Upgrading the Jicamarca Radio Observatory

秘鲁由国家科学基金会支助的Jicamarca无线电观测台已经运行了50多年。这是一个主要的高层大气研究，培训和教育中心，目前正在促进由NSF的地球空间计划，NASA和美国空军支持的研究人员的研究工作。天文台参加了世界日调查，这是一项全球协调的观测工作，参与的雷达同时测量高层大气。该观测站还进行专门实验，与其他研究人员合作维护一个大型仪器组，接待不同专业级别的访问者，并开展高层大气物理学和空间气象方面的实习方案和学校。JRO还准备支持美国航天局的ICON（电离层连接探测器）和GOLD（全球范围的肢体和磁盘观测）任务，以及美国航天局暂定于2022年在秘鲁进行的探空火箭活动。该奖项将支持该设施的升级，以保持其历史上的高生产力状态。这些升级是为了完成电子天线波束控制升级的最后一半，完全取代主天线所在的日益恶化的地面屏幕，并将过时的电子管放大器升级为固态放大器，以增加天线的功率输出。Jicamarca是研究赤道电离层的最重要的地面仪器，可以观察来自低层，中层和高层大气的回波，电离层、顶部和等离子体发射到近10，000公里的高度。Jicamarca是独一无二的，因为它的高功率（50 MHz的工作频率），它的模块化，以及它接近磁赤道。与其他中间层-平流层-对流层（MST）/非相干散射雷达相比，该频率使其能够在仪器较少的区域探测异常低和异常高的高度。即使在运行几十年后，这些能力也允许进行发现研究，但由于基本维护和升级的推迟，这些能力正在受到影响。新的地面屏将改善增益和波束形状，这直接影响指向精度。波束控制和切换能力沿着增加的功率将使新的和改进的实验得以进行，包括监测赤道扩展F和中间层-平流层-对流层风和湍流，以及行星和太阳雷达实验。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

The NSF-supported Jicamarca Radio Observatory (JRO) in Peru has been operational for over 50 years. This major center for upper atmospheric research, training, and education, currently facilitating the research efforts of investigators supported by NSF's Geospace Programs, NASA, and the U.S. Air Force. The observatory participates in the World Day investigations, which is a globally coordinated observing effort where participating radars make simultaneous measurements of the upper atmosphere. The observatory also performs specialized experiments, maintains a large instrument cluster in partnerships with other investigators, hosts visitors at different professional levels, and conducts internship programs and schools in aeronomy and space weather. JRO is also preparing to support NASA's ICON (Ionospheric Connection Explorer) and GOLD (Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk) missions as well as a NASA sounding rocket campaign in Peru planned tentatively for 2022. This award will support upgrades to the facility to maintain its historically highly productive status. These upgrades are to complete the final half of electronic antenna beam steering upgrade, to entirely replace the deteriorating ground screen that the main antenna sits above, and to upgrade obsolete tube amplifiers to solid state amplifiers which will increase the power output of the antenna.Jicamarca is the foremost ground-based instrument for studying the equatorial ionophere and can observe echoes from the lower, middle, and upper atmosphere, ionosphere, topside, and plasmasphere to an altitude of nearly 10,000 km. Jicamarca is unique because if its high power (50-MHz operating frequency), its modularity, and its proximity to the magnetic equator. The frequency allows it to probe both exceptionally low and exceptionally high altitudes compared to other mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST)/incoherent scatter radars, in a region with few instruments. The capabilities permit discovery research even after several decades of operation but are suffering from the postponement of essential maintenance and upgrades. The new ground screen will improve the gain and the beam shape which directly impacts pointing precision. The beam steering and switching capability along with increased power will enable new and improved experiments to be carried out including monitoring of equatorial spread F and of mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere winds and turbulence, as well as planetary and solar radar experiments.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.