Model Simulation of Artificial Heating of the Daytime High-Latitude F-Region Ionosphere by Powerful High-Frequency Radio Waves

Galina Mingaleva, Victor Mingalev

Polar Geophysical Institute, Kola Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Murmansk Oblast, Russia.

DOI: 10.4236/ijg.2014.54035                

Abstract

The large-scale disturbance of the spatial structure of the daytime high-latitude F-region ionosphere, caused by powerful high-frequency radio waves, pumped into the ionosphere by a groundbased ionospheric heater, is studied with the help of the numerical simulation. The mathematical model of the high-latitude ionosphere, developed earlier in the Polar Geophysical Institute, is utilized. The mathematical model takes into account the drift of the ionospheric plasma, strong magnetization of the plasma at F-layer altitudes, geomagnetic field declination, and effect of powerful high-frequency radio waves. The distributions of the ionospheric parameters were calculated on condition that an ionospheric heater, situated at the point with geographic coordinates of the HF heating facility near Tromso, Scandinavia, has been operated, with the ionospheric heater being located on the day side of the Earth. The results of the numerical simulation indicate that artificial heating of the ionosphere by powerful high-frequency waves ought to influence noticeably on the spatial structure of the daytime high-latitude F-region ionosphere in the vicinity of the ionospheric heater.

Keywords

High-Latitude Ionosphere, Active Experiments, Modeling and Forecasting, Plasma Temperature and Density

