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The Extending of Observing Altitudes of Plasma and Ion Lines During Ionospheric Heating
Author(s) -
Wu Jun,
Wu Jian,
Rietveld M. T.,
Haggstrom I.,
Xu Zhengwen,
Zhao Haisheng
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2017ja024809
Subject(s) - ionosphere , electron temperature , ion , plasma , electron density , atomic physics , electron , altitude (triangle) , dispersion relation , line (geometry) , physics , incoherent scatter , langmuir probe , waves in plasmas , f region , computational physics , materials science , plasma diagnostics , geophysics , optics , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Abstract The ultrahigh‐frequency observation during an ionospheric heating experiment on 11 March 2014 at the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association Tromsø site illustrated a remarkable extension of observing altitudes of the enhanced plasma line and the ion line, implying that the enhanced ion acoustic wave and Langmuir wave should satisfy the Bragg condition within the extending altitude range. An analysis shows that the dependence of the wave number of the traveling ion acoustic wave on the profiles of enhanced electron temperature and ion mass, as are expected from the dispersion relation of the ion acoustic wave, leads to the extension of observing altitudes of the enhanced ion line. In addition, the altitude extension of the enhanced plasma line is dependent mainly on the profile of the electron density, although it is not independent of the profile of the electron temperature. Considering a small gradient profile of electron density, however, the enhanced electron temperature, as well as the thermal conduction along the magnetic field, may lead to the altitude extension of the enhanced plasma line.