Atmospheric Turbulence and Internal Gravity Waves Examined by the Method of Artificial Periodic Irregularities

A method for studying the Earth’s ionosphere at altitudes of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere based on creating artificial periodic irregularities in the ionospheric plasma by means of powerful radio waves is breafly described. Methods for determining the temperature and density of the neutral component and the velocity of vertical and turbulent motions by measuring the characteristics of the signal backscattered by the irregularities are described. The results of experiments performed on a SURA heating facility aimed at a comprehensive investigation of the natural processes occurring in the Earth’s lower ionosphere due to the propagation of atmospheric waves and turbulent phenomena are examined. Based on measurements of the amplitude and phase of the signal scattered by periodic irregularities, the most important characteristics of the neutral and plasma components of the Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere are determined. Further research on the subject is discussed.     

Artificial periodic irregularities,wave phenomena in the lower ionosphere,and the sporadic <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis> layer

We present new results of studying the artificial periodic irregularities produced in the ionosphere by the radio emission of the high-power heating facility “Sura” during the period of observations of the sporadic E layer. Basing on the measurement results for the velocity of the vertical plasma motion and the electron profile density in the E region of the ionosphere, which were obtained by the method of resonance scattering of radiowaves by an artificially produced periodic structure, we analyze the possibility to produce a sporadic E layer by driving metal ions affected by the vertical shear of the velocity, which occurs at these altitudes due to the propagation of internal gravity waves. The parameters of these waves are evaluated, as well as the mass and concentration of metal ions in the sporadic E layer.     

Retarded lower trace on satellite ionograms as new means for studies of the ionospheric macro-irregularities

Experimental data on radio sounding of the ionosphere from satellites at heights below its main maximum are presented. In these data, additional retarded lower trace (RLT) is observed in the ionograms. It is interpreted as a trace of a probing radio signal reflected obliquely from the Earth and coming back to the satellite after refraction by sharp horizontal ionospheric irregularities. Horizontal and vertical cuts of these irregularities as well as the electron-density gradients at their side walls are determined using quantitative methods. Two sequences of ionograms for two adjacent orbits of a satellite are presented and processed for which the critical-frequency maps corrected according to the experiment are constructed. The method of weighted interpolation of approximated values at the adjacent points is used. The horizontal size of the retrieved macro-irregularity and the velocity of its motion above the Earth’s surface are obtained. A conclusion is drawn that RLT ionograms allow one to diagnose additional parameters of the ionosphere. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 9–20, January 2006.     

Investigation of acoustic gravity waves in the upper atmosphere by the artificial periodic inhomogeneities method at Nizhny Novgorod

We present the results of observation of acoustic gravity waves in the height range 60–120 km. AGW were studied by means of plasma velocity measurements. The observations, based upon use of a newly-developed diagnostic technique, were carried out during September 1990–May 1991. The method uses the artificial periodic inhomogeneities (API) which occur in the ionosphere illuminated by high- power HF radio waves. This method, based upon measurements of phases of waves back scattered from API, has a time resolution sufficient to observe short-term variations in the atmosphere. Seasonal variations of daily averaged vertical velocities were obtained. Above the turbopause height upward vertical motions dominated. Wave-like oscillations in the vertical velocity, which are most probably caused by AGW, occurred.Published from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 329–334, March, 1996.     

The variations of the atmospheric parameters on measurements using the artificial periodic irregularities of plasma

The experimental data 2007–2010 on the altitudinal-temporal variations of the neutral atmosphere temperature at lower thermosphere heights are presented. The measurements were carried out by means of the artificial periodic irregularities formed under action of the powerful high frequency radio waves. The temperature and vertical velocity altitudinal variations of different character are compared. The cases of the atmosphere instability growth and following generation of the internal gravity waves are considered. The estimations of the gravity wave dissipation owing to the viscosity and the thermal conductivity are done.     

Effect of Acoustic Gravity Waves on Variations in the Lower-Ionosphere Parameters as Observed using Artificial Periodic Inhomogeneities

We study the effect of acoustic gravity waves on variations in the atmospheric parameters of the lower ionosphere. The observations were carried out by the method of radio-wave scattering on artificial periodic inhomogeneities of the ionospheric plasma, induced by powerful radio-wave heating of the ionosphere. Measuring the altitude profile of the relaxation time of the scattered signal allowed us to determine the atmospheric temperature and density at heights 95 to 120 km, while recording the signal phase made it possible to obtain the vertical velocity of the plasma. The joint analysis of variations in the vertical velocity and the atmospheric temperature and density showed the simultaneous existence of oscillations with the same periods ranging from 5–10 min to a few hours. The amplitudes of these oscillations were, respectively, 1.5 to 4 m s^-1 for the vertical velocity and 6–20% for the temperature and density. We simulate the characteristics of acoustic gravity waves using the linear theory of their free propagation in an unbounded isothermal undisturbed atmosphere. Based on the polarization relations for low-frequency waves, we calculate the corresponding relative amplitudes of variations in the atmospheric temperature and density with periods from 15 min to 4 h using the measured amplitudes of the vertical velocity. Comparison of the calculation results with the measured values shows their good agreement for waves with periods 15–30 min.     

