Collision Effects on Charged Particle Densities in the Trail of a Satellite

Abstract

The effects of ion-electron collisions, on the structure of the satellite wake, have been studied. It is found that, in the daytime ionospheric F layer, due to these collisions the periodic variations in the ion and electron densities have largely disappeared at distances behind the vehicle greater than about 1 km. In other regions of the ionosphere, the distance required for the diffusing of the periodic structure scales with density as n0−1/3, where n0 is the ambient electron density. It is suggested that, in their effects on the wake structure ion-electron collisions are generally more important than ion-ion collisions.