First observations of stimulated electromagnetic emission in the ionosphere modified by the spear heating facility on Spitsbergen

We present the first results of observations of the stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE) in the ionosphere modified by the Space Plasma Exploration by Active Radar (SPEAR) heating facility. Observation of the SEE is the key method of ground-based diagnostics of the ionospheric plasma disturbances due to high-power HF radiation. The presented results were obtained during the heating campaign performed at the SPEAR facility in February–March 2007. Prominent SEE special features were observed in periods in which the critical frequency of the F ₂ layer was higher than the pump-wave frequency (4.45 MHz). As an example, such special features as the downshifted maximum and the broad continuum in the region of negative detunings from the pump-wave frequency are presented. Observations clearly demonstrate that the ionosphere was efficiently excited by the SPEAR heating facility despite the comparatively low pump-wave power. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 11, pp. 951–955, November 2008.     

Results of studying the sporadic <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis> layer by the method of resonant scattering of radio waves by artificial periodic inhomogeneities of the ionospheric plasma

We report on the results of studying the lower ionosphere by a method based on the resonant scattering of radio waves by artificial periodic inhomogeneities of the ionospheric plasma. Different aspects of studying the sporadic E layer such as the influence of the vertical transfer on its formation, the possibility of examination of its ion composition, and the influence of the ionosphere heating on the layer characteristics are discussed. The results of determining the parameters of the E _s layer and some characteristics of the lower ionosphere during the creation of artificial periodic inhomogeneities at two frequencies are presented. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 11, pp. 956–969, November 2008.     

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.     

Results of Determining the Electron Number Density in the Ionospheric E Region from Relaxation Times of Artificial Periodic Irregularities of Different Scales

We present the first results of determining the electron number density in the ionospheric E region by a novel technique based on the creation of artificial periodic irregularities when the ionosphere is affected by powerful radio emission at two frequencies. Using the results of the measurements performed in October 2006 during heating of the ionosphere by the “Sura” facility radiation at frequencies 4.7 and 5.6 MHz, we obtained the electron number density profiles in an altitude range of 100 to 110 km. Features of the procedure of measurement and calculation of the electron number density are described in detail. It is shown that the method can be used for a study of the irregular structure of the lower ionosphere. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 6, pp. 477–484, June 2008.     

Results of Experiments on Modification of the Sporadic E-Layer by Powerful HF Radio Waves

We present the results of experiments on modification of the sporadic E-layer of the Earth's ionosphere by a powerful vertical beam of HF radio waves. The experiments were performed at the Sura heating facility (Radiophysical Research Institute, Nizhny Novgorod) from May 31 to June 4, 2001. The main results were obtained in May 31 from 17:30 to 20:00 MSK, when the E_s layer was fairly stable and the pump frequency was in the range where this layer was transparent. The diagnostics of the ionosphere was performed using X-mode probe waves in the frequency range f_pr=4.3-7.8 MHz. The ionosphere plasma heating was accompanied by an increase in the intensity of probe waves, reflected from the E_s layer, with frequencies close to or slightly higher than the critical frequency of the layer. Artificial fluctuations of the reflected signal appeared in the entire frequency range of sounding. We consider the dynamical characteristics of the observed phenomena and their dependence on the frequency f_pr and the parameters of the E_s layer.     

New Results of Studying the Lower Ionosphere by the Method of Resonance Scattering of Radio Waves from Artificial Periodic Inhomogeneities

We present the results of studying the lower ionosphere in 2000–2004 at the “Sura” heating facility by the method of resonance scattering of radio waves from artificial periodic inhomogeneities of the ionospheric plasma. Experimental data on a study of the sunset–sunrise phenomena in the ionospheric D region and the possibility of determining the concentrations of atomic oxygen and excited molecular oxygen are discussed. The results of studying the sporadic layers of ionization are presented and the method for a study of ion composition of the E_s layer is discussed. Data of the August 2004 experiments on a study of the influence of heating the ionosphere on the E_s layer and characteristics of artificial periodic inhomogeneities are presented. Prospects for further research are discussed. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 48, No. 9, pp. 757–771, September 2005.     

