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Ionospheric density enhancement during relativistic electron precipitation
Author(s) -
Foster J. C.,
Doupnik J. R.,
Stiles G. S.
Publication year - 1980
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/gl007i011p00929
Subject(s) - riometer , ionosphere , substorm , electron density , electron precipitation , incoherent scatter , physics , electron , ionospheric absorption , altitude (triangle) , atmospheric sciences , geophysics , computational physics , f region , radar , atomic physics , magnetosphere , plasma , nuclear physics , geometry , mathematics , telecommunications , computer science
The temporal evolution of the ionospheric density enhancement produced by a widespread REP has been observed with the Chatanika Radar. The REP was associated with a substorm particle energization event, and both the ionospheric absorption and density perturbation exhibited a ∼90 min periodicity associated with the particles' longitudinal drift. A 80 keV characteristic energy for the precipitating electrons is deduced from ground‐based and satellite data. At the maximum of the event, electrons deposited ∼50 ergs/cm² sec in the ionosphere, producing a peak density of 5×10 5 cm −3 at 89 km altitude. At that time the radar observed densities greater than 10 5 cm −3 between 70 km and 110 km altitude and riometer absorption at 30 MHz was ∼12 db.