E-Region Field-Aligned Irregularities in the Middle of a Solar Eclipse Observed by a Bistatic Radar

The Wuhan Ionospheric Oblique Backscatter Sounding System (WIOBSS) was applied as a bistatic radar to record the ionospheric E-region responses to a solar eclipse on 22 July 2009. The transmitter was located in Wuhan and the receiver was located in Huaian. The receiver observed anomalous echoes with larger Doppler shifts at the farther ranges compared with the echoes reflected by Es. According to the simulated ray propagation paths of the reflected and scattered waves, we considered that the anomalous echoes were scattered by E-region field-aligned irregularities (FAIs). The locations of the FAIs recorded by the WIOBSS were estimated with the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) and the observed propagation parameters. These irregularities occurred at around the eclipse maximum and lasted for ~20–40 min. The steep plasma density gradient induced by the fast drop photo ionization under the lunar shadow was beneficial to the occurrence of gradient drift instability to generate the FAIs. They were different from the gravity wave-induced irregularities occurring in the recovery phase of the solar eclipse.

Ducting of incoherent scatter radar waves by field-aligned irregularities

We provide an explanation for a mysterious phenomenon that has been recognized in recent years in European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) UHF incoherent scatter radar (ISR) measurements during many high-power high-frequency (HF) ionospheric pumping experiments. The phenomenon is an apparent increase in electron density observed above the HF reflection altitude, extending up to the observable limits usually in the range 400–650 km, as shown in several publications in recent years. It was shown by Senior et al. (2013) that several examples of these enhanced backscatter could not be explained by increases in electron density. A summary of characteristics of the backscatter enhancements is presented as well as the results of a survey of events. We propose that medium- to large-scale HF-induced field-aligned irregularities (tens to hundreds of metres scale) act to refract the radar signals along the magnetic field, thereby acting as a guide so that the free-space r−2 spreading of the signals no longer applies. The nature of the irregularities and the physical mechanism of their production by powerful HF waves is an exciting topic for future research since, surprisingly, they appear to be preferentially excited by X-mode waves. The explanation proposed here involving HF-induced irregularities may well apply to other ISR observations of the ionosphere in the presence of specific natural irregularities.

Effect of neutral winds on the creation of non-specular meteor trail echoes

Non-specular meteor trail echoes are radar reflections from plasma instabilities that are caused by field-aligned irregularities. Meteor simulations are examined to show that these plasma instabilities, and thus the associated meteor trail echo, strongly depend on the meteoroid properties and the characteristics of the atmosphere in which the meteoroid is embedded. The effects of neutral winds, as a function of altitude, are analyzed to understand how their amplitude variability impacts the temporal-space signatures of non-specular meteor trail echoes present in VHF radar observations. It is found that amplitudes of the total horizontal neutral wind smaller than 0.6 m/s do not provide the right physical conditions to enable the genesis of non-specular meteor echoes. It is also found that a 0.0316 μg meteoroid traveling at 35 km/s can be seen as a meteor trail echo if the amplitudes of horizontal neutral winds are stronger than 15 m/s. In contrast, a 0.316 μg meteoroid, traveling at the same speed, requires horizontal winds stronger than 1 m/s to be visible as a meteor trail echo. The meteor simulations also indicate that time delays on the order of hundreds of milliseconds or longer, between head-echoes and non-specular echoes, which are present in VHF backscatter radar maps can be a consequence of very dense plasma trails being affected by weak horizontal neutral winds that are smaller than 1 m/s.