Auroral E-region electron density gradients measured with EISCAT

In the theory of E-region plasma instabilities, the ambient electric field and electron density gradient are both included in the same dispersion relation as the key parameters that provide the energy for the generation and growth of electrostatic plasma waves. While there exist numerous measurements of ionospheric electric fields, there are very few measurements and limited knowledge about the ambient electron density gradients, N_e, in the E-region plasma. In this work, we took advantage of the EISCAT CP1 data base and studied statistically the vertical electron density gradient length, L_z = N_e/(dN_e/d_z), at auroral E-region heights during both eastward and westward electrojet conditions and different ambient electric field levels. Overall, the prevailing electron density gradients, with L_z ranging from 4 to 7 km, are found to be located below 100 km, but to move steadily up in altitude as the electric field level increases. The steepest density gradients, with L_z possibly less than 3 km, occur near 110 km mostly in the eastward electrojet during times of strong electric fields. The results and their implications are examined and discussed in the frame of the linear gradient drift instability theory. Finally, it would be interesting to test the implications of the present results with a vertical radar interferometer.     

Heating of beam ions by ion acoustic waves

Satellite measurements show that ion beams above the auroral acceleration region are heated to hundreds of eV in a direction perpendicular to the magnetic field. We show that ion acoustic waves may be responsible for much of this heating. Even in the absence of a positive slope in the velocity distribution of the beam ions, ion acoustic waves can be generated by a fan instability. We present analytical estimates of the wave growth rate and ion beam heating rate. These estimates, which are confirmed by particle simulations, indicate that the perpendicular temperature of the beam ions will increase by 30 eV/s, or by 1 eV in 20–25 km. From the simulations we also conclude that the heating saturates at a perpendicular temperature around 200 eV, which is consistent with observations.     

The role played by thermal feedback in heated Farley-Buneman waves at high latitudes

It is becoming increasingly clear that electron thermal effects have to be taken into account when dealing with the theory of ionospheric instabilities in the high-latitude ionosphere. Unfortunately, the mathematical complexity often hides the physical processes at work. We follow the limiting cases of a complex but systematic generalized fluid approach to get to the heart of the thermal processes that affect the stability of E region waves during electron heating events. We try to show as simply as possible under what conditions thermal effects contribute to the destabilization of strongly field-aligned (zero aspect angle) Farley-Buneman modes. We show that destabilization can arise from a combination of (1) a reduction in pressure gradients associated with temperature fluctuations that are out of phase with density fluctuations, and (2) thermal diffusion, which takes the electrons from regions of enhanced temperatures to regions of negative temperature fluctuations, and therefore enhanced densities. However, we also show that, contrary to what has been suggested in the past, for modes excited along the E₀ × B direction thermal feedback decreases the growth rate and raises the threshold speed of the Farley-Buneman instability. The increase in threshold speed appears to be important enough to explain the generation of Type IV waves in the high-latitude ionosphere.     

The generation of non aspect sensitive plasma density irregularities by field aligned drifts in the lower ionosphere

A theory of the generation of plasma density irregularities with virtually no aspect sensitivity, in the lower ionosphere at high latitudes, by electron drifts aligned with the geomagnetic field, is presented. The theory is developed through fluid equations in which the destabilising mechanism involves positive feedback from electron collisional heating. When field aligned electron drift speeds exceed a few km s^–1, this effect destabilises waves with wavelengths in excess of a few tens of metres in the lower E-region, where collisional effects are sufficiently large. Furthermore, the threshold conditions are almost independent of the wave propagation direction and the unstable waves propagate at speeds well below the ion acoustic speed. The role that this new instability may play in recent radar backscatter observations of short scale irregularities propagating in directions close to that of the geomagnetic field, in the lower E-region is also considered.     

Frequency dependent power fluctuations: a feature of the ESR system or physical?

The k-dependence of the Reviced power in high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions, occurring for naturally enhanced ion-acoustic lines (NEIALs) and for real satellites, is investigated by using the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR), where the data are recorded in eight separate channels using different frequencies. For the real satellites we find large variations of the relative powers from event to event, which is probably due to a different number of pulses catching the satellite over the integration period. However, the large power difference remains unexpected in one case. Over short time scale (10 s) the relative power difference seems to be highly stable. For most NEIAL events the differences between channels are within noise level. In a few cases variations of the relative power well above both the estimated and expected 1-sigma level occur over a signal preintegrated profile. We thus suggest that the frequency dependence of the power in NEIAL events has its origin in the scattering medium itself as the most plausible explanation.     

