Electron density distribution over the northern polar region deduced from
IMAGE/RPI sounding 

P. A. Nsumei, X. Huang, B. W. Reinisch, P. Song, V. M. Vasyliunas, 
J.L. Green, S. F. Fung, R. F. Benson, and D. L. Gallagher


Electron density Ne distributions in the northern polar region are
determined from 1.4 to 5.0 RE at invariant latitudes greater than 70 deg. 
using the radio plasma imager (RPI) on the IMAGE satellite over the period
from June 2000 to November 2001. An empirical Ne model in this region is
derived as a function of radial distance and geomagnetic activity. A power
law with a power index of Ð5.09 ± 0.03 describes the variation of Ne with
radial distance. The Ne appears to increase exponentially with the Kp
index. The altitude dependence of the empirical model at low geomagnetic
activity is qualitatively consistent with previous models derived from the
ISIS 1 and the Dynamic Explorer 1 spacecraft. 

_______________
Submitted to Journal of Geophysical Research, 2002