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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 235 records · Page 13

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NASA NTRS1993

Sub-Daily Northern Hemisphere Ionospheric Maps Using the IGS GPS Network

Ionospheric total electron content (TEC) data derived from dual-frequency GPS signals from 30 globally distributed IGS network sites are fit to a simple ionospheric shell model, yielding, simultaneously, values for the satellite and receiver biases, and a map of the ionosphere in the northern hemisphere every 12 hours during the period of Jan. 1-15, 1993. RMS residuals of 2-3 TEC units are observed over the 20-80 degree latitude band. Various systematic errors affecting the TEC estimates are discussed. The capability of using these global maps to produce ionosphere calibrations for sites at which no GPS data are available is investigated.

ionospheric total electron content GPS global iono↗

DOE OSTI2015

Ionospheric acoustic and gravity waves associated with midlatitude thunderstorms

Acoustic waves with periods of 2–4 min and gravity waves with periods of 6–16 min have been detected at ionospheric heights (25–350 km) using GPS total electron content measurements. The area disturbed by these waves and the wave amplitudes have been associated with underlying thunderstorm activity. A statistical study comparing Next Generation Weather Radar thunderstorm measurements with ionospheric acoustic and gravity waves in the midlatitude U.S. Great Plains region was performed for the time period of May–July 2005. An increase of ionospheric acoustic wave disturbed area and amplitude is primarily associated with large thunderstorms (mesoscale convective systems). Ionospheric gravity wave disturbed area and amplitude scale with thunderstorm activity, with even small storms (i.e., individual storm cells) producing an increase of gravity waves.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Ionospheric Disturbances in GNSS TEC Data: SpaceX Falcon 9 Deorbit Maneuvers Over CONUS in April–May 2024

Traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) driven by a large number of internal and external sources are detectable with dense networks of ground‐based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers' measurements of total electron content (TEC). We present the newly developed System for Rapid Analysis of Ionospheric Dynamics (S‐RAID), providing data and visual GNSS TEC products of TIDs of periods ~2–120 min and horizontal resolution up to tens of kilometers for years 2017–2024. The S‐RAID data reveal myriad natural and anthropogenic TIDs from meteorology and space weather, and from human spaceflight activities. In this report, we focus on new prominent disturbances found during SpaceX second stage deorbit maneuvers in April–May 2024. Signatures include waves emanating from the Falcon's trajectory above California and depletions following its deorbit and passage over Arizona. These findings suggest further opportunities to detect and quantify small‐scale events in the ionosphere as well as to understand the responses of the atmosphere‐ionosphere system to known inputs.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

Electromagnetic fluctuations generated in the boundary layer of laboratory-created ionospheric depletions

Ionospheric depletions, produced by release of attachment chemicals into the ionosphere, were widely investigated and taken as a potential technique for the artificial modification of space weather. In this work, we reported the experimental evidence of spontaneously generated electromagnetic fluctuations in the boundary layer of laboratory-created ionospheric depletions. These depletions were produced by releasing attachment chemicals into the ambient plasmas. Electron density gradients and sheared flows arose in the boundary layer between the ambient and the negative ions plasmas. These generated electromagnetic fluctuations with fundamental frequency f{sub 0} = 70 kHz lie in the lower hybrid frequency range, and the mode propagates with angles smaller than 90° (0.3π–0.4π) relative to the magnetic field. Our results revealed that these observed structures were most likely due to electromagnetic components of the electron-ion hybrid instability. This research demonstrates that electromagnetic fluctuations also can be excited during active release experiments, which should be considered as an essential ingredient in the boundary layer processes of ionospheric depletions.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS2006

