Calculation of atmospheric electric fields penetrating from the ionosphere

The spatial distributions of electric fields and currents in the Earth’s atmosphere are calculated. Electric potential distributions typical of substorms and quiet geomagnetic conditions are specified in the ionosphere. The Earth is treated as a perfect conductor. The atmosphere is considered as a spherical layer with a given height dependence of electrical conductivity. With the chosen conductivity model and an ionospheric potential of 300 kV with respect to the Earth, the electric field near the ground is vertical and reaches 110 Vm⁻¹. With the 60-kV potential difference in the polar cap of the ionosphere, the electric field disturbances with a vertical component of up to 13 V m⁻¹ can occur in the atmosphere. These disturbances are maximal near the ground. If the horizontal scales of field nonuniformity are over 100 km, the vertical component of the electric field near the ground can be calculated with the one-dimensional model. The field and current distributions in the upper atmosphere can be obtained only from the three-dimensional model. The numerical method for solving electrical conductivity problems makes it possible to take into account conductivity inhomogeneities and the ground relief.     

Influence of the atmospheric surface layer on the penetration of the electric field from the earth’s surface into the ionosphere

In the used model, the quasistationary electric field in the atmosphere of the Earth is obtained by solving the conductivity equation. The penetration characteristics of the electric field from the Earth’s surface into the ionosphere depend on both atmospheric and ionosphere conductivity. The ionosphere is taken into account by setting a special condition on the upper boundary of the atmosphere. The influence of the atmospheric surface layer with a reduced conductivity on the penetration of the electric field from the surface of the Earth into the ionosphere is analyzed.     

Penetration of Nonstationary Ionospheric Electric Fields into Lower Atmospheric Layers in the Global Electric Circuit Model

The problem of the penetration of nonstationary ionospheric electric fields into the lower atmospheric layers is considered based on the model of the global electric circuit in the Earth’s atmosphere. For the equation of the electric field potential, a solution that takes into account exponential variation in the electrical conductivity with height has been obtained. Analysis of the solution made it possible to reveal three cases of the dependence of the solution on height. The first case (the case of high frequencies) corresponds to the Coulomb approximation, when the electrical conductivity of the atmosphere can be neglected. In the case of low frequencies (when the frequency of changes in the ionosphere potential is less than the quantity reciprocal to the time of electric relaxation of the atmosphere), a quasi-stationary regime, in which the variation in the electric potential of the atmosphere is determined by the electric conduction currents, occurs. In the third case, due to the increase in the electrical conductivity of the atmosphere, two spherical regions appear: with the Coulomb approximation in the lower region and conduction currents in the upper one. For these three cases, formulas for estimating the electric field strength near the Earth’s surface have been obtained.     

Influence of ionospheric flows on the effect of the planetary electric generator

Exact distributions of the electric field and current density in the vicinity of the rotating magnetized planet are determined within the planetary electric generator model. The model planetary plasma envelope is assumed to be inhomogeneous and consists of an atmosphere, an ionospheric layer rotating with respect to the atmosphere, and a magnetosphere located beyond the ionosphere. The model parameters, under which the influence of a large-scale flow of the ionospheric plasma on the electric field and current in the lower atmosphere is significant are determined. It is shown that the ionospheric superrotation reduces the electric field arising in the Earth’s lower atmosphere due to the planetary generator effect.     

地震电离层异常电场模拟及初步研究

强地震会造成电离层电场发生异常变化.基于大气层-电离层电动力学理论对地震电离层异常电场开展数值模拟和研究,将理论推导出来的电离层异常电场方程扩展到球面坐标系中,并且考虑到电离层层电导率的各向异性,建立新的地震电离层异常电场模式.引进一个电离层层电导率经验公式(Nopper and Carovillano,1979),对中低纬度地震电离层异常电场特性进行数值模拟.模拟结果表明:附加电流引起电离层异常电场范围远大于自身在地表上的分布.且发生在低纬地区的异常电场主要成分是纬向电场,在东西两侧显偶极子分布.在额外电流分布相同的情况下,夜晚生成的异常电场更显著,存在昼夜差异.     

