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

闪电放电和上覆电离层和辐射带之间的电动耦合的性质进行了探讨，通过使用（和扩大）的甚低频（VLF）接收器阵列被称为全息阵列电离层/闪电研究（冰雹）。 该阵列对分布在美国大陆各地农村中学和社区大学的接收器在电离层产生的当地甚低频干扰进行高分辨率测量。 VLF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（ELF）和VLF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，描述对流层、中间层、低电离层和磁层之间的电动耦合，以及地磁暴对电离层可变性的影响。 此外，冰雹VLF数据与卫星测量的相关性被用来量化地磁条件对辐射带电子损失的影响，由于闪电产生的哨声波。

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.