Collaborative Research: Very Low Frequency (VLF) Remote Sensing of the Lower Ionosphere and Electron Precipitation from the Radiation Belts

通过使用(和扩展)被称为用于电离层/闪电研究的全息阵列的甚低频(VLF)接收器阵列来探索闪电与其上覆电离层和辐射带之间的电动力学耦合的本质。该阵列提供了对分布在美国大陆各地农村高中和社区大学的接收器在电离层产生的当地甚低频干扰的高分辨率测量。甚低频干扰与来自国家闪电探测网络的闪电数据以及来自印第安纳州宽带接收器的极低频率(ELF)和甚低频数据相关。具体目标包括对雷暴与辐射带的耦合进行物理描述，对对流层、中间层、低电离层和磁层之间的电动力学耦合进行描述，以及地磁暴对电离层变异性的影响。此外，还利用冰雹甚低频资料与卫星测量数据的相关性，量化了地磁条件对闪电哨声辐射带电子损失的影响。

The nature of electrodynamic coupling between lightning discharges and the overlying ionosphere and radiation belts is explored by using (and expanding) an array of very-low-frequency (VLF) receivers known as the Holographic Array for Ionospheric/Lightning research (HAIL). That array provides high-resolution measurements of local VLF disturbances generated in the ionosphere from the receivers distributed across the continental United States at rural high schools and community colleges. The VLF disturbances are correlated with lightning data from the national Lightning Detection Network and with extremely low frequency (ELF) and VLF data from a broadband receiver in Indiana. Specific objectives include development of a physical description of thunderstorm coupling to the radiation belts, a description of electrodynamic coupling between the troposphere, mesosphere, lower ionosphere and magnetosphere, and the effect of geomagnetic storms on ionospheric variability. In addition, correlation of the HAIL VLF data with satellite measurements is used to quantify the influence of geomagnetic conditions on the loss of radiation belt electrons due to lightning generated whistler waves.