二维电离层发电机理论模式及其初步应用

在地理坐标系下推导出二维电离层发电机理论方程,采用逐线迭代法求解得到全球二维电离层发电机电流函数,进而得到电离层发电机电流和电场.模式中使用的电导率是根据外部经验模式给出的背景大气和电离层参数,采用理论公式计算得出;输入的中性风场和磁场分别由HWM93和IGRF2000模型给出,该电离层发电机理论模式很好地给出了全球Sq电流形态及电离层E层发电机电场的基本特征.利用该模式研究了外部模式风场以及地磁场随高度的变化对模拟结果的影响,发现在90~180 km高度上,风场随高度变化对电流影响较大,而地磁场影响较小;重点模拟研究了地磁平静时期,Sq电流涡旋中心位置和总电流强度的变化规律,初步研究发现,电流中心位置在地理纬度±30°附近,不同的地方时电流随地磁纬度线平行移动,且南北半球两个电流涡中心电流强度之和变化不大.分析发现这种规律与发电机高度上的磁场总强度及地磁倾角的全球分布有很好的相关性.     

Penetration to the Earth’s surface of standing Alfvén waves excited by external currents in the ionosphere

The problem of boundary conditions for monochromatic Alfvén waves, excited in the magnetosphere by external currents in the ionospheric E-layer, is solved analytically. Waves with large azimuthal wave numbers m≫1 are considered. In our calculations, we used a model for the horizontally homogeneous ionosphere with an arbitrary inclination of geomagnetic field lines and a realistic height disribution of Alfvén velocity and conductivity tensor components. A relationship between such Alfvén waves on the upper ionospheric boundary with electromagnetic oscillations on the ground was detected, and the spatial structure of these oscillations determined.     

Physical models of coupling in the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere system before earthquakes

The most important models of coupling in the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere system are considered. In some of these models, it is assumed that atmospheric acoustic and acoustic gravity waves (AGWs), which propagate through the atmosphere and reach ionospheric altitudes (resulting in the generation of electric field disturbances and modulation of charged particle density), are generated in the near-Earth atmosphere over the earthquake preparation region. In other models it is assumed that ionospheric disturbances originate owing to the modification of electric fields and currents due to electric processes in the lithosphere or near-Earth atmosphere. It seems impossible to stress on only one model and reject the remaining models because the characteristic spatial scales of effects observed in the ionosphere before earthquakes vary from 200–300 km to several thousand kilometers, and the characteristic times vary from several minutes to several days. We can assume that there are several physical mechanisms by which the lithosphere-ionosphere coupling is actually implemented.     

Ionospheric polarization electric field guiding magnetopause reconnection: A conceptual model of throat aurora

Frequently observed throat auroras have been suggested to be correspondent to indentations on the subsolar magnetopause,but how these indentations can be generated is unknown yet.Based on analyzing the detailed observational features of throat aurora,a conceptual model for generation of throat aurora is proposed.This model suggests that precipitation of a north-south aligned stripy diffuse aurora can lead to an ionospheric conductivity enhancement and thus produce a polarization electric field in dusk-to-dawn direction in the ionosphere.After mapping to the magnetosphere along closed field lines,this electric field can guide a magnetopause reconnection to develop inward the magnetosphere and result in a throat aurora.Because this model can comprehensively explain all the observational results that have been presented up to now,we argue that the assumption of ionospheric polarization electric field affecting magnetopause reconnection should be true and be worthy of further investigations.     

