Ionospheric turbulence: case studies in equatorial spread F and development of a rocket-borne interferometer

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6736686

LaBelle, III, J W

In March, 1983, two rockets were launched into the disturbed nighttime equatorial F-region from Punta Lobos, Peru. The plasma density measurements from these flights confirm that the topside spread F plumes identifiable in the backscatter power maps produced at the nearby Jicamarca Radar Observatory are correlated with large scale (approx.20 km) density depletions. The downward gradients of these depletions are highly structured, consistent with the linear theory of the gravitational instability. The wavenumber spectrum associated with these density irregularities occasionally exhibits a k/sup -1.5/ form for wavelengths longer than about one kilometer, as reported previously by Rina et al. (1981). These observations are shown to be consistent with the nonlinear theory of Sudan and Keskinen (1984), although they also may be explained by at least two linear mechanisms: the generation of turbulence on the steepened walls of spread F bubbles, and the nonlocal role of the E-region in the development of spread F.

• Research Organization: Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6736686
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
E REGION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EQUATOR
F REGION
GRAVITATIONAL INSTABILITY
INSTABILITY
IONOSPHERE
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA DENSITY
PLASMA INSTABILITY
SPREAD F