Simultaneous optical and incoherent scatter observations of two low-latitude auroras

Abstract

During the last sunspot maximum, major auroras occurred over Boston, MA ( L = 3.1) on 23/24 March 1969 and 8/9 March 1970, during which optical and incoherent scatter radar measurements were made simultaneously from the Blue Hill Observatory and Millstone Field Station, respectively. The paper presents the results of these measurements and attempts a self-consistent interpretation of them. It is found that a major increase (5–10 times) in the abundance of molecular species (O 2 and N 2) at F-region heights must have occurred; this was not accompanied by any appreciable increase in the major neutral species, atomic oxygen. From the radar data, the energy input to the F-region can be separated into direct heating by secondary electrons, downward heat flow from the magnetosphere and a low-energy non-ionizing electron flux. The total observed intensity of the predominant optical emission from atomic oxygen at 6300 Å can then be predicted satisfactorily by summing the contributions to this emission from impact excitation by ambient electrons, from the low-energy precipitating electrons and from dissociative recombination.