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Presunrise Heating of the Ionosphere at Arecibo Due to Conjugate Point Photoelectrons
Author(s) -
Kwei M. W.,
Nisbet J. S.
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/rds196837674
Subject(s) - ionosphere , photoelectric effect , electron , physics , plasmasphere , conjugate points , electric field , atomic physics , thermal conduction , computational physics , field line , atmospheric sciences , plasma , geophysics , magnetosphere , optics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , pure mathematics , thermodynamics
In winter, as has previously been reported, the electron temperature at Arecibo starts to increase prior to local sunrise following illumination of the conjugate ionosphere. The roles played by heat conduction along the field line and by photoelectrons that traverse the field line are investigated. Photoelectron fluxes, calculated in the manner described by Nisbet, have been used to examine the mechanism of presunrise heating at Arecibo. Detailed analyses are made of the escaping photoelectron flux from the conjugate region including the effect of elastic collisions with neutrals in confining the photoelectrons. Comparisons between the theoretical heat input and observed energy losses in ambient electrons are presented. Also the theoretical and measured heat fluxes are compared.