 Foster et al., 2005

F-region Instability modes:

Two generic instability mechanisms

GRADIENT DRIFT INSTABILITY KELVIN HELMHOLTZ INSTABILITY

EARLY EARLY LATE LATE

ixe

Vx

n

nGDI

0

1From Basu et al. (1988; 1992)

Cusp ionospheric density gradients

and formation of backscatter

irregularities

NIMS

B

E

y

n

n0

1 5-10 min

Gradient drift instability

growth rate

Auroral

boundary

Moen et al., JGR 2002

Motivation for the ICI sounding rocket program

• GDI instability growth time ~10 minutes based on ground

based techniques. Too slow !! (Moen et al. 2002)

• Discrete cusp precipitation may give rise plasma

structuring (Kelly et al., Moen et al., 2002)

Conclusion in 2002 : High resolution in-situ observations

are needed to test and quantify plasma instability modes!

“A space weather rocket program”

The Investigation of Cusp Irregularities

(ICI) Rocket Program

Payload :

Length: 2.9 meter

Weight : 140 kg

Apogee : ~350 km

Flight time : 10 min

ICI-4 instrumentation

FBP : Fixed Bias Langmuir Probe – ISAS/JAXA m-NLP : multi –Needle Langmuir Probe system – UiO LEP-ESA : Low Energy Particle spectrometer (10eV-10keV),

ISAS/JAXA EFW : Electric Field and Wave Experiment, UiO ADM : AC/DC Magnetometer – LPP, Ecole Polytechnique,

France.

FGM : Flux Gate Magnetometer Univ. of Alberta, Canada

SRADS: Sounding Rocket Attitude Detection System, UiO

UiO’s m-NLP system : Multiple Needle

Langmuir Probes

Absolute electron density measurements

5-10 kHz sampling rate : meter –scale

resolution

v

i2

Miniaturization is Key for us

V

IKNe

22

Bekkeng et al., Meas. Sci. Technol., 2010

Jacobsen et al. Meas. Sci. Technol., 2010

Two generic mechanisms for to polar cap scintillations:

i) Flow shears (KHI – Kelvin Helmholtz Instability)

ii) Patches (GDI - Gradient Drift Instability)

ICI-2

GDI -electron clouds

ICI-3

KHI –flow shears

ICI-4

Auroral

blobs

In-flight data (ICI-2)

PMAF

1 sec

data

10 m

F-region electron density

along the trajectory

Is modulated by the cusp

electron precipitation

ixV

ICI-2 main results:

GDI-TEST POSITIVE

UNSTABLE:

STABLE :

Gowth rate: ~10’s of

seconds.

Ne

eNixV

eN

ie VN

||

ie VN

||

STABLE UNSTABLE

Moen et al., GRL, 2012

ICI-3 LAUNCH

3 DECEMBER 2011

(DAY 11)

07:21.31 UT

Photo: Linda Bakken

ICI 2&3 - Summary

KHI and GDI growth times may both be ~1

minute on spatial scales >1 km.

The GDI dominates for spatial scales <1 km.

GDI in cusp may be initialized by cusp

electron beams (~100 eV)!

April 20th 2012 4-NLP status

Double spectra ambiguity:

There is a need for 3D measurements

Turbulence: The long wavelength regime is due to an MHD instability and the

steepening may be due to drift waves or to diffusion (LaBelle et al., 1986; Kelley,

2009).

Or Steeping of waves: the spectral indices are related to the amplitude of the

structures and the steepening of waves (Hysell et al., 1994).

ICI-2 Kinetic

3D measurement of plasma turbulence (ICI-5)

4DSpace section invented

by Andøya Space Center

ICI-5 : the first 4DSpace rocket

To be launched in January 2019

GCI - missions

April 20th 2012 4-NLP status

4DSpace & EISCAT_3D

Advancing space physics by multi-scale 4D studies of the

geospace environment.

The worst GNSS space weather phenomenon in the Scandinavian Arctic

Sector occurs when polar cap patches that have moved from the Daytime

US across the polar cap enter our Night-time auroral oval (then termed

Auroral blobs) (Jin et al., SWSC, 2014) Jin, Y., J. I. Moen, and W. J. Miloch (2014), GPS scintillation effects associated with polar cap patches and

substorm auroral activity: direct comparison, J Space Weather Spac, 4(A23), doi:10.1051/swsc/2014019.

Polar cap patches

GNSS σφ + All-sky aurora + airglow patches

Jin et al. (2016), JGR-Space,. doi: 10.1002/2016JA022613

NORSAT-1

NORSAT-1

1 kHz data

Scintillation

targets