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VLF wave generation by amplitude‐modulated HF heater waves at Gakona, Alaska
Author(s) -
Kuo Spencer P.,
Wu YenLiang,
Pradipta R.,
Cohen J. A.,
Lee M. C.
Publication year - 2008
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 - 10.1029/2008gl034414
Subject(s) - amplitude , geology , geophysics , seismology , physics , optics
Experiments conducted at Gakona, Alaska, using the intensity‐modulated HF heating waves to interact with electrojet currents for the generation of VLF waves, are reported. An unexpected large increasing rate from 4 to 8 kHz in the frequency dependency of the VLF radiation intensity was observed. The peak value at 8 kHz was intense (about 7.5 dB above that of the 2 kHz signal used as a marker) and the wave intensity from 5 to 17 kHz appeared to be abnormally high (i.e., stronger than that at 2 kHz). In the experiments, we also observed the enhancement of spread‐E irregularities at electrojet current altitudes due to the amplitude‐modulated heater wave. These results and theoretical analyses suggest that temporally modulated electrojet currents mix with heater wave‐excited density irregularities to form whistler mode currents, which generate VLF whistler waves directly with much larger intensities and better directivity than a Hertzian dipole can.