Abstract
Abstract. A two-stage VS-30 Orion rocket was launched from the equatorial rocket launching station in Alcântara, Brazil, on 8 December 2012 soon after sunset (19:00 LT), carrying a Langmuir probe operating alternately in swept and constant bias modes. At the time of launch, ground equipment operated at equatorial stations showed rapid rise in the base of the F layer, indicating the pre-reversal enhancement of the F region vertical drift and creating ionospheric conditions favorable for the generation of plasma bubbles. Vertical profiles of electron density estimated from Langmuir probe data showed wave patterns and small- and medium-scale plasma irregularities in the valley region (100–300 km) during the rocket upleg and downleg. These irregularities resemble those detected by the very high frequency (VHF) radar installed at Jicamarca and so-called equatorial quasi-periodic echoes. We present evidence suggesting that these observations could be the first detection of this type of irregularity made by instruments onboard a rocket.
Highlights
Many ionospheric studies using rocket-borne probes have focused their attention on nighttime equatorial plasma irregularities
It is well established that vertical rise in the F layer base, as observed by ionosondes, is associated with a pre-reversal enhancement (PRE) in the vertical plasma drift
The variation of the virtual height for both stations, depicted in Fig. 5, shows a rapid upward movement of the F layer at São Luís starting around 18:50 LT (21:50 UT) and during the local sunset
Summary
Many ionospheric studies using rocket-borne probes have focused their attention on nighttime equatorial plasma irregularities. Data from other studies show irregular structures in the electron concentration in the F valley region (Abdu et al, 1991; Vickrey et al, 1984; Sinha et al, 1999; Raizada and Sinha, 2000; Hysell et al, 2005; Muralikrishna and Abdu, 2006), up to now, only Vickrey et al (1984) and Raizada and Sinha (2000) have analyzed the irregularities detected in this region Both studies used measurements obtained using a Langmuir probe onboard rockets that flew in low-latitude trajectories. The vertical distribution of electron density was obtained using a Langmuir probe as a payload of a twostage rocket, which flew toward the magnetic equator from the rocket launching station in Alcântara, Brazil Both the upleg and downleg profiles, showed small- and medium-scale plasma irregularities in the intermediate region between the E and F layers. We will conclude by summing up our results and considerations
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