CEDAR: Model of Anomalous Electron Heating in High-Latitude Electrojet and Its Implications

研究人员将开发一个地磁活跃期E区异常电子加热的模型。在电离层100~130公里高度的强电场作用下，电喷流变得不稳定为修正的双流或Farley-Buneman不稳定性，这可能显著影响电子温度，影响电离层-热层系统的化学平衡。这项研究将解决这种加热的主要影响，包括增加一氧化氮的产生。此外，电子分布函数的非麦克斯韦性质影响了对非相干散射雷达测量的解释。此外，高电子温度引起的电离层电导率的变化将改变电离层中的电流结构。这项研究需要一个电子冷却过程的模型，以及产生加热的湍流电场。这是一个涉及等离子体物理、大气科学和计算机模拟的跨学科项目，对于了解高层大气的能量收支非常重要。

The investigators will develop a model of anomalous electron heating in the E region during geomagnetically active periods. In the presence of large electric fields at altitudes between 100 and 130 km in the ionosphere, the electrojet current becomes unstable to the modified two-stream or Farley-Buneman instability, which may significantly affect the electron temperature and the influence the chemical equilibrium of the ionosphere-thermosphere system. This study will address the major implications of this heating, including the enhanced production of nitric oxide. Also, the non-Maxwellian nature of the electron distribution function affects the interpretation of incoherent scatter radar measurements. Furthermore, the modifications in the ionospheric conductivity due to the high electron temperatures will change the current structure in the ionosphere. The study requires a model for the electron cooling processes, as well as the turbulent electric fields that produce the heating. This is an interdisciplinary project involving plasma physics, atmospheric sciences, and computer modeling, and is important for understanding the energy budget of the upper atmosphere.