Quasi-three-dimensional model of current generation in the ionosphere caused by neutral wind action on E s -clouds

The paper is devoted to questions connected with the possible effects of excitation of local current systems in the E-region of the ionosphere on the basis of a quasi-three-dimensional model. A hypothesis of local current generation caused by the action of short-time intense neutral winds on sporadic E-layers of finite horizontal dimensions is accepted. Currents in two horizontal E _s -layers and field-aligned currents connecting the borders of these two layers are considered. The Hall currents in sporadic layers can be strong enough to generate Farley-Buneman turbulence. Some heating effects of local electric fields and the effects on the electron distribution function are found which cause effective excitation of some ionosphere neutral components.Published from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 241–249, February, 1996.     

Study of large-scale irregularities generated in the ionosphericF-region by high-power HF waves

Experimental studies of the features of artificial ionospheric turbulence was performed at the “Sura” heating facility in August 1998 using numerous diagnostic tools, such as scintillation, chirp-sounding, backscattering, and stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE) measurements, as well as sounding a HF-disturbed volume (DV) by probing waves. It has been found that generation of strong artificial large-scale irregularities (ALSIs), which manifest themselves through the F-spread on ionograms, scintillations of the satellite signal propagated through the DV, and amplitude fluctuations of the probing wave sounding the DV, is observed not only for an overdense heating, at fo≤foF₂, but also at higher frequencies fo>foF₂≥f _uh (here fo is the pump-wave frequency, foF₂ is the critical frequency of the F₂-layer for O-mode electromagnetic wave, and f _uh is the plasma frequency at the upper-hybrid resonance height). This means that transfer of the pump-wave energy in the plasma due to the development of thermal parametric (resonance) instability, rather than thermal self-focussing instability, plays the key role in the ALSI generation in the case where the O-mode HF wave is used for the overdense heating. This conclusion is also confirmed by the fact that the ALSI generation is suppressed in the gyroharmonic frequency range, which is similar to the well-studied quenching of the downshifted maximum (DM) in SEE spectra. In this paper, we discuss new ALSI features revealed by the measurements, as well as the limits by which one can control the ALSI spectrum using complex pumping schemes. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 497–519, June, 2000.     

Ascent of open-circuit voltage on diamond-like carbon photovoltaic cell by infrared heating-assisted pulsed-laser deposition

Phosphorus-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on quartz and p-type silicon (p-Si) substrates by pulsed-laser deposition. Open-circuit voltage (V _oc) and short-circuit density (I _sc/cm²) from a heating process converted from one type of electrode to another and the two types of electrode pattern are shown by the V–I characteristics. The first heating process was by a ceramic heater, and the other was by an infrared heater. We adopted two electrode patterns, from a bipectinate electrode and a plot pattern electrode, to measure electric photovoltaic characteristics. We were able to upgrade V _oc and I _sc/cm² to 35∼45 mV, and 0.24 μA/cm², respectively, under infrared heating. V _oc by the plot pattern electrode was over 2 V under infrared heating and ceramic heating did not match this on deposition by the PLD method.     

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.     

Sporadic structures in the equatorial ionosphere inferred from radio occultation data on satellite-to-satellite paths

We analyze characteristics of sporadic layers in the equatorial ionosphere using the results of radio occultation sounding on the paths between GPS satellites and the CHAMP low-orbiting satellite during the solar flare in October–November 2003. Variations in the amplitude and phase of signals during the lower-ionosphere sounding are studied. It is shown that the use of amplitude and phase data allows one to obtain parameters of the sporadic ionospheric structures. The data on the occurrence frequency, height, thickness, and intensity of the E_s layers in the daytime and nighttime equatorial ionosphere are presented. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 3, pp. 181–190, March 2008.     

