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| Scientific objective | Expected results | International collaborations |
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| Geomagnetic field mapping | Main field and secular variation will be the principal goals. | Contribution to the IGRF. A better knowledge of the Earth’s core dynamics, secular variation, field inversions and crustal anomalies. 3D reconstruction of the mantle conductivity. | Synergy with SWARM mission, INGV ground network and SEGMA-ULF geomagnetic networks. |
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| Monitoring of ionosphere and plasmasphere | Simultaneous measurements of local changes in the topside ionosphere and space and time variability of plasmasphere. | Contributions to the IRI model, ionospheric tomography, study of space weather events by in situ measurements and plasmaspheric TEC investigations. | Collaboration with NASA missions C/NOFS and STPSAT1. Use of CITRIS-like detector to collect signals from CERTO satellite and DORIS radio beacons terrestrial network. Comparisons with INGV and DIAS ionosonde data. |
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| Detection of transient phenomena associated with thunderstorms | Detection of tropospheric transient luminous emissions (TLE), lightnings, terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGF) and related energy transfer (~0,25–1GW) from troposphere to iono-magnetosphere. | Understanding of TLE e TGF effects in the framework of the ionosphere-magnetosphere couplings. | Complementary observation campaigns of TLE e TGF phenomena to be carried out with the TARANIS satellite. |
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| Study of iono-magnetospheric perturbations due to EM emissions of terrestrial origin | Study of the possible effects produced in the near-Earth space by EM emissions of seismic and volcanic origin. | The AUSONIA team can take profit from the expertise of the previous ESPERIA project (see the 2007 IUGG resolution N.5, http://www.iugg.org/resolutions/). | The AUSONIA team is guest investigator of the DEMETER mission to study whistlers and radiation belt particles. |
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| Investigation of Van Allen particle fluxes and tropospheric X/γ rays | Study of temporal stability of the Van Allen radiation belts, detection of particle precipitation and tropospheric and cosmic X/γ emissions. | | A few key persons of the AGILE mission are also members of the AUSONIA team. |
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