ULF wave occurrence statistics in a high-latitude HF Doppler sounder

Ultra low frequency (ULF) wave activity in the high-latitude ionosphere has been observed by a high frequency (HF) Doppler sounder located at Tromsø, Norway (69.71°N, 19.2°E geographic coordinates). A statistical study of the occurrence of these waves has been undertaken from data collected between 1979 and 1984. The diurnal, seasonal, solar cycle and geomagnetic activity variations in occurrence have been investigated. The findings demonstrate that the ability of the sounder to detect ULF wave signatures maximises at the equinoxes and that there is a peak in occurrence in the morning sector. The occurrence rate is fairly insensitive to changes associated with the solar cycle but increases with the level of geomagnetic activity. As a result, it has been possible to characterise the way in which prevailing ionospheric and magnetospheric conditions affect such observations of ULF waves.     

Solar and seasonal dependence of ion frictional heating

Ion frictional heating constitutes one of the principal mechanisms whereby energy, originating in the solar wind, is deposited into the Earth’s ionosphere and ultimately the neutral atmosphere. Common programme observations by the EISCAT UHF radar system, spanning the years 1984 to 1995, provide the basis for a comprehensive statistical study of ion frictional heating, results of which are documented in this and a previous paper by the authors. In the present work, the authors demonstrate the solar and seasonal dependence of the universal time distribution of frictional heating, and explain these results with reference to corresponding dependences of the ion velocity. Although EISCAT observes a significant increase in the occurrence of enhanced ion velocities associated with increased solar activity, the latter characterised according to the prevailing 10.7 cm solar flux, this is not reflected to such an extent in the occurrence of frictional heating. It is suggested that this is a consequence of the decreased neutral atmosphere response times associated with active solar conditions, resulting from the higher ionospheric plasma densities present. Seasonal effects on the diurnal distribution of ion frictional heating are well explained by corresponding variations in ionospheric convection, the latter principally a result of geometrical factors. It is noted that, over the entire dataset, the variations in the unperturbed F-region ion temperature, required to implement the identification criterion for ion heating, are highly correlated with model values of thermospheric temperature.     

Parametric decay of beam-driven Langmuir wave and enhanced ion-acoustic fluctuations in the ionosphere: a weak turbulence approach

We present a model that describes the decay of beam generated Langmuir waves into ion-acoustic waves in the topside ionosphere. This calculation is done within the frame of the weak turbulence approximation. We study the spectral signature of such a process as seen by a VHF incoherent scatter radar. An incoherent scatter (IS) spectrum is characterized by two maxima at k_radar and −k_radar, the right and left ion lines respectively. It is shown that, for reasonable beam parameters, the parametric decay of beam-generated Langmuir waves can enhance either the right, the left or both ion lines simultaneously. The shape of the spectrum can change drastically on time scale of about 0.1 to 1 s. The role of the beam parameter as well as the ionospheric parameters is also investigated. For a given beam number density, the beam energy or the background density are important to trigger either the left or the right ion line. A large energy spread of the beam or low electron collision frequencies can explain the simultaneous observations of the left and the right ion line. The importance of the electron collision frequency can explain the altitude distribution of the coherent echoes observed by incoherent scatter radars.     

Spatial distribution of conductances and currents associated with a north-south auroral form during a multiple-substorm period

Using the method of characteristics to invert ground-based data of the ground magnetic field disturbance and of the ionospheric electric field, we obtain spatial distributions of ionospheric conductances, currents, and field-aligned currents (FACs) associated with a north-south auroral form that drifts westwards over northern Scandinavia around 2200 UT on December 2, 1977. This auroral form is one in a sequence of such north-south structures observed by all-sky cameras, and appears 14 min after the last of several breakups during that extremely disturbed night. Our analysis shows that the ionospheric Hall conductance reaches values above 200 S in the center of the form, and upward flowing FACs of up to 25 μA/m² are concentrated near its westward and equatorward edge. The strong upward flowing FACs are fed by an area of more distributed, but still very strong downward-flowing FACs northeastward of the auroral form. In contrast to the conductances, the electric field is only slightly affected by the passage of the form. We point out similarities and differences of our observations and results to previously reported observations and models of ‘auroral fingers’, ‘north-south aurora’, and ‘auroral streamers’ which are suggested to be ionospheric manifestations of bursty bulk flows in the plasma sheet.     