Impact of the Ionosphere on an L-band Space Based Radar

We have quantified the impact that the ionosphere would have on a L-band interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mission using a combination of simulation, modeling, Global Positioning System (GPS) data collected during the last solar maximum, and existing spaceborne SAR data. We conclude that, except for high latitude scintillation related effects, the ionosphere will not significantly impact the performance of an L-band InSAR mission in an appropriate orbit. We evaluated the strength of the ionospheric irregularities using GPS scintillation data collected at Fairbanks, Alaska and modeled the impact of these irregularities on azimuth resolution, azimuth displacement, peak sidelobe ratio (PSLR), and integrated sidelobe ratio (ISLR). Although we predict that less than 5% of auroral zone data would show scintillation related artifacts, certain sites imaged near the equinoxes could be effected up to 25% of the time because the frequency of occurrence of scintillation is a strong function of season and local time of day. Our examination of ionospheric artifacts observed in InSAR data has revealed that the artifacts occur primarily in the polar cap data, not auroral zone data as was previously thought.

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) ionospheres↗

NASA NTRS2013

Superthermal Electron Energy Interchange in the Ionosphere-Plasmasphere System

A self-consistent approach to superthermal electron (SE) transport along closed field lines in the inner magnetosphere is used to examine the concept of plasmaspheric transparency, magnetospheric trapping, and SE energy deposition to the thermal electrons. The dayside SE population is generated both by photoionization of the thermosphere and by secondary electron production from impact ionization when the photoelectrons collide with upper atmospheric neutral particles. It is shown that a self-consistent approach to this problem produces significant changes, in comparison with other approaches, in the SE energy exchange between the plasmasphere and the two magnetically conjugate ionospheres. In particular, plasmaspheric transparency can vary by a factor of two depending on the thermal plasma content along the field line and the illumination conditions of the two conjugate ionospheres. This variation in plasmaspheric transparency as a function of thermal plasma and ionospheric conditions increases with L-shell, as the field line gets longer and the equatorial pitch angle extent of the fly-through zone gets smaller. The inference drawn from these results is that such a self-consistent approach to SE transport and energy deposition should be included to ensure robustness in ionosphere-magnetosphere modeling networks.

Heliophysics↗

NASA NTRS2014

Design, Development, Implementation, and On-Orbit Performance of the Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment Mission

Funded by the NSF CubeSat and NASA ELaNa programs, the Dynamic Ionosphere CubeSat Experiment (DICE) mission consists of two 1.5U (1.5 Unit) CubeSats which were launched into an eccentric low Earth orbit on October 28, 2011. Each identical spacecraft carries two Langmuir probes to measure ionospheric in-situ plasma densities, electric field probes to measure in-situ DC and AC electric fields, and a science grade magnetometer to measure in-situ DC and AC magnetic fields. Given the tight integration of these multiple sensors with the CubeSat platforms, each of the DICE spacecraft is effectively a sensor-sat capable of comprehensive ionospheric diagnostics. The use of two identical sensor-sats at slightly different orbiting velocities in nearly identical orbits permits the deconvolution of spatial and temporal ambiguities in the observations of the ionosphere from a moving platform. In addition to demonstrating nanosat-based constellation science, the DICE mission is advancing a number of groundbreaking CubeSat technologies including miniaturized mechanisms and high-speed downlink communications.

DICE↗

NASA NTRS2023

Mesoscale Phenomena and Their Contribution to the Global Response: A Focus on the Magnetotail Transition Region and Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling

An important question that is being increasingly studied across subdisciplines of Heliophysics is “how do mesoscale phenomena contribute to the global response of the system?” This review paper focuses on this question within two specific but interlinked regions in Near-Earth space: the magnetotail’s transition region to the inner magnetosphere and the ionosphere. There is a concerted effort within the Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) community to understand the degree to which mesoscale transport in the magnetotail contributes to the global dynamics of magnetic flux transport and dipolarization, particle transport and injections contributing to the storm-time ring current development, and the substorm current wedge. Because the magnetosphere-ionosphere is a tightly coupled system, it is also important to understand how mesoscale transport in the magnetotail impacts auroral precipitation and the global ionospheric system response. Groups within the Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions Program (CEDAR) community have also been studying how the ionosphere-thermosphere responds to these mesoscale drivers. These specific open questions are part of a larger need to better characterize and quantify mesoscale “messengers” or “conduits” of information—magnetic flux, particle flux, current, and energy—which are key to understanding the global system. After reviewing recent progress and open questions, we suggest datasets that, if developed in the future, will help answer these questions.

