Electric field and plasma density measurements in the strongly driven daytime equatorial electroject. 1. The unstable layer and gradient drift waves
Electric field and plasma density instrumentation on board a sounding rocket launched from Punta Lobos, Peru, detected intense electrostatic waves indicative of plasma instabilities in the daytime equatorial electrojet. Simultaneous measurements taken by the Jicamarca radar showed strong 3-m type 1 electrojet echoes as well as evidence of kilometer scale horizontally propagating waves. The in situ electric field wave spectra displayed three markedly different height regions within the unstable layer: (1) a two-stream region on the topside between 103 and 111 km where the electron current was considered to be strongest, (2) a gradient drift region between 90 and 106.5 km wher the upward directed, zero-order electron density gradient was unstable, and (3) an ''interaction'' region between 103 and 106.5 km where both of these instabilities were linearly unstable. The unstable altitudes and differentiation showed good agreement with the simultaneous 3-m Jicamarca backscatter radar observations.
- Research Organization:
- Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
- OSTI ID:
- 5671501
- Journal Information:
- J. Geophys. Res.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Geophys. Res.; (United States) Vol. 92:A12; ISSN JGREA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BOUNDARY LAYERS
CURRENTS
DAILY VARIATIONS
DISPERSION RELATIONS
DRIFT INSTABILITY
E REGION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTROJETS
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRON PLASMA WAVES
ELECTRON SPECTRA
INSTABILITY
IONOSPHERE
LAYERS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MICROINSTABILITIES
PLASMA WAVES
RADAR
RANGE FINDERS
ROCKETS
SPECTRA
TWO-STREAM INSTABILITY
VARIATIONS