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On electrodynamical measurements in the polar ionosphere with a monostatic incoherent scatter radar
Author(s) -
Tsunoda Roland T.,
Stauning Peter,
Olesen Jens K.
Publication year - 2007
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 - 10.1029/2006rs003471
Subject(s) - incoherent scatter , ionosphere , doppler effect , radar , physics , altitude (triangle) , bistatic radar , optics , geodesy , remote sensing , geology , geophysics , radar imaging , computer science , mathematics , telecommunications , geometry , astronomy
We examine a technique that appears useful as a means of estimating the vector electric field ( E ) in the ionosphere with a monostatic incoherent scatter (IS) radar. The technique consists of using the altitude variation in mean Doppler velocity that is measured with an antenna beam fixed along a single line of sight. The rotation of the ion velocity vector with altitude in the E region is used to provide improved spatial and temporal resolution over other existing methods. We show that E can be extracted unambiguously from this one‐beam position measurement technique when the neutral wind ( U ) is negligible. When U is significant, however, neither E nor U can be determined without ambiguity. Results obtained from multipulse measurements made with the Sondrestrom IS radar are used to illustrate these concepts.