transition region↗

DOE OSTI2016

A new ionospheric electron precipitation module coupled with RAM-SCB within the geospace general circulation model

Electron precipitation down to the atmosphere due to wave-particle scattering in the magnetosphere contributes significantly to the auroral ionospheric conductivity. In order to obtain the auroral conductivity in global MHD models that are incapable of capturing kinetic physics in the magnetosphere, MHD parameters are often used to estimate electron precipitation flux for the conductivity calculation. Such an MHD approach, however, lacks self-consistency in representing the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling processes. In this study we improve the coupling processes in global models with a more physical method. We calculate the physics-based electron precipitation from the ring current and map it to the ionospheric altitude for solving the ionospheric electrodynamics. In particular, we use the BATS-R-US (Block Adaptive Tree Scheme-Roe type-Upstream) MHD model coupled with the kinetic ring current model RAM-SCB (Ring current-Atmosphere interaction Model with Self-Consistent Magnetic field (B)) that solves pitch angle-dependent electron distribution functions, to study the global circulation dynamics during the 25–26 January 2013 storm event. Since the electron precipitation loss is mostly governed by wave-particle resonant scattering in the magnetosphere, we further investigate two loss methods of specifying electron precipitation loss associated with wave-particle interactions: (1) using pitch angle diffusion coefficients D αα (E,α) determined from the quasi-linear theory, with wave spectral and plasma density obtained from statistical observations (named as “diffusion coefficient method”) and (2) using electron lifetimes τ(E) independent on pitch angles inferred from the above diffusion coefficients (named as “lifetime method”). We found that both loss methods demonstrate similar temporal evolution of the trapped ring current electrons, indicating that the impact of using different kinds of loss rates is small on the trapped electron population. Furthermore, for the precipitated electrons, the lifetime method hardly captures any precipitation in the large L shell (i.e., 4 < L < 6.5) region, while the diffusion coefficient method produces much better agreement with NOAA/POES measurements, including the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of electron precipitation in the region from the premidnight through the dawn to the dayside. Further comparisons of the precipitation energy flux to DMSP observations indicates that the new physics-based precipitation approach using diffusion coefficients for the ring current electron loss can explain the diffuse electron precipitation in the dawn sector, such as the enhanced precipitation flux at auroral latitudes and flux drop near the subauroral latitudes, but the traditional MHD approach largely overestimates the precipitation flux at lower latitudes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

Can an electron gun solve the outstanding problem of magnetosphere-ionosphere connectivity?

Determining the magnetic connectivity between magnetospheric phenomena and ionospheric phenomena is an outstanding problem of magnetospheric and ionospheric physics. Accurately establishing this connectivity could answer a variety of long-standing questions. The most viable option to solve this is by means of a high-power electron beam fired from a magnetospheric spacecraft and spotted at its magnetic footpoint in the ionosphere. This has technical difficulties. Progress has been made on mitigating the major issue of spacecraft charging. The remaining physics issues are identified, together with the need for a synergistic effort in modeling, laboratory experiments, and, ultimately, testing in space. The goal of this commentary is to stimulate awareness and interest on the magnetosphere-ionosphere connectivity problem and possibly accelerate progress toward its solution.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2019

Mars Dust Storm Effects in the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere and Implications for Atmospheric Carbon Loss

