Satellite measurements of plasma-density perturbations induced in the topside ionosphere by high-power HF radio waves from the “Sura” heating facility

We report on the French DEMETER and American DMSP satellite measurements of largescale field-aligned plasma-density perturbations (ducts) induced in the topside ionosphere by the ionospheric F ₂-layer pumping by means of high-power HF radio waves from the “Sura” heating facility. Characteristics of such plasma perturbations and conditions of their formation are determined. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 11, pp. 915–924, November 2008.     

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.     

Sounding of the ionosphere disturbed by the “Sura” heating facility radiation using signals of the GPS satellites

We present the results of experimental studies of the properties of the plasma-density disturbances created during heating of the ionospheric F₂ region by high-power HF radio waves radiated by the “Sura” heating facility (Radiophysical Research Institute, Nizhny Novgorod). These experiments are specific in that they were performed in a sunlit (daytime) ionosphere when the generation of ionospheric turbulence has specific features and the turbulence intensity level is low enough. The plasma-density disturbances induced by high-power HF radio emission were sounded by signals of the GPS satellites, the line of sight to which crossed different parts of the disturbed ionosphere region. Threshold powers of the excitation of artificial plasma-density variations as well as spatial, temporal, spectral, and energy characteristics of the generated disturbances are determined.     

Oblique chirp sounding of the modified ionosphere. Experiment and simulation

We present the results of experimental studies of the influence of artificial ionospheric disturbances on HF signals used for oblique sounding of the disturbed volume. The measurements have been performed by a chirp ionosonde over the path Yoshkar-Ola-“Sura”-niznhy Novgorod with length 234 km. We found the 2F2 mode to disappear (attenuation up to 20 dB) when the ionosphere is influenced by a vertical powerful radiation in the ordinary mode with long (15 min each) heating and pause intervals. Modeling of the observed effect was carried out. The calculations agree well with experimental data if the traveling ionospheric disturbances (TID) with vertical and horizontal scales l_z∼20 km and l_x∼50 km, respectively, and the relative disturbance of the electron density δN∼0.2–0.3 are amplified (generated) during the ionosphere heating. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 303–313, April 1999.     

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.     

Fractal structure of artificial ionospheric turbulence

We show the results of the first experimental studies of the multifractal structure of the developed artificial ionospheric turbulence. As a result of the special multifractal analysis of the recorded amplitudes of signals from the orbital satellites, which were obtained during the experiments on radio tomography of the irregularities excited in the ionosphere by the powerful mid-latitude heating facility “Sura,” it is found that the characteristic multifractal structure of these records is caused by the nonuniform spatial distribution of the small-scale fluctuations of the electron number density in the artificial irregularities of the ionospheric plasma. Comparative analysis is performed for the multifractal spectra of fluctuations of both the amplitudes and energies of signals received from the orbital satellites upon radio transmission probing of the region of artificial ionospheric turbulence by these signals at three observation points located near the “Sura” heating facility and spaced apart to a distance of about 100–150 km. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 11, pp. 970–976, 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.     

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.     

The polar-ionosphere phenomena induced by high-power radio waves from the spear heating facility

We present the results of experimental studies of specific features in the behavior of small-scale artificial field-aligned irregularities (AFAIs) and the DM component in the spectra of stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE). Analysis of experimental data shows that AFAIs in the polar ionosphere are generated under different background geophysical conditions (season, local time, the presence of sporadic layers in the E region, etc.). It is shown that AFAIs can be excited not only in the F region, but also in “thick” sporadic E _s layers of the polar ionosphere. The AFAIs were observed in some cycles of heating when the HF heater frequency exceeded the critical frequency by 0.3–0.5 MHz. Propagation paths of diagnostic HF radio waves scattered by AFAIs were modelled for geophysical conditions prevailing during the SPEAR heating experiments. Two components, namely, a narrow-banded one with a Doppler-spectrum width of up to 2 Hz and a broadband one observed in a band of up to 20 Hz, were found in the sporadic E _s layer during the AFAI excitation. Analysis of the SEE spectra shows that the behavior of the DM component in time is irregular, which is possibly due to strong variations in the critical frequency of the F ₂ layer from 3.5 to 4.6 MHz. An interesting feature observed in the SPEAR heating experiments is that the generation of the DM component was similar to the excitation of AFAIs when the heater frequency was up to 0.5 MHz higher than the critical frequency. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 11, pp. 939–950, November 2008.     

