The investigators will build a facility for imaging high-energy electron precipitation and remote sensing high-energy particle dynamics in near-Earth space. They will design, test, and build a synchronous direct digital receiver that will form the foundation of the next-generation VLF-HF (Very Low Frequency/High Frequency) receivers/riometers. Using this technology and in collaboration with Canadian investigators, the researchers will deploy an array of these receivers to establish a comprehensive network of digital imaging riometers that will build international partnerships, take advantage of existing (and planned) networks of complementary instruments, and enable new and exciting science. The timely deployment of the riometer network will also be enhanced by synergies with space-based observations of the near-Earth geospace environment, such as NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) and Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) missions, as well as ESA's Swarm. The data and engineering study results from this effort will be made available to all researchers. All design documentation will be posted on the project website so that duplicate systems can be easily constructed. The engineering design work will be integrated into undergraduate curriculum, including independent studies and experimental courses.