On the usefulness of E region electron temperatures and lower F region ion temperatures for the extraction of thermospheric parameters: a case study

Using EISCAT data, we have studied the behavior of the E region electron temperature and of the lower F region ion temperature during a period that was particularly active geomagnetically. We have found that the E region electron temperatures responded quite predictably to the effective electric field. For this reason, the E region electron temperature correlated well with the lower F region ion temperature. However, there were several instances during the period under study when the magnitude of the E region electron temperature response was much larger than expected from the ion temperature observations at higher altitudes. We discovered that these instances were related to very strong neutral winds in the 110–175 km altitude region. In one instance that was scrutinized in detail using E region ion drift measurement in conjunction with the temperature observations, we uncovered that, as suspected, the wind was moving in a direction closely matching that of the ions, strongly suggesting that ion drag was at work. In this particular instance the wind reached a magnitude of the order of 350 m/s at 115 km and of at least 750 m/s at 160 km altitude. Curiously enough, there was no indication of strong upper F region neutral winds at the time; this might have been because the event was uncovered around noon, at a time when, in the F region, the E × B drift was strongly westward but the pressure gradients strongly northward in the F region. Our study indicates that both the lower F region ion temperatures and the E region electron temperatures can be used to extract useful geophysical parameters such as the neutral density (through a determination of ion-neutral collision frequencies) and Joule heating rates (through the direct connection that we have confirmed exists between temperatures and the effective electric field).     

High-latitude HF Doppler observations of ULF waves: 2. Waves with small spatial scale sizes

The DOPE (Doppler Pulsation Experiment) HF Doppler sounder located near Tromsø, Norway (geographic: 69.6°N 19.2°E; L = 6.3) is deployed to observe signatures, in the high-latitude ionosphere, of magnetospheric ULF waves. A type of wave has been identified which exhibits no simultaneous ground magnetic signature. They can be subdivided into two classes which occur in the dawn and dusk local time sectors respectively. They generally have frequencies greater than the resonance fundamentals of local field lines. It is suggested that these may be the signatures of high-m ULF waves where the ground magnetic signature has been strongly attenuated as a result of the scale size of the waves. The dawn population demonstrate similarities to a type of magnetospheric wave known as giant (Pg) pulsations which tend to be resonant at higher harmonics on magnetic field lines. In contrast, the waves occurring in the dusk sector are believed to be related to the storm-time Pc5s previously reported in VHF radar data. Dst measurements support these observations by indicating that the dawn and dusk classes of waves occur respectively during geomagnetically quiet and more active intervals.     

ESR and EISCAT observations of the response of the cusp and cleft to IMF orientation changes

We report observations of the cusp/cleft ionosphere made on December 16th 1998 by the EISCAT (European incoherent scatter) VHF radar at Troms and the EISCAT Svalbard radar (ESR). We compare them with observations of the dayside auroral luminosity, as seen by meridian scanning photometers at Ny Ålesund and of HF radar backscatter, as observed by the CUTLASS radar. We study the response to an interval of about one hour when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), monitored by the WIND and ACE spacecraft, was southward. The cusp/cleft aurora is shown to correspond to a spatially extended region of elevated electron temperatures in the VHF radar data. Initial conditions were characterised by a northward-directed IMF and cusp/cleft aurora poleward of the ESR. A strong southward turning then occurred, causing an equatorward motion of the cusp/cleft aurora. Within the equatorward expanding, southward-IMF cusp/cleft, the ESR observed structured and elevated plasma densities and ion and electron temperatures. Cleft ion fountain upflows were seen in association with elevated ion temperatures and rapid eastward convection, consistent with the magnetic curvature force on newly opened field lines for the observed negative IMF B_y. Subsequently, the ESR beam remained immediately poleward of the main cusp/cleft and a sequence of poleward-moving auroral transients passed over it. After the last of these, the ESR was in the polar cap and the radar observations were characterised by extremely low ionospheric densities and downward field-aligned flows. The IMF then turned northward again and the auroral oval contracted such that the ESR moved back into the cusp/cleft region. For the poleward-retreating, northward-IMF cusp/cleft, the convection flows were slower, upflows were weaker and the electron density and temperature enhancements were less structured. Following the northward turning, the bands of high electron temperature and cusp/cleft aurora bifurcated, consistent with both subsolar and lobe reconnection taking place simultaneously. The present paper describes the large-scale behaviour of the ionosphere during this interval, as observed by a powerful combination of instruments. Two companion papers, by Lockwood et al. (2000) and Thorolfsson et al. (2000), both in this issue, describe the detailed behaviour of the poleward-moving transients observed during the interval of southward B_z, and explain their morphology in the context of previous theoretical work.     

