Ambient Electron Density Research Articles

OI 630.0 nm Post‐Sunset Emission Enhancement as an Effect of Tidal Activity Over Low‐Latitudes

AbstractThe OI 630.0 nm airglow emission variability provides salient information on the dynamical changes taking place in the upper atmosphere at around 250 km. The emission rates vary with the changes in the ambient electron densities and the neutral constituents that are associated with these emissions. On several occasions, enhancements in these emissions are observed during post‐sunset hours, around 21 local time (LT), as measured from Mt. Abu (24.6°N, 72.7°E, 19°N Mag), a low‐latitude location at Indian longitudes. These enhancements occur following the typical monotonic decrease in emission intensity after sunset. The presence of poleward meridional wind preceded by cessation and reversal of equatorward wind at the post‐sunset hours was shown to be the cause for such observed emission enhancements in an earlier study. In this study, the cause of such reversal in meridional winds during post‐sunset hours has been investigated using the variation in electron densities and meridional winds simulated by the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with thermosphere‐ionosphere eXtension (WACCM‐X), which also shows enhancements in electron densities similar to those observed in the post‐sunset OI 630.0 nm nightglow emissions, and simultaneous reversal in meridional winds as well. The amplitudes and phases of different components of tides obtained from WACCM‐X meridional winds reveal a significant contribution of higher‐order tides, especially, quarter‐diurnal tides, to the observed reversal in the meridional winds during post‐sunset hours.

Morphology of equatorial F-region irregularities over the Indian longitude sector using GPS-derived ROTI observations

The occurrence characteristics of Equatorial F-region Irregularities (EFIs) along the Indian longitude sector are investigated using GPS-derived ROTI observations from 2010 to 2023, under both quiet and disturbed geomagnetic conditions. The analysis of the results emphasizes a strong dependence of EFIs occurrence on solar cycle variation. Additionally, the EFIs are more intense at the EIA regions under maximum solar activity periods attributed to the high ambient electron density in the F-layer. The occurrence of EFIs is found to be severe and frequently observed in equinox seasons in contrast to solstice seasons. Also, the occurrence of EFIs exhibits equinoctial asymmetry with more intense EFIs in the spring equinox than autumn equinox during the peak and declining periods of the solar cycle. Conversely, severe EFIs are observed during autumn equinox than spring equinox in the ascending phase of the solar cycle. The seasonal occurrence probability of EFIs is highest in the equinox seasons, following the winter solstice, and summer solstice in high solar activity conditions. Investigations of EFIs during two prominent geomagnetic storm events (17 March 2015 and 08 September 2017) during the study period show that the storm-induced Prompt Penetration Electric Fields (PPEFs) modulated the regular intensity of dusk time Pre-Reversal Enhancement (PRE), resulting in poleward expansion of ionospheric irregularities up to mid-latitude regions with spatial time lag. However, storm-induced westward electric fields and oscillating IMF Bz created Counter Electrojet (CEJ) like conditions, suppressing the dusk time ionospheric irregularities over dip equatorial and low-latitude regions on 17 March 2013. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of how ionospheric irregularities manifest under varying conditions, thereby supporting further research on substantiating the spatiotemporal EFIs characteristics and their predictions over the region.

Spacecraft Potential Changes Associated With EMIC Waves in the Inner Magnetosphere

AbstractAlthough electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are commonly observed in the magnetosphere and are believed to energize background cold ions, it is not clear whether EMIC waves play a significant role in determining spacecraft potential change. In this paper, we present two strong He‐band EMIC wave events observed by the Van Allen Probe‐B spacecraft inside the plasmasphere. One event occurred on 11 March 2016 when the spacecraft was on the dayside, and the other occurred on 9 October 2016 when the spacecraft was in the postmidnight sector. When a strong He‐band EMIC wave activity was detected, low‐energy ion flux enhancements occurred nearly simultaneously with the EMIC wave power enhancements. Both events presented in this study are clearly unique in that He‐band wave power and enhanced proton flux are extremely high. During the wave activity interval, we found that the spacecraft charged more positively without a significant change in the ambient electron density. We discuss whether low‐energy ions energized by EMIC waves can contribute to the spacecraft potential change.

