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FRINATEK-Fri prosj.st. mat.,naturv.,tek

SPEAR - a high power ionospheric modification facility for Svalbard

Awarded: NOK 6.6 mill.

SPEAR (Space Plasma Exploration by Active Radar) is a new 25 MNOK multi-purpose facility that exploits high power radio technology in a completely new way. It is a ground-based HF radar with the capability of artificially modifying the upper atmosphere, a t different altitudes, in a controlled manner. SPEAR is the only such facility in the polar cap, and it can perform unique experiments on magnetic field lines that are directly connected to the solar wind at all local times. These experiments recreate phe nomena that occur naturally within the Earth's magnetic environment. By controlling certain aspects of the interactions, such as the spatial and temporal parameters, we can gain a far better understanding of complicated processes that are responsible for transferring energy from the Sun into our upper atmosphere. The effects of this modification will be observed by a multitude of instruments located both locally on Svalbard (EISCAT radars and optical instruments at KHO) and internationally (SuperDARN rada rs in Europe and Canada). Additional observations will be made by overflying NASA and ESA satellite missions. In total data from over 10 different instruments located both on the ground and in space will be utilised. The diverse nature of the experiments possible with SPEAR has applications across multiple disciplines both within the realm of solar terrestrial physics and other scientific areas. This project ties into our overall goal for the next decade to understand the energy budget of the Sun-Earth sy stem. We aim to do this through experiments that consider the energy dissipated by the solar wind into a vertical column that extends from the ground to the boundary of the Earth's magnetic field, the Magnetopause. We bring together the knowledge, experti se and interests of UNIS, EISCAT, Norwegian and international universities and collaborators. Together we wish to develop a program which will shape upper atmospheric research in Norway for years to come.

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FRINATEK-Fri prosj.st. mat.,naturv.,tek