Low-altitude image striations associated with bottomside equatorial spread F - Observations and theory

Details Low-altitude image striations associated with bottomside equatorial spread F - Observations and theory Low-altitude image striations associated with bottomside equatorial spread F - Observations and theory

May 1984

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1984jgr....89.2955v&link_type=abstract

Journal of Geophysical Research (ISSN 0148-0227), vol. 89, May 1, 1984, p. 2955-2961. Research supported by the U.S. Department

Physics

24

Barium Ion Clouds, Equatorial Atmosphere, F 1 Region, Geomagnetism, Ionospheric Electron Density, Spread F, Ionospheric Currents, Magnetic Equator, Magnetohydrodynamic Stability, Plasma Diffusion, Power Spectra, Taylor Instability

Scientific paper

Ionospheric plasma instabilities are usually discussed in terms of local parameters. However, because electric fields of scale size lambda not less than about 1 km map along magnetic field lines, plasma populations far away from a locally unstable region may be affected by the instability process and vice versa. Observations are presented of electron density variations in the F1 region of the ionosphere at two locations near the magnetic equator. Oscillations in electron number density that were confined to a narrow wavelength regime are observed in a region of the ionosphere with a very weak vertical density gradient. Since magnetic flux tube interchange instabilities cannot create structure in such an environment it is suggested that these are 'images' of instabilities occurring elsewhere along the magnetic field line. A simple steady state theory of image formation is developed that is in good agreement with the observations. Moreover, this theory predicts a scale size dependent 'effective diffusion' process in the F region that may dominate over classical cross-field diffusion at kilometer scale sizes. Such a scale size dependent diffusion process is required to explain recent scintillation observations of decaying equatorial plumes.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Low-altitude image striations associated with bottomside equatorial spread F - Observations and theory does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Low-altitude image striations associated with bottomside equatorial spread F - Observations and theory, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Low-altitude image striations associated with bottomside equatorial spread F - Observations and theory will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1369234