OPTICAL REMOTE-SENSING OF THE ION CONVECTION PATTERN IN THE HIGH-LATITUDE IONOSPHERE FROM A POLAR ORBITING SATELLITE

Presented is a technique where on a routine basis a single satellite b orne instrument can be used to determine quasi-instantaneous ion conve ction patterns over the entire high-latitude ionosphere. The remote se nsing technique utiliizes the Doppler shift information in the optical emissions originating from thermospheric ions drifting in response to the Earth's magnetic and convection electric fields. The feasibility of the technique is demonstrated using a computer simulation. The simu lation shows that a satellite can obtain information with sufficient s patial resolution to obtain quasi-instantaneous estimates of ion conve ction patterns. The results are accurate enough to distinguish between features present in currently accepted averaged models of ion convect ion.