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Gordon, W.E. and Carlson, H.C. (1974) Arecibo Heating Experiments. Radio Science, 9, 1041-1047. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/RS009i011p01041
[2]	Utlaut, W.F. and Violette, E.J. (1974) A Summary of Vertical Incidence Radio Observations of Ionospheric Modification. Radio Science, 9, 895-903. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/RS009i011p00895
[3]	Kapustin, I.N., Pertsovskii, R.A., Vasil’ev, A.N., Smirnov, V.S., Raspopov, O.M., Solov’eva, L.E., Ul’yanchenko, A.A., Arykov, A.A. and Galachova, N.V. (1977) Generation of Radiation at Combination Frequencies in the Region of the Auroral Electric Jet. JETP Letters, 25, 228-231.
[4]	Mantas, G.P., Carlson, H.C. and La Hoz, C.H. (1981) Thermal Response of F-Region Ionosphere in Artificial Modification Experiments by HF Radio Waves. Journal of Geophysical Research, 86, 561-574. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/JA086iA02p00561
[5]	Stubbe, P. and Kopka, H. (1983) Summary of Results Obtained with the Tromso Heating Facility. Radio Science, 18, 831-834. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/RS018i006p00831
[6]	Jones, T.B., Robinson, T.R., Stubbe, P. and Kopka, H. (1986) EISCAT Observations of the Heated Ionosphere. Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, 48, 1027-1035. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0021-9169(86)90074-7
[7]	Djuth, F.T., Thide, B., Ierkic, H.M. and Sulzer, M.P. (1987) Large F-Region Electron-Temperature Enhancements Generated by High-Power HF Radio Waves. Geophysical Research Letters, 14, 953-956. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/GL014i009p00953
[8]	Duncan, L.M., Sheerin, J.P. and Behnke, R.A. (1988) Observations of Ionospheric Cavities Generated by High-Power Radio Waves. Physical Review Letters, 61, 239-242. http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.61.239
[9]	Hansen, J.D., Morales, G.J., Duncan, L.M. and Dimonte, G. (1992) Large-Scale HF-Induced Ionospheric Modification: Experiments. Journal of Geophysical Research, 97, 113-122. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/91JA02403
[10]	Mantas, G.P. (1994) Large 6300-A Airglow Intensity Enhancements Observed in Ionosphere Heating Experiments Are Exited by Thermal Electrons. Journal of Geophysical Research, 99, 8993-9002. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/94JA00347
[11]	Honary, F., Stocker, A.J., Robinson, T.R., Jones, T.B. and Stubbe, P. (1995) Ionospheric Plasma Response to HF Radio Waves Operating at Frequencies Close to the Third Harmonic of the Electron Gyrofrequency. Journal of Geophysical Research, 100, 21489-21501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/95JA02098
[12]	Robinson, T.R., Honary, F., Stocker, A.J., Jones, T.B. and Stubbe, P. (1996) First EISCAT Observations of the Modification of F-Region Electron Temperatures during RF Heating at Harmonics of the Electron Gyro Frequency. Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, 58, 385-395. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0021-9169(95)00043-7
[13]	Stubbe, P. (1996) Review of Ionospheric Modification Experiments at Tromso. Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, 58, 349-368. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0021-9169(95)00041-0
[14]	Gustavsson, B., Sergienko, T., Rietveld, M.T., Honary, F., Steen, A., Brandstrom, B.U.E., Leyser, T.B., Aruliah, A.L., Aso, T., Ejiri, M. and Marple, S. (2001) First Tomographic Estimate of Volume Distribution of HF-Pump Enhanced Airglow Emission. Journal of Geophysical Research, 106, 29105-29124. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2000JA900167
[15]	Rietveld, M.T., Kosch, M.J., Blagoveshchenskaya, N.F., Kornienko, V.A., Leyser, T.B. and Yeoman, T.K. (2003) Ionospheric Electron Heating, Optical Emissions, and Striations Induced by Powerful HF Radio Waves at High Latitudes: Aspect Angle Dependence. Journal of Geophysical Research, 108, 1141. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2002JA009543
[16]	Ashrafi, M., Kosch, M.J., Kaila, K. and Isham, B. (2007) Spatiotemporal Evolution of Radio Wave Pump-Induced Ionospheric Phenomena Near the Fourth Electron Gyroharmonic. Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, A05314. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2006JA011938
[17]	Dhillon, R.S., Robinson, T.R. and Yeoman, T.K. (2007) EISCAT Svalbard Radar Observations of SPEAR-Induced E- and F-Region Spectral Enhancements in the Polar Cap Ionosphere. Annales Geophysicae, 25, 1801-1814. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/angeo-25-1801-2007
[18]	Kosch, M.J., Pedersen, T., Rietveld, M.T., Gustavsson, B., Grach, S.M. and Hagfors, T. (2007) Artificial Optical Emissions in the High-Latitude Thermosphere Induced by Powerful Radio Waves: An Observational Review. Advances in Space Research, 40, 365-376. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2007.02.061
[19]	Yeoman, T.K., Blagoveshchenskaya, N., Kornienko, V., Robinson, T.R., Dhillon, R.S., Wright, D.M. and Baddeley, L.J. (2007) SPEAR: Early Results from a Very High Latitude Ionospheric Heating Facility. Advances in Space Research, 40, 384-389. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2007.02.059
[20]	Clausen, L.B.N., Yeoman, T.K., Wright, D.M., Robinson, T.R., Dhillon, R.S. and Gane, S.C. (2008) First Results of a ULF Wave Injected on Open Field Lines by Space Plasma Exploration by Active Radar (SPEAR). Journal of Geophysical Research, 113, A01305. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2007JA012617
[21]	Pedersen, T., Esposito, R., Kendall, E., Sentman, D., Kosch, M., Mishin, E. and Marshall, R. (2008) Observations of Artificial and Natural Optical Emissions at the HAARP Facility. Annales Geophysicae, 26, 1089-1099. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/angeo-26-1089-2008
[22]	Mingaleva, G.I. and Mingalev, V.S. (1997) Response of the Convecting High-Latitude F Layer to a Powerful HF Wave. Annales Geophysicae, 15, 1291-1300. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00585-997-1291-8
[23]	Mingaleva, G.I. and Mingalev, V.S. (2002) Modeling the Modification of the Nighttime High-Latitude F-Region by Powerful HF Radio Waves. Cosmic Research, 40, 55-61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1014299902287
[24]	Mingaleva, G.I. and Mingalev, V.S. (2003) Simulation of the Modification of the Nocturnal High-Latitude F Layer by Powerful HF Radio Waves. Geomagnetism and Aeronomy, 43, 816-825. (Russian Issue)
[25]	Mingaleva, G.I., Mingalev, V.S. and Mingalev, I.V. (2003) Simulation Study of the High-Latitude F-Layer Modification by Powerful HF Waves with Different Frequencies for Autumn Conditions. Annales Geophysicae, 21, 1827-1838. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/angeo-21-1827-2003
[26]	Mingaleva, G.I., Mingalev, V.S. and Mingalev, I.V. (2009) Model Simulation of the Large-Scale High-Latitude F-Layer Modification by Powerful HF Waves with Different Modulation. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 71, 559-568. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2008.11.007
[27]	Mingaleva, G.I., Mingalev, V.S. and Mingalev, O.V. (2012) Simulation Study of the Large-Scale Modification of the Mid-Latitude F-Layer by HF Radio Waves with Different Powers. Annales Geophysicae, 30, 1213-1222. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-1213-2012
[28]	Mingaleva, G.I. and Mingalev, V.S. (1996) The Formation of Electron Temperature Hot Spots in the Main Ionospheric Trough by the Internal Processes. Annales Geophysicae, 14, 816-825. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00585-996-0816-x
[29]	Mingaleva, G.I. and Mingalev, V.S. (1998) Three-Dimensional Mathematical Model of the Polar and Subauroral Ionosphere. In: Ivanov, V.E., Sakharov, Y.A. and Golubtsova, N.V., Eds., Modeling of the Upper Polar Atmosphere Processes, PGI, Murmansk, 251-265. (In Russian)
[30]	Blaunshtein, N.S., Vas’kov, V.V. and Dimant, Y.S. (1992) Resonance Heating of the F Region by a Powerful Radio Wave. Geomagnetism and Aeronomia, 32, 95-99. (Russian Issue)
[31]	Heppner, J.P. (1997) Empirical Models of High-Latitude Electric Fields. Journal of Geophysical Research, 82, 1115-1125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/JA082i007p01115
[32]	Richmond, A.D. (1976) Electric Field in the Ionosphere and Plasmasphere on Quiet Days. Journal of Geophysical Research, 81, 1447-1450. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/JA081i007p01447
[33]	Richmond, A.D., Blanc, M., Emery, B.A., Wand, R.H., Fejer, B.G., Woodman, R.F., Ganguly, S., Amayenc, P., Behnke, R.A., Calderon, C. and Evans, J.V. (1980) An Empirical Model of Quiet-Day Ionospheric Electric Fields at Middle and Low Latitudes. Journal of Geophysical Research, 85, 4658-4664. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/JA085iA09p04658
[34]	Hardy, D.A., Gussenhoven, M.S. and Brautigam, D. (1989) A statistical Model of Auroral Ion Precipitation. Journal of Geophysical Research, 94, 370-392. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/JA094iA01p00370
[35]	Rietveld, M.T., Kohl, H., Kopka, H. and Stubbe, P. (1993) Introduction to Ionospheric Heating at Tromsø-I. Experimental Overview. Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, 55, 577-599. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0021-9169(93)90007-L
[36]	Mingaleva, G.I. and Mingalev, V.S. (2013) Simulation Study of the Modification of the High-Latitude Ionosphere by Powerful High-Frequency Radio Waves. Journal of Computations and Modelling, 3, 287-309.