Electron and proton excitation of the FUV aurora: Simultaneous IMAGE and NOAA observations

The Far Ultraviolet (FUV) imaging system on board the IMAGE satellite provides a global view of the north auroral region in different spectral channels. The Wideband Imaging Camera (WIC) is sensitive to the N[SUB]2[/SUB] LBH emission and NI emissions produced by both electron and proton precipitations. The SI12 camera images the Lyman-alpha emission due to incident protons only. We compare WIC and SI12 observations with model predictions based on particle measurements from the TED and the MEPED detectors on board NOAA-TIROS spacecraft. Models of the interaction of auroral particles with the atmosphere are used together with the in situ proton and electron flux and characteristic energy data to calculate the auroral brightness at the magnetic footprint of the NOAA-15 and NOAA-16 orbital tracks. The MEPED experiment measures the precipitating particles with energy higher than 30 keV, so that these comparisons include all auroral energies, in contrast to previous comparisons. A satisfactory agreement in morphology and in magnitude is obtained for most satellite overflights. The observed FUV-WIC signal is well modeled if the different spatial resolution of the two sensors is considered and the in situ measurements properly smoothed. The calculated count rate includes contributions from LBH emission, the NI 149.3 nm line, and the OI 135.6 nm line excited by electrons and protons. The proton contribution in WIC can locally dominate the electrons. The comparisons indicate that protons can significantly contribute to the FUV aurora at specific times and places and cannot be systematically neglected. The results confirm the shift of the proton auroral oval equatorward of the electron oval in the dusk sector. We also show that in some regions, especially in the dusk sector, high-energy protons dominate the proton energy flux and account for a large fraction of the Lyman-alpha and other FUV emissions.