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Rocket‐borne wave, field, and plasma observations in unstable polar cap E‐region
Author(s) -
Olesen J. K.,
Primdahl F.,
Spangslev F.,
Ungstrup E.,
Fahleson U.,
Fälthammar C.G.,
Pedersen A.
Publication year - 1976
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/gl003i007p00399
Subject(s) - instability , ionosphere , geophysics , rocket (weapon) , polar , physics , radar , f region , polar cap , sounding rocket , plasma , electric field , magnetometer , geology , plasma instability , magnetosphere , atmospheric sciences , computational physics , meteorology , magnetic field , aerospace engineering , mechanics , astronomy , quantum mechanics , engineering
This paper presents initial results from the first comprehensively instrumented rocket flown through a Farley‐unstable polar cap E‐region. Groundbased ionosondes and magnetometers at two locations and HF radar backscatter at the launch site were used to determine the presence of a geographically widespread ionospheric plasma instability. The observed wave direction, electric field, and current density fit the predictions of the linear theory of the Farley instability, whereas the gradient‐drift instability seems to be excluded by the geometry of the observations.