Collaborative Research: Comprehensive Investigation of Midlatitude Ionospheric Irregularities

该项目将解决中纬度电离层作为一个系统如何运作的基本科学问题。中纬度电离层与赤道和极光电离层一样容易不稳定，尽管缺乏明显的自由能来源，而且没有全面的理论来解释这一点。中性风、风切变和湍流与Es层的形成和结构之间有着明确的关系，但其因果关系还有待明确阐述。同样清楚的是，E区域的不规则性和F区域的中等规模的电离层扰动（MSTID）和不规则性是电耦合的，但区域（源，负载，耦合谐振器）的作用仍然没有明确。 本项目将研究中纬度零星E层、MSTID、相关的等离子体密度不规则性、它们的相互耦合、它们的地磁共轭性以及与热层中性运动的耦合。调查将有实验，理论和建模方面。研究的实验部分将在加勒比地区进行，并将集中在阿雷西博非相干散射雷达上。该雷达将得到一个相干散射雷达成像仪的支持，以便与阿雷西博具有共同的E和F区域散射体积。该项目还将利用阿雷西博激光雷达和全天空成像仪以及探测器和全球定位系统总电子含量数据。理论研究将侧重于中间层/低热层区域中性运动的湍流特性，将使用多尺度分析进行研究，并侧重于电离层结构的后果。建模工作将采用新开发的全三维等离子体动力学模型。 本科生和研究生将参加这项工作，并将在加勒比开展公共宣传活动。

This project will address fundamental science questions on how the midlatitude ionosphere behaves as a system. The midlatitude ionosphere is as prone to instability as the equatorial and auroral ionospheres despite the lack of obvious sources of free energy, and there is no comprehensive theory to explain this. There is a clear relationship between neutral winds, wind shear, and turbulence and Es layer formation and structuring, but the causal links have yet to be clearly articulated. Equally clear is that E region irregularities and F region medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) and irregularities are electrically coupled, but the roles of the regions (sources, loads, coupled resonators) remain unspecified. This project will investigate midlatitude sporadic E layers, MSTIDs, the associated plasma density irregularities, their mutual coupling, their geomagnetic conjugacy, and coupling to the thermospheric neutral motion. The investigation will have experimental, theoretical, and modeling aspects. The experimental component of the research will be conducted in the Caribbean and will center on the Arecibo incoherent scatter radar. This radar will be supported by a coherent scatter radar imager fielded so as to have common E- and F-region scattering volumes with Arecibo. The project will also utilize the Arecibo lidars and all-sky imagers as well as sounders and GPS Total Electron Content (TEC) data. The theoretical investigation will focus on the turbulence properties of the neutral motions in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) region, which will be studied using a multi-scale analysis, and on the consequences for ionospheric structuring. Modeling work will incorporate a newly developed, fully three-dimensional plasma dynamics model. Undergraduate and graduate students will participate in this work, and public outreach activities will be carried out in the Caribbean.