A ten year summary was given of university research on the nature and characteristics of space related plasma resonance phenomena, whistler propagation in laboratory plasmas, and theoretical and experimental studies of plasma wave propagation. Data are also given on long delayed echoes, low frequency instabilities, ionospheric heating, and backscatter, and pulse propagation. A list is included of all conference papers, publications, and reports resulting from the study.
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), PLASMA WAVES, RESONANCE, WAVE PROPAGATION, BACKSCATTERING,...
We examined the various likely processes for creating the cavities and found that the mirror force acting on the transversely heated ions is the most likely mechanism. The pondermotive force causing the wave collapse was found to be a much weaker force than the mirror force on the transversely heated ions observed inside the cavities along with the lower hybrid waves. Using a hydrodynamic model for the polar wind we modeled the cavity formation and found that for the heating rate obtained from...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), EARTH IONOSPHERE, IONOSPHERIC HEATING, IONS, PLASMA HEATING,...
This technical paper describes the occurrence of magnetosonic waves in the dayside and nightside polar magnetosphere and the roles that these waves can play in the heating of ions in the ionosphere. Plasma waves near the auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) source regions is studied, using wave data obtained from both the Galileo and DE-1. During the Galileo encounter with the Earth in 1992, very intense auroral kilometric radiation was observed. The high spectral resolution obtained by the...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), AURORAS, IONOSPHERIC HEATING, MAGNETOACOUSTIC WAVES,...
The additional energy requirements of the topside ionosphere during a magnetic storm are less than one quarter of the ring current energy. This energy is supplied largely by Coulomb collisions of ring current protons of energy less than about 20 keV with background thermal electrons which conduct the heat to the ionosphere. Past criticisms are discussed of this mechanism for the supply of energy to the SAR-arc and neighboring regions of the ionosphere.
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), COULOMB COLLISIONS, HEAT SOURCES, IONOSPHERIC HEATING, RING...
This project deals with the coupling of electromagnetic energy released during a thunderstorm to the magnetosphere and the ionosphere. Both the effects of an individual lightning event as well the aggregate of all the lightning events during a thunderstorm are considered. Energy in the very low frequency (VLF) band can play a variety of roles in the magnetospheric and ionospheric physics: generation of plasmaspheric hiss believed to be responsible for the slot region in the radiation belts,...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), EARTH IONOSPHERE, EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE, ELECTROMAGNETIC...
The thermal electron heating rate is an important heat source term in the ionospheric electron energy balance equation, representing heating by photoelectrons or by precipitating higher energy electrons. A formula for the thermal electron heating rate is derived from the kinetic equation using the electron-electron collision operator as given by the unified theory of Kihara and Aono. This collision operator includes collective interactions to produce a finite collision operator with an exact...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), ELECTRON ENERGY, HEATING, IONOSPHERIC HEATING, PARTICLE...
A program of research and exploratory development was undertaken to assess the potential impact of Satellite Power System operation on the ionosphere. The program relies on the utilization of ground-based ionospheric heating facilities in order to simulate the ionospheric heating that will come from the Satellite Power System. Thus far, the experimental program directed toward assessing telecommunications impacts has received the most attention, and little impact was observed on VLF, LF, and MF...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), IONOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES, MICROWAVE TRANSMISSION, RADIO...
Evidence is presented for the occurrence of natural irregularities at midlatitude based on scintillation measurements by the use of VHF and GHz transmission from geostationary satellites, and from satellite in-situ measurements. An effort to determine the phase and intensity scintillation effects during ionospheric heating is described along with proposed measurements related to the detection, lifetimes, and drift of artificial irregularities generated by ionospheric heating in the underdense...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), IONOSPHERIC PROPAGATION, PHASE CONTROL, SIGNAL DISTORTION,...
In an initial study, the He(+) observations from the Retarding Ion Mass Spectrometer on Dynamics Explorer 1 (RIMS/DE 1) was examined for more than 120 transits of the plasmasphere in the fall of 1981. The He(+) to H(+) ratio was determined as it varied spatially over portions of the DE 1 orbit, and its variation with solar and magnetic activities and with local time, focusing specifically on the inner plasmasphere. These variations were compared along the L = 2 field line with calculations made...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), PLASMASPHERE, PLASMA DENSITY, MAGNETIC VARIATIONS, SOLAR...
No abstract available
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), PLASMASPHERE, REFILLING, EARTH IONOSPHERE, THERMOSPHERE,...
A solar power satellite microwave power density of 20mw sq cm was confirmed as the level where nonlinear interactions may occur in the ionosphere, particularly at 100 km altitude. Radio wave heating at this altitude, produced at the Arecibo Observatory, yielded negative results for radio wave heating of an underdense ionosphere. Overdense heating produced striations in the ionosphere which may cause severe radio frequency interference problems under certain conditions. The effects of thermal...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), BEAMS (RADIATION), IONOSPHERIC PROPAGATION, MICROWAVE...
