Study on the scale distribution of the field-aligned irregularities in E-region

Abstract

The field-aligned backscattering region in the ionospheric E-region is considered to contain many small irregularities, which are arrayed along the magnetic lines. The scale and number of these irregularities in the backscattering region are different. The irregularities of a certain scale can reflect the radio wave of the corresponding wavelength on the basis of the Bragg scattering theory. The more the irregularities of a scale, the stronger is the backscattered power. Thus, the scale distribution can be estimated by the function relationship between the scale and the echo amplitude, while the incidence direction of the wave path is perpendicular to the geomagnetic field. Moreover, the echoes with oblique incidence direction can also be used to estimate the scale distribution, considering the factor of the angle between the wave path and the perpendicular field direction.