Space charge around conductors at high potential in magnetoplasma

Summary We discuss the effect of a magnetic field on the structure of the space charge region around very highly charged bodies in the ionosphere. Deductions are obtained for the values of current collected by such bodies for the ionospheric plasma. Post doctoral fellow from International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. On leave from Department of Physics Saurashtra University, Rajkot, India, under programme ?Training and Research? in Italian Laboratories.     

Range distribution of sporadic meteors and sunrise

Summary The echo ranges of 6921 sporadic meteors, determined by the Budrio meteor radar in April-September 1978 during a 15 hour interval around sunrise, are analysed. The variation of the mean ranges exhibits no correlation with the geomagneticK _p index. The observed seasonal variation of the mean ranges at three times of the day is accounted for by the position of the Earth's apex. The mean ranges with respect to local sunrise in the meteor region show a variation with a minimum just after sunrise.

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Riassunto Si analizzano le distanze degli echi da 6921 meteore sporadiche determinate utilizzando la stazione radar di Budrio nel corso di 15 ore di osservazioni centrate intorno all'alba nel periodo aprile-settembre 1978. Le variazioni delle distanze medie non evidenziano alcuna correlazione con l'indice geomagneticoK _p. Le variazioni stagionali delle distanze medie osservate a tre ore diverse del giorno sono da attribuire alla posizione dell'apice della Terra. Le distanze medie rispetto alla locale alba nella regione delle meteore mostrano una variazione che presenta un minimo appena dopo l'alba.

     

The ionosphere over Alaska during a storm period in October 2003: Radio tomography and data obtained with GAIM/IFM ionospheric models

The results of comparative analysis of data obtained using GAIM and IFM ionospheric models with radio tomographic cross-sections of the ionosphere and ionosonde measurements in Alaska during a geomagnetic storm at the end of October 2003 are reported. The results of comparisons (64 cross-sections) showed the GAIM model data to be significantly closer to radio tomographic reconstructions than those of the IFM model. However, GAIM divergence from radio tomography data drastically increases with the enhancement of ionospheric disturbances.     

高频雷达回波信号去电离层污染

高频雷达回波信号受到电离层污染从而影响了雷达的探测性能，因此需要进行去污染处理。该文通过对高频雷达信号处理过程的分析，阐明了电离层扰动对回波信号污染的机理。根据电离层污染具有高度空间相关性的特点，将成像雷达中的秩-相位误差估计聚焦方法适当修正后应用于高频雷达回波信号去电离层扰动污染。仿真研究证明了该文方法的良好去污染效果。     

利用数字频高图估算总电子含量

在数字频高图换算电子浓度剖面的基础上，利用卡普曼函数拟合法建立模型电离层。该模型经适当修正，即可求出任意时刻电离层总电子含量。然后，用同一地点非相干散射雷达观测值以及国际参考电离层模型分别对本方法进行检验。结果表明，这种修正模型相当有效，据此推算的总电子含量与雷达实际观测值十分接近。     

Response of auroral regions to directional changes of the interplanetary magnetic field: Case study

Summary On October 6, 1979, the low-altitude polar-orbiting satellites DMSP-F2 and-F4 crossed the auroral electron precipitation region in the opposite hemispheres at nearly the same universal time (UT) and in the same magnetic local-time (MLT) sector near midnight. Three pairs of such nearly simultaneous conjugate crossings took place during a period of enhanced magnetic activity and strongly turning northward or southward of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). These conjugate observations allowed the study, with time resolution better than six minutes, of the variation, in response to directional changes of the interplanetary magnetic field, of the latitudinal position and width of the auroral regions; these are believed to map the central plasma sheet (CPS) and boundary plasma sheet (BPS). During the equatorward expansion of the whole auroral electron precipitation region, its latitudinal width is observed to decrease markedly when the IMF turns from a northern to a southern direction. In particular, a different response of the equatorward boundary of the auroral oval with respect to the poleward boundary results from the observations, showing that the speed of the equatorward expansion of the equatorward boundary, measured at a temporal resolution of less than 6 minutes, is lower than the speed of the poleward boundary. The BPS/CPS boundary moves coherently with the southward turning of the IMF, with intermediate speed. It follows that the latitudinal width of the poleward part of the auroral region, assumed to map the boundary plasma sheet, decreases more dramatically than the width of the equatorward part of the region mapping the central plasma sheet. These findings could be explained in terms of changes of the total open magnetic flux. Actually, the equatorward shift of the poleward boundary of the auroral oval and the subsequent dramatic thining of the BPS region seem to be the consequence of a larger number of geomagnetic flux line interconnected with the IMF during a southward IMF condition.     

