Correction of the ionospheric distortion on the MARSIS surface sounding echoes

Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) on the Mars Express (MEX) spacecraft has made numerous measurements of the Martian surface and subsurface. However, all of these measurements are distorted by the ionosphere and must be compensated before any analysis. We have developed a technique to compensate for the ionospheric distortions. This technique provides a powerful tool to derive the total electron content (TEC) and other higher-order terms of the limited expansion of the plasma dispersion function that are related to overall shape of the electron column profile. The derived parameters are fitted by using a Chapman model to derive ionospheric parameters like n₀, electron density primary peak (maximum for solar zenith angle (SZA) equal 0), and the neutral height scale H.

Our estimated ionospheric parameters are in good agreement with Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) radio-occultation data. However, since MARSIS does not have the observation geometry limitations of the radio occultation measurements, our derived parameters extend over a large range of SZA for each MEX orbit.

The first results from our technique have been discussed by Safaeinili et al. [2007, Estimation of the total electron content of the Martian ionosphere using radar sounder surface echoes. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L23204, doi:10.1029/2007GL032154].     

Diagnostic of the dayside ionosphere of Mars using the Total Electron Content measurement by the NEIGE/Netlander experiment: An assessment study

The NEtlander Ionosphere and Geodesy Experiment (NEIGE) of the Netlander mission to Mars will measure Doppler shifts affecting the radio links between ground stations and an orbiter. The experiment has two complementary scientific objectives which are the monitoring of the structure and dynamics of the ionosphere of Mars and the precise determination of Mars orientation parameters. The horizontal variation of the Total Electron Content (TEC) of the ionosphere will be derived from the so-called “geometric-free” combination of the Doppler shifts which affect radio links at two frequencies (in the UHF and S bands) between the Netlander microstations on the Mars surface and the data-relay orbiter. We describe a new method for retrieving the horizontal profile of the absolute value of the TEC. Simulations have allowed to evaluate the precision in the determination of the TEC using this method. We show that the daytime TEC can be retrieved with a precision of for a nominal accuracy of on the orbital pseudo-velocity, which represents a relative precision of a few percent. A preliminary analysis of the sensitivity of the TEC to the physical parameters which control the ionosphere has been performed. For this purpose, we have used a new one-dimensional ionospheric model based on the solution of coupled kinetic, fluid and MHD equations. This model describes the suprathermal electron component, the thermal plasma component as well as the induced horizontal magnetic field. The code which provides the vertical electron density profile has been used to study the variation of the TEC with the solar zenith angle and with the induced magnetic field at the top of the ionosphere. In particular, we show that NEIGE will allow to diagnose the penetration into the daytime ionosphere of an induced magnetic field.     

火星电离层无线电掩星探测仿真研究

对中俄联合火星星-星电离层掩星技术体制进行了分析和介绍,采用三维射线追踪方法对电离层掩星事件的电波观测值进行了模拟计算,并利用模拟的掩星观测数据进行了电子密度廓线反演,结果说明仿真算法可靠.利用仿真的方法,分别对掩星电波相位观测误差和卫星轨道误差等带来的反演误差进行了个例计算和分析,结果得到:5%周的相位测量误差对白天电离层掩星探测结果的影响可以忽略,而夜间电子密度测量的绝对误差小于4×108 m-3;卫星轨道误差对掩星的主要影响是导致电离层高度抬升或下降.结果表明,中俄联合火星电离层掩星探测技术体制先进,可望获得高精度的电子密度廓线;其技术体制也可以用于月球电离层环境的探测.     

Solar, interplanetary, planetary, and related extra-solar system science for LOFAR

The low frequency array (LOFAR) radiotelescope will be a powerful instrument for answering fundamental, unresolved scientific questions concerning solar system radio phenomena and related emissions from nearby stellar systems. This paper reviews the phenomena, emission mechanisms, open scientific questions, and LOFAR's capabilities. LOFAR will detect metric solar radio bursts in the corona and interplanetary medium, out to distances of order 10 solar radii, as well as Jovian radio emissions. Arguments are given that LOFAR may be sufficiently sensitive to detect stellar analoges of solar type II and III bursts, and may detect cyclotron-maser emissions from extra-solar planets. LOFAR may also aid space weather research, by passively detecting coronal mass ejections (CMEs) via scintillation and Faraday rotation effects, or by detecting radar signals bounced off CMEs and coronal density structures if a suitable solar radar is developed.     

