SGER: Investigation of ESF Triggers Using Balloon-Based and Ground Diagnostics.

一项国际合作正在形成，以利用气球和地面测量来调查赤道-F（ESF）现象的触发因素。 高空气球允许测量起源于85公里附近的上层中间层的电离镁的共振280 nm气辉发射。 这些测量与OI 555.7 nm和OI 630.0 nm气辉测量相结合，分别在大约115公里和230公里的高度进行采样。 这些气辉特征强度的周期性变化与重力波相关，这反过来又可能提供ESF的瑞利-泰勒不稳定性触发。 为了研究可能的重力波触发机制，下午和黄昏测量这些排放是必要的，这样假设的重力波催化剂在ESF开始之前就被隔离了-而不是在ESF开始之后通过与F区等离子体中可能的波结构的相关性来假设。 白天的测量最好在瑞利散射用背景阳光污染整个白天天空的高度以上进行，在这种情况下，通过在气球上飞行低成本光谱仪。

An international collaboration is forged to investigate the triggers of the Equatorial Spread-F (ESF) phenomenon, using balloon and ground-based measurements. The high-altitude balloons permit measurement of the resonant 280 nm airglow emission of ionized Magnesium originating from the upper mesosphere, near 85 km. These measurements are coupled with OI 555.7 nm and OI 630.0 nm airglow measurements to sample at altitudes of approximately 115 km and 230 km, respectively. Periodic variations of these airglow feature intensities are associated with gravity waves, which in turn may provide the Rayleigh-Taylor instability trigger of ESF. To investigate the possible gravity wave triggering mechanism, afternoon and twilight measurements of these emissions are necessary, so that the hypothesized gravity wave catalyst is isolated before ESF onset - rather than postulated after ESF onset by correlation with possible wave structures in the F-region plasma. The daytime measurements are best made above the altitude where Rayleigh scattering contaminates the entire daytime sky with background sunlight, in this instance by flying low-cost spectrometers on balloons.