Systems Science at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory

吉卡马卡射电天文台的系统科学

• 批准号: 1433968
• 负责人: David Hysell
• 金额: $ 404.93万
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-03-15 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1433968&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Systems; Science; Jicamarca; Radio; Observatory

This project represents a three-year continuation of the support for the upper atmospheric research facility at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory. Operated by the Geophysical Institute of Peru, Jicamarca is the equatorial anchor of the U.S. Upper Atmospheric Facilities radar chain and is the scientific community's main source of information about the equatorial ionosphere and upper atmosphere. Multiple new lines of scientific inquiry will be pursued at Cornell and Jicamarca expressly under this award. The broad goal is to quantify chemistry, transport, energetics, and dynamics in the equatorial ionosphere with radar and optical observations and compare the results with prevailing and emerging theories and models. There are ten topics that will form the core of the research to be pursued: (1) the structure and dynamics of the topside ionosphere in the equatorial region, (2) energy and chemical transport at high altitudes, (3) improvement in our understanding of incoherent radar scatter theory, (4) the dynamics and forecasting of equatorial spread-F plasma structures, (5) understanding the phenomenon of stimulated Brillouin scattering, (6) radar imaging of structures in the equatorial thermosphere and ionosphere, (7) understanding the anomalous radar echoes that come from the upper E region and lower F region of the ionosphere (the so called "150 km echoes"), (8) the dependency of upper atmospheric winds as a function of magnetic local time (MLT winds), (9) observations of radar echoes from meteors and in particular from the head of the meteor as opposed to the ion trail generated by the meteor, (10) understanding radar echoes at ultra-high frequencies (UHF echoes).The study of the equatorial ionosphere aims to better understand the effects it has on systems on which our technological society increasingly depends. The effects include the disruption of satellite-based communication and navigation systems like GPS, interference with terrestrial HF communication and over-the-horizon (OTH) radar systems, and the production of artifacts in synthetic aperture (SAR) and other kinds of radar imagery. Meteoroids of the size observed at Jicamarca could also pose a threat to space vehicles and habitats. Equatorial spread F (ESF) releases energy bound up in the ionospheric configuration near the equator. The ionospheric configuration becomes unstably stratified at twilight. The release of energy involves plasma dynamics occurring over scale sizes ranging from centimeters to hundreds of kilometers, producing rapid flows and deep plasma depletions; these plasma irregularities function as a diffraction screen for radio signals passing through it. Jicamarca's mission also complements the primary mission of Cornell University, which is education. Cornell and other undergraduate, graduate, and professional students benefit from research at the observatory through direct participation in advanced research projects as well as through additions to the engineering curriculum. Societal impact comes largely through education and career development in the strategic area of radar remote sensing and also through technological and mathematical contributions to other disciplines in aeronomy, space physics, radio science, and astronomy. The opportunity for scientists and students in the U.S. to interact with scientists and students in Peru helps create important international collaborations.

该项目是对希卡马卡无线电观测站高层大气研究设施的支助的三年延续。Jicamarca由秘鲁地球物理研究所运营，是美国高层大气设施雷达链的赤道锚，也是科学界关于赤道电离层和高层大气的主要信息来源。根据该奖项，康奈尔大学和Jicamarca大学将明确追求多条新的科学探究路线。广泛的目标是用雷达和光学观测来量化赤道电离层的化学、传输、能量学和动力学，并将结果与流行的和新兴的理论和模型进行比较。有十个主题将构成研究的核心：（1）赤道地区顶侧电离层的结构和动力学，（2）高空的能量和化学输运，（3）提高我们对非相干雷达散射理论的理解，（4）赤道扩展F等离子体结构的动力学和预测，（5）了解受激布里渊散射现象;（6）赤道热层和电离层结构的雷达成像;（7）了解来自电离层上E区和下F区的异常雷达回波（所谓的“150公里回波”）;（8）高层大气风场与磁地方时的关系（MLT风），（9）观测流星的雷达回波，特别是流星头部的回波，而不是流星产生的离子尾迹，（10）了解超高频雷达回波（特高频回波）：对赤道电离层的研究旨在更好地了解它对我们的技术社会日益依赖的系统的影响。这些影响包括破坏全球定位系统等卫星通信和导航系统，干扰地面高频通信和超视距雷达系统，以及在合成孔径雷达和其他种类的雷达图像中产生伪影。在希卡马卡观测到的这种大小的流星体也可能对航天器和生境构成威胁。赤道扩展F（ESF）释放束缚在赤道附近的电离层结构中的能量。黄昏时电离层结构变得不稳定。能量的释放涉及等离子体动力学，其尺度从厘米到数百公里不等，产生快速流动和深度等离子体耗尽;这些等离子体不规则性对通过它的无线电信号起着衍射屏的作用。Jicamarca的使命也补充了康奈尔大学的主要使命，即教育。康奈尔大学和其他本科生、研究生和专业学生通过直接参与高级研究项目以及增加工程课程，从天文台的研究中受益。社会影响主要来自雷达遥感战略领域的教育和职业发展，以及对高层大气物理学、空间物理学、无线电科学和天文学等其他学科的技术和数学贡献。美国的科学家和学生有机会与秘鲁的科学家和学生互动，这有助于建立重要的国际合作。