利用GPS探测电离层异常中的高斯过程处理方法

平静状态下电离层总电子含量（TEC）随时间的变化通常可以视为平稳随机过程。然而，太阳或地球的突发事件（如太阳耀斑、地磁场的扰动）会引起电离层的扰动，破坏该平稳过程，从而引起其统计参数的变化。依据平稳随机过程——高斯过程的相关性质，利用其自协方差函数和TEC时间系列，构建了独立同标准正态分布的观测样本，并利用X^2假设检验的方法来探测电离层异常现象。此外，还利用了2000年7月14日太阳耀斑期间我国国际IGS跟踪站武汉GPS跟踪站的数据，进行了实例分析。结果表明，该方法可以有效地探测电离层异常现象。     

GPS/LEO掩星方法中的电离层延迟量对太阳射电辐射流量的响应

对无线电信号在电离层中的传播路径进行了数值模拟;针对掩星观测中的五组实际卫星轨道数据(包括GPS和LEO卫星),给出了在太阳射电辐射流量(FLUX)分别为0,70,160和240等几种情况下的电离层延迟量对10.7cm波长的太阳辐射流量的响应结果;这分别对应着无太阳辐射、太阳射电辐射处于活动低谷、平静期和高峰期等几种情形。从中可以发现,掩星观测中电离层延迟量对10.7cm波长的太阳射电辐射流量的响应表现为如下特性:电离层延迟同参数FLUX的大小有明显的对应关系,即FLUX越大,则掩星观测中的电离层延迟越大;对于上升掩星情况而言,掩星观测中电离层延迟量起先逐渐增加,然后达到某一峰值,其后逐渐下降;在掩星观测的初期和中期,太阳射电辐射处于活动低谷、平静期和高峰期等几种情形之间的电离层延迟量差异都较为显著,而在掩星观测的后期,几种情形相互间电离层延迟量的差异都比较小。     

Monitoring the Dynamics of the Ionosphere–Plasmasphere System by Ground-Based ULF Wave Observations

Cross-spectral analysis of ULF wave measurements recorded at ground magnetometer stations closely spaced in latitude allows accurate determinations of magnetospheric field line resonance (FLR) frequencies. This is a useful tool for remote sensing temporal and spatial variations of the magnetospheric plasma mass density. The spatial configuration of the South European GeoMagnetic Array (SEGMA, 1.56 <  L <  1.89) offers the possibility to perform such studies at low latitudes allowing to monitor the dynamical coupling between the ionosphere and the inner plasmasphere. As an example of this capability we present the results of a cross-correlation analysis between FLR frequencies and solar EUV irradiance (as monitored by the 10.7-cm solar radio flux F10.7) suggesting that changes in the inner plasmasphere density follow the short-term (27-day) variations of the solar irradiance with a time delay of 1–2 days. As an additional example we present the results of a comparative analysis of FLR measurements, ionospheric vertical soundings and vertical TEC measurements during the development of a geomagnetic storm.     

Evaluation of LEO based GPS slant TEC using a simulation technique

With the increased number of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, the LEO based GPS slant total electron content (STEC) data play a more important role in ionospheric research due to better global coverage. The accuracy of LEO TEC is hardly evaluated by comparison with the independent TEC measurement simultaneously. We propose an approach based on the simulated data to verify the accuracy of TEC determination. The simulated data (i.e., the pseudorange and carrier phase observations) was generated based on the consideration of the effect of the ionosphere, the so-called differential code bias (DCB) and observational noise. The errors of carrier phase to code leveling process and DCB estimation are analyzed quantitatively. Also, the effect of observational noise, solar activity and LEO orbit altitude on the accuracy of TEC determination will be discussed in detail. The accuracy of TEC determination is relative to solar activity and LEO orbit altitude, the higher LEO orbit and lower F10.7 index, the higher accuracy of TEC determination. It is found by the first time that, with the amplification of the pseudorange noise, the accuracy of leveling process and TEC determination declines almost linearly. With the LEO missions in the near future, it is hoped that the GPS satellite DCBs estimated based on LEO observations would be better than those based on ground-based observations.     

Response of the Total Electron Content of Terrestrial Ionosphere to GRB041227

At 21:30 UT on 2004 December 27 an extremely strong gamma-ray burst swept across the earth and caused the part of the terrestrial upper atmosphere exposed to it to produce extra ionization. Sudden ionospheric disturbance (SID) events were simultaneously observed at many of the very low frequency (VLF) electric wave observing stations. Analyses of the X-ray data of the GOES satellite as well as the solar wind and interplanetary data of the ACE satellite with the relevant theories show that the observed SID event observed was indeed caused by GRB041227. We calculated the response of the total electron content (TEC) of the terrestrial ionosphere to this γ-ray burst using the observed data provided by the international GPS service network (IGS) and the data processing method of coherent summation. The result indicates that the GRB041227 produced by the SGR1806-20 had an evident effect on the terrestrial ionosphere: in the course of the burst the average ionospheric TEC increased, to a maximum size of about 0.04 TECU (1 TECU = 10¹⁶ el/m²), equivalent to a solar flare with importance of C or lower. The calculated result demonstrates once again that a remote celestial body can also affect the terrestrial space environment to some extent.     