The Atmospheric Response to High Nonthermal Electron-beam Fluxes in Solar Flares. II. Hydrogen-broadening Predictions for Solar Flare Observations with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope

Abstract Redshifted components of chromospheric emission lines in the hard X-ray impulsive phase of solar flares have recently been studied through their 30 s evolution with the high resolution of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph. Radiative-hydrodynamic flare models show that these redshifts are generally reproduced by electron-beam-generated chromospheric condensations. The models produce large ambient electron densities, and the pressure broadening of the hydrogen Balmer series should be readily detected in observations. To accurately interpret the upcoming spectral data of flares with the DKIST, we incorporate nonideal, nonadiabatic line-broadening profiles of hydrogen into the RADYN code. These improvements allow time-dependent predictions for the extreme Balmer line wing enhancements in solar flares. We study two chromospheric condensation models, which cover a range of electron-beam fluxes (1 − 5 × 1011 erg s−1 cm−2) and ambient electron densities (1 − 60 × 1013 cm−3) in the flare chromosphere. Both models produce broadening and redshift variations within 10 s of the onset of beam heating. In the chromospheric condensations, there is enhanced spectral broadening due to large optical depths at Hα, Hβ, and Hγ, while the much lower optical depth of the Balmer series H12−H16 provides a translucent window into the smaller electron densities in the beam-heated layers below the condensation. The wavelength ranges of typical DKIST/ViSP spectra of solar flares will be sufficient to test the predictions of extreme hydrogen wing broadening and accurately constrain large densities in chromospheric condensations.

Multipoint Measurement of Fine‐Structured EMIC Waves by Arase, Van Allen Probe A, and Ground Stations

AbstractWe examined the growth and propagation of fine‐structured electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves related to time‐varying density irregularities using multipoint measurement data observed by Arase, Van Allen Probe A, and two ground‐based induction magnetometers (Gakona and Dawson) during a field line conjunction event on April 18, 2019. We analyzed the wave data obtained by the aforementioned spacecraft and stations, and found that the appearance of fine structures in the observed EMIC waves clearly coincided with the ambient electron density irregularities in the magnetosphere, which can cause periodic wave growth and waveguiding on their propagation. Furthermore, we found that the latitudinal widths of the EMIC wave activity region and the wave propagation duct were ∼185 km and less than 80 km at an auroral altitude of 100 km, respectively. We also found thermal ion heating ( eV/q) during the EMIC wave activity.

Direct Antenna Impedance Measurement for Quantitative AC Electric Field Measurement by Arase

AbstractWe developed an in‐situ direct measurement technique for the electric field antenna impedance using onboard signal processing. Antenna impedance is an important parameter for observed electric field calibration. Because it changes depending on local plasma parameters, in‐situ measurements along the orbit are essential for obtaining precise electric field calibration. We installed the onboard signal calibration function (SWCAL) as a part of the onboard software of the plasma wave experiment (PWE) aboard Arase and performed more than 5,500 measurements in the inner magnetosphere from March 2017 to March 2020. The measured the antenna capacitance along the orbit of Arase, which is important for AC electric field calibration. We found that the measured antenna capacitance varies between 70 and 160 pF depending on the ambient electron density. Further, the effects of the antenna impedance on the AC electric field calibration were evaluated. Results indicated that the observed electric field data include ambiguity of up to 7.8 dB and 17° in the main target frequency range of the waveform capture/onboard frequency analyzer of PWE. This ambiguity can be calibrated by considering the real antenna impedance effects measured using SWCAL.

