Space weather service activities and initiatives at LAMP (Argentinean Space Weather Laboratory group)

Since more than one decade ago, several institutions started to offer a large variety of Operative Space Weather (SWx) products. This is of major importance because Space Weather events can affect aviation communications, global positioning systems, grid electric power, satellite technologies, and human health in space. The scientific potential on solar-terrestrial physics in Argentina motivated the creation of an interdisciplinary Laboratory of Space Weather in Argentina. The Argentinean Space Weather Laboratory (in Spanish ‘Laboratorio Argentino de Meteorología del esPacio’, LAMP) was initiated in 2016, and it carries out daily monitoring of real-time information (space and ground-based instruments) on Space Weather. The information is synthesized on a weekly bulletin as a summary of the Space Weather conditions, and it is posted on a website (spaceweather.at.fcen.uba.ar). The analyzed information includes own data and of other centers that offer them publicly, and it is also analyzed and discussed later on, during monthly briefings. In particular, one of the regional products that is included in the briefing discussions and it was developed by LAMP in collaboration with INPE-EMBRACE, involves Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) maps in the Argentinean region. LAMP set up a Space Weather Laboratory in the Antarctic peninsula, in the Argentine Marambio base, where a Water Cherenkov radiation Detector (WCD) was installed during the Argentinean Antarctic campaign (January-March of 2019). This detector is the southern node of a Latin American Collaboration (LAGO, Latin American Giant Observatory), which is a network of WCDs installed throughout more than 10 Latin American countries.     

The lower ionosphere response to its disturbances by powerful radio waves

The paper presents data from some campaigns at Sura heating facility in 2011–1016. The experiments on probing of the artificial disturbed region of the lower ionosphere were carried out at two observation sites. One of them was located near Vasil’sursk 1 km from Sura facility (56.1°N; 46.1°E) and the other site was located at the Observatory (55.85°N; 48.8°E) of Kazan State University, 170 km to the East. Investigation of the features of the disturbed region of the lower ionosphere based on its diagnostics by the methods of the vertical sounding and oblique backscattering is the main goal of this paper. Ionosphere disturbance was fulfilled by the effect of the powerful radio wave of the ordinary or extraordinary polarization emitted by transmitters of the Sura facility with effective radiated power ERP = 50–120 MW at the frequency of 4.3, 4.7 and 5.6 MHz. Pumping waves were emitted with period from 30 s to 15 min. The disturbed region of the ionosphere in Vasil’sursk was probed by the vertical sounding technique using the partial reflexion radar at the frequency of 2.95 and 4.7 MHz. For the oblique sounding of the disturbed region the modified ionosonde Cyclon-M, operating at ten frequencies from 2.01 to 6.51 MHz was used at the Observatory site. On many heating sessions simultaneous variations of the probing partial reflection signals in Vasil’sursk and backscattered signals in Observatory were observed at the height at 40–100 km below the reflection height of the pumping wave. These observations were correlated with the pumping periods of the Sura facility. Possible mechanisms of the appearance of the disturbance in the lower ionosphere and its effect on the probing radio waves are discussed.     

The low and middle latitude semi-annual anomaly in NmF2 near noon: A statistical study

Hourly values of the F2-layer peak density, NmF2, measured by 99 ionosonde stations near noon from 1957 to 2010 at low and middle geomagnetic latitudes of the northern and southern geographic hemispheres are used in a statistical study of the F2-region semi-annual anomaly. The equinox/winter and equinox/summer geomagnetically quiet NmF2 ratios, X and Y, taken near noon over each ionosonde for approximately the same winter, equinox, and summer solar activity conditions are analyzed. The conditional probabilities of occurrences of X and Y in intervals of X and Y, the most frequent values of X and Y, the mean expected values of X and Y, and the conditional probability to observe the F2-region semi-annual anomaly are calculated and studied for the fist time for low, moderate, and high solar activity conditions. These statistical parameters are averaged over 5° geomagnetic latitude interval in the northern and southern geographic hemispheres, and the trends in these averaged statistical characteristics of the NmF2 semi-annual anomaly are calculated and studied for the fist time. It is shown that the median approach can produce the incorrect conclusions about the absence of the NmF2 semi-annual anomaly.     

Equatorial vertical E × B drift velocities inferred from ionosonde measurements over Ouagadougou and the IRI-2007 vertical ion drift model

F-region vertical plasma drift velocities were deduced from the hourly hmF2 values acquired from ionogram data over a near dip equatorial station Ouagadougou (12.4°N, 358.5°E, dip angle 5.9°N) in Africa. Our results are compared against the global empirical model of Scherliess and Fejer (1999) incorporated in the IRI model (IRI-2007) for 1600 to 0800 LT from 1 year of data during sunspot maximum year of 1989 (yearly average solar flux intensity, F10.7 = 192) corresponding to the peak phase of solar cycle 22, under magnetically quiet conditions. The drifts are entirely downward between 2000 and 0500 LT bin for both techniques and the root mean square error (RMSE) between the modeled and the ionosonde vertical plasma drifts during these periods is 3.80, 4.37, and 4.74 m/s for June solstice, December solstice and equinox, respectively. Ouagadougou average vertical drifts show evening prereversal enhancement (PRE) velocity peaks (V_ZP) of about 16, 14, and 17 m/s in June solstice, December solstice, and equinox, respectively, at 1900–2000 LT; whereas global empirical model average drifts indicate V_ZP of approximately 33 m/s (June solstice), 29 m/s (December solstice), and 50 m/s (equinox) at 1800 LT. We find very weak and positive correlation (+0.10376) between modeled V_ZP versus F10.7, while ionosonde V_ZP against F10.7 gives worst and opposite correlation (−0.05799). The results also show that modeled V_ZP–Ap indicates good and positive correlation (+0.64289), but ionosonde V_ZP–Ap exhibits poor and negative correlation (−0.22477).     

