On the onset and meridional propagation of the ionospheric F2-region response to geomagnetic storms

The meridional propagation velocities of the ionospheric F2-region response to 268 geomagnetic storms are calculated. Ionospheric vertical sounding data of 1 h time resolution from several stations located in a longitude sector approximately centred along the great circle that contains both the geomagnetic poles and the geographic poles are used.Most meridional propagation velocities from high to low latitudes are less than 600 m/s. The smaller velocities are typical of global neutral meridional wind circulation and the larger are representative of traveling atmospheric disturbances.Simultaneous disturbances at several locations are more frequent during positive phases than during negative phases. Negative phase meridional propagation velocities associated with meridional neutral winds are less frequent in the southern hemisphere when compared with corresponding velocities observed in the northern hemisphere. This may be related to the fact that the distance between the geomagnetic pole and the equator is smaller in the northern hemisphere.Most negative phase onsets are within the 06–10 LT interval. For middle geomagnetic latitudes a “forbidden time interval” between 11 and 14 LT is present. The positive phase onsets show the “dusk effect”.     

Comparative outline of the region of interaction of the solar wind with the Ionosphere of Venus and Mars

The general features of the region of interaction of the solar wind with the ionosphere of Venus and Mars are compared using data obtained with the Mariner 5 and the Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) spacecraft for Venus and with the Phobos II, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and the Mars Express spacecraft for Mars. Despite the overall weak intrinsic global magnetic field that is present in both planets there are significant differences in the manner in which the interplanetary magnetic field accumulates and is organized around and within their ionosphere. Such differences are unrelated to the crustal magnetic field remnants inferred from the MGS measurements around Mars. In fact, while in Venus and Mars there is a region in which the magnetic field becomes enhanced as it piles up in their plasma environment it is shown that such a region exhibits different regimes with respect to changes in the ion composition measured outside and within the ionosphere. At Venus the region of enhanced magnetic field intensity occurs in general above the ionopause which represents the boundary across which there is a change in the ion composition with dominant solar wind protons above and planetary O⁺ ions below. At Mars the region of enhanced magnetic field is located below a magnetic pileup boundary across which there is also a comparable change in the ion composition (solar wind protons above and planetary O⁺ ions below). It is argued that this difference in the relative position of the region of enhanced magnetic field with respect to that of a plasma boundary that separates different ion populations results from the peculiar response of the ionosphere of each planet to the oncoming solar wind dynamic pressure. While at Venus the peak ionospheric thermal pressure is in general sufficient to withhold the incident solar wind kinetic pressure there is a different response in Mars where the peak ionospheric thermal pressure is in general not large enough to deviate the solar wind. In this latter case the ionosphere is unable to force the solar wind to move around the ionosphere and as a result the oncoming electron population can reach low altitudes where it is influenced by neutral atmospheric particles (the solar wind proton population is replaced at the magnetic pileup boundary which marks the upper extent of the region where the interplanetary magnetic field becomes enhanced). Peculiar conditions are expected near the magnetic polar regions and over the terminator plane where the solar wind is directed along the sides of the planet.     

Can electromagnetic disturbances related to the recent great earthquakes be detected by satellite magnetometers?

On December 26, 2004 the world's fourth largest earthquake since 1900 and the largest since the 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska earthquake, occurred off the west coast of northern Sumatra with a magnitude of 9.3. On March 28, 2005 another event of magnitude 8.7 took place in the same region. The December 26, 2004 earthquake has prompted scientists to investigate possible electromagnetic signatures of this event, using ground magnetic observations. Iyemori et al. [Iyemori, T. et al., 2005. Geomagnetic pulsations caused by the Sumatra earthquake on December 26, 2004. Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L20807, doi:10.1029/2005GL024083.] have suggested that a 3.6 min long geomagnetic pulsation, observed shortly after this event, was generated by the earthquake. They have speculated that a 30 s magnetic pulsation was also caused by the earthquake. Here for the first time, CHAMP satellite magnetic and electron density data are examined to find out if electromagnetic signatures which are possibly related to these recent megathrust earthquakes are observed in satellite magnetic data. We have shown that some specific features are observed after the two earthquakes, with periods of about 16 and 30 s. Our results favor an external source origin for the 30 s pulsation. Moreover, after more than 1 h, CHAMP magnetic data indicate the existence of a feature characterized by the same parameters (duration, amplitude, and frequency content), which could be associated with each earthquake, respectively. Further investigations are required in order to answer the question of whether these signals can be associated with earthquakes and to assign their possible usefulness with respect to earthquake development.     

