Vasyl Belyey

EISCAT aperture synthesis imaging (EASI 3D) for the EISCAT 3D project

Aperture Synthesis Imaging Radar (ASIR) is the technology, code-named EASI 3D, adopted by the EISCAT 3D project, that will give the new radar system imaging capabilities in 3-dimensions including sub-beam resolution in the plane across the transmitter antenna beam. When complemented by pulse compression techniques, it will provide 3-dimensional images of certain types of incoherent scatter radar targets with resolution of the order of 100 metres at 100 km range in any direction illuminated by the transmitter beam. The cross-beam resolution will vary as the inverse of the range squared. This ability will open new research opportunities to map small structures associated with non-homogeneous, non-steady, unstable processes such as aurora, summer and winter polar radar echoes (PMSE and PMWE), Natural Enhanced Ion Acoustic Lines (NEIALs), structures excited by HF ionospheric heating, meteors, space debris, and possibly others.

The EISCAT 3D project in Norway: E3DN

Summary form only given. EISCAT 3D (E3D) is a project to build the next generation of incoherent scatter radars endowed with 3-dimensional scalar and vector capabilities that will replace the current EISCAT radars in Northern Scandinavia. One active (transmitting) site in Norway and four passive (receiving) sites in the Nordic countries will provide 3-D vector imaging capabilities by rapid scanning and multi-beam forming. The unprecedented flexibility of the solid-state transmitter with high duty-cycle, arbitrary wave-forming and polarisation and its pulsed power of 10 MW will provide unrivalled experimental capabilities to investigate the highly non-stationary and non-homogeneous state of the polar upper atmosphere. Aperture Synthesis Imaging Radar (ASIR) will to endow E3D with imaging capabilities in 3-dimensions that includes sub-beam resolution. Complemented by pulse compression, it will provide 3-dimensional images of certain types of incoherent scatter radar targets resolved to about 100 metres at 100 km range, depending on the signal-to-noise ratio. The Norwegian scientific programme is inspired by the pioneer polar scientist Kristian Birkeland (picture) and includes pressing questions on polar upper atmospheric research, among others: (Q1) How to proceed beyond the present simplistic, static, stationary and homogeneous analysis of upper atmospheric and ionospheric processes? (Q2) How does space weather affect ionospheric processes and how to support modelling and space weather services? (Q3) How to advance fundamental plasma physics by employing the ionosphere as a natural plasma physics laboratory? (Q4) How does the influx of extraterrestrial material interact with the upper atmosphere and where does the material originate from? (Q5) How does solar activity couple from geospace into the lower atmosphere and climate system, and does this energy change the wave forcing of geospace from below?