Electron-Density Distribution in the Upper Ionosphere under Conditions of a Mid-Latitude F-Spread

We present the results of the last experiments aimed at studying the phenomenon of mid-latitude F-spread by radio-raying of the ionosphere using the signal from the SURA facility received onboard the NASA spacecraft WIND. A generalized model of spatio-temporal distribution of the electron density in the mid-latitude ionosphere under F-spread conditions is proposed. Based on this model describing large-scale ionospheric irregularities, we calculate the ray trajectories of HF radio waves. We also discuss the known results of comparative measurements of the variances of relative electron-density fluctuations in large-scale irregularities of the mid-latitude ionosphere, carried out by the OGO-6 spacecraft, and the frequency broadening of the ionograms of ground-based stations for the vertical sounding. It is shown that the proposed model of electron-density disturbances in the mid-latitude ionosphere in the presence of F-spread is able not only to describe well the main qualitative feature of HF radiowave propagation under disturbed geophysical conditions, but also to reproduce quite accurately the quantitative parameters of the frequency broadening of reflected HF signals under conditions of standard and developed F-spread.     

On the possibility of quasi-vertical radio sounding of the ionosphere in the extremely low frequency band

The experimental measurements show that the state of the ionosphere pronouncedly affects the field of the extremely low frequency (ELF) band in the transition zone. The measurements were performed on the Kola Peninsula at different times of day and in different seasons of 2006. The observed seasonal variations in the results are larger than the diurnal variations. The measured field strength does not tend to the calculated statistical value with decreasing frequency if the effect of the ionosphere is ignored. The possibility of using quasivertical radio sounding of the ionosphere in the ELF band to study the structure and electric parameters of the ionosphere is discussed.     

On specific features of diurnal variations in characteristics of the diagnostic stimulated electromagnetic emission and their relation to the evolution of artificial ionospheric irregularities

We analyze variations in characteristics of the diagnostic stimulated electromagnetic emission of the ionosphere in the evening hours including the times of sunset both on the Earth’s surface at the observation point and in the ionosphere over it. It is found that an increase in typical times of evolution of the diagnostic emission begins to be recorded just before the sunset on the Earth’s surface when the ionosphere is illuminated and its parameters are not significantly changed yet. We state that the typical times of evolution of the diagnostic emission increase when the pump-wave frequency approaches the critical frequency of the ionospheric F₂ layer, but such an effect is not as significant as when passing from the illuminated to the unilluminated ionosphere. It is established that at the stage of diagnostic sounding the pump-wave pulse power does not exert any notable influence on the first (fast) stage of relaxation of small-scale artificial ionospheric irregularities, but can increase the decay time of the irregularities at the second (slow) stage of relaxation. Capabilities of the method for a study of artificial plasma turbulence using the diagnostic stimulated electromagnetic emission are discussed. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 273–286, April 2008.     

Spatio-temporal development of the filaments due to the thermal self-focusing instability near the critical surface in ionospheric plasmas

We study fully nonlinear spatio-temporal development of the thermal self-focusing instability of high-power radio waves near the critical surface of the ionosphere. These simulations improve on our earlier work by including an evolution equation for the density instead of using the assumption of constant pressure to determine the perturbed density connected with the known temperature perturbation. Using our two-dimensional nonlinear code we analyze the time scale and associated velocity for the development of the field-aligned irregularities as they spread from the critical surface both in the underdense as well as the overdense regions. The scaling of this velocity as a function of the radiated power of the heater electromagnetic wave (ERP) is determined. We also study the characteristic size of the self-focused filament as a function of ERP. Finally, the spectrum of the density and temperature fluctuations as well as modifications in the equilibrium values of these parameters for different values of ERP are presented. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 42, No. 7, pp. 670–681, July 1999.     

