Auroral kilometric radiation source characteristics using ray tracing techniques

[1] 3-D ray tracing to the presumed auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) source region has been performed using the input data from wave distribution function (WDF) based on the AKR waveforms recorded on board the Interball 2 satellite by the French wave experiment MEMO. Both the direction of the WDF maximum and the WDF form and angular size have been taken into account. Two instances of AKR emissions were observed on 28 January 1997 at 2037 and 2107 UT. Rays traced in R-X mode out of the s/c point toward two different active regions on the auroral oval (as seen with Polar UV imager after projection of the source region along the magnetic field lines down to the ionosphere level). Source region apparent angular sizes based on WDF are compatible with sizes estimated from signal modulation produced by electric antenna system rotation.