Electron beam sounding rocket experiments for probing the distant magnetosphere

Abstract

Electron accelerators on sounding rockets have injected 8-40-keV electrons on closed magnetospheric tail field lines near 250 km altitude in the northern auroral zone. These beams mirrored at the southern conjugate point ad returned as 'echoes' which were detected on the rocket system. The 20 percent of the beam that returned was sufficient to measure field line lengths and verify magnetospheric magnetic models, to measure fluctuating electric fields, and electron pitch angle scattering (6-10) R(E) distant, and to identify 10-100 V field-aligned potentials above the rocket. The experiment gives new insight into the motion of natural electrons in the outer Van Allen radiation belt.