Self-oscillations and bunching of striations in ionospheric modifications

Abstract

Abstract Based on the theory of stationary striations created in ionospheric modifications by powerful radio waves, as developed by Gurevich et al. [Phys. Lett. A 206 (1995) 247], the existence of self-oscillations of striations and of a large scale nonlinear structuring in a modified region is predicted. The theory is shown to be in agreement with existing observational data. Direct in situ rocket measurements of the electron temperature inside the striations, analogous to the recent plasma density measurements [M.C. Kelley et al., J. Geophys. Res. 100 (1995) 17 367], are desirable.