Systems Science at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory

该项目是对Jicamarca射电天文台高层大气研究设施的持续三年支助。Jicamarca由秘鲁地球物理研究所运营，是美国高层大气设施雷达链的赤道锚点，也是科学界关于赤道电离层和高层大气的主要信息来源。康奈尔大学和Jicamarca大学将在这个奖项下进行多项新的科学研究。总体目标是通过雷达和光学观测来量化赤道电离层的化学、输运、能量学和动力学，并将结果与流行的和新兴的理论和模型进行比较。有十个主题将构成研究的核心：(1)赤道地区上层电离层的结构和动力学，(2)高海拔的能量和化学输运，(3)非相干雷达散射理论认识的提高，(4)赤道扩展f等离子体结构的动力学和预报，(5)受激布里渊散射现象的认识，(6)赤道热层和电离层结构的雷达成像，(7)了解来自电离层上部E区和下部F区的异常雷达回波（所谓的“150公里回波”），(8)高层大气风作为磁地方时（MLT风）的函数的依赖关系，(9)来自流星的雷达回波观测，特别是来自流星头部的雷达回波，而不是流星产生的离子轨迹，（10）了解超高频雷达回波（UHF回波）。对赤道电离层的研究旨在更好地理解它对我们的技术社会日益依赖的系统的影响。其影响包括破坏卫星通信和导航系统，如GPS，干扰地面高频通信和超视距（OTH）雷达系统，并在合成孔径（SAR）和其他类型的雷达图像中产生伪影。在Jicamarca观测到的大小的流星体也可能对太空飞行器和栖息地构成威胁。赤道扩散F （ESF）释放的能量被束缚在赤道附近的电离层结构中。电离层结构在黄昏时变得不稳定分层。能量的释放涉及等离子体动力学，发生在从厘米到数百公里的尺度上，产生快速流动和深度等离子体耗尽；这些不规则的等离子体就像衍射屏一样，阻挡了通过它的无线电信号。Jicamarca的使命也补充了康奈尔大学的主要使命，即教育。康奈尔大学和其他本科生、研究生和专业学生通过直接参与先进的研究项目以及通过增加工程课程，从天文台的研究中受益。社会影响主要来自雷达遥感战略领域的教育和职业发展，也来自对航空、空间物理学、无线电科学和天文学等其他学科的技术和数学贡献。美国科学家和学生与秘鲁科学家和学生互动的机会有助于建立重要的国际合作。

This project represents a three-year continuation of the support for the upper atmospheric research facility at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory. Operated by the Geophysical Institute of Peru, Jicamarca is the equatorial anchor of the U.S. Upper Atmospheric Facilities radar chain and is the scientific community's main source of information about the equatorial ionosphere and upper atmosphere. Multiple new lines of scientific inquiry will be pursued at Cornell and Jicamarca expressly under this award. The broad goal is to quantify chemistry, transport, energetics, and dynamics in the equatorial ionosphere with radar and optical observations and compare the results with prevailing and emerging theories and models. There are ten topics that will form the core of the research to be pursued: (1) the structure and dynamics of the topside ionosphere in the equatorial region, (2) energy and chemical transport at high altitudes, (3) improvement in our understanding of incoherent radar scatter theory, (4) the dynamics and forecasting of equatorial spread-F plasma structures, (5) understanding the phenomenon of stimulated Brillouin scattering, (6) radar imaging of structures in the equatorial thermosphere and ionosphere, (7) understanding the anomalous radar echoes that come from the upper E region and lower F region of the ionosphere (the so called "150 km echoes"), (8) the dependency of upper atmospheric winds as a function of magnetic local time (MLT winds), (9) observations of radar echoes from meteors and in particular from the head of the meteor as opposed to the ion trail generated by the meteor, (10) understanding radar echoes at ultra-high frequencies (UHF echoes).The study of the equatorial ionosphere aims to better understand the effects it has on systems on which our technological society increasingly depends. The effects include the disruption of satellite-based communication and navigation systems like GPS, interference with terrestrial HF communication and over-the-horizon (OTH) radar systems, and the production of artifacts in synthetic aperture (SAR) and other kinds of radar imagery. Meteoroids of the size observed at Jicamarca could also pose a threat to space vehicles and habitats. Equatorial spread F (ESF) releases energy bound up in the ionospheric configuration near the equator. The ionospheric configuration becomes unstably stratified at twilight. The release of energy involves plasma dynamics occurring over scale sizes ranging from centimeters to hundreds of kilometers, producing rapid flows and deep plasma depletions; these plasma irregularities function as a diffraction screen for radio signals passing through it. Jicamarca's mission also complements the primary mission of Cornell University, which is education. Cornell and other undergraduate, graduate, and professional students benefit from research at the observatory through direct participation in advanced research projects as well as through additions to the engineering curriculum. Societal impact comes largely through education and career development in the strategic area of radar remote sensing and also through technological and mathematical contributions to other disciplines in aeronomy, space physics, radio science, and astronomy. The opportunity for scientists and students in the U.S. to interact with scientists and students in Peru helps create important international collaborations.