Mars regional and global dust storms are able to impact the lower/upper atmospheres through dust aerosol radiative heating and cooling and atmospheric circulation. Here we present the first attempt to globally investigate how the dust impact transfers from the neutral upper atmosphere to the ionosphere and the induced magnetosphere above 100-km altitude. This is achieved by running a multifluid magnetohydrodynamic model under nondusty and dusty atmospheric conditions for the 2017 late-winter regional storm and the 1971–1972 global storm. In this paper, our results show that the dayside main ionospheric layer (below ~250-km altitude) undergoes an overall upwelling, where photochemical reactions dominate. The peak electron density remains unchanged, and the peak altitude shift is in accordance with the upper atmospheric expansion (~5 and ~15 km for the regional and global storms, respectively). Controlled by the day-to-night transport, the nightside ionosphere responds to the dust storms in a close connection with what happens on the dayside but not apparently with the ambient atmospheric change. At higher altitudes, dust-induced perturbations propagate upward from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere and extend from the dayside to the nightside, within a broad region bounded by the induced magnetospheric boundary. It is found that the global dust storm is able to dramatically enhance the CO⁺₂ loss by a factor of ~3, which amounts to an increase of ~20% or more for total carbon loss (in the forms of neutrals and ions). Strong dust storms are a potentially important factor in atmospheric evolution at Mars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

On the Ion Precipitation due to Field Line Curvature (FLC) and EMIC Wave Scattering and Their Subsequent Impact on Ionospheric Electrodynamics

Both field line curvature (FLC) and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) wave scattering are believed to be associated with energetic ion precipitation, but their relative contributions to ionospheric ion precipitation and subsequent effects are still unclear. Here, in this study, by using a kinetic ring current model, we investigate their impact on the ionosphere from two aspects: the global distribution of ion precipitation and resulting ionospheric conductance. Our results show that the intensity and coverage of ion precipitation due to EMIC waves are larger than that due to FLC scattering, while the latter mostly contributes to ion precipitation in outer regions (L > 4–5). We then estimate the conductance with empirical models using the simulated ion precipitation energy flux. When the EMIC wave associated proton precipitation is included, the conductance is significantly enhanced in the dusk-to-midnight sector and has a wide magnetic latitude (MLAT) range from around 52° to 62°, considerably altering the electric potential in the dusk sector, which further influences particle dynamics in the magnetosphere. On the contrary, the proton precipitation caused by FLC scattering only occurs at higher latitudes above MLAT = 60° and the corresponding conductance is slightly enhanced at midnight, with negligible influence on the convective electric potential. Although electron precipitation-associated conductance is predominant globally, the results show that proton precipitation can also play an important role in ionospheric electrodynamics, especially when EMIC wave-associated precipitating proton energy flux exceeds that of electrons in the dusk sector, a region where many subauroral coupling processes occur.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Effects of EMIC Wave-Driven Proton Precipitation on the Ionosphere

In this report we investigate the proton precipitation caused by electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves and its impact on the ionosphere with the self-consistent ring current-atmosphere interactions model (RAM-SCBE) coupled with an ionospheric particle transport model Global Airglow (GLOW). The EMIC wave diffusion process causes significant precipitation of tens of keV protons, particularly in the afternoon to midnight sector. These precipitating energetic protons further impact the ionosphere-thermosphere and contribute to the ionization in the E/F regions. The integrated auroral conductance is significantly enhanced in the dusk-to-midnight sector. Although the EMIC waves do not directly interact with the ring current electrons, after the EMIC wave scattering included in the model, remarkable changes are found in the global distribution of precipitating electron flux. This means that the addition of proton precipitation driven by EMIC waves results in feedback effects on the ring current electron dynamics through the circulation system. Validation is also conducted by comparing the simulated precipitation flux and ionospheric electron density with observations.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2014

The response of plasma density to breaking inertial gravity wave in the lower regions of ionosphere

We present a three-dimensional numerical study for the E and lower F region ionosphere coupled with the neutral atmosphere dynamics. This model is developed based on a previous ionospheric model that examines the transport patterns of plasma density given a prescribed neutral atmospheric flow. Inclusion of neutral dynamics in the model allows us to examine the charge-neutral interactions over the full evolution cycle of an inertial gravity wave when the background flow spins up from rest, saturates and eventually breaks. Using Lagrangian analyses, we show the mixing patterns of the ionospheric responses and the formation of ionospheric layers. The corresponding plasma density in this flow develops complex wave structures and small-scale patches during the gravity wave breaking event.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Ionospheric very low frequency transmitter