Allowance for the solar-magnetospheric connections in a problem of predicting the critical frequency of the subauroral ionosphere

The cause-and-effect relation between variations in the critical frequency of the F ₂ subauroral ionospheric layer and the key solar-magnetospheric parameters is studied. The features of the dependence of the critical frequency of the subauroral ionosphere on the value and components of the interplanetary magnetic field, the solar-wind parameters, the X-ray and ultraviolet radiation intensities, the solar zenith angle, and the intensity of precipitation of low-energy particles are established. Within the framework of this study, codes allowing one to solve the problems of predicting the critical frequency of the ionosphere by the method of artificial neural networks has been developed. The neural-network forecasting experiments reveal the characteristic times of the ionospheric response to magnetospheric disturbancs. The found optimal architecture of the neural network allows us to predict the time series of the critical frequency of the high-latitude ionosphere for the interval 0.5–3 h with an accuracy of up to 93%. The obtained linear and nonlinear dependences of the critical frequency of the ionospheric F ₂ layer on the geophysical parameters can be used for developing ionospheric models required for determining the maximum usable frequency of HF radio communication. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 109–117, February 2009.     

Microwave dielectric characterization of binary mixture of formamide with <Emphasis Type="Italic">N,N</Emphasis>-dimethylaminoethanol

Dielectric relaxation measurements of formamide (FMD)-N,N-dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE) solvent mixtures have been carried out over the entire concentration range using time domain reflectometry technique at 25, 35 and 45°C in the frequency range of 10 MHz to 20 GHz. The mixtures exhibit a principle dispersion of the Davidson-Cole relaxation type at microwave frequencies. Bilinear calibration method is used to obtain complex permittivity ɛ*(ω) from complex reflection coefficient ρ*(ω) over the frequency range of 10 MHz to 10 GHz. The excess permittivity (ɛ ^E), excess inverse relaxation time (1/τ)^E, Kirkwood correlation factor (g ^eff), activation energy and Bruggeman factor (f _B) are also calculated to study the solute-solvent interaction.      

Modification of the earth’s ionosphere by high-power HF radio emission: Artificial periodic inhomogeneities and the sporadic <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis> layer

We present the results of new studies of the sporadic E layer in the case of heating of the ionosphere by high-power HF radio emission. The measurements were performed at the “Sura” heating facility. Ionosphere was modified by high-power radio emission from the “Sura” facility and was sounded by the probing radio waves of the same frequency and mode. The heating of the ionosphere resulted in the formation of artificial periodic inhomogeneities, and an increase in the intensity of all signals scattered by the D, E, and F regions and the sporadic E layer by 5–20 dB was observed. The increase was observed during heating of the ionosphere by each magnetoionic component, but was smaller for heating by an ordinary-mode wave. This effect was resonant and disappeared as a result of the frequency detuning down to 85 kHz. During the ionospheric modification, the signal-intensity increased due to modulation of the natural profile of the electron number density by the artificial periodic structure. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 50, No. 8, pp. 695–708, August 2007.     

Features of Excitation of Stimulated Electromagnetic Emission of the Ionosphere Modified by an Oblique High-Power Radio Wave

We present the results of measuring the characteristics of the stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE) of the ionosphere with variation in the zenith angle of a pump beam of high-power O-mode radio waves in the geomagnetic-meridian plane. The experiments were performed at the midlatitude heating facility “Sura.” It is established that the maximum intensity of the DM and BC components of SEE is observed for southward inclination angles θ ≈ 8°--12° of the antenna beam, for which the most intense generation of artificial small-scale ionospheric irregularities also takes place. Based on the results of measurements near the fourth and fifth harmonics of the electron gyrofrequency, it is found that the first component of the BUM (BUM-1) is generated only when the pump wave reaches the plasma-resonance region. This allows one to assume that, unlike the second component of the BUM (BUM-2), whose generation is determined by development of instability in the upper-hybrid resonance region, the BUM-1 generation mechanism should be related to processes of interaction between a high-power radio wave and the plasma in the plasma-resonance region. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 48, No. 9, pp. 743–756, September 2005.     

