Reconstruction of Precipitating Electrons and Three-Dimensional
Structure of a Pulsating Auroral Patch from Monochromatic Auroral Images
Obtained from Multiple Observation Points
Abstract
In recent years, auroral observation networks using high-sensitivity
cameras have been developed in the polar regions. These networks allow
us to observe dimmer auroras such as pulsating auroras (PsAs) with a
high signal-to-noise ratio. We reconstructed the horizontal distribution
of precipitating electrons using computed tomography with monochromatic
PsA images obtained from three observation points. The three-dimensional
distribution of the volume emission rate (VER) of the PsA was also
reconstructed. The characteristic energy of the reconstructed
precipitating electron flux ranged from 6 keV to 23 keV, and the peak
altitude of the reconstructed VER ranged from 90 to 104 km. We evaluated
the results using a model aurora and compared the model’s electron
density with the observed electron density. The electron density was
reconstructed correctly to some extent. These results suggest that the
horizontal distribution of precipitating electrons associated with PsAs
can be effectively reconstructed from ground-based optical observations.