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On the nature of low‐latitude E s influencing the genesis of equatorial plasma bubble
Author(s) -
Joshi L. M.,
Patra A. K.,
Pant T. K.,
Rao S. V. B.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1029/2012ja018122
Subject(s) - blanketing , latitude , equator , low latitude , sunset , geology , rayleigh–taylor instability , instability , sporadic e propagation , magnetic dip , plasma , atmospheric sciences , geophysics , geodesy , physics , ionosphere , astrophysics , mechanics , astronomy , stars , quantum mechanics
The potential influence of the postsunset low‐latitude sporadic E ( E s ) on the genesis of equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) has been investigated using observations made with the Gadanki radar and two ionosondes, one located at the magnetic equator providing the F layer characteristics and another at magnetically low‐latitude providing the E s parameters. Observations revealed that the occurrence of EPB was associated with either the disruption of E s or presence of nonblanketing‐type E s or intermittently occurring blanketing E s at low‐latitude. In contrast, when blanketing E s occurred for a relatively long duration in the sunset hours, EPB did not occur. Model computation clearly reveals that the growth of the Rayleigh‐Taylor instability depends very much on the thickness, height, and shape of electron density profile of the E s layer. The above findings thus suggest that low‐latitude E s variability plays decisive role on the day‐to‐day variability of EPB through the growth rate of the Rayleigh‐Taylor instability.