Recent investigation on the coupling between the ionosphere and upper atmosphere

Scientific attention has recently been focused on the coupling of the earth’s upper atmosphere and ionosphere. In the present work, we review the advances in this field, emphasizing the studies and contributions of Chinese scholars. This work first introduces new developments in the observation instruments of the upper atmosphere. Two kinds of instruments are involved: optical instruments (lidars, FP interferometers and all-sky airglow imagers) and radio instruments (MST radars and all-sky meteor radars). Based on the data from these instruments and satellites, the researches on climatology and wave disturbances in the upper atmosphere are then introduced. The studies on both the sporadic sodium layer and sporadic E-layer are presented as the main works concerning the coupling of the upper atmosphere and the low ionosphere. We then review the investigations on the ionospheric longitudinal structure and the causative atmospheric non-migrating tide as the main progress of the coupling between the atmosphere and the ionospheric F2-region. Regarding the ionosphere-thermosphere coupling, we introduce studies on the equatorial thermospheric anomaly, as well as the influence of the thermospheric winds and gravity waves to the ionospheric F2-region. Chinese scholars have made much advancement on the coupling of the ionosphere and upper atmosphere, including the observation instruments, data precession, and modeling, as well as the mechanism analysis.     

关于暴时电离层电流分布的南北半球不对称性

采用国际上广泛认可的高层大气和电离层经验模式提供的各种参数, 通过电离层电流连续方程, 计算出强磁暴条件下6月至日和12月至日内, 磁纬±72°和磁地方时00:00～24:00之间电离层电场、电流等的分布. 计算中考虑了地磁和地理坐标间的偏离; 除中性风场感生的发电机效应外, 还包含了磁层耦合(极盖区边界的晨昏电场和二区场向电流)的驱动外源. 结果表明, 6月至日时, 磁层扰动自极光区向中低纬的穿透情况在南、北半球内基本接近, 北半球内略强; 但12月至日时, 呈现明显的不对称性, 南半球的电流穿透远强于北半球, 而电场的穿透则是在北半球更强. 无论南北半球, 在中高纬地区, 午夜至黎明时段出现较强的东向电场分量, 其[WTHX]E×B[WTBZ]的向上漂移效应, 正是解释我们以往不少研究现象中所期盼的物理机制.     

分层电离层模型中的L电流体系

本文分析了电离层风发电机理论中影响电流分布的几种主要因素,认为电离层电导率模型是最主要的影响因素。在计算太阴日变化（L）电流体系时,本文放弃了过去习惯采用的无限薄球壳的电导率模型,使用了分层电导率模型。考虑电导率随高度的变化以及电导率极大值的高度随纬度的变化,得到了与观测结果较为符合的理论L电流体系。本文的结果还指出,在处理某些全球性发电机理论问题时,不能简单地假定电离层为距地面等高度的无限薄球壳,而必须同时考虑大气潮汐振荡的特性及电导率随高度的变化。由此得出结论:发展三维电导率模型对于电离层风发电机理论是必要的。     

On the relationship of SAPS to storm-enhanced density

We use magnetic field-aligned mapping between the ionosphere and the magnetosphere to intercompare ground-based observations of storm enhanced density (SED), and plasmasphere drainage plumes imaged from space by the IMAGE EUV imager, with the enhanced inner-magnetosphere/ionosphere SAPS electric field which develops during large storms. We find that the inner edge of the SAPS electric field overlaps the erosion plume and that plume material is carried sunward in the SAPS overlap region. The two phenomena, SED in the ionosphere and the erosion plume at magnetospheric heights, define a common trajectory for sunward-propagating cold plasma fluxes in the midnight—dusk–postnoon sector. The SAPS channel at ionospheric heights and its projection into the equatorial plane serve to define the sharp outer boundary of the erosion plume. The SAPS electric field abuts and overlaps both the plasmasphere boundary layer and the plasmasphere erosion plume from pre-midnight through post-noon local times.     

中、低纬度地区电离层不同层结间的耦合对夜晚F区不规则结构的影响

电离层不规则结构的形成和演化与电离层等离子体不稳定性密切相关 .长期以来 ,在中低纬区扩展 -F现象的研究中 ,没有考虑电离层上下层结之间的相互作用 .本文从理论上全面探讨了在中纬度地区 ,E区可变的Pedersen电导率和Hall电导率 ,与F区可变的Pedersen电导率的共同作用对F区梯度漂移不稳定性的影响 ,导出了存在这种耦合时电离层梯度漂移不稳定性的统一表达式 .这一耦合理论不但解释了实际观测中发现的 ,在某些地方电离层F区顶部的不稳定性发生率要高于F区底部这一现象 ;同时还表明 ,电离层E区与F区的耦合对F区夜晚梯度漂移不稳定性的形成不仅会有阻碍作用 ,同时还使得中、低纬度地区的扰动增长具有了方向的选择性 .该理论的一个重要结论是 ,F区中某一地区能否发展出梯度漂移不稳定性 ,并不完全由当地电离层F区的状态决定 ,同一根磁力线连接的、位于不同纬度地区的E区层结对其发展和演化也会有相当大的影响 .     

