Dynamics of Planetary Waves in the Ionosphere as Observed from GPS Satellites

The GPS satellite data are used to study the dynamics of the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) over Central Europe in the summer season from June 23 to September 30, 1996. The TEC variations within the range of periods typical of the planetary waves were found to be nearly synchronous with the neutral wind variations in the mesosphere and with the variations in the occurrence of ionospheric sporadic layers. The observed TEC variations were interpreted as the result of penetration of energy carried by nonstationary Rossby waves to the upper atmospheric altitudes.     

Structure of planetary disturbances of the mid-latitude ionosphere according to observations of GPS satellites

Using GPS satellites, the existence of ionospheric disturbances in the range of planetary wave periods is established based on global variations of the total electron content in the mid-latitude ionosphere in the summer months of 1990. For quasi-two-day variations, a substantial difference is found of the structure of these variations from variations with the same quasi-period in the atmosphere. In addition, it is demonstrated that the ionospheric response to quasi-seven-day atmospheric variations is a more general phenomenon than was commonly believed before. The observed variations of the total electron content are interpreted as a consequence of the modulation of tidal oscillations by planetary waves.     

Ionospheric disturbances in the north-east region of Russia according to ionosonde data in the periods of equinoxes

Ionospheric disturbances in the equinox periods of 2005–2006 are considered on the basis of the ionosondes of vertical and oblique sounding located in the north-east region of Russia. It is found that the X-ray flares observed in the first half of September 2005 caused an additional increase in the ionization of the lower ionosphere in the daytime, this fact leading to a development of absorption and an increase in the lowest observable frequencies at the Magadan-Irkutsk and Noril’sk-Irkutsk radio paths. Wave-like changes in the maximum observable frequencies and critical frequencies with periods of about 2–2.5 h were detected during the magnetic disturbances. Oscillations of the planetary wave type with periods of 4–5 days were also revealed.     

Sporadic structures and small-scale irregularity in the nighttime polar ionosphere in the period of high solar activity according to the data of radio occultation measurements on satellite-to-satellite paths

Results of the analysis of 327 sessions of radio occultation on satellite-to-satellite paths are presented. The data are taken in the nighttime polar ionosphere in the regions with latitudes of 67°–88°, and in the period of high solar activity from October 26, 2003 to November 9, 2003. Typical ionospheric changes in the amplitude and phase of decimeter radio waves on paths GPS satellites-CHAMP satellite are presented. It is demonstrated that these data make it possible to determine characteristics of the sporadic E _s structures in the lower ionosphere at heights of 75–120 km. Histograms of distribution of the lower and upper boundaries, thickness, and intensity of the E _s structures are presented. Dispersion and spectra of amplitude fluctuations of decimeter radio waves caused by small-scale irregularity of the ionospheric plasma are analyzed. The relation of the polar E _s structures and intensity of small-scale plasma irregularity to various manifestations of solar activity is discussed. The efficiency of monitoring the ionospheric disturbances caused by shock waves of the solar wind by the radio occultation method on satellite-to-satellite paths is demonstrated.     

A comparison of polarization jet characteristics at the greatly separated stations Yakutsk and Podkamennaya Tunguska

Characteristics of the polarization jet (PJ) are considered on the basis of measurements made in 1989–1992 at the ionospheric stations Yakutsk (L = 3.0, λ = 129.6°) and Podkamennaya Tunguska (L = 3.0, λ = 90.0°) separated in longitude. Using the data of these stations, the result obtained earlier (that the formation of PJ during disturbances in the near-midnight sector occurs at the expansion phase of a substorm) is confirmed. At isolated magnetic disturbances with AE > 500 nT in the 11:00–16:00 UT interval, the PJ band covers an MLT sector of 3 h between the Yakutsk and Podkamennaya Tunguska stations. The time of the PJ beginning at the Podkamennaya Tunguska station for the majority of events is 45–60 min behind the PJ beginning at the Yakutsk station. This corresponds to the westward motion of a PJ source with a velocity of ～3 MLT h per hour.     

Ionospheric response to solar flares of C and M classes in January–February 2010

The ionospheric response to solar flares is analyzed for the case of the beginning of solar activity growth, when the background ionization of the ionosphere is still low enough. It is shown that the algorithms and methods of averaging variations and derivative of the total electron content (TEC) over the entire sunlit ionosphere almost always make it possible to identify the ionospheric response even to close in time weak solar flares of the C class. It is found that the response to a solar flare rather intense in the X-ray range can have almost no manifestations, which is caused by the fact that the flare does not reveal itself in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. A map of the TEC derivative over the Japan territory with an average resolution of ～18 km is drawn for the M6.4 flare (February 7, 2010). Before the flare maximum, the TEC derivatives are synchronously increasing over the entire Japan, while after the flare maximum the values of the TEC derivative vary not so synchronously, and local differences are seen.     