电离层延迟改正模型综述

电离层延迟改正模型通常可以分为广播星历用的预报模型、广域差分用的实时模型、后处理模型3类,不同应用要求需要选择不同的模型。主要比较分析了几种常用的电离层延迟改正模型: 用于广域差分中生成格网模型的三角级数模型、多项式模型、低阶球谐函数模型等都可以获得很好的改正效果,且这3种模型基本上是等价的;电离层延迟谐函数展开模型可以用来分析电离层长时间系列的变化特征;国际电离层参考模型IRI的改正精度一般可以达到60％的效果;而GPS 星历采用的Klobuchar模型的参数设置存在一些不足,对此提出了一些改进措施。     

Low-frequency solar radiophysics with LOFAR and FASR

Low-frequency radio observations offer unique diagnostics of the solar corona and solar wind. After a prolongued hiatus, there is renewed interest in this important frequency regime. Two new ground-based instruments will provide critical new low-frequency observations: the low-frequency array (LOFAR) and the frequency agile solar radiotelescope (FASR). This brief topical review summarizes low-frequency radio phenomena that will be accessible to detailed study by LOFAR and FASR in the coming decade. Energy release, drivers of space weather, and studies of the solar wind are emphasized. Both instruments are expected to play important roles in both basic research problems and national and international space weather capabilities. While FASR is a solar-dedicated instrument, LOFAR is not. Solar observing requirements for LOFAR are briefly discussed.     

电离层TEC对小耀斑的响应

利用国际GPS观测网(IGS)提供的多个台站的观测数据,分析了M级别以下的小、暗太阳耀斑对向阳面电离层TEC的影响．利用传统分析方法的结果表明,从单条视线(LOS)观测数据得到的电离层TEC及其时间变化率曲线来看,由于它们的波动水平和正常情况下的背景电离层变化相当,使此类小耀斑的信息完全淹没在背景噪声中,不能够显示和分辨出耀斑的发生．利用相干求和的数据处理方法,选用向阳面18个GPS台站的观测数据研究了一次C级SF耀斑引起的电离层TEC增加,结果发现,这种方法能有效地消除背景电离层变化噪声,电离层对耀斑的响应非常清楚和明显,这通常只能在X级别的大耀斑中看到．和GOES卫星X射线数据相比,电离层TEC变化的时间特征和耀斑爆发的开始、最大和结束时间均有很好的符合,其最大平均TEC增量在0．1TECU以下,和X级别的大耀斑相比有一个或多个量级上的差别．     

长三角地区电离层变化的GPS监测

利用GPS双频观测量可获取电离层总电子含量(Total Electron Content,TEC),以监测区域上空电离层的分布和变化特征,从而可以发现不同尺度的电离层异常。该文采用2004年上海地区GPS综合应用网(SCGAN)以及中国地壳运动监测网络(CMONC)的部分台站的观测,计算得到1年时间序列的TEC数据,来研究长三角地区上空的电离层TEC的变化与活动。应用这些数据,综合利用高斯权函数和滑动平均等几种数据处理方法,重点分析和讨论了长三角地区上空电离层的周日变化、周年变化和季节性变化特性,揭示了电离层冬季异常等现象。同时,通过对1年时间序列TEC进行谱分析,得到了其相应的变化周期。     

Electron content near the lunar surface using dual-frequency VLBI tracking data in a single lunar orbiter mission

In VLBI observations of Vstar, a subsatellite of the Japanese lunar mission SELENE, there were opportunities for lunar grazing occultation when Vstar was very close to the limb of the Moon. This kind of chance made it possible to probe the thin plasma layer above the Moon's surface as a meaningful by-product of VLBI,by using the radio occultation method with coherent radio waves from the S/X bands.The dual-frequency measurements were carried out at Earth-based VLBI stations. In the line-of-sight direction between the satellite and the ground-based tracking station where VLBI measurements were made, the effects of the terrestrial ionosphere, interplanetary plasma and the thin lunar ionosphere mixed together in the combined observables of dual-frequency Doppler shift and phase shift. To separate the variation of the ionospheric total electron content(TEC) near the surface of the Moon from the mixed signal, the influences of the terrestrial ionosphere and interplanetary plasma have been removed by using an extrapolation method based on a short-term trend. The lunar TEC is estimated from the dual-frequency observation for Vstar from UT 22:18to UT 22:20 on 2008 June 28 at several tracking stations. The TEC results obtained from VLBI sites are identical, however, they are not as remarkable as the result obtained at the Usuda deep space tracking station.     

