A Novel ASI Array for Redline Auroral Imaging across Northern Canada

Abstract:

The redline aurora is a tracer of magnetospheric structure and dynamics. From drifting polar cap patches to bursty bulk flows (BBFs) in the mid-tail, the redline aurora provides key information about system-level dynamics and coupling between plasma regimes. In this paper we present a new all-sky imager (ASI) array that measures the 6300Å emission line from neutral Oxygen in the aurora. The array coverage extends from south of Gillam, Manitoba, to north of Resolute Bay, Nunavut, and to the west of Fort Smith, NWT, and the array is synchronized at 3 second cadence in the same manner that the THEMIS ASI array is. The camera has superior resolution and noise performance compared to previous generations of auroral cameras. The imager employs only one filter and thus monitors one auroral line throughout the array simultaneously and continuously (at high cadence). The new design has better immunity to internal scatter and produces images of faint aurora when the moon is in the field of view, which corrects another deficiency of some currently deployed auroral imager systems. We present the new instrument design, test data from the commissioning phase of the array deployment, and thoughts on the scientific potential of the array.