SPP group involvement in rocket and balloon experiments

- Cascades-2 sounding rocket- PoGO Lite astrophysical balloon

Hardware solutions- SMILE magnetometer- SMILE 2.0- “Silverbox” and photometers

Timeline- Cascades-2 campaign- PoGO Lite launch

(Applications in progress- SPIDER- SEPAM)

Cascades2 ~reflight of ~

The Changing Aurora: in Situ and Camera Analysis of

Dynamic Electron precipitation Structures

PI: – Kristina A Lynch, Dartmouth Kevin RhoadsLead CoIs: – Paul Kintner, Cornell Steve Powell – Marc Lessard, UNH Paul Riley – Hans Stenbaek-Nielsen, UAF/GI CoIs: – James LaBelle, Dartmouth – Mark Psiaki, Cornell – Tom Hallinan, UAF/GI Collaborators: – John Bonnell and Chris Chaston, SSL/UCB – Goran Marklund and Nickolay Ivchenko, KTH, Sweden – Charles Seyler, Cornell – Craig Heinselman, SRI

March 2005PFRR3rd stage failure

Another chance

Same team, same goals

KTH:1. Magnetometer2. Ground Camera

Bo

PFRRAMISR Kaktovic

E and B along Bo

e- across Bo

Fast e- down Bo

Image down Bo

Ground cameras

Radar

Science Questions:space vs time

(1) Does dynamic aurora move with respect to the background ionosphere? How much? Does it matter?

(2) What is the spatial (as opposed to temporal)variation of auroral parameters like B and E?What does this mean for theories of energy transfer?

(3) Alfven waves carry disturbances and changes down to and through the auroral zone, giving us structured anddancing aurora. They are pretty: do they matter? Are these structures significant for magnetosphere/ionosphere coupling? Do direct observations of these motions validate

theories and models?

PoGOLite is a balloon-borne experiment which stands to open a new observational window on the Universe through measurements of the polarisation of gamma-rays in the energy range 25 - 80 keV from compact astrophysical objects, such as pulsars, and accreting black holes. Thepolarisation is reconstructed using the modulation of Compton scattering angles in the segmented sensitive volume of the instrument composed of plastic scintillators.

Lead PI in Sweden: prof. Mark Pearce (Astroparticle Physics, KTH)

PoGOLite detectors

PoGOLite first flight

Location: Esrange, Kiruna

Time: mid-August 2010

Duration: 12-24 hours

Objective: test payload,characterise background

Targets:Crab (RA: 05h 34m, DEC: +22 00)Cyg X-1 (RA: 19h 58m DEC: +35 12)

PoGOLite Auroral Background

Millan, 2002. MAXIS balloon X rays.

PoGOLite Auroral Background

Petrinec, 2000. Polar PIXIE observations of 2-12 keV X rays and AKR.

PoGOLite auroral diagnostics

- Astrophysicists want to know when there is aurora, andwhat are its parameters (energy flux, characteristic energies).

- We want to know whether auroral X-rays are polarised

- The diagnostic package will consist of photometers (a la ASK) and a magnetometer (a la Cascades-2).

- From photometer ratios the energies can be esimated.

Challenges:

Strong background → only red, IR emissions filter width?cooling?background channelorfilter tilting?

SMILE – digital fluxgate magnetometer

Sensor: dimension 20x20x21 mmweight 21gcable weight 4 g/m

Electronics+box: dimension 70x70x25 mmweight <200 gpower <500 mW

Prototype electronics PCB:120x88 mm, 80 g

SMILE diagram

FPGA

Processor

SMILE 2.0 diagram

FPGA

Processor PC RS-232

NASATM LVDS serial

Memory

GPS

1PPS, (UTC)

Sensor

Electronicsbox

FPGA

Processor PC RS-232

Memory

GPS

1PPS, (UTC)

Photometer counter for PoGOLite

Photometer

ASK timing - old system

”Black Box” for ASK timing

ASK timing - new system

”Silver Box” for ASK timing

FPGA

Processor PC RS-232

Memory

GPS

1PPS, (UTC)

”Silver Box” diagram

Photometer

Camera Camera

Camera

- better and faster synchronisation to GPS time

- eliminates possible hangup of NI driver software

- allows synchronisation of instruments at different locations

- reduces the number of cables!

- thermal control loop and light-sensitive switchcan be implemented independently of the PC

- run photometers as fast as you want!

- store data in memory, and read out later

- timetag data unambiguously

”Silver Box” advantages

It takes a while to make it!

but …

We will make several!

”Silver Box” drawbacks

- ASK system

- PoGOLite system & new EMCCD

- SIF photometers?

- ???

October 20 – get ASK up and running for the season

October 29 – heating campaign at Tromsø, with new camera, PoGOLite photometers

February – Cascades-2 campaign in Alaska, with newcamera, PoGOLite photometers, (othercameras)?

HD and GM will be at Toolik lake.

Heating at HAARP, a campaign at AMISR?

The plan