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Simulations of the scintillation‐producing irregularities in high‐latitude plasma patches
Author(s) -
Gondarenko N. A.,
Guzdar P. N.
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 - 10.1029/2006gl028033
Subject(s) - scintillation , mesoscale meteorology , physics , instability , amplitude , geology , interplanetary scintillation , plasma , computational physics , geophysics , mechanics , meteorology , optics , nuclear physics , solar wind , detector , coronal mass ejection
The simulation study of mesoscale scintillation‐producing irregularities obtained with the 3‐D nonlinear model for the structuring by the gradient‐drift instability (GDI) and the velocity‐shear‐driven instability in high‐latitude plasma patches is presented. We have identified four groups of mesoscale structures based on the structuring mechanisms. The amplitudes of the scintillation‐producing irregularities have been described with a normalized irregularity index which is proportional to the scintillation index S 4 and accounts for the greatest variability in ionospheric scintillation. We have demonstrated that the dominant mechanism which can lead to intense scintillation is related to the patch structuring by the primary GDI and high plasma density in a patch. In the velocity shear simulations, the values of the irregularity index are found to be weaker than those produced in the simulations with no shear. The relations between the magnitudes of the simulated electric field and density irregularities have been derived for each category.