Proposal for a CubeSat mission to study the influence of earthquakes on energetic particle precipitation in south america

Antaurco P.P.; Morales M.R.; Huaman N.A. · Proceedings of the International Astronautical Congress, IAC (2025) · DOI: 10.52202/083084-0025

Resumen

Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) waves are electromagnetic waves generated by various phenomena‚ including earthquakes‚ which can propagate through the Earth-ionosphere waveguide∙ These waves can penetrate the lower ionosphere and couple to the Earth’s magnetic field lines‚ interacting with particles in the radiation belts and causing the acceleration or precipitation of energetic particles∙ South America‚ particularly the countries along the Pacific Ring of Fire‚ experiences frequent seismic activity‚ providing a unique opportunity to study the influence of ULF waves on Energetic Particle Precipitation (EPP)∙ The CubeSat will operate in Low Earth Orbit(LEO) at an altitude of approximately 500 km‚ covering latitudes from -40 to 40∙ This orbit ensures consistent coverage of the Pacific Ring of Fire region and allows for the detection of ULF waves propagating through the ionosphere and along magnetic field lines∙The mission will utilize the piPLASMA instrument‚ which includes a high-precision magnetometer‚ a Langmuir probe‚ and a dosimeter∙ These instruments will measure magnetic field variations‚ plasma density‚ and on-board energetic electrons in the energy range of 0∙2-10 MeV‚ respectively‚ enabling the detection of changes due to EPP∙ The collected data can be correlated with ground-based seismic records from the Pacific Ring of Fire region∙ This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of how ULF waves generated by earthquakes influence the dynamics of the radiation belts and the ionosphere‚ potentially improving space weather models∙

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería