Systems Science at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory

该项目是对基卡马卡射电观测站高层大气研究设施的三年继续支助。Jicamara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。根据这一奖项，康奈尔大学和基卡马卡大学将明确开展多种新的科学研究。其广泛目标是利用雷达和光学观测来量化赤道电离层中的化学、输运、能量学和动力学，并将结果与主流和新兴的理论和模型进行比较。这项研究的核心议题有十个：(1)赤道地区上层电离层的结构和动力学；(2)高海拔的能量和化学传输；(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报；(5)理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)了解来自电离层较高的E区和较低的F区的异常雷达回波(所谓的“150公里回波”)，(8)高空大气风作为当地磁力时间的函数(MLT风)，(9)观测来自流星的雷达回波，特别是来自流星头部的雷达回波，而不是流星产生的离子轨迹，(10)了解超高频雷达回波(超高频回波)。研究赤道电离层的目的是更好地了解它对我们的技术社会日益依赖的系统的影响。其影响包括扰乱GPS等基于卫星的通信和导航系统，干扰地面高频通信和超视距(OTH)雷达系统，以及在合成孔径(SAR)和其他类型的雷达图像中产生伪影。在Jicamara观测到的大小流星体也可能对航天器和栖息地构成威胁。赤道扩展F(ESF)释放出束缚在赤道附近电离层构型中的能量。在黄昏时，电离层结构变得不稳定地分层。能量的释放涉及发生在从厘米到数百公里的尺度上的等离子体动力学，产生快速流动和深度等离子体枯竭；这些等离子体不规则性充当通过它的无线电信号的衍射屏。Jicamara的使命也与康奈尔大学的首要使命相辅相成，那就是教育。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，也来自对航空学、空间物理、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。

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.