Investigation of the stormtime ring current using cluster and low-altitude NOAA data in conjunction with ENA images from the IMAGE satellite

This will be a joint project between the Space Physics Groupe at University of Bergen (UiB), Norway, and the Space Physics Group of the Space Department of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), USA. Dr. Pontus Brandt at JHU/AP L and professor Finn Søraas at UiB. JHU/APL is actively involved in the analysis of the IMAGE data, and has specialized in analyzing Energetic Neutral Atom images from an instrument on IMAGE built by JHU/APL, while the Space Physics Group at UiB have expe rience with analysing MEPED data from the NOAA satellite and particle data from Cluster. During geomagnetic storms a well defined belt of trapped protons and ENAs (energetic neutral atoms) is observed around geomagnetic equator at low L-values. Their sour ce is ring current protons existing at larger L-values. Through charge exchange with the geocorona, these protons become ENAs, and if subjected to a new charge exchange become trapped protons. Through the MEPED instrument onboard the low-altitude polar-or biting NOAA satellitt we can follow the particle injections and the drift of ring current particles hrough the evening/afternoon into the morning sector, by other words, the development of the storm-time ring current. The HENA insturmet will at the same time give us an overview of the development of the ring current.