Influence of small-scale irregularities on features of the overshoot effect in the temporal evolution of stimulated electromagnetic emission. Part II. Relaxation stage

We present the results of experimental studies of the evolution of diagnostic stimulated electromagnetic emission of the ionosphere (DSEE) in a broad range of the pump and probing wave frequencies under sounding of the F-layer disturbed by powerful HF radio waves. We study the parameters of the overshoot effect in SEE evolution during the relaxation stage of artificial small-scale irregularities and show that the amplification of DSEE (inverse overshoot effect) is related to the relaxation of the anomalous attenuation due to scattering at these irregularities. We have found that the characteristic time scales of development of the overshoot effect decrease and its value increases as the pump wave frequency decreases from 6 to 4 MHz and as the probed volume moves from the edge to the central part of the disturbed volume. We relate the effects observed to the increasing intensity of the irregularities with scales l_∼∼3−10 m. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 42, No. 8, pp. 810–824, August 1999.     

Properties of the thermal narrow-continuum component in the spectrum of stimulated ionospheric emission

We present the results of experimental studies of the properties of the thermal narrow-continuum component NC_th of stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE) of the ionosphere observed in a narrow region between the pump frequency and the downshifted maximum (DM). Spectral and dynamic characteristics of the NC_th component are considered and the dependence of its properties on the frequency and power of the pumping wave as well as on the zenith angle of a high-power radio-wave beam in the geomagnetic-meridian plane is analyzed. It is proved that the NC_th generation is determined by the thermal (resonant) parametric instability near the level of the upper-hybrid resonance for a high-power radio wave. New experimental data on the properties of the main DM thermal component in the spectrum of stimulated electromagnetic emission, which we used as the reference component in most measurements, are presented. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 12, No. 48, pp. 1013–1032, December 2005.     

Measurements of the temperature and water vapor concentration in a hot zone by tunable diode laser absorption spectrometry

A tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) technique and appropriate instrumentation was developed for the measurement of temperature and water vapor concentrations in heated gases. The technique is based on the detection of the spectra of H₂O absorption lines with different energies of low levels. The following absorption lines of H₂O were used: 7189.344 cm⁻¹ (E″=142 cm⁻¹), 7189.541 cm⁻¹ (E″=1255 cm⁻¹), 7189.715 cm⁻¹ (E″=2005 cm⁻¹). Spectra were recorded using fast frequency scanning of a single distributed feedback (DFB) laser. A unique differential scheme for the recording of the absorption spectra was developed. An optimal technique for fitting the experimental spectra was developed.     

Effect of mixed glass formers on the crystallization kinetics in AgI–Ag<Subscript>2</Subscript>O–V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript>–MoO<Subscript>3</Subscript> glassy superionic system

The crystallization and glass transition kinetics using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in 50AgI–33.33Ag₂O–16.67[(V₂O₅)_1−x –(MoO₃) _x ] superionic glassy system is discussed. Thermal stability of glass, studied using various criteria, does not vary significantly with glass former variation. However, the activation energies for structural relaxation (E _s) at glass transition temperature and crystallization (E _c) obtained using Moynihan and Kissinger, Matusita-Sakka formulations found to exhibit interesting trends with MoO₃ substitution in the glass matrix. It is noticed that the electrical conductivity (σ)–temperature (T) cycles obtained at a typical heating rate of 1 °C/min do exhibit significant thermal events. The conductivity after first heating cycle at room temperature is found to be increasing with MoO₃ content and maximum for x = 0.3 (~10⁻³ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 30 °C) which is comparable to that of the host 50AgI–33.33Ag₂O–16.67V₂O₅ glassy system. The parameters obtained from σ–T plots and DSC scans do complement each other in a particular range of composition.     

AC electrical properties study and equivalent circuit of a monovalent-mixed pyrophosphate

NaAgPbP₂O₇ was prepared with a solid-state reaction. The electrical properties were investigated by using impedance measurements in the frequency range from 200 Hz to 5 MHz with the TEGAM 3550 ALF automatic bridge monitored by a microcomputer between 581 K and 703 K. The Z′ and Z″ versus frequency plots are well fitted to an equivalent circuit model. The conductivity data obey the universal power law. The conductivity in the material is due to the hopping of monovalent ions parallel to (001) plane.