Observational and Theoretical Studies of E/F-Region Electrodynamics and of Meteor-Related Aeronomy at Arecibo

提出了一项为期三年的电离层E区和f区电动力学综合研究计划，以及围绕高层大气中流星衍生金属的相关航空经济学问题。拟议的研究基于阿雷西博天文台（AO）正在进行的广泛观测计划，包括非相干散射雷达（ISR）和流星模式雷达，以及拟议的相关金属（Ca/Ca+, Fe， K, Na）激光雷达观测。AO非常适合这些研究，它具有新的双波束能力，可以实现第一次真正的3-D观测，在ISR和流星模式下都具有极高的灵敏度和指向性，以及普通体积激光雷达能力。拟议的观测和理论研究旨在全面检验和扩展关于产生等离子体层和相关现象（包括真正的散发性e）的明显“新”电动力学过程的起源和规模的假设和结论，并将微流星体大气层进入过程与上层大气中金属的航空学牢固地联系起来，并提供前所未有的精度的全地球微流星体质量通量。

A three-year program of comprehensive studies of ionospheric E- and F-region electrodynamics and of related aeronomic issues surrounding meteor-derived metals in the upper atmosphere is proposed. The proposed studies are based on an extensive ongoing observing program at Arecibo Observatory (AO) that involves incoherent scatter radar (ISR) and meteor-mode radar as well as proposed associated metal (Ca/Ca+, Fe, K, Na) lidar observations. AO is uniquely suited for these proposed studies with the new dual-beam capability yielding the first true 3-D observations, extreme sensitivity and directivity in both ISR and meteor-modes, and the common-volume lidar capabilities. The proposed observational and theoretical studies are intended to comprehensively test and extend the hypotheses and conclusions concerning the origin and scale of the apparently "new" electrodynamic processes resulting plasma-sheets and related phenomena including true sporadic-E and in firmly tying micrometeoroid atmospheric-entry processes to the aeronomy of metals in the upper atmosphere and to provide whole-earth micrometeoroid mass fluxes of unprecedented accuracy.