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C/NOFS observations of intermediate and transitional scale‐size equatorial spread F irregularities
Author(s) -
Rodrigues F. S.,
Kelley M. C.,
Roddy P. A.,
Hunton D. E.,
Pfaff R. F.,
de La Beaujardière O.,
Bust G. S.
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.1029/2009gl038905
Subject(s) - satellite , ionosphere , physics , geodesy , langmuir probe , plasma , scale (ratio) , geology , geophysics , meteorology , environmental science , astronomy , plasma diagnostics , quantum mechanics
We present initial results of the analysis of high sampling rate (512 Hz) measurements made by the Planar Langmuir Probe (PLP) instrument and the Vector Electric Field Instrument (VEFI) onboard the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellite. This letter focuses on the analysis of irregularities with scale‐sizes in the intermediate (0.1–10 km) and transitional (10–100 m) domains observed when the satellite was flying through a large equatorial spread F (ESF) depletion on the night of October 9–10, 2008 over South America. The results presented in this letter suggest the operation of a diffusive subrange in the density power spectra and the possibility of an inertial plasma regime being observed at relatively low altitudes as a result of the long‐lasting solar minimum conditions.