Analysis of the joint detection capability of the SMILE satellite and EISCAT-3D radar

Abstract

The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) satellite is a small magnetosphere–ionosphere link explorer developed cooperatively between China and Europe. It pioneers the use of X-ray imaging technology to perform large-scale imaging of the Earth’s magnetosheath and polar cusp regions. It uses a high-precision ultraviolet imager to image the overall configuration of the aurora and monitor changes in the source of solar wind in real time, using in situ detection instruments to improve human understanding of the relationship between solar activity and changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. The SMILE satellite is scheduled to launch in 2025. The European Incoherent Scatter Sciences Association (EISCAT)-3D radar is a new generation of European incoherent scatter radar constructed by EISCAT and is the most advanced ground-based ionospheric experimental device in the high-latitude polar region. It has multibeam and multidirectional quasi-real-time three-dimensional (3D) imaging capabilities, continuous monitoring and operation capabilities, and multiple-baseline interferometry capabilities. Joint detection by the SMILE satellite and the EISCAT-3D radar is of great significance for revealing the coupling process of the solar wind–magnetosphere–ionosphere. Therefore, we performed an analysis of the joint detection capability of the SMILE satellite and EISCAT-3D, analyzed the period during which the two can perform joint detection, and defined the key scientific problems that can be solved by joint detection. In addition, we developed Web-based software to search for and visualize the joint detection period of the SMILE satellite and EISCAT-3D radar, which lays the foundation for subsequent joint detection experiments and scientific research.

Keywords

• solar wind magnetosphere ionosphere link explorer (smile) satellite
• european incoherent scatter sciences association (eiscat)-3d radar
• joint detection