Using VLBI fringe-phase information from geodetic experiments for short-period ionospheric studies

The usage of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) fringe-phase information in geodetic VLBI is a new field of research, which can be used for the detection of short-period (i.e., several minutes) variations (scintillations) of the ionosphere. This paper presents a method for the extraction of such disturbances and discusses how dispersive influences can be separated from intra-scan delay variations. A proper functional and stochastic model for the separation of the different effects is presented and the algorithms are applied to real measurements. In an example, it is shown that a traveling ionospheric disturbance in Antarctica can be detected very precisely. A possible physical origin and the propagation properties of the disturbance are presented and the results are compared with GPS measurements. The benefit of this method for other applications is also discussed.     

土星磁层等离子体径向输运的数值模拟

本文建立了一个包含离心力效应的自洽稳态土星磁层模型,并且用等离子体细丝模型对土星磁层等离子体径向输运进行了数值模拟.模拟结果表明,Dione（土卫四）附近的等离子体可能因为发生离心交换不稳定性（Centrifugal Interchange Instability）而被输运到离土星更远的地方.这种输运现象的发生是由离心力主导的,等离子体的黏滞效应和能量转移对输运过程的影响非常小（几乎可以忽略不计）,但土星电离层电导率对输运过程有重要影响,电导率越低,径向输运过程越快,反之,高电导率在一定程度上会阻碍输运的进行.在土星电离层电导率σ=2 S时,Dione（距离土星6.3R_S, R_S为土星半径）附近的等离子体在5.52个小时中被输运到距离土星10R_S的地方.本文的模拟结果还表明,密度受到扰动的等离子体是不稳定的,如果洛仑兹力和等离子体热压强梯度不能与离心力平衡,径向输运就会发生.密度大的等离子体在向外输运过程中会绝热膨胀而温度降低,密度小的等离子体则在注入磁层过程中因为绝热压缩而温度升高.     

利用风云二号卫星信号进行电离层闪烁监测的方法

利用风云二号卫星业务遥测信号进行电离层闪烁监测,根据其信号特点研究开发了监测仪。该监测仪用于实时监测分析风云二号卫星信号因电离层不规则结构引起的幅度闪烁和相位闪烁。风云二号业务遥测信号是一个1.7 GHz的调相信号,其发射振幅稳定,负载的信号精确可知,在中国及周边地区可以被用来进行电离层闪烁监测研究。由于风云二号是静止卫星,其监测结果将不存在卫星运动所附带的变化,容易将时间和空间变化分离开,因而比GPS闪烁监测更具优越性。该仪器将基于目前遍布全国的风云卫星展宽云图接收设备,在使用风云卫星展宽云图接收机天线、高频及第一中频通道的情况下进行设计,因此有利于未来的在全国范围内进行推广和组网监测。另外,风云二号已经实现双星、组网观测,其提供的两个不同方向的同频信号源将大大提高监测仪的应用价值。该仪器与GPS双频闪烁监测配合,还将能获得电离层闪烁特性的谱特征。     

F_1层未充分发展时的电离层剖面反演

垂测电离图反演对研究电离层结构及运动、电离层波传播、空间气象应用等具有重要意义,一直以来受到十分广泛的重视.F_1层未充分发展的回波描迹是垂测电离图中观测到的最多的一种情况,此时垂测描迹上表现为F_1层到F_2层的平滑过渡,而不是F_1层充分发展时出现的尖点,然而现有电离层模型以及反演算法更多的是针对F_1层充分发展情况,即模型剖面在F_1层峰高处近似为抛物形状,此处电子浓度剖面梯度为无穷大,这不符合F_1层未充分发展时的剖面形态,即F_1层剖面未到达抛物顶点处就已经达到该层电子浓度的最大值然后到达F_2层,剖面梯度为一个有限的数值.因此,本文针对垂直探测中经常出现的F_1层未充分发展情况,引入F_1层模型设定临频这一参数,建立了F_1层未充分发展时的基于移位切比雪夫多项式的电离层模型,并从电离层剖面的光滑性考虑,在所建模型的基础上,提出了约束优化F_1层参数、F_2层参数的垂测电离图反演方法.然后,通过仿真分析,从理论上验证了所建电离层模型和反演算法的合理性,并通过反演电子浓度剖面合成的垂测、斜测描迹与实测数据的对比,对反演算法的有效性进行了进一步的试验验证.     

地下水^32硅年龄的测定方法—液体闪烁计数法

用Fe(OH) 3共沉淀从天然水中提取纯化SiO2 ,回收率在 30 %～ 98% ,然后提取32 P ,将H3PO4溶液和PicoflourLLT混合制备计数溶液 ,用液体闪烁计数法测量32 P的放射性 ,计算32 Si的放射性浓度 ,最后确定地下水的年龄。通过对河北平原浅层地下水的32 Si年龄进行测定 ,所得的32 Si年龄为 92 9 89a± 1 7 87a,与1 4 C的校正年龄一致