Ion-neutral Coupling During Deep Solar Minimum

The equatorial ionosphere under conditions of deep solar minimum exhibits structuring due to tidal forces. Data from instruments carried by the Communication Navigation Outage Forecasting System (CNOFS) which was launched in April 2008 have been analyzed for the first 2 years following launch. The Planar Langmuir Probe (PLP), Ion Velocity Meter (IVM) and Vector Electric Field Investigation (VEFI) all detect periodic structures during the 20082010 period which appear to be tides. However when the tidal features detected by these instruments are compared, there are distinctive and significant differences between the observations. Tides in neutral densities measured by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite were also observed during June 2008. In addition, Broad Plasma Decreases (BPDs) appear as a deep absolute minimum in the plasma and neutral density tidal pattern. These are co-located with regions of large downward-directed ion meridional velocities and minima in the zonal drifts, all on the nightside. The region in which BPDs occur coincides with a peak in occurrence rate of dawn depletions in plasma density observed on the Defense Meterological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft, as well as a minimum in radiance detected by UV imagers on the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) and IMAGE satellite

Scintillation Observations and Response of The Ionosphere to Electrodynamics (SORTIE) Mission First Light

At low and middle latitudes, wave-like plasma perturbations are thought to provide the seeds for larger perturbations that may evolve non-linearly to produce irregularities, which in turn have deleterious effects on HF communications and global positioning systems. Unfortunately, there is currently no comprehensive atlas of measurements describing the global spatial or temporal distribution of wave-like perturbations in the ionosphere. The SORTIE mission, a CubeSat experiment with team members from ASTRA, AFRL, UTD, and Boston College, was designed to help map and further understand the wave-like plasma perturbation distributions throughout the ionosphere. The SORTIE 6U CubeSat sensor package measures key in-situ plasma parameters, and includes an ion velocity meter and a planar Langmuir probe. SORTIE will provide (1) the initial spectrum of wave perturbations which are the starting point for plasma instabilities; (2) measured electric fields which determine the magnitude of the instability growth rate near the region where plasma bubbles are generated; (3) initial observations of irregularities in plasma density which result from plasma instability growth. The SORTIE spacecraft was deployed from the ISS in February 2020 and began data collections shortly after orbit insertion. The measurements are expected to continue for at least a year. In this presentation we present the first light results of the SORTIE mission, as well as reviewing the science objectives and providing an overview of the spacecraft and instruments

Applications of the electromagnetic Helmholtz resonator*

An electromagnetic Helmholtz resonator comprised of a capacitor with an aperture is investigated theoretically and experimentally. It is proposed that this resonance may be described using effective impedances describing the capacitor and aperture, similar to lumped element descriptions of the acoustic Helmholtz resonator. The dipole impedance of an electromagnetic aperture is derived and verified using the finite element method. Incorporating standard network relations, the aperture impedance can be used to calculate radiated power. Measurements of a capacitor demonstrates that the transmitted voltage through the capacitor is modified by induced charges. An induced voltage is introduced, and predictions agree with observations. Measurements of a capacitor with an aperture in the grounded plate indicate that induced currents cancel the imaginary impedance of the aperture, and double the real impedance. The observed impedance is close to predictions using the derived aperture impedance, confirming the utility of the aperture impedance in describing the system. The numerically obtained aperture electromagnetic fields are similar to the Birkeland current distribution and the cross polar cap potential in the Earth's polar ionosphere, motivating a model where the polar ionosphere is treated as an effective aperture. It is proposed that this effective aperture interacts with the capacitor formed between the Earth and ionosphere, creating an electromagnetic Helmholtz resonator. Predictions made with this model agree with measurements of transmitted power and phase velocity by FAST during a geomagnetic substorm, measurements of the Ionospheric Alfvén Resonator, and oscillations recorded by ground based magnetometers. The same effective aperture behavior is expected in sunspots and polar coronal holes. A peak is predicted in Alfvén wave power across the transition region for waves with a 5 min. period that delivers an average power over 100 W/m2 to the corona, sufficient to heat the quiet corona and launch the solar wind. Applied to sunspots, a minimum umbral temperature of 3750 K is predicted with a peak in transmitted power at 3 min., consistent with observations. A prototype electromagnetic guitar and associated methods to obtain music are also presented. These instruments replace the acoustic systems normally employed for musical instruments with electromagnetic equivalents and music samples are presented. *U.S. PATENTS PENDING 20070017344, 20070017345, 2007021494

Solar Influences on the Return Direction of High-Frequency Radar Backscatter

Coherent‐scatter, high‐frequency, phased‐array radars create narrow beams through the use of constructive and destructive interference patterns. This formation method leads to the creation of a secondary beam, or lobe, that is sent out behind the radar. This study investigates the relative importance of the beams in front of and behind the high‐frequency radar located in Hankasalmi, Finland, using observations taken over a solar cycle, as well as coincident observations from Hankasalmi and the Enhanced Polar Outflow Probe Radio Receiver Instrument. These observations show that the relative strength of the front and rear beams is frequency dependent, with the relative amount of power sent to the front lobe increasing with increasing frequency. At the range of frequencies used by Hankasalmi, both front and rear beams are always present, though the main beam is always stronger than the rear lobe. Because signals are always transmitted to the front and rear of the radar, it is always possible to receive backscatter from both return directions. Examining the return direction as a function of local time, season, and solar cycle shows that the dominant return direction depends primarily on the local ionospheric structure. Diurnal changes in plasma density typically cause an increase in the amount of groundscatter returning from the rear lobe at night, though the strength of this variation has a seasonal dependence. Solar cycle variations are also seen in the groundscatter return direction, modifying the existing local time and seasonal variations