Determination of the photoelectron current density based on comparison between IESP-2 and KM-7 probe measurements of the interball-2 satellite potential relative to plasma

We propose a technique for determining the photoelectron current density based on comparison between simultaneous IESP-2 (electric field meter) and KM-7 (electron temperature sensor) probe measurements of the Interball-2 satellite potential relative to the plasma. We have analyzed the data obtained from ～350 orbital segments in the auroral zone of the magnetosphere at altitudes of 2–3 Earth’s radii from October 1996 to March 1998, i.e., in the period of low solar activity at the beginning of solar cycle 23. The photoelectron current density onboard Inteball-2 has been found to be within the range 1.8–3.6 nA cm^?2.