ELECTRON TEMPERATURE IN THE EQUATORIAL E REGION MEASURED BY TWO ROCKET EXPERIMENTS AND BY INCOHERENT SCATTER

1978 ◽  
pp. 265-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.G. Smith ◽  
R.K. Zimmerman ◽  
K. Hirao ◽  
K. Oyama ◽  
C. Calderon
2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1163-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Makarevich ◽  
A. V. Koustov ◽  
M. J. Nicolls

Abstract. A comprehensive 2-year dataset collected with the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) located near Fairbanks, Alaska (MLAT = 65.4° N) is employed to identify and analyse 22 events of anomalous electron heating (AEH) in the auroral E region. The overall AEH occurrence probability is conservatively estimated to be 0.3% from nearly-continuous observations of the E region by PFISR, although it increases to 0.7–0.9% in the dawn and dusk sectors where all AEH events were observed. The AEH occurrence variation with MLT is broadly consistent with those of events with high convection velocity (>1000 m s−1) or electron temperature (> 800 K), except for much smaller AEH probability and absence of AEH events near magnetic midnight. This suggests that high convection electric field by itself is necessary but not sufficient for measurable electron heating by two-stream plasma waves. The multi-point observations are utilised to investigate the fundamental dependence of the electron temperature on the convection electric field, focusing on the previously-proposed saturation effects at extreme electric fields. The AEH dataset was found to exhibit considerable scatter and, on average, similar rate of the electron temperature increase with the electric field up to 100 mV m−1 as compared with previous studies. At higher (highest) electric fields, the electron temperatures are below the linear trend on average (within uncertainty). By employing a simple fluid model of AEH, it is demonstrated that some of this deviation from the linear trend may be due to a stronger vibrational cooling at very large temperatures and electric fields.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Wu ◽  
Jian Wu ◽  
Michael T. Rietveld ◽  
Ingemar Haggstrom ◽  
Haisheng Zhao ◽  
...  

Abstract. During an ionospheric heating campaign carried out at the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT), the ultra high frequency incoherent scatter (IS) radar observed a systematic variation in the altitude of the high-frequency enhanced plasma line (HFPL), which behaves depending on the pump frequency. Specifically, the HFPL altitude becomes lower when the pump lies above the 5th gyro-harmonic. The analysis shows that the enhanced electron temperature plays a decisive role in the descent in the HFPL altitude. That is, on the traveling path of the enhanced Langmuir wave, the enhanced electron temperature can only be matched by the low electron density at a lower altitude so that the Bragg condition can be satisfied, as expected from the dispersion relation of Langmuir wave.


1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 1462-1472 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Nilsson ◽  
S. Kirkwood ◽  
J. Lilensten ◽  
M. Galand

Abstract. Detailed model calculations of auroral secondary and photoelectron distributions for varying conditions have been used to calculate the theoretical enhancement of incoherent scatter plasma lines. These calculations are compared with EISCAT UHF radar measurements of enhanced plasma lines from both the E and F regions, and published EISCAT VHF radar measurements. The agreement between the calculated and observed plasma line enhancements is good. The enhancement from the superthermal distribution can explain even the very strong enhancements observed in the auroral E region during aurora, as previously shown by Kirkwood et al. The model calculations are used to predict the range of conditions when enhanced plasma lines will be seen with the existing high-latitude incoherent scatter radars, including the new EISCAT Svalbard radar. It is found that the detailed structure, i.e. the gradients in the suprathermal distribution, are most important for the plasma line enhancement. The level of superthermal flux affects the enhancement only in the region of low phase energy where the number of thermal electrons is comparable to the number of suprathermal electrons and in the region of high phase energy where the suprathermal fluxes fall to such low levels that their effect becomes small compared to the collision term. To facilitate the use of the predictions for the different radars, the expected signal- to-noise ratios (SNRs) for typical plasma line enhancements have been calculated. It is found that the high-frequency radars (Søndre Strømfjord, EISCAT UHF) should observe the highest SNR, but only for rather high plasma frequencies. The VHF radars (EISCAT VHF and Svalbard) will detect enhanced plasma lines over a wider range of frequencies, but with lower SNR.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas B. Leyser ◽  
Björn Gustavsson ◽  
Theresa Rexer ◽  
Michael T. Rietveld

Abstract. High-frequency electromagnetic pumping of ionospheric F-region plasma at high and mid latitudes gives the strongest plasma response in magnetic zenith, antiparallel to the geomagnetic field in the Northern Hemisphere. This has been observed in optical emissions from the pumped plasma turbulence, electron temperature enhancements, filamentary magnetic field-aligned plasma density irregularities, and in self-focusing of the pump beam in magnetic zenith. We present results of EISCAT (European Incoherent SCATter association) Heating-induced magnetic-zenith effects observed with the EISCAT UHF incoherent scatter radar. With heating transmitting a left-handed circularly polarized pump beam towards magnetic zenith, the UHF radar was scanned in elevation in steps of 1.0 and 1.5∘ around magnetic zenith. The electron energy equation was integrated to model the electron temperature and associated electron heating rate and optimized to fit the plasma parameter values measured with the radar. The experimental and modelling results are consistent with pump wave propagation in the L mode in magnetic zenith, rather than in the O mode.


2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 1675-1686 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. T. Jussila ◽  
A. T. Aikio ◽  
S. Shalimov ◽  
S. R. Marple

Abstract. Cosmic radio noise absorption (CNA) events associated with equatorward drifting arcs during a substorm growth phase are studied by using simultaneous optical auroral, IRIS imaging riometer and EISCAT incoherent scatter radar measurements. The CNA is generally attributed to energetic particle precipitation in the D-region. However, it has been argued that plasma irregularities or enhanced electron temperature (Te) in the E-region could also produce CNA. Both of the latter mechanisms are related to intense electric fields in the ionosphere. We present two events which occur during a substorm growth phase in the evening MLT sector. In both of the events, an auroral arc is drifting equatorward, together with a region of CNA (auroral absorption bay) located on the equatorward side and outside of the arc. Both of the events are associated with enhanced D-region electron density on the equatorward side of the auroral arc, but in the second event, a region of intense electric field and enhanced electron temperature in the E-region is also located on the equatorward side of the arc. We show that in the studied events neither plasma instabilities nor enhanced Te play a significant role in producing the measured CNA, but the CNA in the vicinity of the equatorward drifting arcs is produced by D-region energetic electron precipitation. Key words. Ionosphere (auroral ionosphere; particle precipitation; electric fields and currents)


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