Space Weather: A Search for Obtaining Precursors to ESF Using Thermospheric Dayglow Emissions

调查人员将研究赤道扩散F(ESF)的发生，这是夜间赤道电离层中的不规则现象，会对通信和导航信号造成干扰。这些不规则性的发展是高度不可预测的，但一些研究表明，从热层释放的氧气白天辉光中存在先兆特征。研究人员开发了一种光学仪器，能够观测埋藏在强烈白天背景连续体中的微弱氧发射线强度。他们将进行这些测量，目的是从智利的帕拉纳尔天文台预测南美经度发生的ESF。这些测量将与南美洲其他光学仪器和雷达的测量结果结合起来，以确定赤道扩散F的前兆特征的存在。开发一种预测ESF的技术将有助于减轻这些不规则性对技术系统的影响。

The investigators will study the occurrence of Equatorial Spread F (ESF), which are irregularities in the nighttime equatorial ionosphere that cause disruption to communication and navigation signals. The development of these irregularities is highly unpredictable, but some studies have shown the existence of a precursor signature in oxygen dayglow emissions from the thermosphere. The investigators have developed an optical instrument capable of observing faint oxygen emission line intensities buried in the strong daytime background continuum. They will carry out these measurements with an aim to predict the ESF occurrence over South American longitudes from the Paranal observatory in Chile. The measurements will be combined with those of other optical instruments and radars in South America to establish the existence of precursor signatures to equatorial spread F. The development of a technique for predicting ESF will help to mitigate the effects these irregularities have on technical systems.