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.     

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.     

Using the “Sura” facility antenna for increasing the effective ionosonde power

We developed and tested a new method for increasing the effective ionosonde power by 20–40 dB, which uses the transceiving antenna of the “Sura” facility. Three sections of this antenna were employed as the receiving antenna of the ionosonde in the test experiments of July 2007. Fine features indiscernible in normal ionosonde mode are distinctly seen in the ionograms. Different variants of connection of the “Sura” antenna sections to the receiver and transmitter of the ionosonde are considered and the possibility of simultaneous operation of the “Sura” high-power transmitter and the ionosonde is analyzed. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 10, pp. 830–836, October 2008.     

Characteristics of the spatial spectrum of plasma irregularities excited at mid-latitudes by the high-power “Sura” facility

We present the results of analysis of the spectra of amplitude scintillations at a frequency of 150 MHz and a difference phase at frequencies of 150 and 400 MHz, which were obtained in the experiment on radio tomography of artificial ionospheric turbulence (AIT) excited by the mid-latitude high-power “Sura” heating facility [1]. We used the data on radio probing of the AIT region at a frequency of 150 MHz by signals from artificial satellites in near-polar circular orbits at altitudes of 1000 km above the Earth’s surface. The signals were received simultaneously at three spaced apart points located at distances of about 100–150 km from each other along the projection of the satellite trajectory onto the Earth’s surface. The analysis of the data shows that in the range of scales smaller than 0.5–1.0 km across the geomagnetic field, the AIT spatial spectrum can be described by the power-law function with the spectral index p_⊥ = 1.7–2.5. For irregularities with the same transverse scales, the spectral index in the direction of the magnetic field amounts to p_‖ = 5–7. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 50, No. 8, pp. 722–730, August 2007     

Radio-acoustic sounding of the ionosphere

We present the results of first experiments on radio-acoustic sounding of ionosphere at the altitudes from 70 to 85 km. The sounding was performed in autumn 2006, using a horn acoustic emitter and a radar on the basis of the “Sura” facility. The emitter had an acoustic power of about 1 kW and operated in the chirp-modulation regime with frequency variation from 15.9 to 18.4 Hz. The radar transmitter operated in the pulse regime at a frequency of 9 MHz and had an average power of 30 kW. The power of the radio signal scattered from a sound wave in the ionosphere did not exceed 10⁻¹⁶ W, and the measured values of the temperature in the scattering region ranged from 190 to 225 K. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 128–133, February 2009.     

Some results of synchronous experimental study of artificial F-spread at radiophysical test sites in nizhny novgorod province

We show some results of experiments on synchronous sounding of the ionosphere by short-wave signals at the Radiophysical Research Institute’s test site in Zimenki and Vasil’sursk, Nizhniy Novgorod province, during ionospheric modification by high-power short radiowaves from transmitters of the “Sura” facility in Vasil’sursk. In the course of experiments we proved directly the decisive role of large-scale inhomogeneities of the ionospheric plasma with dimensions of from several kilometers to several dozens of kilometers in the formation of artificial F- spread. The small-scale inhomogeneities with dimensions smaller than 1 km, which are localized in a relatively thin layer near the reflection level of a high-power short radiowave, emerged only at sounding waves, propagating (reflected) in the immediate vicinity of the center of the heating region. Radiophysical Research Institute, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 688–692, June, 1997.     