The polar ionosphere at Zhongshan Station on May 11, 1999, the day the solar wind almost disappeared

The solar wind almost disappeared on May 11,1999: the solar wind plasma density and dynamic pressure were less than 1cm-3 and 0.1 nPa respectively, while the interplanetary magnetic field was northward. The polar ionospheric data observed by the multi-instruments at Zhongshan Station in Antarctica on such special event day was compared with those of the control day (May 14). It was shown that geomagnetic activity was very quiet on May 11 at Zhongshan. The magnetic pulsation, which usually occurred at about magnetic noon, did not appear. The ionosphere was steady and stratified, and the F2 layer spread very little. The critical frequency of dayside F2 layer, foF2, was larger than that of control day, and the peak of foF2 appeared 2 hours earlier. The ionospheric drift velocity was less than usual. There were intensive auroral Es appearing at magnetic noon. All this indicates that the polar ionosphere was extremely quiet and geomagnetic field was much more dipolar on May 11. There were some signatures of auroral substorm before midnight, such as the negative deviation of the geomagnetic H component, accompanied with auroral Es and weak Pc3 pulsation.     

On some electromagnetic phenomena in the tether magnetoplasma cloud

Summary The tethered satellite system (TSS) will be accompanied by a variety of electromagnetic phenomena. An independent interconnected formation, a ?tethered magnetoplasma cloud? (TMC), moving in space along the orbit of TSS, at an altitude of about 300 km, will be created. This time-dependent cloud will be a very complicated inhomogeneous formation including electromagnetic oscillations and waves of different type. Some of these waves will be observed on the Earth's surface. Rarefiel regions of the magnetoplasma behind, and dense regions in front of the shuttle orbiter (SO) and the subsatellite (SS) will arise. The neutral nitrogen beam ejected by the thruster becomes an ion beam on the day-light part of the orbit. Its energy is much greater than the local thermal energy. Instabilities of different kind as well as diffusion and recombination effects are expected to accompany the interaction of these beams with the surrounding plasma. The electron beams will produce other types of instabilities. By the electrons precessing along the magnetic-field lines, a current (5·10³V, 0.5 A) should be induced in the 20th km length conducting tether. It will be closed at the bottom of the ionosphere. This huge magnetic loop, so-called ?phantom loop? (PL), should accompany the tether system along its orbit. The length of this ?tether electromagnetic tail? (TEMT) is about 200 km, its magnetic moment will be about 10¹³ A·cm². Alfvén waves and nonlinear effects of heating type may be produced by this loop along the magnetic-field lines. ?Strings? of hot plasma may accompany the tether system.     

短波时差定位中电离层参数对定位影响仿真

在短波波段,由于电离层反射传播,电波传播路径与实际地面距离存在较大差异,传统时差定位方法不再适用.文章提出一种基于电离层射线追踪技术的时差定位技术,在此基础上,仿真分析了电离层参数对定位精度的影响.结果表明:在准确获取电离层信息情况下,本方法可准确定位目标;电离层测量误差对定位精度影响较大;站点增加可提高定位精度,降低对电离层参数获取精度要求.仿真结果为短波时差定位系统研制以及电离层参数获取精度要求提供了理论依据.     

计算电离层VLF波传输特性的时域有限差分算法

在星载甚低频( VLF)通信技术中,研究甚低频信号在电离层中的传输特性具有重要意义。现有的利用时域有限差分( FDTD)算法研究电离层传输特性大多基于高频脉冲信号,且传播模型相对粗略,计算存在一定误差。为此,建立了更为精确的电离层各向异性传播模型,对常规的FDTD算法引入变步长因子,并用该算法对VLF波在电离层中的场强衰减进行了数值计算,研究了昼夜变化及频率对其传输特性的影响。仿真结果与卫星实测数据对比表明：与常规的FDTD算法以及全波分析方法相比,引入变步长因子的FDTD算法精度更高;在VLF频段,降低频率有利于电磁波穿透电离层,且白天的衰减明显大于夜间;VLF波在射入电离层并穿透D层时衰减严重(30~40 dB),约为F1层中衰减的3倍。