4 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
- ItemMass analysis of charged aerosol particles in NLC and PMSE during the ECOMA/MASS campaign(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2009) Robertson, S.; Horányi, M.; Knappmiller, S.; Sternovsky, Z.; Holzworth, R.; Shimogawa, M.; Friedrich, M.; Torkar, K.; Gumbel, J.; Megner, L.; Baumgarten, G.; Latteck, R.; Rapp, M.; Hoppe, U.-P.; Hervig, M.E.MASS (Mesospheric Aerosol Sampling Spectrometer) is a multichannel mass spectrometer for charged aerosol particles, which was flown from the Andøya Rocket Range, Norway, through NLC and PMSE on 3 August 2007 and through PMSE on 6 August 2007. The eight-channel analyzers provided for the first time simultaneous measurements of the charge density residing on aerosol particles in four mass ranges, corresponding to ice particles with radii <0.5 nm (including ions), 0.5–1 nm, 1–2 nm, and >3 nm (approximately). Positive and negative particles were recorded on separate channels. Faraday rotation measurements provided electron density and a means of checking charge density measurements made by the spectrometer. Additional complementary measurements were made by rocket-borne dust impact detectors, electric field booms, a photometer and ground-based radar and lidar. The MASS data from the first flight showed negative charge number densities of 1500–3000 cm−3 for particles with radii >3 nm from 83–88 km approximately coincident with PMSE observed by the ALWIN radar and NLC observed by the ALOMAR lidar. For particles in the 1–2 nm range, number densities of positive and negative charge were similar in magnitude (~2000 cm−3) and for smaller particles, 0.5–1 nm in radius, positive charge was dominant. The occurrence of positive charge on the aerosol particles of the smallest size and predominately negative charge on the particles of largest size suggests that nucleation occurs on positive condensation nuclei and is followed by collection of negative charge during subsequent growth to larger size. Faraday rotation measurements show a bite-out in electron density that increases the time for positive aerosol particles to be neutralized and charged negatively. The larger particles (>3 nm) are observed throughout the NLC region, 83–88 km, and the smaller particles are observed primarily at the high end of the range, 86–88 km. The second flight into PMSE alone at 84–88 km, found only small number densities (~500 cm−3) of particles >3 nm in a narrow altitude range, 86.5–87.5 km. Both positive (~2000 cm−3) and negative (~4500 cm−3) particles with radii 1–2 nm were detected from 85–87.5 km.
- ItemElectron loss and meteoric dust in the mesosphere(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2012) Friedrich, M.; Rapp, M.; Blix, T.; Hoppe, U.-P.; Torkar, K.; Robertson, S.; Dickson, S.; Lynch, K.The ionosphere is always assumed to contain equal numbers of positive and negative charges in a given volume (quasineutrality). Hence fewer electrons than positive charges are an indication of negative charges other than electrons. Theories predict and in-situ mass spectrometer measurements confirmed that these negative charges are negative ions, but recent experimental results suggest that other scavengers of free electrons can also be active in the mesosphere. Outside the polar summer mesosphere this additional removal of electrons is today believed to be due to meteoric dust, which maximises in the mesosphere. Data predominantly from the recent ECOMA flights are used to test this presumption. Six sounding rockets carried different dust detectors, as well as probes for electrons and ions. With such an instrumental ensemble one can assess whether indeed the existence of meteoric dust removes more electrons than would be expected from gas phase ion chemistry alone. Other factors potentially impacting on electron removal are also discussed in the paper.
- ItemSignatures of mesospheric particles in ionospheric data(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2009) Friedrich, M.; Torkar, K.M.; Singer, W.; Strelnikova, I.; Rapp, M.; Robertson, S.The state of the ionosphere during the 2007 ECOMA/MASS campaign is described by in-situ observations by three sounding rockets launched from the Andøya Rocket Range and by ground based observations. The ground based measurements included the incoherent scatter radar EISCAT near Tromsø (both on UHF and VHF), as well as an MF radar, a meteor radar and an imaging riometer all located in the close vicinity of the rocket range. The pronounced electron density bite-outs seen by two of the rockets could not be detected from the ground, but the associated PMSE (Polar Mesospheric Summer Echoes) provide indirect evidence of pronounced perturbations of mesospheric electron densities.
- ItemFirst in situ measurement of the vertical distribution of ice volume in a mesospheric ice cloud during the ECOMA/MASS rocket-campaign(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2009) Rapp, M.; Strelnikova, I.; Strelnikov, B.; Latteck, R.; Baumgarten, G.; Li, Q.; Megner, L.; Gumbel, J.; Friedrich, M.; Hoppe, U.-P.; Robertson, S.We present in situ observations of mesospheric ice particles with a new particle detector which combines a classical Faraday cup with the active photoionization of particles and subsequent detection of photoelectrons. Our observations of charged particles and free electrons within a decaying PMSE-layer reveal that the presence of charged particles is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the presence of PMSE. That is, additional requirements like a sufficiently large electron density – which we here estimate to be on the order of ~100 cm−3 – and the presence of small scale structures (commonly assumed to be caused by turbulence) need to be satisfied. Our photoelectron measurements reveal a very strong horizontal structuring of the investigated ice layer, i.e., a very broad layer (82–88 km) seen on the upleg is replaced by a narrow layer from 84.5–86 km only 50 km apart on the downleg of the rocket flight. Importantly, the qualitative structure of these photoelectron profiles is in remarkable qualitative agreement with photometer measurements on the same rocket thus demonstrating the reliability of this new technique. We then show that the photoelectron currents are a unique function of the ice particle volume density (and hence ice mass) within an uncertainty of only 15% and we derive corresponding altitude profiles of ice volume densities. Derived values are in the range ~2–8×10−14 cm3/cm3 (corresponding to mass densities of ~20–80 ng/m3, and water vapor mixing ratios of 3–12 ppm) and are the first such estimates with the unique spatial resolution of an in situ measurement.