Results of Zarnitza-2, a rocket experiment on artificial electron beam injection in the ionosphere

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1981 · Adv. Space Res.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0273-1177(81)90268-4· OSTI ID:5022056

Dokukin, V S ^[1]; Markeev, A K; Mishin, E V

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1. Institut Zemnogo Magnetizma, Ionosfery i Rasprostraneniia Radiovolin, Troitsk, USSR

An investigation of an artificial electron beam injection into the ionosphere, carried out September 11, 1975, on the Zarnitsa-2 experiment, is described. Two beams of electrons were injected: (1) with an energy of 9.3 keV and a beam current of 270 mA, (altitude range of 109-136 km) and (2) with an energy of 7 kev and a beam current of 450 mA (altitude range of 136-154 km). Special attention was paid to radio emissions in the near rocket region at frequencies 10 times higher than the plasma and cyclotron frequencies of the undisturbed ionosphere plasma. The observed luminosity in the near-rocket region suggests an increase of the number of ionospheric electrons with energies at least up to several eV, attributable to: (1) acceleration by the rocket's electric field, and (2) heating by beam-generated plasma oscillations. The latter was found to be of primary importance, and a collective heating mechanism, giving rise to an avalanche-type plasma-density increase in a sufficiently dense neutral atmosphere is discussed.

• OSTI ID: 5022056
• Report Number(s): CONF-8006190-
• Journal Information: Adv. Space Res.; (United States), Vol. 1:2; Conference: COSPAR topical meeting on life sciences and space research, Budapest, Hungary, 2 Jun 1980
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
IONOSPHERE
ELECTRON BEAM INJECTION
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
BEAM CURRENTS
CYCLOTRON FREQUENCY
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
LANGMUIR FREQUENCY
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
ROCKETS
BEAM INJECTION
CURRENTS
DATA
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INFORMATION
INTERACTIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
RADIATIONS
640201* - Atmospheric Physics- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena