Structure functions and intermittency in ionospheric plasma turbulence

Low frequency electrostatic turbulence in the ionospheric E-region is studied by means of numerical and experimental methods. We use the structure functions of the electrostatic potential as a diagnostics of the fluctuations. We demonstrate the inherently intermittent nature of the low level turbulence in the collisional ionospheric plasma by using results for the space-time varying electrostatic potential from two dimensional numerical simulations. An instrumented rocket can not directly detect the one-point potential variation, and most measurements rely on records of potential differences between two probes. With reference to the space observations we demonstrate that the results obtained by potential difference measurements can differ significantly from the one-point results. It was found, in particular, that the intermittency signatures become much weaker, when the proper rocket-probe configuration is implemented. We analyze also signals from an actual ionospheric rocket experiment, and find a reasonably good agreement with the appropriate simulation results, demonstrating again that rocket data, obtained as those analyzed here, are unlikely to give an adequate representation of intermittent features of the low frequency ionospheric plasma turbulence for the given conditions

Multifractal structure of turbulence in the magnetospheric cusp

Magnetospheric cusps are regions which are characterized by highly turbulent plasma. We have used Polar magnetic field data to study the structure of turbulence in the cusp region. The wavelet transform modulus maxima method (WTMM) has been applied to estimate the scaling exponent of the partition function and singularity spectra. Their features are similar to those found in the nonlinear multifractal systems. We have found that the scaling exponent does not allow one to conclude which intermittency model fits the experiment better. However, the singularity spectra reveal that different models can be ascribed to turbulence observed under various IMF conditions. For northward IMF conditions the turbulence is consistent with the multifractal <i>p</i>-model of fully developed fluid turbulence. For southward IMF experimental data agree with the model of non-fully developed Kolmogorov-like fluid turbulence

Low-frequency electrostatic waves in the ionospheric E-region: a comparison of rocket observations and numerical simulations

International audienceLow frequency electrostatic waves in the lower parts of the ionosphere are studied by a comparison of observations by instrumented rockets and of results from numerical simulations. Particular attention is given to the spectral properties of the waves. On the basis of a good agreement between the observations and the simulations, it can be argued that the most important nonlinear dynamics can be accounted for in a 2-D numerical model, referring to a plane perpendicular to a locally homogeneous magnetic field. It does not seem necessary to take into account turbulent fluctuations or motions in the neutral gas component. The numerical simulations explain the observed strongly intermittent nature of the fluctuations: secondary instabilities develop on the large scale gradients of the largest amplitude waves, and the small scale dynamics is strongly influenced by these secondary instabilities. We compare potential variations obtained at a single position in the numerical simulations with two point potential-difference signals, where the latter is the adequate representation for the data obtained by instrumented rockets. We can demonstrate a significant reduction in the amount of information concerning the plasma turbulence when the latter signal is used for analysis. In particular we show that the bicoherence estimate is strongly affected. The conclusions have implications for studies of low frequency ionospheric fluctuations in the E and F regions by instrumented rockets, and also for other methods relying on difference measurements, using two probes with large separation. The analysis also resolves a long standing controversy concerning the supersonic phase velocities of these cross-field instabilities being observed in laboratory experiments

TRANSMIT: Training Research and Applications Network to Support the Mitigation of Ionospheric Threats

TRANSMIT is an initiative funded by the European Commission through a Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN). Main aim of such networks is to improve the career perspectives of researchers who are in the first five years of their research career in both public and private sectors. In particular TRANSMIT will provide a coordinated program of academic and industrial training, focused on atmospheric phenomena that can significantly impair a wide range of systems and applications that are at the core of several activities embedded in our daily life. TRANSMIT deals with the harmful effects of the ionosphere on these systems, which will become increasingly significant as we approach the next solar maximum, predicted for 2013. Main aim of the project is to develop real time integrated state of the art tools to mitigate ionospheric threats to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and several related applications, such as civil aviation, marine navigation and land transportation. The project will provide Europe with the next generation of researchers in this field, equipping them with skills developed through a comprehensive and coordinated training program. Theirs research projects will develop real time integrated state of the art tools to mitigate these ionospheric threats to GNSS and several applications that rely on these systems. The main threat to the reliable and safe operation of GNSS is the variable propagation conditions encountered by GNSS signals as they pass through the ionosphere. At a COST 296 MIERS (Mitigation of Ionospheric Effects on Radio Systems) workshop held at the University of Nottingham in 2008, the establishment of a sophisticated Ionospheric Perturbation Detection and Monitoring (IPDM) network (http://ipdm.nottingham.ac.uk/) was proposed by European experts and supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) as the way forward to deliver the state of the art to protect the range of essential systems vulnerable to these ionospheric threats. Through a set of carefully designed research work packages TRANSMIT will be the enabler of the IPDM network. The goal of TRANSMIT is therefore to provide a concerted training programme including taught courses, research training projects, secondments at the leading European institutions, and a set of network wide events, with summer schools, workshops and a conference, which will arm the researchers of tomorrow with the necessary skills and knowledge to set up and run the proposed service. TRANSMIT will count on an exceptional set of partners, encompassing both academia and end users, including the aerospace and satellite communications sectors, as well as GNSS system designers and service providers, major user operators and receiver manufacturers. TRANSMIT’s objectives are: A. Develop new techniques to detect and monitor ionospheric threats, with the introduction of new prediction and forecasting models, mitigation tools and improved system design; B. Advance the physical modeling of the underlying processes associated with the ionospheric plasma environment and the knowledge of its influences on human activity; C. Establish a prototype of a real time system to monitor the ionosphere, capable of providing useful assistance to users, which exploits all available resources and adds value for European services and products; D. Incorporate solutions to this system that respond to all end user needs and that are applicable in all geographical regions of European interest (polar, high and mid-latitudes, equatorial region). TRANSMIT will pave the way to establish in Europe a system capable of mitigating ionospheric threats on GNSS signals in real time

Tackling ionospheric scintillation threat to GNSS in Latin America

Scintillations are rapid fluctuations in the phase and amplitude of transionospheric radio signals which are caused by small-scale plasma density irregularities in the ionosphere. In the case of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, scintillation can cause cycle slips, degrade the positioning accuracy and, when severe enough, can even lead to a complete loss of signal lock. Thus, the required levels of availability, accuracy, integrity and reliability for the GNSS applications may not be met during scintillation occurrence; this poses a major threat to a large number of modern-day GNSS-based applications. The whole of Latin America, Brazil in particular, is located in one of the regions most affected by scintillations. These effects will be exacerbated during solar maxima, the next predicted for 2013. This paper presents initial results from a research work aimed to tackle ionospheric scintillation effects for GNSS users in Latin America. This research is a part of the CIGALA (Concept for Ionospheric Scintillation Mitigation for Professional GNSS in Latin America) project, co-funded by the EC Seventh Framework Program and supervised by the GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA), which aims to develop and test ionospheric scintillation countermeasures to be implemented in multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS receivers

Anisotropic scaling features and complexity in magnetospheric-cusp: a case study

Magnetospheric cusps are high-latitude regions characterized by a highly turbulent plasma, playing a special role in the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. Here, using POLAR satellite magnetic field vector measurements we investigate the anisotropic scaling features of the magnetic field fluctuations in the northern cusp region. Our results seem to support the hypothesis of a 2D-MHD turbulent scenario which is consequence of a strong background magnetic field. The observed turbulent fluctuations reveal a high degree of complexity, which might be due to the interplay of many competing scales. A discussion of our findings in connection with the complex scenario proposed by Chang et al. (2004) is provided