The theme of this paper is to establish a reliable ionospheric very low frequency (VLF) transmitter, which is also broad band. Two approaches are studied that generate VLF waves in the ionosphere. The first, classic approach employs a ground-based HF heater to directly modulate the high latitude ionospheric, or auroral electrojet. In the classic approach, the intensity-modulated HF heater induces an alternating current in the electrojet, which serves as a virtual antenna to transmit VLF waves. The spatial and temporal variations of the electrojet impact the reliability of the classic approach. The second, beat-wave approach also employs a ground-based HF heater; however, in this approach, the heater operates in a continuous wave mode at two HF frequencies separated by the desired VLF frequency. Theories for both approaches are formulated, calculations performed with numerical model simulations, and the calculations are compared to experimental results. Theory for the classic approach shows that an HF heater wave, intensity-modulated at VLF, modulates the electron temperature dependent electrical conductivity of the ionospheric electrojet, which, in turn, induces an ac electrojet current. Thus, the electrojet becomes a virtual VLF antenna. The numerical results show that the radiation intensity of the modulated electrojet decreases with an increase in VLF radiation frequency. Theory for the beat wave approach shows that the VLF radiation intensity depends upon the HF heater intensity rather than the electrojet strength, and yet this approach can also modulate the electrojet when present. HF heater experiments were conducted for both the intensity modulated and beat wave approaches. VLF radiations were generated and the experimental results confirm the numerical simulations. Theory and experimental results both show that in the absence of the electrojet, VLF radiation from the F-region is generated via the beat wave approach. Additionally, the beat wave approach generates VLF radiations over a larger frequency band than by the modulated electrojet.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

NASA NTRS1973

Propagation studies using a theoretical ionosphere model

The mid-latitude ionospheric and neutral atmospheric models are coupled with an advanced three dimensional ray tracing program to see what success would be obtained in predicting the wave propagation conditions and to study to what extent the use of theoretical ionospheric models is practical. The Penn State MK 1 ionospheric model, the Mitra-Rowe D region model, and the Groves' neutral atmospheric model are used throughout this work to represent the real electron densities and collision frequencies. The Faraday rotation and differential Doppler velocities from satellites, the propagation modes for long distance high frequency propagation, the group delays for each mode, the ionospheric absorption, and the spatial loss are all predicted.

Lee, M.↗

NASA NTRS1973

The electron content of the southern mid-latitude ionosphere, 1965-1971.

Continuous accurate records of the electron content of the ionosphere are obtained at Auckland (ionosphere point at 34 deg S geographic, 38 deg geomagnetic) and at Invercargill (42 deg S geographic, 47 deg geomagnetic). Mean hourly values scaled from these records are used to show the average diurnal, seasonal and solar cycle changes in the ionosphere from June 1965 to August 1971. The mean daytime electron content shows no seasonal anomaly at any stage of the solar cycle, at 34 deg S. There is some anomaly at 42 deg S, particularly near solar maximum. The anomaly becomes quite marked in terms of peak density because of a contraction of the ionosphere in winter. The mean amplitude of the day-to-day fluctuations in electron content shows no appreciable solar cycle change.

Titheridge, J. E.↗

NASA NTRS1973

High latitude ionospheric winds related to solar-interplanetary conditions

Treated jointly, two recent results imply that the distribution of winds in the polar ionosphere should change as a function of the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field. (1) From the motions of chemically released ion and neutral clouds, it is apparent that neutral winds in the high latitude ionosphere are driven principally by ion drag forces. (2) OGO-6 electric field measurements have demonstrated that there are definite relationships between the time-latitude distribution of ionospheric plasma convection and interplanetary magnetic field parameters, and also that the distribution is most sensitive to the azimuthal angle of the interplanetary field. Although direct neutral wind to interplanetary magnetic field comparisons are not available, logic clearly implies a close relationship. The lower altitude, meteorological effects of these externally driven ionospheric winds are not known. However, observations of infrasonic waves following sudden ionization enhancements indicate the existence of momentum transfer.

Heppner, J. P.↗