Collaborative Research: Exploring Low-Latitude Ionospheric Irregularities in the Upper E-Region Valley Using Observations, Theory, And Simulations

该建议将建模工具与非相干散射雷达测量相结合，以调查从150公里附近的赤道电离层散射的雷达回波源。当在高度-时间平面上绘制时，这些回波类似于“项链”。结构复杂的后向散射首先出现在黎明时150公里附近，到中午下降到130公里左右，到下午晚些时候上升到150公里，在日落时消失。直到2016年，这些回声的原因仍然很大程度上是未知的，当时PI合理地认为它们是光电子驱动的电子波的表现。这项工作的目标是建立一个有凝聚力的，基于物理学的，系统科学的理解150公里的回声。根据这项新的奖励，PI将继续他们的理论和实验研究，将额外的过程纳入他们的模型，并与Jicamarca雷达和电离层探测仪数据进行比较。更广泛的影响包括指导研究生、本科生和高中生。提高对电离层物理学的理解，并能够解释电离层雷达特征和电离层结构，有利于空间天气建模和预测。2016年的工作受到了大众媒体的广泛关注，从而激发了公众对等离子体物理研究的兴趣。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This proposal combines modeling tools with incoherent scatter radar measurements to investigate the sources of radar echoes scattered from the equatorial ionosphere near 150 km. When plotted in the altitude-time plane, these echoes resemble a "necklace". Intricately structured backscatter first appears at dawn near 150 km, descends to ~130 km by midday, lofts to150 km by late afternoon, and disappears at sunset. The cause of these echoes remained largely unknown until 2016, when the PIs plausibly argued they were manifestations of photoelectron-driven electron waves. The goal of this work is to build a cohesive, physics-based, system-science understanding of the 150-km echoes. Under this new award, the PIs will continue their theoretical and experimental investigations by incorporating additional processes into their model, and comparing with Jicamarca radar and ionosonde data. Broader impacts include mentoring of graduate, undergraduate, and high-school students. Advancing understanding of ionospheric physics, and being able to interpret ionospheric radar signatures and ionospheric structuring benefits space weather modeling and prediction. The 2016 work received much attention in the popular press, and thus stimulated public interest in plasma physics research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.