Maximising Impact from Ionospheric Research

电离层是高层大气的一部分，我们对它很熟悉，因为它是我们看到极光的地方。电离层非常重要，因为它会影响无线电信号，从而增强或降低我们的通信和导航能力。例如，英国广播公司的全球服务是用高频无线电信号广播的，只有在遥远的地方才有可能接收到，因为它被电离层折射回地球。在某种程度上，它被上层大气反射，有点像一面镜子。另一方面，你的卫星导航系统以不同的方式受到电离层的影响——有时信号比其他时候延迟得更久，甚至可能在穿过电离层时完全丢失。该奖学金旨在利用有关电离层的研究级信息，在两个领域提高无线电系统的性能：全球导航卫星系统（GNSS, satnav）和高频通信。除了提高这类系统的可靠性和准确性之外，它还有一个影响政策的目标。这一切都将通过对电离层的精确模拟来实现，包括最极端的太空天气事件（如1859年著名的卡灵顿太阳风暴事件）。这些模拟将被转换成下一代GNSS和HF系统的设计人员可以轻松使用的形式。这将确保无线电系统更加准确和可靠，既提高了英国公司的利益，又为我们未来的基础设施提供了弹性。

The ionosphere is the part of the upper atmosphere that is familiar to us as the region where we see the aurora. The ionosphere is very important because it affects radio signals in ways that that can either enhance or degrade our ability to communicate and navigate. For example the BBC world service is broadcast on high-frequency radio signals and is only possible to receive it in remote places because it is refracted back to the Earth by the ionosphere. In a way it is reflected with the upper atmosphere acting a bit like a mirror. On the other hand, your satnav system is affected by the ionosphere in a different way - sometimes the signals are delayed more than other times and may even be lost completely as they pass through the ionosphere.This fellowship is about making use of research level information about the ionosphere to improve the performance of radio systems in two areas: Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, satnav) and high-frequency communications. In addition to the aim of improving the reliability and accuracy of such systems it has a further aim of impacting policy. This will all be achieved by accurate simulations of the ionosphere, including the most extreme space weather events (like the famous Carrington Event of solar storms in 1859). These simulations will be translated in a form that can easily be used by the designers of the next-generation of GNSS and HF systems. This will ensure that radio systems are more accurate and reliable, both enhancing the benefit for UK companies and providing resilience for our infrastructure for the future.