Collaborative Research: Characterizing High-latitude Ionospheric Fluid Turbulence and Radio Scintillation with New Observations and Data-Driven Modeling

这个合作奖是为了研究地球极地地区电离层等离子体所表现出的复杂空间结构。小尺度等离子体结构改变了跨电离层无线电信号的相位和振幅，产生了显著的闪烁活动。这些影响对通信和导航系统有害，但可用作遥感诊断，以帮助辨别造成电离层结构的基本小规模等离子体过程的特征。这项研究将增进对电离层闪烁的两个主要过程的了解：梯度漂移和开尔文-亥姆霍兹不稳定性。该研究计划与NSF Aeronomy和CEDAR计划的目标直接相关，以研究电离层-热层-磁层系统中的跨尺度耦合，并将适用于等离子体物理学中的其他学科。该团队将开发和应用Resolute Bay非相干散射雷达（RISR）的很少使用的功能，扩大社区可以很容易地从该设施请求的测量范围，同时还提高了建模能力。 该项目由两名早期职业科学家共同领导，其中包括首次担任NSF PI的科学家。该奖项加强了ERAU的空间物理方案，为一名本科生和一名研究生提供支持。电离层等离子体中的空间不规则性在磁层强迫和电离层内部过程的影响下经历动态演化，产生通常从大尺度移动到中等和小尺度结构的能量级联。这些尺度被认为是由各种不稳定性机制和结构化过程产生的，但是这种等离子体结构化随时间的演变的细节受到很大的限制，特别是对于非线性方面。研究计划将侧重于详细的数据模型综合，以确定预计有助于电离层不规则演变的物理参数（即，大尺度密度结构、背景速度场、梯度和切变以及降水区域）。该方法包括无线电波传播建模（使用SIGMA）和极地帽电离层的基础上摄取现有的和新的观测从RISR，使用全球定位系统（L波段）和超高频/甚高频无线电信标表征大到中等规模和闪烁活动。结果将通过与GEMINI模型所代表的基于物理的不稳定性模型的预测进行比较来解释，以描述电离层不稳定性在许多理想情况下的可观察影响，并根据数据驱动的模型输入进行选择案例研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This collaborative award is for a study of the complex spatial structure exhibited by ionosphere plasma in Earth's polar regions. Small-scale plasma structuring modifies the phase and amplitude of trans-ionospheric radio signals, producing significant scintillation activity. These effects are detrimental to communication and navigation systems but can be used as a remote-sensing diagnostic to help discern the characteristics of fundamental small-scale plasma processes that result in ionospheric structure. This research will improve understanding of the two major processes contributing to ionospheric scintillation: gradient drift and Kelvin Helmholz instabilities. The research plan directly relate to goals of NSF Aeronomy and CEDAR programs to investigate cross-scale coupling in the ionosphere-thermosphere-magnetosphere system, and would be applicable to other disciplines within plasma physics. The team will develop and apply rarely utilized capabilities of the Resolute Bay incoherent scatter radar (RISR), expanding the range of measurements the community can easily request from this facility while also advancing modeling capabilities. The project is co-led by two early-career scientists including a first-time NSF PI. The award enhances the space physics program at ERAU with support provided for one undergraduate student and one graduate student. Spatial irregularities within ionospheric plasma undergo dynamical evolution under the influence of magnetospheric forcing and internal ionospheric processes, producing a cascade of energy moving generally from large scales into intermediate and small scale structures. These scales are believed to be generated by a variety of instability mechanisms and structuring processes, but the details of the evolution of this plasma structuring over time are poorly constrained, especially for the non-linear aspects. The research plan will focus upon detailed data-model synthesis to characterize physical parameters expected to contribute to irregularity evolution in the ionosphere (i.e., large-scale density structures, background velocity fields, gradients and shears, and precipitation regions). The approach include modeling of radio wave propagation (using SIGMA) and polar cap ionosphere based upon the ingestion of existing and new observations from RISR, characterizing large-to-medium scales and scintillation activity using GPS (L-band) and UHF/VHF radio beacons. Results will be interpreted through comparisons with the predictions of a physics-based instability model as represented by the GEMINI model to characterize observable effects of ionospheric instability in many idealized situations and for select case studies based on data-driven model inputs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.