LOFAR: The potential for solar and space weather studies

The Low Frequency array (LOFAR) will be a next generation digital aperture synthesis radio telescope covering the frequency range from 10 to 240 MHz. The instrument will feature full polarisation and multi-beaming capability, and is currently in its design phase. This work highlights the solar, heliospheric and space weather applications where LOFAR, with its unique and unprecedented capabilities, can provide useful information inaccessible by any other means. The relevant aspects of the LOFAR baseline design are described, and the most promising techniques of interest are enumerated. These include tracking coronal mass ejections (CMEs) out to large distances using interplanetary scintillation (IPS) methods, tomographic reconstruction of the solar wind in the inner heliosphere using IPS, direct imaging of the radio emission from CMEs and finally possible Faraday rotation studies of the magnetic field structure of the heliosphere and the CMEs. This work is a part of an effort directed towards ensuring the compatibility of LOFAR design with solar and space weather applications, in collaboration with the wider community.     

GPS监测电离层活动的方法和最新进展

全球定位系统(GPS)可以快速、准确地提供电离层总电子含量(TEC)信息。简要介绍了GPS技术精确测量TEC、监测电离层的原理和方法，指出进行TEC绝对量估计时求解差分群延迟(DCB)的重要性，以及建立多层和实时电离层监测模型的必要性。分析了影响TEC估计的主要误差源，着重介绍了目前GPS监测电离层的最新成果和进展。     

电离层与电波传播路径

电离层从猜想到证实完全是无线电技术发展的结果。通过地面无线电探测和火箭、卫星的空间探测、证实了Ｃｈａｐｍａｎ的理论。由于太阳紫外线，Ｘ射线辐射致使高空上层大气电离。电离层介质是电子、正负离子和中性粒子全体的混合物。它们构成了地磁场中磁离子介质。本文根据磁离子理论，研究了电离层中等离子体的频率特性，从而解释了Ｄ、Ｅ、Ｆ１和Ｆ２层的电波反射特性。最后计算了陕西天文台至云南天文台电离层波导的传播时延，获得了有意义的结果。     

An agile very low frequency radio spectrum explorer

The very low frequency(VLF) regime below 30 MHz in the electromagnetic spectrum has presently been drawing global attention in radio astronomical research due to its potentially significant science outcomes exploring many unknown extragalactic sources,transients,and so on.However,the nontransparency of the Earth's ionosphere,ionospheric distortion and artificial radio frequency interference(RFI) have made it difficult to detect the VLF celestial radio emission with ground-based instruments.A straightforward solution to overcome these problems is a space-based VLF radio telescope,just like the VLF radio instruments onboard the Chang'E-4 spacecraft.But building such a space telescope would be inevitably costly and technically challenging.The alternative approach would be then a ground-based VLF radio telescope.Particularly,in the period of post 2020 when the solar and terrestrial ionospheric activities are expected to be in a 'calm' state,it will provide us a good chance to perform VLF ground-based radio observations.Anticipating such an opportunity,we built an agile VLF radio spectrum explorer co-located with the currently operational Mingantu Spectra Radio Heliograph(MUSER).The instrument includes four antennas operating in the VLF frequency range 1-70 MHz.Along with them,we employ an eight-channel analog and digital receivers to amplify,digitize and process the radio signals received by the antennas.We present in the paper this VLF radio spectrum explorer and the instrument will be useful for celestial studies of VLF radio emissions.     

Maximum Entropy Regularization Method of Ionospheric Occultation

With the increasing of applications of Global Positioning System (GPS), the research on the factors affecting the radio signals is becoming more and more important. One of the most significant effects on ionosphere monitoring is the ionospheric radio occultation (IRO), and the IRO data is now serving as one of the most important monitoring sources for the ionospheric measurements. Meanwhile the inversion of the occultation data is a popular topic. The traditional Abel inversion process through compensated total electron content (TEC) is a linear inversion method, thus it would transfer the measurement errors directly to the inversion results. In order to improve the occultation results, we introduce in this paper two nonlinear methods, namely the regularization method and the maximum entropy regularization method. Through designed simulative experiments, we verify and compare these three methods, and conclude that the maximum entropy regularization method can reduce significantly the influence of measurement errors.     

GPS实时监测和预报电离层电子含量

GPS能高精度地实时监测电离层总电子含量(TEC)变化，对纠正单频GPS接收机电离层延迟和监测电离层活动及其所反映的太阳活动规律具有重要意义．上海地区GPS综合应用网的建立，为监测长江三角洲地区电离层变化提供了宝贵的资料，利用这些双频GPS接收机的连续观测资料，可近实时地监测和预报该地区电离层总电子含量，其内外符精度和外推预报30分钟的精度均优于0.4m．