Effects of a kappa distribution function of electrons on incoherent scatter spectra

In usual incoherent scatter data analysis, the plasma distribution function is assumed to be Maxwellian. In space plasmas, however, distribution functions with a high energy tail which can be well modeled by a generalized Lorentzian distribution function with spectral index kappa (kappa distribution) have been observed. We have theoretically calculated incoherent scatter spectra for a plasma that consists of electrons with kappa distribution function and ions with Maxwellian neglecting the effects of the magnetic field and collisions. The ion line spectra have a double-humped shape similar to those from a Maxwellian plasma. The electron temperatures are underestimated, however, by up to 40% when interpreted assuming Maxwellian distribution. Ion temperatures and electron densities are affected little. Accordingly, actual electron temperatures might be underestimated when an energy input maintaining a high energy tail exists. We have also calculated plasma lines with the kappa distribution function. They are enhanced in total strength, and the peak frequencies appear to be slightly shifted to the transmitter frequency compared to the peak frequencies for a Maxwellian distribution. The damping rate depends on the electron temperature. For lower electron temperatures, plasma lines for electrons with a distribution function are more strongly damped than for a Maxwellian distribution. For higher electron temperatures, however, they have a relatively sharp peak.     

First observation of quasi-2-day oscillations in ionospheric plasma frequency at fixed heights

The existence and development of the quasi-2-day oscillations in the plasma frequency variations of the F region at northern middle latitudes are investigated. A new approach to study the quasi-2-day oscillations is presented, using a methodology that allows us to do such a study at fixed heights. The hourly values of plasma frequency at fixed heights, from 170 km to 220 km at 10 km step, obtained at the Observatori de lEbre station (40.8°N, 0.5°E) during 1995 are used for analysis. It is found that quasi-2-day oscillations exist and persisted in the ionospheric plasma frequency variations over the entire year 1995 for all altitudes investigated. The dominant period of oscillation ranges from 42 to 56 h. The amplitude of oscillation is from 0.1 MHz to 1 MHz. The activity of the quasi-2-day oscillation is better expressed during the summer half year when several enhancements, about 15–30 days in duration, were observed. The largest enhancements of the oscillation occurred during early June, July and early August; i. e., near and after the summer solstice when the 2-day wave in the middle neutral atmosphere typically displays its largest activity in the Northern Hemisphere. The results obtained may help us understand better the possible influencing mechanisms between the 2-day wave in the middle neutral atmosphere and the ionospheric quasi-2-day oscillations.     

Computer simulations for direct conversion of the HF electromagnetic wave into the upper hybrid wave in ionospheric heating experiments

Excitation of upper hybrid waves associated with the ionospheric heating experiments is assumed to be essential in explaining some of the features of stimulated electromagnetic emissions (SEE). A direct conversion process is proposed as an excitation mechanism of the upper hybrid waves where the energy of an obliquely propagating electromagnetic pump wave is converted into the electrostatic upper hybrid waves due to small-scale density irregularities. We performed electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations to investigate the energy conversion process in the ionospheric heating experiments. We studied dependence of the amplitude of the excited wave on the propagation angle of the pump wave, scale length of the density irregularity, degree of the irregularity, and thermal velocity of the plasma. The maximum amplitude is found to be 37% of the pump amplitude under an optimum condition.     

Proton-electron precipitation effects on the electron production and density above EISCAT (Tromsø) and ESR

The suprathermal particles, electrons and protons, coming from the Sun and precipitating into the high-latitude atmosphere are an energy source for the Earths ionosphere. They interact with the ambient thermal gas through inelastic and elastic collisions. Most of the physical quantities perturbed by the precipitation, such as the electron production rate, may be evaluated by solving the stationary Boltzmann transport equation, which yields the particle fluxes as a function of altitude, energy, and pitch angle. This equation has been solved for the three different suprathermal species (electrons, protons and hydrogen atoms). We first compare the results of our theoretical code to a coordinated DMSP/EISCAT experiment, and to another approach. Then, we show the effects that pure proton precipitation may have on the ionosphere, through primary and secondary ionization. Finally, we compare the effects of proton precipitation and electron precipitation in some selected cases above EISCAT (Tromsó) and ESR.     