白谱法在电离层扰动研究中的应用

将电离层扰动从其背景中分离出来一直是电离层扰动研究的核心与难点。文章综述白谱法在电离层扰动研究方面取得的进展,主要有：1）白谱法比常规电离层扰动提取方法能更好地描述磁暴期间电离层的扰动,利用白谱法构建的电离层天气单站指数 Js、全球指数 Jp 和区域指数Jr与 Dst 指数之间存在极好的关联性,可以直接利用 Dst 来对 Jp进行预报。2）白谱法同样适合研究强磁暴期间的电离层异常弱响应。对比研究发现,电离层在强磁暴条件下的弱响应不依赖于采用的扰动提取方法本身,并且该现象的出现与纬度、地方时及磁暴前期条件强烈相关。3）白谱法是研究地磁平静期由其他扰动源引起电离层扰动的有力工具。基于白谱法构建的Js分布图能够很好地反映台风过程中电离层扰动的空间特征。     

北斗系统格网电离层延迟算法研究

介绍了北斗系统下格网电离层延迟算法原理及建模方法。利用25个参考站的模拟数据,建立了覆盖我国地区的格网电离层延迟模型。通过仿真给出格网点(35°N,115°E)的格网电离层垂直误差及用户穿透点(36.94°N,118.44°E)的用户电离层垂直误差在一天内的变化,结果显示一天内格网电离层垂直误差及用户电离层垂直误差的平均值分别为0.871m和0.877m。     

释放SF_6气体改变电离层电子密度的实验研究

电离层受到自然或人工扰动后产生的电子密度变化会影响无线电的传播。实验模拟了人工释放SF_6气体扰动电离层,通过对SF_6气体在电离层中的扩散过程和相应的离子化学反应的分析,并结合实验测量,研究了电离层电子密度随SF_6气体释放量的变化规律。实验结果表明:SF_6气体在电离层高度释放后,电子密度显著减少,且减少量与气体释放量在一定范围内呈负指数关系。研究可为今后提高卫星通信保密性和实施通信干扰等应用提供理论依据。     

Electromagnetic sounding of planets from a low-orbiting probe

Is it theoretically possible to perform magnetotelluric sounding in order to determine the conductivity of a planet’s interior based on the registration of variable electric and magnetic fields on a low-orbiting space probe? In this case, fast magnetosonic (FMS) waves in the planetary magnetosphere can play the role of sounding waves. It has been indicated that the registration of FMS-wave impedance (the ratio of the electric and magnetic components) onboard the probe actually makes it possible to estimate the planetary conductivity for a planet with a magnetosphere and ionosphere.     

Simultaneous Response of the Mid-Latitude Ionosphere to a Sudden Commencement of Strong Magnetic Storms

Using the new technology of global GPS detection of ionospheric disturbances (GLOBDET), it is found that a sharp increase of the time derivative of the magnetic field strength during magnetic storms is accompanied by a simultaneous decrease of the mid-latitude total electron content (TEC) over the entire dayside of the globe. The corresponding negative correlation coefficient is no less than 0.8, and the delay relative to the sudden commencement of magnetic storm is about 3–10 min. The effect is especially clearly pronounced for magnetic storms with sudden commencements (SSC). The analysis is carried out for a set of 90 to 300 GPS stations for 10 days (January 6 and April 23, 1998; April 6, June 8, July 13, 14, and 15, 2000; March 31, April 4 and 11, 2001) with various levels of geomagnetic activity (D _st and K _p varied from –6 to –295 nT and from 0 to 9, respectively). The amplitude of the response in the total electron content for the events considered was 0.1–0.4 × 10¹⁶ m^–2 (which is a deviation of 0.2–2.6% from the TEC background value). The velocity of the disturbance motion from the dayside to the nightside was about 10–20 km/s. The results obtained agree with the data of ionospheric parameter measurements conducted earlier by methods with high temporal resolution.     

