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Ionospheric Diagnostics Using Resonances of an Electric Dipole Impedance
Author(s) -
Blair W. E.
Publication year - 1968
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1002/rds196832155
Subject(s) - ionosphere , physics , computational physics , dipole , electric field , plasma , antenna (radio) , dipole antenna , electron , magnetic dipole , geophysics , optics , electrical engineering , quantum mechanics , engineering
A technique of using the driving‐point impedance of an electric antenna in the ionosphere to diagnose the ionospheric plasma is presented. Specifically, the locations of the resonances in the driving‐point impedance of a center‐fed cylindrical electric dipole imbedded in the ionosphere are analyzed. The ionospheric model is a lossy, anisotropic, homogeneous neutral plasma containing various ionic constituents. It is found that there are zeros in the reactance at the upper and lower hybrid frequencies and poles at the electron and ion gyrofrequencies. These critical frequencies are independent of antenna length and orientation (parallel or perpendicular to the earth's magnetic field) to the first‐order approximation. It is shown that pole‐zero frequencies could be used to determine the earth's magnetic field strength, electron density, and ion masses and densities at any point in the ionosphere at which the impedance was measured. Consequently, this technique offers the possibility of measuring several ionospheric plasma characteristics with one instrument aboard rockets and satellites.