Godunov-type numerical solution of the 20 moment plasma transport equations. One of the centerpieces of our proposal was the development of a higher order Godunov-type numerical scheme to solve the gyration dominated 20 moment transport equations. In the first step we explored some fundamental analytic properties of the 20 moment transport equations for a low b plasma, including the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of propagating disturbances. The eigenvalues correspond to wave speeds, while the...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), DYNAMIC MODELS, FLOW EQUATIONS, HEAT TRANSMISSION,...
Research supported by this grant is divided into three basic topics of investigation. These are: (1) Plasma waves in the Venus magnetosheath, (2) Plasma waves in the Venus foreshock and solar wind, (3) plasma waves in the Venus nightside ionosphere and ionotail. The main issues addressed in the first area - Plasma waves in the Venus magnetosheath - dealt with the wave modes observed in the magnetosheath and upper ionosphere, and whether these waves are a significant source of heating for the...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), BOW WAVES, PIONEER VENUS 1 SPACECRAFT, PLANETARY IONOSPHERES,...
Technical and economic tradeoffs of smaller solar power satellite systems configured with larger antennas, reduced output power, and smaller rectennas, are considered. The differential costs in electricity for seven antenna/rectenna configurations operating at 2.45 GHz and five satellite systems operating at 5.8 GHz are calculated. Two 2.45 GHz configurations dependent upon the ionospheric power density limit are chosen as examples. If the ionospheric limit could be increased to 54 mW sq/cm...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), ANTENNA DESIGN, COST ANALYSIS, ENERGY CONVERSION EFFICIENCY,...
In response to inconsistencies which have arisen in results from a hydrodynamic model in simulation of high ion temperature (1-2 eV) observed in low density, outer plasmasphere flux tubes, we postulate a reduced thermal conductivity coefficient in which only particles in the loss cone of the quasi-collisionless plasma contribute to the thermal conduction. Other particles are assumed to magnetically mirror before they reach the topside ionosphere and therefore not to remove thermal energy from...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), CONDUCTIVE HEAT TRANSFER, ION TEMPERATURE, IONOSPHERIC...
This research program focused on the construction of several key radio wave diagnostics in support of the HF Active Auroral Ionospheric Research Program (HAARP). Project activities led to the design, development, and fabrication of a variety of hardware units and to the development of several menu-driven software packages for data acquisition and analysis. The principal instrumentation includes an HF (28 MHz) radar system, a VHF (50 MHz) radar system, and a high-speed radar processor consisting...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), IONOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES, RADAR RECEPTION, AURORAS, RADIO...
The results from studies on polar wind ion heating due to kinetic ion beam instabilities and the effects of such ion heating on the outflow of O(+) in the polar wind are presented and discussed. First, the linear instabilities associated with an O(+) and H(+) polar wind plasma in the presence of O(+) and H(+) beams for a range of O(+)/H(+) beam densities, T(sub e)/T(sub i), and ion beam speeds were examined. Then, nonlinear heating of the polar wind ions was studied, using numerical...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), HEAVY IONS, HYDROGEN IONS, ION BEAMS, IONOSPHERIC HEATING,...
The Global Geospace Science (GGS) Project is discussed as part of the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) Science Initiative. The objectives of Polar Plasma Laboratory (POLAR), one of the two spacecraft to be used by the Project to fill critical gaps in the scientific understanding of solar and plasma physics, are outlined. POLAR Laboratory is described, along with POLAR instrumentation, support subsystems, and orbits. Launch vehicle and injection into orbit are also addressed.
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), SOLAR TERRESTRIAL INTERACTIONS, SOLAR WIND, NEUTRAL...
Topics and investigations covering this period of this semiannual report period (August 1994 - January 1995) are as follows: (1) Generalized SemiKinetic (GSK) modeling of the synergistic interaction of transverse heating of ionospheric ions and magnetospheric plasma-driven electric potentials on the auroral plasma transport. Also, presentations of GSK modeling of auroral electron precipitation effects on ionospheric plasma outflows, of ExB effects on such outflow, and on warm plasma...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), ATMOSPHERIC IONIZATION, ATMOSPHERIC MODELS, EARTH ATMOSPHERE,...
A brief description of the major activities pursued during the last year (March 1994 - February 1995) of this grant are: (1) the development of a 200 km to 1 Re, O(+) H(+) Model; (2) the extension of the E x B convection heating study to include centrifugal effects; (3) the study of electron precipitation effects; (4) the study of wave heating of O(+); and (5) the polar wind acceleration study. A list of both papers published and papers submitted, along with a proposal for next year's study and...
Topics: NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS), ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY, ATMOSPHERIC MODELS, COLLISIONAL...