Spatial characteristics of luminous hydrocarbon pellet clouds in the large helical device

This study analyzes the dependences of the size of the luminous region of hydrocarbon pellet cloud on the ablation rate, as well as on the ambient plasma electron density and temperature. The data were obtained in a series of experiments where spherical solid polystyrene pellets with a diameter of ≈900 μm at a speed of ≈450 m s−1 were injected into hydrogen plasma of the large helical device. The ambient plasma with an electron temperature of 0.5–1.5 keV and a density of (1–7) × 1019 m−3 was maintained by injection of neutral atom beams with total the heating power of 3–14 MW. A scaling law was derived for determining the transverse size of the cloud’s luminous region from the known values of the pellet’s current radius as well as the values of the density and temperature of the ambient plasma at the place of image acquisition. The interdependencies between various dimensions of the luminous region obtained in the line spectrum are established. The presence of such dependences makes it possible to describe the dimensions of the luminous region comprehensively by means of the scaling law for its transverse size.

Occurrence characteristics of equatorial plasma bubbles over Kisumu, Kenya during Solar maximum of Solar Cycle 24

Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) are irregular plasma density depletions in the ambient electron density in the equatorial F-region ionosphere generated after sunset. EPBs are known to bring disruptions to telecommunication and navigation systems. This paper investigates the occurrence of EPBs over Kisumu, Kenya (Geomagnetic coordinates: 9.64o S, 108.59o E; Geographic coordinates: 0.02o S, 34.6o E) for a few selected quiet and storm days between 1st January 2013 and 31st December 2014 which was a high Solar activity period for Solar Cycle 24. The study brings out EPB occurrence pattern over Kisumu, Kenya for the selected quiet and storm days of 2013 and 2014. The Receiver Independent Exchange (RINEX) data was retrieved from the Kisumu high data-rate NovAtel GSV4004B SCINDA-GPS receiver. The data was unzipped and processed to obtain Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC), amplitude scintillation (S4) and Universal Time (UT) which were then fed into MATLAB to generate VTEC and S4 plots against UT for each selected quiet and storm day within the years 2013 and 2014. The Total Electron Content (TEC) depletion depths and S4 index values between 16:00 and 20:00 UT for each selected quiet and storm day were extracted from the VTEC and S4 plots and used to plot TEC depletion depths and S4 plots. The Rate of Change of TEC (ROT) and Rate of Change of TEC Index (ROTI) between 16:00 and 20:00 UT were generated from VTEC and used to plot ROT and the corresponding ROTI plots against UT. TEC depletion depths and ROTI values for each selected quiet and storm day between 16:00 and 20:00 UT were extracted and used to plot TEC depletion depths and ROTI plots and S4 index and ROTI plots. In this study, the enhancement of S4 index corresponded well with TEC depletions, increased fluctuation of ROT and higher ROTI values between 16:00UT and 20:00UT for most days. This correspondence was used in inferring the occurrence of EPBs during the selected quiet and storm days of the years 2013 and 2014. The obtained results showed that the highest EPB occurrence was during March equinox with 33.33% occurrence in the year 2013 and 30.76% occurrence in the year 2014, followed by the September equinox which had 20.38% occurrence in 2013 and 17.26% occurrence in 2014. The seasonal variation of EPB occurrence was attributed to the variation in the daytime E x B drift velocities. Larger E x B drift velocities resulted in increased EPB occurrence in the equinoctial period (March, April, August and September) and November solstice period (November and December) while lower E x B drift velocities resulted in reduced EPB occurrence in the June solstice period (June and July). The percentage EPB occurrence in the year 2013 was 6.49% while in the year 2014 was 4.32%. The storm period had percentage EPB occurrence of 21.42% in the year 2013 and 21.88% in the year 2014 while the quiet period had percentage EPB occurrence of 18.75% in the year 2013 and 7.89% in the year 2014. These results clearly showed that the percentage EPB occurrence was higher during the storm period than in the quiet period. Hence the development of EPBs was enhanced by geomagnetic activity through several competing dynamics such as Prompt Penetration Electric Field (PPEF), Disturbance Dynamo Electric Field (DDEF) and reduction in electron density due to increased recombination rates. Â

Mapping the Impact of Non-Tectonic Forcing mechanisms on GNSS measured Coseismic Ionospheric Perturbations

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measured Total Electron Content (TEC) is now widely used to study the near and far-field coseismic ionospheric perturbations (CIP). The generation of near field (~500–600 km surrounding an epicenter) CIP is mainly attributed to the coseismic crustal deformation. The azimuthal distribution of near field CIP may contain information on the seismic/tectonic source characteristics of rupture propagation direction and thrust orientations. However, numerous studies cautioned that before deriving the listed source characteristics based on coseismic TEC signatures, the contribution of non-tectonic forcing mechanisms needs to be examined. These mechanisms which are operative at ionospheric altitudes are classified as the i) orientation between the geomagnetic field and tectonically induced atmospheric wave perturbations ii) orientation between the GNSS satellite line of sight (LOS) geometry and coseismic atmospheric wave perturbations and iii) ambient electron density gradients. So far, the combined effects of these mechanisms have not been quantified. We propose a 3D geometrical model, based on acoustic ray tracing in space and time to estimate the combined effects of non-tectonic forcing mechanisms on the manifestations of GNSS measured near field CIP. Further, this model is tested on earthquakes occurring at different latitudes with a view to quickly quantify the collective effects of these mechanisms. We presume that this simple and direct 3D model would induce and enhance a proper perception among the researchers about the tectonic source characteristics derived based on the corresponding ionospheric manifestations.

Gaussian Markov Random Field Priors in Ionospheric 3-D Multi-Instrument Tomography

In ionospheric tomography, the atmospheric electron density is reconstructed from different electron density related measurements, most often from ground-based measurements of satellite signals. Typically, ionospheric tomography suffers from two major complications. First, the information provided by measurements is insufficient and additional information is required to obtain a unique solution. Second, with necessary spatial and temporal resolutions, the problem becomes very high dimensional, and hence, computationally infeasible. With Bayesian framework, the required additional information can be given with prior probability distributions. The approach then provides physically quantifiable probabilistic interpretation for all model variables. Here, Gaussian Markov random fields (GMRFs) are used for constructing the prior electron density distribution. The use of GMRF introduces sparsity to the linear system, making the problem computationally feasible. The method is demonstrated over Fennoscandia with measurements from global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite receiver networks, GNSS occultation receivers, LEO satellite Langmuir probes, and ionosonde and incoherent scatter radar measurements.

Does Spacecraft Potential Depend on the Ambient Electron Density?

In this paper, we address the question of whether spacecraft potential depends on the ambient electron density. In Maxwellian space plasmas, the onset of spacecraft charging does not depend on the ambient electron density. The balance of electron currents causes the incoming electrons to balance with the outgoing secondary electrons. The onset is controlled by the critical or anticritical temperature of the ambient electrons, but not the electron density. Above the critical temperature, charging to negative potential occurs. If the energy of the incoming electrons increases to well beyond the second crossing point of the secondary electron yield (SEY), the value of SEY decreases to well below unity. When the secondary electron current is negligible compared with the primary electron current, the spacecraft potential is governed solely by the balance of the incoming electrons and the sum of the currents of the repelled electrons and the attracted ions. In neutral space plasma, the electron and ion charges cancel each other. But if the space plasma deviates from being neutral, then the densities can have effect on the spacecraft potential. If the ambient plasma deviates significantly from equilibrium, a non-Maxwellian electron distribution may result. For a kappa distribution, one can show that the spacecraft charging level is independent of the ambient electron density. For a double Maxwellian distribution, the spacecraft charging level depends on the electron densities. For a conducting spacecraft charging in sunlight, the charging level is low and positive. It also depends on the ambient electron density. For a dielectric spacecraft in sunlight, the high-level negative-voltage charging on the shadowed side may extend to the sunlit side and block the photoelectrons trying to escape from the sunlit side. In this case, the charging level does not depend on ambient electron density. Using coordinated environmental and spacecraft charging data obtained from the Los Alamos National Laboratory geosynchronous satellites, we showed some results confirming that spacecraft potential is indeed often independent of the ambient electron density.

