Charge and size distribution of mesospheric aerosol particles measured inside NLC and PMSE during MIDAS MaCWAVE 2002

During the MIDAS MaCWAVE sounding rocket campaign performed at And phi ya, Norway (16 degrees E, 69 degrees N), from 29 June to 5 July 2002, charged aerosol probes aboard a MIDAS rocket detected a mixture of charged aerosol particles with different charges and sizes. Two charged aerosol probes were used on the MIDAS payload. The first probe, a collection surface shielded by a magnetic field, was optimized for the detection of negative aerosol particles. The second probe, a collection surface shielded by a magnetic field and a positive bias voltage, was optimized for detecting positive aerosol particles. On 2 July 2002, a MIDAS payload was launched into a simultaneous noctilucent cloud (NLC) and polar mesospheric summer echo (PMSE). The two probes measured a charge and size distribution of aerosol particles: a narrow layer of both small (1 nm < radius < 10 nm) and large (radius >= 10 nm) negative aerosol particles inside the NLC, and also a broad layer of small (1 nm < radius < 10 nm) positive aerosol particles spread across the lower portion of the PMSE that reached maximum density inside the NLC. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.