Observations of Bursty Energetic Electron Precipitation using Pairs of Cubesats

It has long been recognized that an excellent way to study the fine structure of bursty energetic electron precipitation and, in particular, greatly aid in separating spatial and temporal variations would be use multiple satellites. The advent of Cubesat technology has permitted the fielding of satellite missions consisting of two satellites in close formation for an affordable cost. Two such missions are Aerocube-6 and FIREBIRD; these two LEO missions have returned a wealth of data over the last few years. Among the unexpected findings are the existence of “curtains” of precipitating energetic electrons that have latitudinal scale sizes of a few kilometers or less and can persist for a minute or more. The measurements have shown also that bursts of precipitation, viewed in the local bounce loss cone, often have different temporal intensities and spatial structures even with a satellite spacing of only a few kilometers. The high-altitude scattering process, presumably chorus, thus often creates finely structured precipitation patterns at the top of the atmosphere. Typical examples of these highly-structured observations will be shown and discussed.