Remote Detection of Concealed Radioactive Materials by Using Focused Powerful Terahertz Radiation

This review paper summarizes the results of studies of a novel concept of the remote detection of concealed radioactive materials by using focused high-power terahertz (THz) radiation. The concept is based on the known fact that the ambient electron density in air is low (one to three free electrons per cubic centimeter). These electrons can serve as seed electrons from which an avalanche breakdown in strong electromagnetic fields starts. When a powerful THz radiation is focused in a small spot, the breakdown-prone volume can be much smaller than a cubic centimeter. So, the probability of having some free electrons in this volume and, hence, the probability of breakdown are low in the absence of additional sources of air ionization. However, in the vicinity of radioactive materials (10–20 m), the electron density can be higher, and, hence, there are always some seed free electrons from which the avalanche ionization will start. Thus, the breakdown rate in this case can be close to 100 %. Realization of this concept requires studies of various physical and technical issues. First, it is necessary to develop a high-power source of (sub-) THz radiation whose power, frequency, and pulse duration are sufficient for realizing this goal. Second, it is necessary to analyze numerous issues important for realizing this concept. Among these issues are (a) enhancement of the ionization level of air molecules in the presence of hidden radioactive materials, (b) estimating the minimum detectable mass of radioactive material, (c) formation of breakdown-prone volumes in focused THz wave beams, and (d) effect of atmospheric conditions on the propagation and focusing of THz wave beams and on the optimal location of the breakdown-prone volume between a container with hidden radioactive material and a THz antenna. The results of these studies are described below.

Traveling ionospheric disturbances propagating ahead of the Tohoku-Oki tsunami: a case study

We document two kinds of traveling ionospheric disturbances, namely, CTIDs (Co-tsunami-Traveling-Ionospheric-disturbances) and ATIDs (Ahead-of-Tsunami-Traveling-Ionospheric-disturbances) related to the Tohoku-Oki tsunami of 2011 March 11. They are referred to the disturbances that remain behind and ahead of the principal tsunami wave front, respectively. We first note their presence in a numerical experiment performed using a simulation code coupling the tsunami, atmosphere and ionosphere. This code uses the tsunami wavefield as an input and simulates acoustic-gravity waves (AGWs) in the atmosphere and TIDs, in the form of total electron content (TEC) disturbance, in the ionosphere. The simulated TEC reveals the excitation of CTIDs (at about 2 TECU) and ATIDs (at about 1 TECU), representing up to 5 per cent disturbance over the ambient electron density, and they arise from the dissipation of AGWs in the thermosphere. A novel outcome is that during the tsunami passage between ∼6° and 12° of epicentral distance, strong ATIDs arrive ∼20–60 min ahead of the tsunami wave front covering ∼3°–10° of distance from the tsunami location. Simulation results are compared with the far-field observations using GNSS satellites and confirm that ATIDs are the first detected TEC maximum, occurring 20–60 min ahead of the tsunami arrival. Our simulation also confirms the presence of largest TEC maximum representing CTIDs, 10–20 min after the first tsunami wave. ATIDs reported in this study have characteristics that can be potentially used for the early warning of the tsunami.