Comparison of the effects induced by the ordinary (O-mode) and extraordinary (X-mode) polarized powerful HF radio waves in the high-latitude ionospheric <Emphasis Type="Italic">F</Emphasis> region

Using the results of coordinated experiments on the modification of the high-latitude ionosphere by powerful HF radio emission of the EISCAT/Heating facility, effects of the impact of powerful HF radio waves of the ordinary (O-mode) and extraordinary (Х-mode) polarization on the high-latitude ionospheric F region have been compared. During the experiments, a powerful HF radio wave was emitted in the magnetic zenith direction at frequencies within the 4.5–7.9 MHz range. The effective power of the emission was 150–650 MW. The behavior and characteristics of small-scale artificial ionospheric irregularities (SAIIs) during O- and X-heating at low and high frequencies are considered in detail. A principal difference has been found in the development of the Langmuir and ion–acoustic turbulence (intensified by the heating of the plasma and ion–acoustic lines in the spectrum of the EISCAT radar of incoherent scatter of radio waves) in the О- and Х-heating cycles after switching on the heating facility. It has been shown that, under the influence on the ionospheric plasma of a powerful HF radio wave of the Х-polarization, intense spectral components in the spectrum of the narrow-band artificial ionospheric radio emission (ARI) were registered at distances on the order of 1200 km from the heating facility.     

一种基于人工扰动电离层的通信对抗技术研究

研究了扰动后的电离层对不同波段的电磁波传播的影响,并探讨了该项技术在通信对抗上的具体应用。结果表明:受扰电离层可以引导VLF波进行"哨声模式"传播,进而实现对潜通信;可以使得HF波传播轨迹发生偏转、逃逸、聚焦和散焦,进而实现短波干扰;可以降低卫星通信频率,进而利用新波段实现卫星保密通信,同时还能产生透镜效应,对实现卫星通信的VHF电波产生额外增益,增强通信效果。     

The Influence of artificial plasma irregularities on the propagation of VLF waves in the Earth’s magnetosphere

In the framework of the approximation of geometric optics, the peculiarities of VLF-wave propagation in the Earth’s ionosphere and magnetosphere during the creation of large-scale artificial plasma irregularities by heating facilities such as HAARP and “Sura” in the ionosphere are studied. For calculation of ray trajectories, the profile of the concentration and ion composition of plasma is taken by calculating the SAMI2 ionospheric model, which was modified to take the influence on the ionosphere of the HF emissions of heating facilities into account. As a result of the influence of the heating facilities on the ionosphere, a region could occur with an increased plasma concentration that is stretched out along the geomagnetic field (up to heights on the order of the Earth’s radius) with small dimensions across the field (～1°). The ray trajectories of waves that propagate from heights of about 100 km from different initial points in the region where such a disturbance has been created with different initial inclination angles of the wave normal are studied in this paper. Both lightning discharges and modulated HF heating of the ionosphere could be the sources of such waves. It is shown on the basis of the performed analysis that the presence of such disturbances in density can lead to a substantial changes in wave-propagation trajectories, in particular, to efficient channeling of VLF waves in the disturbance region and an increase in the interval of the initial propagation angles of waves, which can reach the ionosphere in the opposite hemisphere.     

Spatial–Temporal Characteristics of Large Scale Disturbances of Electron Density Observed in the Ionospheric F-Region before Strong Earthquakes

The spatial dimensions and temporal dynamics of large scale disturbances of electron density in the ionospheric F-region during the preparatory phase of destructive earthquakes are estimated. The most appropriate data (as far as the moments of satellite passages are concerned) were selected out of more than 300 investigated cases. In order to demonstrate effects at different latitudes, the cases of high-latitude (Alaska), mid-latitude (Central Italy), and low-latitude (New Zealand) earthquakes were considered. Using the data of external vertical sounding of the ionosphere performed by the Alouette-1 and Interkosmos-19 satellites together with the data of vertical sounding of the ionosphere by ground-based instruments, we get for the first time with reasonable accuracy the spatial characteristics of precursors in the ionosphere. It is shown that seismic ionospheric disturbances are strongly time-dependent before the beginning of the main shock. Seismic ionospheric disturbances are generated weakly several days before the first shock, but at that moment the disturbed region is located not above the epicenter, but rather a little displaced from it. As the moment of the earthquake approaches, the disturbance covers more and more space; moreover, its value also increases. Several hours after the shock the disturbance migrates in the reverse order. Under some conditions, the disturbances may appear not only above epicenter regions. They can be transferred along the magnetic field lines into conjugate regions in the opposite hemisphere.     