Magnetic zenith effect and some features of the multifractal structure of the small-scale artificial ionospheric turbulence

We present the results of the experiment on studying the multifractal structure (with inhomogeneity sizes from tens to hundreds of meters across the Earth’s magnetic field) of the artificial ionospheric turbulence when the midlatitude ionosphere is affected by high-power HF radio waves. The experimental studies were performed on the basis of the “Sura” heating facility with the help of radio sounding of the disturbed region of the ionospheric plasma by signals from the Earth’s orbital satellites. The influence of the magnetic zenith effect on measured multifractal characteristics of the small-scale artificial turbulence of the midlatitude ionosphere was examined. In the case of vertical radio sounding of the disturbed ionosphere region, the measured multipower and generalized multifractal spectra of turbulence coincide well with similar multifractal characteristics of the ionospheric turbulence under natural conditions. This result is explained by the fact that the scattering of signals by weak quasi-isotropic small-scale inhomogeneities of the electron number density in a thick layer with a typical size of several hundred kilometers above the region of reflection of high-power HF radio waves gives the major contribution to the observed amplitude fluctuations of received signals. In the case of oblique sounding of the disturbance region at small angles between the line of sight to the satellite and the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field, the nonuniform structure of the small-scale turbulence with a relatively narrow multipower spectrum and small variations in the generalized multifractal spectrum of the electron number density was detected. Such a fairly well ordered structure of the turbulence is explained by the influence of the magnetic zenith effect on the generation of anisotropic small-scale artificial turbulence in a thin layer having a typical size of several ten kilometers and located below the pump-wave reflection height in the upper ionosphere.     

Influence of ionospheric irregularities on the form of radio signal scattering spectrum in over-the-horizon radar sounding of the rough sea surface

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the backscattering of HF radio waves from the rough sea surface, which have propagated through the ionosphere with random large-scale irregularities.

For the sake of simplicity, it is assumed in calculations that the rough sea surface is a perfectly conducting surface with the known Philips power spectrum of irregularities. Ionospheric irregularities of a random medium that are isotropic and single-scale ones, with a Gaussian spectrum, are considered within the limits of the hypothesis of frozen-in irregularities.

Within the first approximation of perturbation theory, using, as the incident wave and the Green function, their geometrical-optics approximations, we obtained the expression for the backscattering spectrum of the ionospheric chirp radio signal with a Gaussian envelope. The expression involves the parameters of the receive–transmit antenna, the signal, the propagation medium, and of the scattering surface. Numerical simulation was used to investigate the influence of all the above-mentioned parameters on the backscattering spectrum. It is shown that travel of ionospheric irregularities has the largest influence on the scattering spectrum, the signal parameters mainly determine the size of the scattering area in the range, and the form of the coherent integration window determines the form of the received signal and can distort it.     

Structure and dynamics of the ionospheric region with artificial small-scale irregularities according to complex measurements of the scattered radio-signal characteristics

We present the results of complex measurements of characteristics of HF radio signals scattered by artificial small-scale irregularities by means of oblique sounding using a chirp signal and by direction finding. On the basis of comparison of the experimental data and the calculations of aspect scattering of radio waves, the conclusion on the patch structure of an artificially disturbed ionosphere filled with small-scale field-aligned irregularities is drawn. The sizes of the patches amount to several ten kilometers, and they are separated by 100 or more kilometers. The drift speed of irregularities in the direction of the scattering vector in the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field is determined for several patches. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 12, pp. 1011–1025, December 2008.     

A diagnostic tool for the study of stochastic properties of density striations excited by powerful electromagnetic waves in the ionospheric plasma

Powerful electromagnetic waves illuminating the ionospheric plasma generate small-scale density irregularities elongated in the direction of the geomagnetic field. Stochastic motion of these irregularities results in fluctuations of HF radio signals backscattered by the illuminated region. Observations of the full wave form of the radio signals make it possible to reconstruct the distribution function of the irregularities over their velocities. An experiment with such a reconstruction is proposed.     

Spectra of Stimulated Electromagnetic Emission of the Ionosphere Sweeping of the Pump Wave Frequency Near Gyroharmonics. II. Discussion of the Results

Alternative mechanisms of generation of the stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE) excited in the ionosphere by high-power radio waves are analyzed on the basis of measurements of the SEE spectra obtained during the pump-wave frequency sweeping near the forth (n = 4) and fifth (n = 5) harmonics of the electron gyrofrequency nf_ce [1] and their comparison with the existing physical models. A method for determination of the magnetic field strength and plasma density near the double-resonance region in the ionosphere is developed. It is shown that the generation of the broad upshifted maximum (BUM) feature in the SEE spectrum should occur several kilometers below the double-resonance altitude. A role of high-frequency plasma modes and small-scale magnetic field-aligned irregularities, excited under ionosphere pumping by a high-power radio wave, in the formation of SEE spectra is demonstrated. It is shown that the difference in the emission intensities for f₀ ≲ nf_ce and f₀ > nf_ce is related to different regions (altitudes) at which the plasma waves exist in these cases. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 7, pp. 553–570, July 2008.     