Deriving the characteristics of warm electrons (100–500 eV) in the magnetosphere of Saturn with the Cassini Langmuir probe

Though Langmuir probes (LP) are designed to investigate cold plasma regions (e.g. ionospheres), a recent analysis revealed a strong sensitivity of the Cassini LP measurements to hundreds of eV electrons. These warm electrons impact the surface of the probe and generate a significant current of secondary electrons, that impacts both the DC level and the slope of the current–voltage curve of the LP (for negative potentials) through energetic contributions that may be modeled with a reasonable precision.We show here how to derive information about the incident warm electrons from the analysis of these energetic contributions, in the regions where the cold plasma component is small with an average temperature in the range ~[100–500]eV. First, modeling the energetic contributions (based on the incident electron flux given by a single anode of the CAPS spectrometer) allows us to provide information about the pitch angle anisotropies of the incident hundreds of eV electrons. The modeling reveals indeed sometimes a large variability of the estimated maximum secondary electron yield (which is a constant for a surface material) needed to reproduce the observations. Such dispersions give evidence for strong pitch angle anisotropies of the incident electrons, and using a functional form of the pitch angle distribution even allows us to derive the real peak angle of the distribution.Second, rough estimates of the total electron temperature may be derived in the regions where the warm electrons are dominant and thus strongly influence the LP observations, i.e. when the average electron temperature is in the range ~[100–500]eV. These regions may be identified from the LP observations through large positive values of the current–voltage slope at negative potentials. The estimated temperature may then be used to derive the electron density in the same region, with estimated densities between ~0.1 and a few particles/cm3 (cc). The derived densities are in better agreement with the CAPS measurements than the values derived from the proxy technique (Morooka et al., 2009) based on the floating potential of the LP. Both the electron temperature and the density estimates lie outside the classical capabilities of the LP, which are essentially ne>5cc and Te<5eV at Saturn. This approximate derivation technique may be used in the regions where the cold plasma component is small with an average temperature in the range ~[100–500]eV, which occurs often in the L range 6.4–9.4 RS when Cassini is off the equator, but may occur anywhere in the magnetosphere. This technique may be all the more interesting since the CAPS instrument was shut down, and, though it cannot replace the CAPS instrument, the technique can provide useful information about the electron moments, with probably even better estimates than CAPS in some cases (when the plasma is strongly anisotropic).Finally, a simple modeling approach allows us to predict the impact of the energetic contributions on LP measurements in any plasma environment whose characteristics (density, temperature, etc.) are known. LP observations may thus be influenced by warm electrons in several planetary plasma regions in the solar system, and ambient magnetospheric electron density and temperature could be estimated in some of them (e.g. around several galilean satellites) through the use of Langmuir probes.

Effect of rocket flame on high-frequency echo and its frequency energy agglomerated detection method

According to the problem that the mass matter from rocket flame consumes the electron density in atmosphere and disturbs high-frequency electromagnetic wave propagation, based on the characteristic of high-frequency radar echo from rocket flame, this paper reports the physical mechanism of high-frequency electromagnetic wave attenuation and flame electromagnetic characteristics, and analyses the radar cross section characteristic of the flame and the procreant time of flame's high-frequency echo. Then the detection method of frequency energy agglomerated for flame is put forward. By simulation analysis and experimental observation, the relations among flame high-frequency echo, altitude, flame electromagnetic characteristic, electric wave frequency, angle of incidence are obtained. The detection method is reliable and can decrease false-alarm and missing-alarm.