Comparison of ionospheric parameters calculated with UAM and measured at Voeykovo observatory

The measurements of the critical frequencies of the ionospheric F2 layer based on vertical radiosounding, which was performed with a CADI digital ionosonde at the Voeykovo magnetic–ionospheric observatory in February 2013, have been considered. The observations have been compared with the upper atmosphere numerical model (UAM) data for three days that differ in the amplitude and the character of solar and magnetic activity and correspond to quiet and moderately disturbed states of the ionosphere. The work was performed in order to improve the methods for determining the ionospheric state by vertical sounding ionograms. The time variations in the F2 layer critical frequency, electric field vector zonal component, and thermospheric wind velocity meridional component have been analyzed. Calculations were performed with three UAM variants. The UAM version providing the best agreement with the CADI ionosonde data was the version in which the neutral temperature, neutral composition, and pressure gradients are calculated according to the MSIS empirical model and the horizontal neutral wind velocity is determined by the equation of motion with pressure gradients from MSIS. The calculated values corresponded to the measurements, except those for the evening, because the electron density at the ionospheric F2 layer maximum depends more strongly on electric fields and thermospheric wind velocities during this period. Thus, the indicated UAM version with the above limitations can be used to determine the state of the subauroral ionosphere.     

A three-dimensional,iterative mapping procedure for the implementation of an ionosphere-magnetosphere anisotropic Ohm’s law boundary condition in global magnetohydrodynamic simulations

The mathematical formulation of an iterative procedure for the numerical implementation of an ionosphere-magnetosphere (IM) anisotropic Ohm’s law boundary condition is presented. The procedure may be used in global magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of the magnetosphere. The basic form of the boundary condition is well known, but a well-defined, simple, explicit method for implementing it in an MHD code has not been presented previously. The boundary condition relates the ionospheric electric field to the magnetic field-aligned current density driven through the ionosphere by the magnetospheric convection electric field, which is orthogonal to the magnetic field B, and maps down into the ionosphere along equipotential magnetic field lines. The source of this electric field is the flow of the solar wind orthogonal to B. The electric field and current density in the ionosphere are connected through an anisotropic conductivity tensor which involves the Hall, Pedersen, and parallel conductivities. Only the height-integrated Hall and Pedersen conductivities (conductances) appear in the final form of the boundary condition, and are assumed to be known functions of position on the spherical surface R=R₁ representing the boundary between the ionosphere and magnetosphere. The implementation presented consists of an iterative mapping of the electrostatic potential , the gradient of which gives the electric field, and the field-aligned current density between the IM boundary at R=R₁ and the inner boundary of an MHD code which is taken to be at R₂>R₁. Given the field-aligned current density on R=R₂, as computed by the MHD simulation, it is mapped down to R=R₁ where it is used to compute by solving the equation that is the IM Ohm’s law boundary condition. Then is mapped out to R=R₂, where it is used to update the electric field and the component of velocity perpendicular to B. The updated electric field and perpendicular velocity serve as new boundary conditions for the MHD simulation which is then used to compute a new field-aligned current density. This process is iterated at each time step. The required Hall and Pedersen conductances may be determined by any method of choice, and may be specified anew at each time step. In this sense the coupling between the ionosphere and magnetosphere may be taken into account in a self-consistent manner.     