Spectral analysis of ionospheric disturbances in the phase delay and radio signal amplitude at limb paths according to the <Emphasis Type="Italic">COSMIC</Emphasis> data in periods of solar activity

Based on more than 4500 sessions of radio transillumination of Earth’s atmosphere along the satellite–atmosphere–satellite path obtained in the COSMIC experiment, the distribution along latitude and over local time of the spatial spectra of variations in the ionospheric phase delay and signal amplitude has been analyzed. The spatial spectra have been calculated for two height ranges, i.e., 60–80 and 80–100 km. In the phase signal spectrum within the height range 80–100 km, the second maximum in the vicinity of a frequency of 7–8 rad/km is clearly seen. Its diurnal and latitudinal behavior and its decrease towards high latitudes in both hemispheres can also be seen. In the height range of 60–80 km, this maximum is hardly observed. Although solar flares can lead to substantial local changes in the electron concentration, no substantial difference in the behavior of the spectral densities of the amplitude and phase delay at long limb paths was observed within these two height ranges on days of active and quiet sun. The latter fact makes it possible to develop a united algorithm of optimal ionospheric correction of the radio occultation data independent of solar activity.     

适用于微纳卫星的微型电离层光学探测器

文章介绍了质量小、体积小的微型电离层光学探测器技术,给出了探测器的探测原理和设计方案,通过探测原子氧远紫外夜气辉（136.5 nm）辐射强度,反演电离层总电子含量（TEC）。采用轻量化铝反射镜、抗干扰电荷前放设计,实现反射镜、工业级远紫外探测器、电子学的一体化和小型化,研制出适用于微纳卫星的1 kg量级微型空间电离层光学探测器。该型探测器能够利用微纳星群多种轨道搭载,可获得丰富数据的优势,获取全球电离层高时空分辨率总电子含量分布,为未来实现卫星编队探测提供载荷研制基础。     

Features of whistling electromagnetic wave propagation descending from above upon the night ionosphere

The results of numerical solution of the wave equations for the oblique incidence of whistling electromagnetic waves upon the night ionosphere from above have been obtained and analyzed. In the studied region of altitudes, within the wavelength scale, charged particle concentration varies drastically, and damping caused by collisions between the charged and neutral particles decreases considerably. Below, the sharp lower boundary of the ionosphere, the refractive index of the whistler wave approaches unity, and plasma turbulence transform into atmospheric electromagnetic waves. The dependences of the whistler reflection factor are found in terms of energy and horizontal magnetic component of the electromagnetic wave near the Earth’s surface on the frequency and the wave vector transverse component for the plain-layered medium model at two values of latitude. Strong dependences have been found on the wave angle of incidence and frequency. At rather small angles of incidence, the wave disturbances reach the Earth’s surface, and the module of reflection coefficient logarithm is in the range of 0.4–1. At large angles of incidence, the reflection coefficient module varies over a wide range depending on specific conditions. The obtained results explain the absence of oscillation modes of plasma magnetosphere maser in the night magnetosphere.     

“风云三号”D星电离层光度计

“风云三号”D星电离层光度计（IPM）是我国首次利用天基方式对电离层进行全天候定量化光学遥感观测的载荷。该载荷通过观测电离层夜/日间OI 135.6 nm气辉辐射强度、日间N2LBH带气辉辐射强度,可以反演获取夜间电子总含量（TEC）、F2层峰值电子密度（NmF2）及日间O/N2比等关键电离层环境信息。该载荷具备夜间高灵敏度观测的突出优势,非常适合电离层精细结构和微小变化观测,配置了夜间和日间两种工作模式,可以实现对电离层关键环境信息的全天候监测。文章主要对该电离层光度计的观测目标、观测原理、系统组成和在轨观测结果进行介绍。     

On the amplitude of low-frequency signals in the nighttime ionosphere over thunderstorm discharges

It is shown that the origin of anomalous amplitudes of ULF/ELF signals in the topside ionosphere over thunderstorm discharges could be caused by the existence of regions of highly-ionized plasma in the lower ionosphere. The alternating current of the lightning electromagnetic pulse can generate in the region of highly-ionized plasma formed in the lower ionosphere due to the influence of thunderstorm discharges magneto-hydrodynamic waves propagating into the topside ionosphere. On the basis of the suggested model, the estimates of amplitude and duration of the Alfven mode propagating into the topside ionosphere are obtained, which agree with the measurements in rocket experiments over thunderstorms.