A phenomenological model of Io’s UV aurora based on HST/STIS observations

We have carried out a comprehensive analysis of a large set of spatially resolved observations of Io’s OI 1304Å, OI] 1356Å, SI 1479Å and SI] 1900Å aurora taken by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) between 1997 and 2001. We find that the variability of the observed morphologies can be solely explained by the changes of the plasma and magnetic field environment of the Io torus and by the viewing perspective. The variations in brightness are strongly correlated with the periodic variations of the ambient electron density. Based on these findings we develop a phenomenological model for the spatial distribution of the oxygen and sulfur emissions in Io’s vicinity. Taking into account Io’s position with respect to the plasma torus, the orientation of Jupiter’s magnetic field and the viewing perspective of the observation, the model calculates the auroral morphology and brightness. By fitting the model parameters to the observations we find that the model is able to reproduce the main features in all images obtained over a period of five years with one parameter set for each emission multiplet. The spatial distribution of the OI] 1356Å, OI 1304Å, SI 1479Å, and SI] 1900Å multiplets are shown to be very similar. In contrast to previous investigations, the model results reveal that the majority of the radiation from the bound atmosphere is emitted within 100km above the surface. The equatorial aurora spots extend far into the wake region explaining observed features in the downstream region. The relative brightness of two the equatorial spots is best explained by our model if the emission on the day-side flank of Io is higher by a factor of ∼1.5 with respect to the nightside flank. The measured brightness during an observation in eclipse is significantly lower than expected from the fitted model. The day–night asymmetry and the brightness decrease in eclipse support the idea of a wide collapse of Io’s atmosphere in shadow. Since our phenomenological aurora model is able to reproduce the main features of the observed morphology by taking into account the variations of the magnetospheric parameters, it can be applied to predict the emission for future UV aurora observations for a given time and position of the observer.

Ionization emissions associated with N2+ 1N band in halos without visible sprite streamers

AbstractWe report the ionization emission associated with N2+ 1N band in a halo event without visible sprite streamers. To avoid the lightning contamination to the ionization emission, we find halos whose parent lightning light is blocked by the Earth's limb. Five halos in the 2004–2010 Imager of Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning data set were identified as halos without visible sprite streamers. A halo with maximum N2 1P brightness had significant ionization emission of N2+ 1N. The time‐integrated photon intensity of N2 1P, N2 2P, and N2+ 1N emission is 2.2 × 105, 2.1 × 104, and 7.4 × 102 photons cm−2, respectively at a distance of 4130 km. The total number of photons of N2 1P, N2 2P, and N2+ 1N band emissions are 4.6 × 1023, 4.3 × 1022, and 1.6 × 1021 photons, respectively. In the halo region, the electron density increased as 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than ambient electron density. From the emission ratio of N2+ 1N to N2 2P, the reduced electric field is estimated to be 275–325 Td that is higher than the conventional breakdown electric field. The recorded electric field related to this halo event is produced by a lightning discharge that has a total charge moment change of −1450 C km. Based on the estimated electric field from optical emissions, it is found that the lightning‐induced electric field in the bright halo region is significantly relaxed with a rate faster than that estimated using ambient electron density, in agreement with previous modeling results showing that the electron density enhancement due to the ionization processes leads to a short dielectric relaxation time inside the halo region.

Chemical and electrical impact of lightning on the Earth mesosphere: The case of sprite halos

A one‒dimensional electrochemical model is developed to describe, in a self‒consistent way, the response of the Earth mesosphere to different types of lightning discharges between 50 and 87 km of altitude. This model is applied to the case of sprite halos, one of the most common types of transient luminous events (TLE). We have studied the time‒altitude evolution of more than 20 chemical species. Our model predicts an increase of up to 70 cm−3 in the electron density from ambient electron density values between 55 and 81 km of altitude in the +CG lightning cases and a negligible mesospheric electron density perturbation in the −CG lightning case. For all the +CG and some −CG (200 kAkm) cases considered, the model also shows an enhancement of several orders of magnitude in the concentration of ground‒state negative and positive ions and electronically excited positive ions such as responsible for the Meinel emissions and . On the other hand, for the first positive group of N2the calculated emission brightness exceeds the threshold of visibility (1 MR) for a halo of 100 km of diameter at an altitude of 77 km for all the CG lightning discharges studied (except for the −CG case with 100 kAkm current peak) and for relatively lower altitudes when +CG lightnings are considered. Moreover, the calculated concentration of the metastables and O(1D) exhibit an enormous enhancement (of more than 10 orders of magnitude) over their ambient values that, for +CG, remains high (5–7 orders of magnitude above ambient values) for long times (up to 500 s), below 55 km.

