T. B. Jones

Ionospheric modification experiments in northern Scandinavia

Abstract The heating facility at Ramfjordmoen near Tromso, Norway, is briefly described, and a survey is given of the experiments performed with this facility until now. These experiments comprise D -region modification, polar electrojet modulation at VLF, ELF and ULF, HF absorption and backscatter due to short-scale field-aligned irregularities, stimulated radio wave emission of the modified ionospheric plasma, short-time scale HF absorption due to the parametric decay instability, airglow modification, excitation of large-scale irregularities, and F -region cross modulation.

Ionospheric modification experiments with the Tromsø heating facility

Abstract The experiments performed up to mid 1984 with the heating facility at Ramfjordmoen near Tromso, Norway, are summarized. These experiments comprise D -region modification, polar electrojet modulation at VLF, ELF and ULF frequencies, excitation of E -region small-scale irregularities and of F -region small- and large-scale irregularities, anomalous absorption of HF wave on long and short time scales, excitation of incoherent backscatter plasma and ion lines, stimulated radio wave emission and F -region in situ measurements.

HF Doppler observations of medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances at mid-latitudes

Abstract From 1972 to 1975 F-region medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) were observed at Leicester, U.K. (52°32′N 1°8′W) by means of the HF Doppler technique. Most of the features of the disturbances previously reported in the literature are confirmed, with the exception of the apparent seasonal variation in the propagation direction. The measured wave azimuth rotates clockwise through 360° in 24 h, supporting theoretical predictions concerning the filtering effect of the neutral wind in the northern hemisphere. The most commonly observed direction of wave propagation, however, is displaced from the antiwind direction and is located at an azimuth of 130–140° relative to the wind. A periodic variation of the direction of wave propagation with respect to the anti-wind direction is evident, which may indicate that lower atmospheric winds can have a greater influence on waves at thermospheric heights than previously supposed. A synoptic survey of the data set reveals little correlation between wave occurrence and auroral processes, and it is unlikely that high-latitude sources are responsible for many of the MSTIDs observed at mid-latitudes.

Source regions of medium scale travelling ionospheric disturbances observed at mid-latitudes

Abstract The characteristics of medium scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDS) have been determined from observations carried out between 1972 and 1975 at Leicester U.K. (52°32′N, 1°8′W) using the HF Doppler technique. By reverse ray tracing through a model atmosphere an estimate of the source locations of these waves can be obtained. Auroral sources do not appear to represent an important generation mechanism for MSTIDs observed at mid-latitudes. The majority of waves originate at tropospheric altitudes at ground ranges of less than 1500 km from the observation point, and a moderate correlation is found between the occurrence frequency of MSTIDs and the intensity of the meteorological jet stream.

First EISCAT observations of the modification of F-region electron temperatures during RF heating at harmonics of the electron gyro frequency

Abstract Results are presented from recent ionospheric F-region modification experiments in which the heater induced anomalous absorption and electron temperature changes were measured for a variety of heater frequencies which included the third and fourth harmonics of the electron gyro frequencies. The results indicate that there are strong minima in the responses of both anomalous absorption and electron heating in the vicinity of the two harmonic frequencies. These new observations provide evidence for the view that anomalous electron heating in the presence of small scale field aligned plasma irregularities dominates over collisional heating at high latitudes.

EISCAT observations of the heated ionosphere

Abstract EISCAT observations of ionospheric heating by means of high power HF radio waves are reported. These results indicate that the ionospheric response to heating involves a number of plasma instabilities with different characteristic time scales, ranging from a few milliseconds to several tens of seconds.

Ionospheric plasma response to HF radio waves operating at frequencies close to the third harmonic of the electron gyrofrequency

Experimental results concerning European incoherent scatter observations of heater-induced electron temperature enhancements, anomalous absorption of low-power HF probe waves, and the spectrum of stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE) in the sidebands of a high-power HF electromagnetic wave are presented. For the experiments reported in this paper, an O mode pump wave was transmitted vertically into the F region above Tromso, Norway, while the injected frequency was varied in small steps around the third harmonic of the electron gyrofrequency. Systematic variations with pump frequency were observed in the data obtained from all three diagnostics. Measurements of anomalous absorption, the downshifted maximum (DM) spectral feature, and heater-induced electron temperature enhancements all exhibited broad minima as the heater frequency approached the third harmonic of the electron gyrofrequency. In addition, the signal strength of the HF probe wave measured during heater off periods is also reduced at these and higher heater frequencies. The experimental findings suggest that at heater frequencies in the vicinity of the third gyroharmonic, small-scale field-aligned irregularities are not excited, whereas very small scale irregularities, of the order of a few electron cyclotron radii, which are responsible for the production of fast electrons, may be generated. The observed reduction in the diagnostic signal strength is then attributed to the ionized patches produced by these energetic electrons.

An evaluation of range accuracy in the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network over-the-horizon HF radar systems

The authors thank the director and staff of EISCAT for the operation of the Tromso heater facility. EISCAT is an international facility funded collaboratively by the research councils of Finland (SA), France (CNRS), the Federal Republic of Germany (MPG), Japan (NIPR), Norway (NFR), Sweden (NFR), and the United Kingdom (PPARC). The SuperDARN Hankasalmi and Pykkvib•er HF radars are deployed and operated by the University of Leicester and funded by the PPARC (grant PPA/R/R/1997/00256), the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and the Swedish Institute for Space Physics. D.M.W. is supported on PPARC grant PPA/G/O/1997/000254.

Comparison of short period TID morphologies in Antarctica during geomagnetically quiet and active intervals

Abstract Travelling ionospheric disturbances with periods in the range 10 τ −1 and may be classified as Medium Scale TIDs. An anticlockwise diurnal azimuth rotation is established, with waves tending to propagate in the (modelled) antiwindward direction. Waves associated with magnetically active intervals often have high speeds and do not generally conform to the simple azimuth variation described above. These differences are explained in terms of perturbed neutral wind patterns and the existence of different wave sources during active times. These observations are presented in the context of previous morphological wave studies. The geomagnetic dependence observed in Antarctica may explain some of the conflicting or ambiguous conclusions resulting from investigations at other locations.

Anomalous absorption during artificial modification at harmonics of the electron gyrofrequency

Observations of the anomalous absorption of low-power HF probe waves caused by the action of a high-power HF ordinary mode radio wave are presented. At pump frequencies in the vicinity of harmonics of the electron gyrofrequency the anomalous absorption measured on the low-power probe waves exhibit local minima. Also at these frequencies, large-scale changes deduced from phase measurements of the low-power probe waves and heater self-absorption are reduced, whereas the growth time of the anomalous absorption is increased. The electron gyrofrequency estimated from the frequency of the absorption minimum compares favorably with that derived from the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) magnetic field model.