The purpose of this study is to perform a detailed analysis of unusually high nighttime electron temperature events (NETEs), which are regularly observed by the Millstone Hill radar. Studying these events will improve understanding of the nature of the particle and heat coupling between the ionosphere, plasmasphere, and conjugate ionosphere. Ultimately, this study will determine the cause of these events and their behavior, as well as lead to a better understanding of the nature of plasmapause processes. To accomplish this, detailed case studies will be performed on data already in the CEDAR data base. Also, new high quality data will be obtained at Millstone Hill, allowing the determination of particle and heat fluxes. Finally, this study should help to resolve the current discrepancy between modeled and measured ionospheric electron densities at night.
