Collaborative Research: CEDAR: Identifying Sources of Mid-latitude Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances

源自低层大气源的重力波（GWs）可以通过波耗散或破裂导致背景流的大加速度。这些加速产生了波长更长的二次gw，使它们能够向上传播到更远的电离层。在这里，通过与电离层等离子体的相互作用，它们在红线（630纳米）图像中以光学特征的形式可见，并且通常被称为旅行电离层扰动（TIDs）。一系列光学成像仪将用于三角测量F区GWs的低层大气源，通过对相同的光学特征进行数值模拟来量化GWs，然后使用该量化对二次GWs进行射线追踪，以揭示其动量沉积的高度剖面。这一努力将连接耦合路径上的两个临界点：从低层大气源到中高层热层的动量沉积。该项目将包括向农村高中的学生提供服务，这些学校将部署这些仪器。它还将为本科生提供参与数据分析和解释的机会。

Gravity waves (GWs) originating from lower atmospheric sources can lead to large accelerations of the background flow through wave dissipation or breaking. The accelerations produce secondary GWs with longer wavelengths, allowing them to propagate farther upward into the ionosphere. Here, through interaction with the ionospheric plasma, they are visible in the form of optical signatures in red line (630 nm) images, and are often referred to as traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs). A broad array of optical imagers will be used to triangulate the lower atmospheric sources for F region GWs, quantifying the GWs by numerically modeling the same optical signatures, and then using this quantification to ray-trace the secondary GWs to reveal their altitude profile of momentum deposition. This effort will connect two critical points on the coupled path: from the lower atmospheric source to momentum deposition in the mid to upper thermosphere. This project will include outreach to students at rural high schools where the instruments will be deployed. It will also provide undergraduate students opportunities to participate in data analysis and interpretation.