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First observations of detached equatorial ionospheric plasma depletions using OI 630.0 nm and OI 777.4 nm emissions nightglow imaging
Author(s) -
Sahai Y.,
Abalde J. R.,
Fagundes P. R.,
Pillat V. G.,
Bittencourt J. A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2005gl025262
Subject(s) - airglow , ionosphere , sky , ion , plasma , physics , dissociative recombination , latitude , altitude (triangle) , atmospheric sciences , radiative transfer , night sky , atomic physics , astrophysics , recombination , geophysics , optics , astronomy , chemistry , biochemistry , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , gene
Near‐simultaneous all‐sky (180° field of view) observations of the OI 630.0 nm and OI 777.4 nm nightglow emissions are being carried out on a routine basis at “Laboratorio Nacional de Astrofisica (LNA)”, Brazópolis (22.5° S, 45.6° W; dip latitude 17.5° S; altitude 1860 m), Brazil, since September 2002. The all‐sky imaging observations of the OI 630.0 nm and OI 777.4 nm emissions, which arise from the dissociative recombination of O 2 + ions and radiative recombination of O + ions (mainly), respectively, are used to monitor the morphology and dynamics of the equatorial F‐region at the respective emission heights. In this paper we present and discuss the first observations showing detached equatorial F‐region plasma depletions or bubbles. Three cases are presented from observations during the years 2002 and 2003. We suggest a possible mechanism for their generation.