Outline for CNSR-Transition Award Annual Review, March 13, 1997

1.	Introduction

a.	Terms of Reference of Award

i.	Research activities and productivity compared with proposal and milestones

ii.	Future research plans

iii.	Efforts at securing permanent employment

b.	Strengths of Past Year

i.	Led development of high-quality proposal for CSA Small Payloads Program

ii.	Effectively coordinated activities of team of faculty and students

iii.	Restored Polar Camera to proper working condition

iv.	Identified and began collaborative study of mesopause disturbance as reflected in OH emission

v.	Established productive collaboration with R.A. Doe (SRI International) on optical tomography of polar arc emission at 630.0 nm

c.	Weaknesses of Past Year

i.	Polar Camera maintenance and operation (including data reduction) took longer than expected or desired

ii.	SPP proposal precluded significant research progress for four months

iii.	No collaborations were initiated little research progress on my own

d.	Outline of Presentation to Follow

2.	Active Studies

a.	Cusp Processes and Patch Formation

i.	Brief summary of study hypotheses: (?)

(1)	H. 1 (fill these in when I get a chance)

(2)	H. 2

(3)	H. 3

ii.	Contributions to date:

(1)	Calibrated, background-subtracted patch images from Dec. 2, 1993, with descriptive text

(2)	Text on probable effects of cusp and auroral particle precipitation on ionospheric electron density

(3)	Confirmation of patch observations on two other dates: Jan. 24 and Nov. 13, 1996

iii.	Current status of study and expected contributions

(1)	Original paper split into two separate papers, which were then both flatly rejected

(2)	Both ends of original study are being extended with data from additional events

(3)	Polar Camera images will be contributed for all additional events where data are available

b.	Characteristics of Subvisual Polar Cap Auroras

i.	Brief summary of study characteristics

(1)	Simultaneous 630.0 nm all-sky images from Eureka and Resolute Bay (NSF EPCO; UMich imager)

(2)	Flat-fielded, calibrated; slant column brightnesses extracted along meridian joining imagers

(3)	Two-dimensional emission distribution tomographically reconstructed (Chapman function regularization; MART)

(4)	Study of latest event(s) to estimate precipitating particle distribution using 630.0 nm emission "basis functions"

ii.	Contributions

(1)	Polar Camera images from Feb. 17, 1996: distortion estimated and removed as much as possible, imager orientation determined; images flat-fielded and calibrated; "valid" data extracted

(2)	Polar Camera images from Dec. 5-6, 1996: orientation, calibration, plotting, assessment

(3)	Plan to estimate 557.7 nm centroid emission height using single-
point stereoscopy technique

iii.	Results

(1)	Polar arc emission spatially and temporally determined by magnetospheric processes (e.g., precipitating particle source region changes) rather than thermospheric processes (e.g., neutral density variations, plasma transport, diffusion, and decay)

(2)	This conclusion reported in a paper by Doe, Kelly, Semeter and Steele to appear in Geophysical Research Letters.

c.	Wave Spectrum at the Very High Latitude Mesopause

i.	Brief summary of study characteristics to date:

(1)	Four days of OH M (6,2) R- and Q-branch images (Dec. 22-25, 1994) show wide variations in zenith brightness

(2)	Full correlation analysis of slant column brightnesses at three equidistant fields of view (49 zenith angle; 0 , 120 , and 240 azimuth) reveals periods of apparent drift of emission structures

(3)	Periodogram analysis of brightness time series shows significant power at periods of ~4 hours, ~6 hours, ~9 hours, and 38-43 hours, with several cycles of a marked ~6-hr oscillation over ~40 hours on Dec. 24-25

(4)	Algorithm developed to support estimation of OH rotational temperature from R/Q emission brightness ratio; not yet applied to data; results to be validated against OH M (3,1) rotational temperatures measured at Eureka by G.G. Sivjee's Michelson interferometer

3.	Inactive Proposed Studies

a.	Patch Studies

i.	Patch signatures: McEwen/MacDougall collaboration?

ii.	Inferring Ionospheric Convection from Patch Observations: extend Dec. 8, 1993 case study (using data from Jan. 24 and nov. 17, 1996 as a start?)

iii.	Southward IMF Convection: depends on progress of previous study to validate convection inference technique

b.	Polar Arc Studies

i.	Characteristics of Subvisual Polar Auroras: statistical survey of faint arcs observed by Polar Camera (arc spectral brightness, multiplicity, orientation, motion, lifetime versus solar cycle phase)

ii.	Polar Auroras and Magnetospheric Topology: merging of multistation images with global-scale convection, particle precipitation, and Birkeland current data to infer source regions for precipitating particles

iii.	Northward IMF Convection

iv.	Single-Point Stereoscopy of Auroral Arcs: poster paper presented at Fall '95 AGU meeting; not yet followed up with further cases and manuscript

v.	Polar Diffuse Aurora: assessment of nature of "diffuse aurora" observed frequently at Eureka during '94-'95 winter, using CADI, particle precipitation, ion drift data and emission modelling; was to be M.Sc. project but prospective student didn't come

4.	Search for Permanent Employment

a.	University of Saskatchewan: applied for ISAS faculty position in spring 1996; applied to APES for assessment of academic credentials; 8 exams required; didn't make short list; perception of being unwilling to teach

b.	University of Calgary: applied for experimental space science faculty position winter 1997

c.	Industry (in Saskatoon?): contact with Duane Sniezek, V.P. R/D/E of SCI-TEC Instruments, Inc.; assessment of best fit in industry

5.	Search for Alternate Equipment Funding

a.	NSERC Research Grant: sought 4-yr individual research grant to support M.Sc. student and ongoing operation of Polar Camera; received 2-yr grant inadequate to support both student and instrument, so supported instrument out of contract budget

6.	Other Activities

a.	CSA Small Payloads Proposal (NiteOwl)

b.	Polar Camera Refurbishment, Repair, and Recalibration

7.	Future Plans

a.	Completion, Testing, and Implementation of OH Temperature Algorithm

b.	Completion and Publication of Dec94 OH study

c.	Further work on polar arc tomography with R.A. Doe

d.	Continued collaboration with P. Prikryl on patch formation

e.	Peaceful Valley Workshop on Plasma Structuring

f.	Completion and Publication of Single-Point Auroral Stereoscopy study

g.	NiteOwl Phase A + ...

i.	Possible scenarios and suggestions

8.	Concluding Remarks