Abstract
The Akebono (EXOS-D) satellite carries triaxial fluxgate and search coil magnetometers with sensors mounted on 5- and 3-m masts, respectively. The fluxgate magnetometer has four automatically switchable ranges from ±1024 to ±65536nT (full scale), and resolutions commensurate with a 16-bit A/D converter in each range (0.031 to 2nT). The rate of sampling is 32 vectors per second. The triaxial search coil magnetometer has a frequency response up to 800Hz. Signals in the frequency range higher than 100Hz are used for VLF plasma wave experiments (KIMURA et al., 1990), while signals less than 100Hz are used for magnetic field experiments.After the 3- and 5-m masts were extended on March 7 and 8, 1989, respectively, both the magnetometers are operating continuously. Intense small-scale field-aligned currents embedded in the large-scale field-aligned current system were always observed at 1-2 Re altitudes in all local time regions. The region 0 currents which flow in the poleward region adjacent to the region 1 currents were also frequently observed. The search coil magnetometer measured ion cyclotron waves at 1-2 Re altitudes near the equator.
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