Turbulence spectrum of the upper ionosphere

Abstract

The problem of defining the spectral form of ionospheric irregularities with dimensions from hundreds to thousands of meters is considered. A generalized model is proposed for the ionospheric turbulence spectrum, taking into account both the anisotropic properties of the large-scale fraction of irregularities and the dependence of the anisotropy (elongation) of small-scale irregularities of the upper ionosphere along the Earth magnetic field direction on the transverse scale of those irregularities. Relations have been derived to determine the basic parameters of the irregularity spectrum of the uppers ionosphere (anisotropy indices for large-scale and small-scale fractions) and the depth of a thin ionospheric layer through measurement of the spectral characteristics of amplitude and phase fluctuations of orbital satellite signals. Using this model of the plasma irregularity spectrum, we can explain consistently many well-known experimental data on spectral characteristics of the phase and amplitude fluctuations of orbital satellite signals both in the high-latitude and midlatitude ionosphere.