The mid- and low-latitude ionosphere is home to a variety of plasma density irregularities, including depletions (bubbles), enhancements (blobs), and small-scale scintillation, which result in the…

This $178,368 research grant was awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to the Trustees of Boston University, a private university located in Boston, Massachusetts. The grant supports a CubeSat mission called PetitSat, which will provide in-situ measurements of the plasma density, 3D ion drift, and ion and neutral composition in the mid- and low-latitude ionosphere. The goal is to investigate the link between plasma density enhancements and medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs). The study will utilize both PetitSat data and remote data from the Boston University all-sky imager network and international GNSS receivers. This grant does not have a set-aside designation and was awarded directly to Boston University as the prime grantee, without any noted subcontractors.

The mid- and low-latitude ionosphere is home to a variety of plasma density irregularities, including depletions (bubbles), enhancements (blobs), and small-scale scintillation, which result in the distortion of radio wave propagation. Previous studies of plasma density enhancements observed using rocsat data have posited that these structures form as the direct result of the formation of bubbles near the geomagnetic equator. However, recent observations from the c/nofs satellite suggest that multiple mechanisms are responsible for forming plasma enhancements, with wave action in the thermosphere as a significant driver of the enhanced densities. Indeed, statistical analysis of enhancements observed from satellites resembles the statistics of medium-scale traveling ionosphere disturbances (mstids) with respect to seasonal variability and solar activity. This study will investigate the link between these two phenomena. In order to investigate the link between these two phenomena, both in situ data of the plasma enhancement and remote data of the mstid at the magnetic footpoint are required. Petitsat is a cubesat mission designed to provide in situ measurements of the plasma density, 3D ION drift, as well as ION and neutral composition. The instrument suite includes a combined retarding potential analyzer and cross-track drift meter and a neutral mass spectrometer. This instrument suite will provide comprehensive information about the fluctuations in plasma, as well as changes in the neutral profile. Petitsat will launch into a 51 DEG inclination orbit at 400 KM (consistent with an international space station deployment), allowing for numerous conjunctions with the boston university all-sky imager network and GPS receivers from the international global navigation satellite systems (gnss) service (IGS) network over the mission lifetime. Through comparative analysis, we will bring closure to our key science question: what is the link between plasma enhancements and mstids?