Phenomenology of transionospheric pulse pairs: Further observations

Abstract

We report on further observations of transionospheric pulse pairs (TIPPs), which are the most powerful transient radio signals observed by the Blackbeard broadband digital radio receiver on the ALEXIS satellite. The source of these signals is unknown but appears to be associated with thunderstorm activity. The signals do not resemble those reported for known lightning processes. We have previously reported observations of these events in the frequency band 28‐95 MHz. In this paper we report observations of TIPPs in the 117‐ to 166‐MHz band, with the subsatellite point situated over the contiguous United States. The main results are that the measured pulse parameter statistics are nearly the same as reported for the low‐frequency events, with the exception that the pulse separation distribution is biased toward smaller values in the high‐frequency observations. The radiated power does not drop off appreciably even at 166 MHz, which further constrains the possible size and timescale of the source(s). We also report results of experiments designed to measure the apparent reflectivity of dry, flat ground at frequencies around 100 MHz. We find that the apparent reflectivity can exceed 90%. This result helps to explain how the second pulse in a TIPP can have so much energy relative to the first.