CEDAR: Investigating E Region Auroral Irregularities with Coherent and Incoherent Scatter Radar and Optics

该项目旨在研究近100公里(E区)极光电离层中等离子体扰动的小尺度结构和时间演变。这项工作将利用理论和实验数据分析，以刻画等离子体不规则与背景电离层状态之间的关系，并研究它们对诊断区域等离子体对流模式中的小尺度和短暂特征的作用。E区不规则性的测量将通过相干散射雷达成像器获得，该成像器将搬迁到阿拉斯加扑克平坦非相干散射雷达(PFISR)附近，以对E区电离层中的电场、温度、密度和中性风进行一致的共同体积估计。结合理论模型对这些状态参数的定量分析将针对极光区波加热、不规则性方面的灵敏度、首选不规则性高度、Farley-Buneman波的相速度饱和、极光对流、中性风效应、热不稳定性以及射电极光和离散光学极光形式之间的关系进行研究。该项目将支持即将到来的由美国国家科学基金会支持的立方体卫星任务，以及本科生和研究生在观测和理论空气动力学方面的教育和培训。

This project is to investigate the small scale structure and temporal evolution of plasma perturbations in the auroral ionosphere near 100 km (the E-region). This effort will utilize both theory and experimental data analysis in order to characterize the relationship between the plasma irregularities and the background ionospheric state as well as investigate their utility for diagnosing small-scale and short-lived features in the regional plasma convection pattern. Measurements of E-region irregularities will be acquired from a coherent scatter radar imager, which will be relocated near the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) in Alaska for coincident, common-volume estimates of electric fields, temperatures, densities, and neutral winds in the E-region ionosphere. Quantitative analysis of these state parameters in conjunction with theoretical modeling will target investigations on auroral-zone wave heating, irregularity aspect sensitivity, preferred irregularity altitude, Farley-Buneman wave phase speed saturation, auroral convection, neutral wind effects, thermal instabilities, and the relationship between the radio aurora and discrete optical auroral forms based on comparisons with simultaneous white-light imagery. This project will support an upcoming NSF-supported CubeSat mission as well as undergraduate and graduate student education and training in observational and theoretical aeronomy.