Collaborative Research: CEDAR: Comparative Investigation of Kilometer-scale Auroral E and F Region Irregularities with a Global Positioning System (GPS) Scintillation Array

电离层不规则性会衍射和折射无线电波。这些效应表现为全球定位系统 (GPS) 信号相位和/或幅度闪烁。拟议的活动包括分析阿拉斯加 Poker Flat 研究靶场 (PFRR) 的 GPS 闪烁阵列感应到的电离层不规则性，该阵列可以解析小至 10 公里的水平尺度。首席研究员 (PI) 将恢复等离子体结构的特性，例如电子含量、漂移速度和不规则性的水平尺寸。主要研究目标是利用空间结构信息来表征 E 区和 F 区湍流能量级联。这些任务将澄清湍流是否可以解释观测到的 GPS 闪烁，并增强对湍流在磁层-电离层耦合中作用的理解。更广泛的影响包括两名初级教师（至少其中一名女性）的职业发展以及研究生支持。这项研究也与国家空间天气行动计划高度相关。在极端事件期间，作为本研究科学重点的 E 区和 F 区不规则现象可能会迁移到低纬度地区，并严重影响通信和导航系统。通过支持和利用 GPS、无线电和光学数据，这项研究保持了空间天气操作的观测能力。

Ionospheric irregularities diffract and refract radio waves. These effects present as Global Positioning System (GPS) signal phase and/or amplitude scintillation. The proposed activities consist of analyzing ionospheric irregularities sensed by a GPS scintillation array at the Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) in Alaska that can resolve horizontal scales as small as 10 km. The Principal Investigators (PIs) will recover properties of the plasma structures such as electron content, drift velocity, and the horizontal dimensions of the irregularities. A primary research goal is to use the spatial structuring information to characterize the E- and F-region turbulence energy cascades. These tasks will clarify whether turbulence explains observed GPS scintillations, and enhance understanding of the role of turbulence in magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. Broader impacts include career development of 2 junior faculty - at least one of them female - and graduate student support. This research is also highly pertinent to the National Space Weather Action Plan. During extreme events, the E- and F-region irregularities that are the focus of this research's science can migrate to lower latitudes and significantly affect communications and navigation systems. Through its support and utilization of GPS, radio and optical data, this research maintains observational capability for space-weather operations.