Thermal ion measurements on board Interball Auroral Probe by the Hyperboloid experiment

Hyperboloid is a multi-directional mass spectrometer measuring ion distribution functions in the auroral and polar magnetosphere of the Earth in the thermal and suprathermal energy range. The instrument encompasses two analyzers containing a total of 26 entrance windows, and viewing in two almost mutually perpendicular half-planes. The nominal angular resolution is defined by the field of view of individual windows 13° × 12.5°. Energy analysis is performed using spherical electrostatic analyzers providing differential measurements between 1 and 80 eV. An ion beam emitter (RON experiment) and/or a potential bias applied to Hyperboloid entrance surface are used to counteract adverse effects of spacecraft potential and thus enable ion measurements down to very low energies. A magnetic analyzer focuses ions on one of four micro-channel plate (MCP) detectors, depending on their mass/charge ratio. Normal modes of operation enable to measure H⁺, He⁺, O⁺⁺, and O⁺ simultaneously. An automatic MCP gain control software is used to adapt the instrument to the great flux dynamics encountered between spacecraft perigee (700 km) and apogee (20 000 km). Distribution functions in the main analyzer half-plane are obtained after a complete scan of windows and energies with temporal resolution between one and a few seconds. Three-dimensional (3D) distributions are measured in one spacecraft spin period (120 s). The secondary analyzer has a much smaller geometrical factor, but offers partial access to the 3D dependence of the distributions with a few seconds temporal resolution. Preliminary results are presented. Simultaneous, local heating of both H⁺ and O⁺ ions resulting in conical distributions below 80 eV is observed up to 3 Earths radii altitudes. The thermal ion signatures associated with large-scale nightside magnetospheric boundaries are investigated and a new ion outflow feature is identified associated to the polar edge of the auroral oval. Detailed distribution functions of injected magnetosheath ions and ouflowing cleft fountain ions are measured down to a few eVs in the dayside.     

Combined CUTLASS, EISCAT and ESR observations of ionospheric plasma flows at the onset of an isolated substorm

On August 21st 1998, a sharp southward turning of the IMF, following on from a 20 h period of northward directed magnetic field, resulted in an isolated substorm over northern Scandinavia and Svalbard. A combination of high time resolution and large spatial scale measurements from an array of coherent scatter and incoherent scatter ionospheric radars, ground magnetometers and the Polar UVI imager has allowed the electrodynamics of the impulsive substorm electrojet region during its first few minutes of evolution at the expansion phase onset to be studied in great detail. At the expansion phase onset the substorm onset region is characterised by a strong enhancement of the electron temperature and UV aurora. This poleward expanding auroral structure moves initially at 0.9 km s^-1 poleward, finally reaching a latitude of 72.5°. The optical signature expands rapidly westwards at ~6 km s^-1, whilst the eastward edge also expands eastward at ~0.6 km s^-1. Typical flows of 600 m s^-1 and conductances of 2 S were measured before the auroral activation, which rapidly changed to ~100 m s^-1 and 10–20 S respectively at activation. The initial flow response to the substorm expansion phase onset is a flow suppression, observed up to some 300 km poleward of the initial region of auroral luminosity, imposed over a time scale of less than 10 s. The high conductivity region of the electrojet acts as an obstacle to the flow, resulting in a region of low-electric field, but also low conductivity poleward of the high-conductivity region. Rapid flows are observed at the edge of the high-conductivity region, and subsequently the high flow region develops, flowing around the expanding auroral feature in a direction determined by the flow pattern prevailing before the substorm intensification. The enhanced electron temperatures associated with the substorm-disturbed region extended some 2° further poleward than the UV auroral signature associated with it.     

Travelling ionospheric disturbance properties deduced from Super Dual Auroral Radar measurements

Based on modeling of the perturbations in power and elevation angle produced by travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs), and observed by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network, procedures for determining the TID properties are suggested. These procedures are shown to produce reasonable agreement with those properties of the TIDs that can be measured from simultaneous ionosonde measurements. The modeling shows that measurements of angle-of-elevation perturbations by SuperDARN allows for better determination of the TID properties than using only the perturbations of power as is commonly done.On sabbatical from Department Electrical Engineering, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada     

Spectral energy contributions of quasi-periodic oscillations (2–35 days) to the variability of the f oF2

The relative contributions of quasi-periodic oscillations from 2 to 35 days to the variability of f_oF2 at middle northern latitudes between 42°N and 60°N are investigated. The f_oF2 hourly data for the whole solar cycle 21 (1976–1986) for four European ionospheric stations Rome (41.9°N, 12.5°E), Poitiers (46.5°N, 0.3°E), Kaliningrad (54.7°N, 20.6°E) and Uppsala (59.8°N, 17.6°E) are used for analysis. The relative contributions of different periodic bands due to planetary wave activity and solar flux variations are evaluated by integrated percent contributions of spectral energy for these bands. The observations suggest that a clearly expressed seasonal variation of percent contributions exists with maximum at summer solstice and minimum at winter solstice for all periodic bands. The contributions for summer increase when the latitude increases. The contributions are modulated by the solar cycle and simultaneously influenced by the long-term geomagnetic activity variations. The greater percentage of spectral energy between 2 to 35 days is contributed by the periodic bands related to the middle atmosphere planetary wave activity.