Maxwell气固相互作用模型对稀薄高超声速凹腔绕流流动特征和热环境的影响

针对高空航天飞机等再入飞行器表面缺陷或防热瓦缝隙导致的局部压力过高和气动加热问题,采用直接模拟Monte Carlo （DSMC）方法研究了飞行高度为80 km的稀薄流区高超声速凹腔绕流问题,考虑气固相互作用（GSI）模型对凹腔流场特征和表面压力、热流的影响。结果表明：稀薄流条件（80 km）下,GSI为完全漫反射时,在凹腔前缘分离的剪切层再次附着在后缘,在凹腔内部形成一个充满腔体的单涡结构;随着GSI从完全漫反射向镜面反射变化,气体与凹腔表面之间的切向动量交换减弱,即黏性剪切作用减弱,外部气流被卷入凹腔的程度减弱,导致涡结构不断减小直至消失,凹腔底部逐渐出现所谓的"死水区"。与完全漫反射相比,镜面反射或近镜面反射会导致凹腔上游侧面的峰值压力和峰值热流以及下游侧面的峰值压力剧烈增大,在飞行器设计中,应特别留意上述表面的压力载荷和热载荷。     

大功率无线电波加热低电离层

等离子体对大功率电波的欧姆耗散会使电子温度升高,进而导致电子密度和其他等离子体参数改变,实现电离层的地面人工变态.本文基于大功率无线电波与低电离层相互作用的自洽模型,分析了不同入射条件下电离层参数的变化,主要结论如下:电离层D区是电波的主要吸收区,并且其吸收强度随入射频率的升高而降低,当入射频率为6 MHz（有效入射功率为200 MW）时电子温度的最大增幅约为520 K,电子密度最大增幅为7300 cm^-3左右;电子温度达到饱和所需时间小于电子密度的饱和时间,前者具有μs量级,后者具有ms量级;停止加热后,电子温度和密度迅速恢复到初始状态,恢复时间均小于各自的饱和时间,但量级相当;入射功率越高,电子温度和密度的增幅越大,并且饱和时间也越长,在相同入射条件下,夜晚的饱和时间要大于白天.     

电离层综合探测器数据采集处理单元设计研究

电离层综合探测器(CDI)是一种面向快速响应航天器平台、用于原位综合探测电离层等离子体及未完全电离中性气体的新概念空间环境探测仪器, 实现了对常规平板朗缪尔探针、阻滞势分析器和离子阱质量分析器的小型化、一体化设计与集成. 本文基于USB2.0接口和FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array)技术, 选用高集成度的COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf)器件, 对CDI多通道数据采集处理单元的系统方案和硬件设计进行研究, 并对FPGA的逻辑资源利用情况和Fusion器件内部ADC采样以及FIFO (First Input First Output)读写时序进行了仿真和分析.      

Effects of dust polarity and nonextensive electrons on the dust-ion acoustic solitons and double layers in earth atmosphere

Propagation of dustion acoustic solitary waves (DIASWs) and double layers is discussed in earth atmosphere, using the Sagdeev potential method. The best model for distribution function of electrons in earth atmosphere is found by fitting available data on different distribution functions. The nonextensive function with parameter $q=0.58$ provides the best fit on observations. Thus we analyze the propagation of localized waves in an unmagnetized plasma containing nonextensive electrons, inertial ions, and negatively/positively charged stationary dust. It is found that both compressive and rarefactive solitons as well as double layers exist depending on the sign (and the value) of dust polarity. Characters of propagated waves are described using the presented model.     

磁赤道异常区电离层F区不均匀体发展过程中的闪烁谱研究

本文对我国磁赤道异常区海口站的夜间电离层不均匀体引起的闪烁进行了谱分析，并进行了理论模拟。大部分闪烁出现在午夜前后且持续时间较长。分析结果发现：这种持续时间较长的闪烁的末期和初期的闪烁谱结构有显著差异，末期闪烁谱高频段较初期要明显陆峭，即谱指数显著增大。由此推测出不均匀体发展末期费涅耳尺度以下的不均匀体首先衰减消失，这与国外某些轨道卫星就地测量结果大致相符。同时还从闪烁谱推测出不均匀体发展末期的漂     

赤道电离层F区底部准正弦型不均匀体引起闪烁的数值模拟

本文采用多重相屏模型, 考虑不均匀体特征尺度随高度的变化, 模拟了赤道电离层F区底部准正弦型(BSS)不均匀体引起的闪烁。模拟计算结果表明:BSS不均匀体的特征尺度随高度变化可以导致闪烁谱和不均匀体谱之间谱指数的显著差异。