Excitation of artificial airglow by high power radio waves from the SURA ionospheric heating facility

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/91GL01847· OSTI ID:5694656

Bernhardt, P A; Scales, W A ^[1]; Grach, S M; Keroshtin, A N; Kotik, D S; Polyakov, S V ^[2]

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1. Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States)
2. Radiophysical Research Inst., Novgorod (USSR)

The SURA facility for generation of high power radio waves, located near the village of Vasil'sursk USSR, operates between 4.5 and 9.0 MHz and has a maximum effective radiated power (ERP) of 300 MW. Nonlinear interactions between the HF radio waves and F-layer plasma occur near the electromagnetic wave reflection point. Energetic electrons are accelerated out of the interaction regions by the electrostatic waves. Ambient oxygen atoms collisionally excited by these suprathermal electrons yield enhanced airglow. Low-light-level, optical measurements were made at SURA during September 1990. Images of enhanced red-line (630 nm) emissions were recorded during radio wave transmissions at 4.786, 5.455, and 5.828 MHz. The antenna radiation pattern, ionospheric irregularities, and the magnetic field orientation affected the shape of the observed airglow structures. The airglow clouds drifted across the night sky, disappeared, and reformed at the zenith of the antenna array. This has been interpreted in terms of radio beam refraction in drifting plasma irregularities and bifurcation when the beam is split between two density cavities. Subject to clear skies, the authors experience indicates that the low-light-level-imaging technique is a reliable method to study large scale irregularities and electron acceleration with high-power HF transmitting facilities.

• OSTI ID: 5694656
• Journal Information: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States), Journal Name: Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union); (United States) Vol. 18:8; ISSN 0094-8276; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ACCELERATION
AIRGLOW
ASIA
ATOM COLLISIONS
COLLISIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELECTRON-ATOM COLLISIONS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EUROPE
EXCITATION
F REGION
FERMIONS
HEATING
INTERACTIONS
IONOSPHERE
LEPTONS
MORPHOLOGY
NONMETALS
OXYGEN
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA HEATING
PLASMA WAVES
RADIATIONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
REFLECTION
USSR