Model Simulation of Artificial Heating of the Daytime High-Latitude F-Region Ionosphere by Powerful High-Frequency Radio Waves

Galina Mingaleva,Victor Mingalev

doi:10.4236/ijg.2014.54035

Galina Mingaleva, Victor Mingalev

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4236/ijg.2014.54035

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Abstract

The large-scale disturbance of the spatial structure of the daytime high-latitude F-region ionosphere, caused by powerful high-frequency radio waves, pumped into the ionosphere by a groundbased ionospheric heater, is studied with the help of the numerical simulation. The mathematical model of the high-latitude ionosphere, developed earlier in the Polar Geophysical Institute, is utilized. The mathematical model takes into account the drift of the ionospheric plasma, strong magnetization of the plasma at F-layer altitudes, geomagnetic field declination, and effect of powerful high-frequency radio waves. The distributions of the ionospheric parameters were calculated on condition that an ionospheric heater, situated at the point with geographic coordinates of the HF heating facility near Tromso, Scandinavia, has been operated, with the ionospheric heater being located on the day side of the Earth. The results of the numerical simulation indicate that artificial heating of the ionosphere by powerful high-frequency waves ought to influence noticeably on the spatial structure of the daytime high-latitude F-region ionosphere in the vicinity of the ionospheric heater.

Highlights

For the investigation of the ionospheric plasma’s properties, experiments with high-power, high-frequency (HF)How to cite this paper: Mingaleva, G. and Mingalev, V. (2014) Model Simulation of Artificial Heating of the Daytime High-Latitude F-Region Ionosphere by Powerful High-Frequency Radio Waves
The purpose of the present paper is to examine how high-power high-frequency radio waves, pumped into the high-latitude ionosphere, influence on the large-scale ionospheric parameters distributions in the horizontal directions at F-layer altitudes
The distributions of the ionospheric parameters were calculated on condition that an ionospheric heater, situated at the point with geographic coordinates of the HF heating facility near Tromso, Scandinavia, has been operated, with the ionospheric heater being located on the day side of the Earth on the magnetic meridian of 15.00 MLT

Summary

Introduction

For the investigation of the ionospheric plasma’s properties, experiments with high-power, high-frequency (HF)How to cite this paper: Mingaleva, G. and Mingalev, V. (2014) Model Simulation of Artificial Heating of the Daytime High-Latitude F-Region Ionosphere by Powerful High-Frequency Radio Waves. For the investigation of the ionospheric plasma’s properties, experiments with high-power, high-frequency (HF). Mingalev radio waves, pumped into the ionosphere by a ground-based ionospheric heater, were successfully used during the last four decades. For this investigation, some high-power radio wave heaters have been built over the world. Experiments with high-power, high-frequency radio waves indicate that these radio waves cause the variety of physical processes in the ionospheric plasma. Some of such processes can result in the large-scale disturbances of the height profiles of the ionospheric parameters at F-layer altitudes (above approximately 150 km). The experiments indicated that powerful HF waves can produce significant large-scale variations in the electron temperatures and densities at F-layer altitudes [1]-[21]

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