Ionization within the Local Cavity by Hot White Dwarfs

ABSTRACTWe present estimates of the contribution from 33 nearby (d < 100 pc) hot DA white dwarfs to the total ionization of the Local Cavity. The EUV spectra of these white dwarfs have been derived using non-LTE stellar atmosphere models (with the inclusion of metals where necessary) to calculate the incident flux at the Earth using up-to-date distances and interstellar column densities. Our model spectra give a very good approximation to the spectra obtained with observations from the NASA Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer satellite. The number of Lyman continuum photons per second emitted by each of the white dwarfs for wavelengths over the 30–912 Å range was then derived. Using these numbers, the respective sizes of the ionized Strömgren spheres of HII were then calculated for each star under the assumption of ambient interstellar electron density values of ne = 0.04 cm-3 and 0.10 cm-3. The location and sizes of these ionized regions have been plotted on a 3D map of the neutral absorption contours of the local ISM, as derived for both in-plane and out of plane directions. A similar procedure was also carried out for the determination of the sizes of the ionized HeII regions surrounding the same 33 white dwarfs. We conclude that only a few of the very hottest DA white dwarfs located within the Local Cavity can possess appreciably sized ionized Strömgren spheres of HII and HeII. The size of these ionized regions can potentially range between 20 pc and 40 pc in diameter, dependent on the ambient value of the electron density of the interstellar medium. However, the volumetric filling factor of these ionized spheres within the Local Cavity is small (∼6%), even at the lowest value of electron density considered in this study (i.e., ne = 0.04 cm-3). Thus, the contribution from DA white dwarfs to the ionization of both the local interstellar cloud complex and other clouds located within the Local Cavity is of secondary importance compared to the ionization contribution provided by the two early B-type stars of ϵ and β CMa.

PMSE observations with the EISCAT VHF- and UHF-radars: Ice particles and their effect on ambient electron densities

It is now well understood that the occurrence of PMSE is closely connected to the presence of ice particles. These ice particles modify the ambient electron density by electron attachment which occasionally leads to large electron density depletions which have also been called ‘biteouts’. There has been some debate in the literature regarding the relative depth of such depletions which is usually expressed by the parameter Λ=|ZA|NA/ne. Here, |ZA|NA is the charge number density of ice particles and ne is the electron density. In this paper, we present, for the first time, the statistical distribution of Λ using measurements with the EISCAT VHF- and UHF-radars. Based on 25h of simultaneous observations, we derived a total of 757Λ values based on 15min of data each. In each of these cases, PMSE were observed with the EISCAT VHF-radar but not with the UHF-radar and the UHF-measurement were hence used to determine the electron density profile. From these 757 cases, there are 699 cases with Λ⪡1, and only 33 cases with Λ>0.5 (21 cases with Λ>1). A correlation analysis of Λ versus PMSE volume reflectivities further reveals that there is no strong dependence between the two parameters. This is in accordance with current PMSE-theory based on turbulence in combination with a large Schmidt-number. The maxima of Λ from each profile show a negative relationship with the undisturbed electron densities deduced at the same altitudes. This reveals that the variability of Λ mainly depends on the variability of the electron densities. In addition, variations of aerosol number densities may also play a role. Although part of the observations were conducted during the HF heating experiments, the so-called overshoot effects did not significantly bias our statistical results. In order to avoid missing biteouts because of a superposition of coherent and incoherent scatter in the UHF-data, we finally calculated spectral parameters n by applying a simple fit to auto-correlation functions as introduced by Strelnikova and Rapp (2010). Corresponding statistical results of the parameter n indicate that charged ice particles do exist in the vicinity of PMSE (i.e., n<1) but they did not efficiently modify ambient electron densities so that clear ‘biteouts’ are observed.