Reflection and refraction by tilted layers: An explanation for VHF aruroal backscatter at large aspect angles

Journal Article · Wed Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1989 · Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/GL016i003p00235· OSTI ID:6451324

Moorcroft, D R

Auroral structures are often accompanied by tilts to the electron density contours on the underside of the E-region. By including the effects of these tilts on radio wave refraction and reflection it is possible to understand many of the previously puzzling observations of VHF auroral backscatter at large angles away from perpendicularity to the earth's magnetic field. It is shown that many of the characteristics of echoes from the VHF Canadian Bistatic Auroral Radar System (BARS) are consistent with this process. For BARS observations for which the tilt hypothesis is correct, the resulting Doppler velocities can be interpreted in the same way as those from STARE, and used to give electric fields and convection patterns over the BARS field of view. copyright American Geophysical Union 1989

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
• OSTI ID: 6451324
• Journal Information: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States), Journal Name: Geophys. Res. Lett.; (United States) Vol. 16:3; ISSN GPRLA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
AURORAE
BACKSCATTERING
CANADA
DATA
E REGION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON DENSITY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INFORMATION
INSTABILITY
IONOSPHERE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA INSTABILITY
PLASMA MACROINSTABILITIES
RADAR
RADIATIONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RANGE FINDERS
SCATTERING
TILTING INSTABILITY