The ARASE (ERG) magnetic field investigation

Abstract The fluxgate magnetometer for the Arase (ERG) spacecraft mission was built to investigate particle acceleration processes in the inner magnetosphere. Precise measurements of the field intensity and direction are essential in studying the motion of particles, the properties of waves interact...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ayako Matsuoka, Mariko Teramoto, Reiko Nomura, Masahito Nosé, Akiko Fujimoto, Yoshimasa Tanaka, Manabu Shinohara, Tsutomu Nagatsuma, Kazuo Shiokawa, Yuki Obana, Yoshizumi Miyoshi, Makoto Mita, Takeshi Takashima, Iku Shinohara
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2018-03-01
Series:Earth, Planets and Space
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Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40623-018-0800-1
Description
Summary:Abstract The fluxgate magnetometer for the Arase (ERG) spacecraft mission was built to investigate particle acceleration processes in the inner magnetosphere. Precise measurements of the field intensity and direction are essential in studying the motion of particles, the properties of waves interacting with the particles, and magnetic field variations induced by electric currents. By observing temporal field variations, we will more deeply understand magnetohydrodynamic and electromagnetic ion-cyclotron waves in the ultra-low-frequency range, which can cause production and loss of relativistic electrons and ring-current particles. The hardware and software designs of the Magnetic Field Experiment (MGF) were optimized to meet the requirements for studying these phenomena. The MGF makes measurements at a sampling rate of 256 vectors/s, and the data are averaged onboard to fit the telemetry budget. The magnetometer switches the dynamic range between ± 8000 and ± 60,000 nT, depending on the local magnetic field intensity. The experiment is calibrated by preflight tests and through analysis of in-orbit data. MGF data are edited into files with a common data file format, archived on a data server, and made available to the science community. Magnetic field observation by the MGF will significantly improve our knowledge of the growth and decay of radiation belts and ring currents, as well as the dynamics of geospace storms.
ISSN:1880-5981