Artificial periodic irregularities,hydrodynamic instabilities,and dynamic processes in the mesosphere—lower thermosphere

We present the results of measuring characteristics of the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere by the method of resonant scattering of radio waves by artificial periodic irregularities of the ionospheric plasma in the altitude range 90–120 km. It is shown that the altitude–time variations of the measured characteristics are in many respects stipulated by the propagation of atmospheric waves. Hydrodynamic instabilities in the mesosphere—lower thermosphere are analyzed. Criteria of development of different-type instabilities are presented. Contribution of different processes to the dynamics of the medium is estimated on the basis of the measurement results.     

Turbulence spectrum of the upper ionosphere

The problem of defining the spectral form of ionospheric irregularities with dimensions from hundreds to thousands of meters is considered. A generalized model is proposed for the ionospheric turbulence spectrum, taking into account both the anisotropic properties of the large-scale fraction of irregularities and the dependence of the anisotropy (elongation) of small-scale irregularities of the upper ionosphere along the Earth magnetic field direction on the transverse scale of those irregularities. Relations have been derived to determine the basic parameters of the irregularity spectrum of the uppers ionosphere (anisotropy indices for large-scale and small-scale fractions) and the depth of a thin ionospheric layer through measurement of the spectral characteristics of amplitude and phase fluctuations of orbital satellite signals. Using this model of the plasma irregularity spectrum, we can explain consistently many well-known experimental data on spectral characteristics of the phase and amplitude fluctuations of orbital satellite signals both in the high-latitude and midlatitude ionosphere. Radiophysical Research Institute, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 446–456, April, 1997.     

Influence of ionospheric irregularities on the form of radio signal scattering spectrum in over-the-horizon radar sounding of the rough sea surface

This paper is concerned with the backscattering of HF radio waves from the rough sea surface, which have propagated through the ionosphere with random large-scale irregularities.

For the sake of simplicity, it is assumed in calculations that the rough sea surface is a perfectly conducting surface with the known Philips power spectrum of irregularities. Ionospheric irregularities of a random medium that are isotropic and single-scale ones, with a Gaussian spectrum, are considered within the limits of the hypothesis of frozen-in irregularities.

Within the first approximation of perturbation theory, using, as the incident wave and the Green function, their geometrical-optics approximations, we obtained the expression for the backscattering spectrum of the ionospheric chirp radio signal with a Gaussian envelope. The expression involves the parameters of the receive-transmit antenna, the signal, the propagation medium, and of the scattering surface. Numerical simulation was used to investigate the influence of all the above-mentioned parameters on the backscattering spectrum. It is shown that travel of ionospheric irregularities has the largest influence on the scattering spectrum, the signal parameters mainly determine the size of the scattering area in the range, and the form of the coherent integration window determines the form of the received signal and can distort it.     

Electromagnetic field penetration through lanthanum manganites

The process of electromagnetic field penetration through lead-doped lanthanum manganites exhibiting colossal magnetoresistance has been studied. The measurements have been performed in a range of radio frequencies from 20 kHz to 10 MHz in the temperature interval containing a magnetic phase transition. Application of a constant external magnetic field leads to an increase in the transmission coefficient. Relative variations of the electromagnetic field transmission coefficient are several times as large as the relative change in the dc magnetoresistance. The temperature dependence of the relative change in the transmission coefficient has been studied. Variations of the transmission coefficient sharply decrease in the vicinity of the phase transition temperature, but they still remain rather large at temperatures above the Curie point.     

Lower polar ionosphere during a solar flare as revealed from radiooccultation data in satellite-to-satellite links

It is shown that there are typical variations in the amplitude and phase of decimetric radio waves in satellite-to-satellite links due to variations in the polar ionosphere structure. The altitude profiles of the electron number density and vertical size of the ionospheric sporadic structures in the nighttime polar regions during the period of intense solar activity in October 25 to November 09, 2003 are estimated. Correlation between the the ionosphere characteristics and the solar-wind parameters is discussed. It is noted that the effect of energetic-particle precipitation due to the influence of shock waves of the solar wind is the main factor responsible for strong variations in the nighttime polar ionosphere. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 52, No. 3, pp. 181–191, March 2009.