New observational projects in New Zealand for studying radiation belt loss processes in the deep inner magnetosphere: instrumentation, operation by solar power and initial results

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes the instrumentation and the first results of an upper atmospheric observing project conducted in New Zealand. We operate an all-sky aurora camera and a 64-Hz sampling induction magnetometer at Middlemarch, as well as 1-Hz sampling fluxgate magnetometers which have been operative at three stations in New Zealand, Middlemarch, Eyrewell and Te Wharau. Green and red auroras corresponding to the 557.7 nm and 630.0 nm emissions, respectively, were observed on the night of 5 August 2019. Pc1 pulsations were observed in the frequency range of ~ 0.2–1 Hz before and after a small (minimum Dst = − 40 nT) geomagnetic storm during 4–6 October 2020. Before the geomagnetic storm, Pc1 pulsations with several center frequencies were observed regardless of local time. During the recovery phase, an IPDP (interval of pulsations of diminishing period) type of Pc1 and four subsequent intervals of Pc1s were detected. The Ionospheric Alfvén Resonator (IAR) was also identified with spectral resonance structures during this magnetic storm. Lower harmonic modes of the IAR were present throughout the local nighttime, but higher harmonic modes with frequency of 5–15 Hz seemed to disappear at the onset time of substorms. This is the first report of the IAR at such a high frequency range and this is the first IAR observation in the southern hemisphere. Examples of applying cross-phase analysis to observation data of fluxgate magnetometers are also given. Graphical Abstract

Keywords

• Induction magnetometer
• Fluxgate magnetometer
• All-sky aurora camera
• Geomagnetic pulsation
• Pc1
• Pc3