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Student Class

2028

Student Affiliation

WISP Intern

First Advisor

Kristina Lynch

First Advisor Department

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Second Advisor

Rowan Kowalsky

Second Advisor Department

Department of Physics and Astronomy

Description

The upcoming Geophysical Non-Equilibrium Ionospheric System Science Rocket (GNEISS) mission aims to investigate the structure and dynamics of the auroral ionosphere by deploying a fully instrumented multipoint, multiplatform payload suite into the Alaskan ionosphere in March 2026. This project supports GNEISS through the fabrication of Petite Ion Probes (PIPs) and analysis of auroral keograms derived from all-sky imagery. PIPs are used to measure ion flux and are mounted on both main and subpayloads to provide spatial insight into electron precipitation patterns. We detail the step-by-step assembly process for PIP stacks using gold-coated mesh and screens and report improvements in fabrication methods that reduced mechanical wrinkling. Additionally, keogram analysis was performed on March 2025 auroral data to develop magnetic field-aligned expectations for GNEISS, correlating observed structures with reconnection signatures. These efforts inform both instrument readiness and scientific planning.

Publication Date

5-2025

Keywords

aurora, ionosphere, GNEISS mission, PIP, keogram

Disciplines

Plasma and Beam Physics

PIP fabrication and Keogram analysis: Preparation for the GNEISS mission to study sheetlike auroral arcs

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Available to Dartmouth community via local IP address.

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