Electromagnetic and plasma perturbations induced by radio emission of the EISCAT high-frequency heating facility in the outer ionosphere of the earth

We present the results of measuring the characteristics of electromagnetic and plasma perturbations at the altitudes of the Earth’s outer ionosphere, which were obtained by the onboard equipment of the French microsatellite DEMETER when it passed through the magnetic flux tube based on a region modified by high-power HF radio emission of the EISCAT heating facility. Physical mechanisms which allow one to explain the observed phenomena are considered. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 11, pp. 925–933, November 2008.     

Variations in the parameters of scattered signals and the ionosphere connected with plasma modification by high-power radio waves

We describe the results of using the incoherent scatter technique to observe time-altitude variations in regular parameters of the ionospheric plasma and wave disturbances, which accompanied periodic modification of the near-Earth plasma by radio waves emitted by the “Sura” facility. A distinctive feature of the experiments was that the processes in the ionosphere were diagnosed at a distance of about 1000 km from the facility. It was found that the spectrum composition of wave disturbances in the electron density was changing noticeably during the active experiment. Quasi-periodic processes in the ionosphere were observed with a delay of about 40–60 min. The relative amplitude of wave disturbances was equal to 0.02–0.10, and the periods were equal to 30, 60, 120, and 150–180 min. The observed effect can be explained by the generation and/or amplification of traveling ionospheric disturbances. The results of theoretical estimations agree well with the observational data.     

Review of features of stimulated electromagnetic emission (see): Recent results obtained at the “sura” heating facility

We present a short review of the features of the main components (DM, UM, NC, BC, BUM, and BUS) of stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE). We discuss variations of these components in the case where additional X-mode heating is used. The experiments were performed at the “Sura” heating facility (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) during the last few years. Radiophysical Research Institute (NIRFI), Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 42, No. 7, pp. 635–640, July 1999.     

Radar observations of artificial ionospheric turbulence during a magnetic storm

We present the results of radar observations of artificial ionospheric turbulence (AIT) created due to modification of the ionosphere by high-power radio emission from the Sura heating facility (Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia). Measurements were carried out in August 18–22, 2003 in the evening time (16:00–20:00 UT) with the use of over-the-horizon chirp HF radars on the Khabarovsk-Rostov-on-Don, Irkutsk-Rostov-on-Don, Inskip (England)-Rostov-on-Don paths, and also on the Moscow-Rostov-on-Don path for which reference signals of the standard-time RVM station were received. It is found that conditions for propagation of HF signals through the upper ionosphere at frequencies exceeding the maximum usable frequency for standard hop propagation through the F region were realized on the Irkutsk-Sura path in the presence of the powerful sporadic E_s layer. The presence of such signals was revealed at the Rostov-on-Don station by receiving radio waves which escape from the altitudes of the ionospheric F region due to scattering by artificial small-scale magnetic-field-aligned irregularities. We studied the ionospheric effects of a magnetic storm occurring during the experiment by using the measurement data of the Doppler frequency shift of signals scattered by artificial ionospheric turbulence. It is shown that during a magnetic storm, the electric field and the drift velocity of irregularities at the altitudes of the F layer over the Sura facility reach values of 8.6 mV/m and 186 m/s, respectively, which are typical of the high-latitude ionosphere. We consider the relation between quasi-periodic oscillations of the Doppler frequency shift of the scattered signal and propagation of magnetohydrodynamic waves excited during the magnetospheric storm.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 47, No. 9, pp. 722–738, September, 2004.     

Backscattering at the <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis> layers for the vertical incidence of radio waves on the ionosphere

We present the results of the vertical ionosphere sounding at a frequency of 9.02 MHz using the “Sura” facility. Intense backscatter signals from meteor trails were observed at altitudes 100–130 km. Increased background of the scattered signal, which was about − 100 dB with respect to the mirror-reflected signal, was observed at altitudes of about 190–200 and 270–280 km. According to the Doppler-shift measurements of the scattered-signal frequency, the wind velocity was more than 30 m/s at altitudes 100–130 and 270–280 km and was significantly smaller in the altitude range 190–200 km. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 23–27, January 2009.