Premium
A UHF cross‐modulation D region heating experiment with aeronomic implications
Author(s) -
Sulzer M. P.,
Mathews J. D.,
Tomko A. A.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1029/rs017i002p00435
Subject(s) - physics , computational physics , ultra high frequency , amplitude , thermosphere , reflection (computer programming) , optics , transmitter , modulation (music) , beam (structure) , signal (programming language) , radar , cathode ray , electron , atomic physics , ionosphere , acoustics , telecommunications , channel (broadcasting) , nuclear physics , geophysics , computer science , programming language
A unique wave interaction experiment employing the Arecibo 2.0‐MW, 430‐MHz radar as disturbing or heating transmitter has been performed. The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate UHF electron heating effects and to extend the wave interaction technique to higher than usual heights (˜100 km). The heater beam used was much smaller in angular extent than the probing or wanted beam, yielding an unfavorable geometric weighting factor and making the experiment very sensitive to reflection properties of the E region. Nonetheless, wave interaction was easily detected using a completely digital signal processing technique. Comparison of experimental wave interaction results with a numerical model of the process indicates that lower thermosphere electron cooling rates are possibly too small by a factor of 4. Power spectra of the 3.155 MHz wanted signal (reflected from E region) amplitude fluctuations for ‘quiet’ and ‘disturbed’ days are also given.