Seasonal effects in the ionosphere-thermosphere response to the precipitation and field-aligned current variations in the cusp region

The seasonal effects in the thermosphere and ionosphere responses to the precipitating electron flux and field-aligned current variations, of the order of an hour in duration, in the summer and winter cusp regions have been investigated using the global numerical model of the Earths upper atmosphere. Two variants of the calculations have been performed both for the IMF B_y < 0. In the first variant, the model input data for the summer and winter precipitating fluxes and field-aligned currents have been taken as geomagnetically symmetric and equal to those used earlier in the calculations for the equinoctial conditions. It has been found that both ionospheric and thermospheric disturbances are more intensive in the winter cusp region due to the lower conductivity of the winter polar cap ionosphere and correspondingly larger electric field variations leading to the larger Joule heating effects in the ion and neutral gas temperature, ion drag effects in the thermospheric winds and ion drift effects in the F2-region electron concentration. In the second variant, the calculations have been performed for the events of 28–29 January, 1992 when precipitations were weaker but the magnetospheric convection was stronger than in the first variant. Geomagnetically asymmetric input data for the summer and winter precipitating fluxes and field-aligned currents have been taken from the patterns derived by combining data obtained from the satellite, radar and ground magnetometer observations for these events. Calculated patterns of the ionospheric convection and thermospheric circulation have been compared with observations and it has been established that calculated patterns of the ionospheric convection for both winter and summer hemispheres are in a good agreement with the observations. Calculated patterns of the thermospheric circulation are in a good agreement with the average circulation for the Southern (summer) Hemisphere obtained from DE-2 data for IMF B_y < 0 but for the Northern (winter) Hemisphere there is a disagreement at high latitudes in the afternoon sector of the cusp region. At the same time, the model results for this sector agree with other DE-2 data and with the ground-based FPI data. All ionospheric and thermospheric disturbances in the second variant of the calculations are more intensive in the winter cusp region in comparison with the summer one and this seasonal difference is larger than in the first variant of the calculations, especially in the electron density and all temperature variations. The means that the seasonal effects in the cusp region are stronger in the thermospheric and ionospheric responses to the FAC variations than to the precipitation disturbances.     

Physics of the solar-terrestrial coupling: Results,problems, and new approaches

The results of the works performed in the field of the most actual problems of physics and optics of the solar-terrestrial coupling have been analyzed. This is the problem of energy in the ionospheric physics, considered because space monitoring of the solar irradiance ionizing the upper ionosphere is still absent. These are the problems of transformation of the solar flare energy and corpuscular precipitation into the microwave ionospheric radiation. Finally, this is the main problem of present-day natural science: the physical mechanism of the solar-terrestrial coupling as applied to the explanation of the detected correlations in the Sun-weather and the Sun-biosphere systems. A unified physical (radio-optical) mechanism for controlling the processes in the lower atmosphere and biosphere (including human being), dependent on the level of solar and geomagnetic activity and related to the ionospheric microwave radiation in transitions between the optically highly excited (Rydberg) states of all components of the upper atmosphere, has been considered.     

NWC通信台在电离层中激发电磁响应的时变特征

本文利用DEMETER卫星VLF频段电场和磁场频谱数据对DEMETER卫星运行期间2005年至2009年澳大利亚甚低频(Very Low Frequency)通信台NWC发射的通信信号造成的电离层电磁响应的日变化、季节变化及年变化特征进行了统计分析,统计结果表明电磁响应日变化显著,夜间电场强度明显增强可达40dB,磁场变化略小也可为15dB左右,而季节变化不显著,年变化主要受太阳活动的影响,太阳活动越强,电磁响应越小.为解释数据分析结果,对地-电离层电磁波传播过程采用传递矩阵方法进行了模拟计算,模拟结果与数据分析的结果一致.我们认为这种随时间变化的特点可能由250km以下电离层电子密度分布特征导致,因此研究250km以下的电离层电子密度变化可能对寻找地震电离层电磁异常有重要意义.     

On effective conductivity of the ionosphere with random irregularities

The influence of stochastic irregularities of the ionosphere on its effective conductivity has been estimated. The study was carried out for large scale inhomogeneities and quasistationary electromagnetic fields. It is found, that Pedersen conductivity sharply increases in a strong geomagnetic field even for small stochastic ionospheric irregularities of the electron density. This peculiarity has to be taken into account during analysis of ionospheric and magnetospheric measurements.