Gravity Wave Ducting Observed in the Mesosphere Over Jicamarca, Peru

Short-period gravity waves are ubiquitous in the mesosphere, but the vertical structures of their perturbations are difficult to observe. The Jicamarca 50-MHz very high frequency radar allows observations of winds and turbulent scatter with high temporal and vertical resolution. We present a case of a quasi-monochromatic gravity wave with period 520 (±40) s that is likely ducted below a southward wind jet between 68 and 74 km. Above this layer of evanescence, a northward wind enables it to emerge into a more stable layer, where it is refracted to a short vertical wavelength of 2.2 (±0.2) km; data show evidence of weak nonlinearity, and possible overturning or partial reflection from higher altitudes, above the observable region, in the form of a standing wave structure in vertical velocity at approximately 75 km. Based on the dispersion relation, and with help of a two-dimensional model, we determine that most likely the wave is propagating northward and is being ducted below and tunneling through the regions of evanescence created by the wind flow and typical mesospheric thermal structure. This is the first time that such an event has been identified in the Jicamarca mesospheric echoes, and it is distinct from Kelvin-Helmholtz billows also commonly seen with this sensitive radar—instead apparently revealing tunneling of the gravity wave through ambient winds

Analog signals and systems

xiii+512hlm.;23c

Vertical gradients in the zonal wind observed in the equatorial F-region under postsunset conditions

In the early evening sector of the F region near the geomagnetic equator, an eastward pressure gradient as the sun sets reorients the neutral flow toward the east, typically occurring within one hour of local sunset. Very few vertically-resolved measurements of this effect exist. We present recent in-situ chemical tracer results from the EVEX campaign, as well as results from the earlier Guara campaign, that show strong vertical shear in the zonal wind during sunset hours in the F region, up to a 150 m/s westward shift over 60 km altitude. Eastward F-region neutral winds near the geomagnetic equator drive vertical Pedersen currents at sunset that, in turn, drive the prereversal enhancement (PRE) of the eastward electric field in the equatorial F-region that is thought to be a primary driver of equatorial spread-F. Studies of the neutral winds relating to the PRE have been primarily focused on the winds observed from ground-based interferometry and from satellite accelerometer data, techniques which generally lack vertical resolution. We show that eastward winds at one altitude are not necessarily accompanied by eastward winds at higher altitudes, i.e., that the forces that drive the neutral wind are not constant with altitude at sunset. At sunset, solar heating varies significantly with altitude, decreasing at lower altitudes first, which would create a thermal pressure gradient with a similar vertical profile to that observed in the neutral winds. We discuss the magnitude of this effect as well as other factors that could contribute to the observed vertical gradients. We then apply these effects to typical ionospheric conditions at the time of the experiments and examine the resulting neutral forcing in relation to the observed wind profiles

Efficient tensor network simulation for few-atom, multimode Dicke model via coupling matrix transformation

We present a novel generalization of the chain mapping technique that applies to multi-atom, multimode systems by making use of coupling matrix transformations. This is extremely useful for tensor network simulations of multimode Dicke model and multi-spin-boson model because their coupling structures are altered from the star form to the chain form with near-neighbor interactions. Our approach produces an equivalent Hamiltonian with the latter coupling form, which we call the band Hamiltonian, and we demonstrate its equivalence to the multimode Dicke Hamiltonian. In the single atom case, our approach reduces to the chain mapping technique. When considering several tens of field modes, we have found that tensor network simulation of two atoms in the ultrastrong coupling regime is possible with our approach. We demonstrate this by considering a pair of entangled atoms confined in a cavity, interacting with thirty electromagnetic modes

Fourier Transform, Dirac Commutator, Energy Conservation, and Correspondence Principle : (In memory of Tapan Sarkar and Tatsuo Itoh)

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Radar observations of thermal plasma oscillations in the ionosphere

Incoherent scatter radar observations of ionospheric plasmas rely on echoes from electron density fluctuations with properties governed by the dispersion relations for ion acoustic and Langmuir waves. Radar observations of echoes associated with Langmuir waves (plasma lines) from thermal plasma are weak, and only a few near‐thermal level measurements have been reported. Plasma line echoes are typically only observed with existing radars only when the Langmuir waves are enhanced by suprathermal electrons. A new observation technique has been developed which is sensitive enough to allow observations of these echoes without the presence of suprathermal electrons up to at least 1000 km. This paper presents recent observations from the Arecibo Observatory 430 MHz incoherent scatter radar which show plasma line echoes during the night when no suprathermal enhancement is expected to be present. The observations are compared with theory, and the results are found to be in agreement with classical incoherent scatter theory for thermal plasmas. The theoretical ratio of the ion line and plasma line power spectral density is within approximately 3 dB of the predicted value. The finding adds a new observational capability, allowing electron density to also be observed at night using the plasma line well into the top side of the ionosphere, increasing the accuracy of the electron density measurement

Fourier Transform, Dirac Commutator, Energy Conservation, and Correspondence Principle for Electrical Engineers

The canonical commutation relation is a fundamental postulate of the quantum theory regarding the operators needed in quantum description of physical observables. It is shown that the Fourier transform is derivable from this seemingly simple postulate along with the basic properties of the position and momentum operators. Further discussions on the canonical commutation relation reveal its connection to a more fundamental notion that energy must be conserved. This discussion also unveils the mathematical homomorphism between the classical and quantum theories for systems represented by sum separable Hamiltonians. Another link between the classical and quantum theories is established by the correspondence principle which states that the classical theory emerges from quantum theory in the limit of vanishingly small Planck constant. Finally, the quantum Maxwell's equations, which have been derived in our previous works, are presented and briefly discussed, and the 3-D mode transform is derived that can be interpreted as a generalization of the Fourier transform. We present both the details and meanings of the 3-D mode transform which will serve as a foundation for a full 3-D quantum finite-difference time-domain method.11Nscopu

Gravity Wave Ducting Observed in the Mesosphere Over Jicamarca, Peru

Short-period gravity waves are ubiquitous in the mesosphere, but the vertical structures of their perturbations are difficult to observe. The Jicamarca 50-MHz very high frequency radar allows observations of winds and turbulent scatter with high temporal and vertical resolution. We present a case of a quasi-monochromatic gravity wave with period 520 (±40) s that is likely ducted below a southward wind jet between 68 and 74 km. Above this layer of evanescence, a northward wind enables it to emerge into a more stable layer, where it is refracted to a short vertical wavelength of 2.2 (±0.2) km; data show evidence of weak nonlinearity, and possible overturning or partial reflection from higher altitudes, above the observable region, in the form of a standing wave structure in vertical velocity at approximately 75 km. Based on the dispersion relation, and with help of a two-dimensional model, we determine that most likely the wave is propagating northward and is being ducted below and tunneling through the regions of evanescence created by the wind flow and typical mesospheric thermal structure. This is the first time that such an event has been identified in the Jicamarca mesospheric echoes, and it is distinct from Kelvin-Helmholtz billows also commonly seen with this sensitive radar—instead apparently revealing tunneling of the gravity wave through ambient winds