Space Weather: A Search for Obtaining Precursors to ESF Using Thermospheric Dayglow Emissions

研究人员将研究赤道扩展F（ESF）的发生，这是夜间赤道电离层中的不规则现象，会导致通信和导航信号中断。 这些不规则性的发展是高度不可预测的，但一些研究表明，在热层的氧气日光发射中存在一种前兆特征。 研究人员已经开发出一种光学仪器，能够观察到隐藏在强烈的白天背景连续体中的微弱氧气发射线强度。 他们将进行这些测量，目的是从智利的帕拉纳尔天文台预测南美大陆上空的ESF发生。 这些测量结果将与南美洲其他光学仪器和雷达的测量结果相结合，以确定赤道扩展F的前兆特征的存在。 预测ESF的技术的发展将有助于减轻这些不规则性对技术系统的影响。

The investigators will study the occurrence of Equatorial Spread F (ESF), which are irregularities in the nighttime equatorial ionosphere that cause disruption to communication and navigation signals. The development of these irregularities is highly unpredictable, but some studies have shown the existence of a precursor signature in oxygen dayglow emissions from the thermosphere. The investigators have developed an optical instrument capable of observing faint oxygen emission line intensities buried in the strong daytime background continuum. They will carry out these measurements with an aim to predict the ESF occurrence over South American longitudes from the Paranal observatory in Chile. The measurements will be combined with those of other optical instruments and radars in South America to establish the existence of precursor signatures to equatorial spread F. The development of a technique for predicting ESF will help to mitigate the effects these irregularities have on technical systems.