Characterization of the Ionospheric Scintillations at High Latitude using GPS Signal

Science.gov (United States)

Mezaoui, H.; Hamza, A. M.; Jayachandran, P. T.

2013-12-01

Transionospheric radio signals experience both amplitude and phase variations as a result of propagation through a turbulent ionosphere; this phenomenon is known as ionospheric scintillations. As a result of these fluctuations, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers lose track of signals and consequently induce position and navigational errors. Therefore, there is a need to study these scintillations and their causes in order to not only resolve the navigational problem but in addition develop analytical and numerical radio propagation models. In order to quantify and qualify these scintillations, we analyze the probability distribution functions (PDFs) of L1 GPS signals at 50 Hz sampling rate using the Canadian High arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN) measurements. The raw GPS signal is detrended using a wavelet-based technique and the detrended amplitude and phase of the signal are used to construct probability distribution functions (PDFs) of the scintillating signal. The resulting PDFs are non-Gaussian. From the PDF functional fits, the moments are estimated. The results reveal a general non-trivial parabolic relationship between the normalized fourth and third moments for both the phase and amplitude of the signal. The calculated higher-order moments of the amplitude and phase distribution functions will help quantify some of the scintillation characteristics and in the process provide a base for forecasting, i.e. develop a scintillation climatology model. This statistical analysis, including power spectra, along with a numerical simulation will constitute the backbone of a high latitude scintillation model.

Ionospheric scintillation monitoring and modelling

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariusz Pozoga

2009-06-01

Full Text Available

This paper presents a review of the ionospheric scintillation monitoring and modelling by the European groups

involved in COST 296. Several of these groups have organized scintillation measurement campaigns at low and

high latitudes. Some characteristic results obtained from the measured data are presented. The paper also addresses the modeling activities: four models, based on phase screen techniques, with different options and application domains are detailed. Finally some new trends for research topics are given. This includes the wavelet analysis, the high latitudes analysis, the construction of scintillation maps and the mitigation techniques.

Role of the magnetospheric and ionospheric currents in the generation of the equatorial scintillations during geomagnetic storms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Z. Biktash

2004-09-01

Full Text Available The equatorial ionosphere parameters, K_p, D_st, AU and AL indices characterized contribution of different magnetospheric and ionospheric currents to the H-component of geomagnetic field are examined to test the geomagnetic activity effect on the generation of ionospheric irregularities producing VLF scintillations. According to the results of the current statistical studies, one can predict near 70% of scintillations from Aarons' criteria using the D_st index, which mainly depicts the magnetospheric ring current field. To amplify Aarons' criteria or to propose new criteria for predicting scintillation characteristics is the question. In the present phase of the experimental investigations of electron density irregularities in the ionosphere new ways are opened up because observations in the interaction between the solar wind - magnetosphere - ionosphere during magnetic storms have progressed greatly. According to present view, the intensity of the electric fields and currents at the polar regions, as well as the magnetospheric ring current intensity, are strongly dependent on the variations of the interplanetary magnetic field. The magnetospheric ring current cannot directly penetrate the equatorial ionosphere and because of this difficulties emerge in explaining its relation to scintillation activity. On the other hand, the equatorial scintillations can be observed in the absence of the magnetospheric ring current. It is shown that in addition to Aarons' criteria for the prediction of the ionospheric scintillations, models can be used to explain the relationship between the equatorial ionospheric parameters, h'F, foF2, and the equatorial geomagnetic variations with the polar ionosphere currents and the solar wind.

Accuracy assessment of Precise Point Positioning with multi-constellation GNSS data under ionospheric scintillation effects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marques Haroldo Antonio

2018-01-01

Full Text Available GPS and GLONASS are currently the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS with full operational capacity. The integration of GPS, GLONASS and future GNSS constellations can provide better accuracy and more reliability in geodetic positioning, in particular for kinematic Precise Point Positioning (PPP, where the satellite geometry is considered a limiting factor to achieve centimeter accuracy. The satellite geometry can change suddenly in kinematic positioning in urban areas or under conditions of strong atmospheric effects such as for instance ionospheric scintillation that may degrade satellite signal quality, causing cycle slips and even loss of lock. Scintillation is caused by small scale irregularities in the ionosphere and is characterized by rapid changes in amplitude and phase of the signal, which are more severe in equatorial and high latitudes geomagnetic regions. In this work, geodetic positioning through the PPP method was evaluated with integrated GPS and GLONASS data collected in the equatorial region under varied scintillation conditions. The GNSS data were processed in kinematic PPP mode and the analyses show accuracy improvements of up to 60% under conditions of strong scintillation when using multi-constellation data instead of GPS data alone. The concepts and analyses related to the ionospheric scintillation effects, the mathematical model involved in PPP with GPS and GLONASS data integration as well as accuracy assessment with data collected under ionospheric scintillation effects are presented.

Accuracy assessment of Precise Point Positioning with multi-constellation GNSS data under ionospheric scintillation effects

Science.gov (United States)

Marques, Haroldo Antonio; Marques, Heloísa Alves Silva; Aquino, Marcio; Veettil, Sreeja Vadakke; Monico, João Francisco Galera

2018-02-01

GPS and GLONASS are currently the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) with full operational capacity. The integration of GPS, GLONASS and future GNSS constellations can provide better accuracy and more reliability in geodetic positioning, in particular for kinematic Precise Point Positioning (PPP), where the satellite geometry is considered a limiting factor to achieve centimeter accuracy. The satellite geometry can change suddenly in kinematic positioning in urban areas or under conditions of strong atmospheric effects such as for instance ionospheric scintillation that may degrade satellite signal quality, causing cycle slips and even loss of lock. Scintillation is caused by small scale irregularities in the ionosphere and is characterized by rapid changes in amplitude and phase of the signal, which are more severe in equatorial and high latitudes geomagnetic regions. In this work, geodetic positioning through the PPP method was evaluated with integrated GPS and GLONASS data collected in the equatorial region under varied scintillation conditions. The GNSS data were processed in kinematic PPP mode and the analyses show accuracy improvements of up to 60% under conditions of strong scintillation when using multi-constellation data instead of GPS data alone. The concepts and analyses related to the ionospheric scintillation effects, the mathematical model involved in PPP with GPS and GLONASS data integration as well as accuracy assessment with data collected under ionospheric scintillation effects are presented.

Atmospheric Drag, Occultation ‘N’ Ionospheric Scintillation (ADONIS mission proposal

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Hettrich Sebastian

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The Atmospheric Drag, Occultation ‘N’ Ionospheric Scintillation mission (ADONIS studies the dynamics of the terrestrial thermosphere and ionosphere in dependency of solar events over a full solar cycle in Low Earth Orbit (LEO. The objectives are to investigate satellite drag with in-situ measurements and the ionospheric electron density profiles with radio occultation and scintillation measurements. A constellation of two satellites provides the possibility to gain near real-time data (NRT about ionospheric conditions over the Arctic region where current coverage is insufficient. The mission shall also provide global high-resolution data to improve assimilative ionospheric models. The low-cost constellation can be launched using a single Vega rocket and most of the instruments are already space-proven allowing for rapid development and good reliability. From July 16 to 25, 2013, the Alpbach Summer School 2013 was organised by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG, the European Space Agency (ESA, the International Space Science Institute (ISSI and the association of Austrian space industries Austrospace in Alpbach, Austria. During the workshop, four teams of 15 students each independently developed four different space mission proposals on the topic of “Space Weather: Science, Missions and Systems”, supported by a team of tutors. The present work is based on the mission proposal that resulted from one of these teams’ efforts.

GNSS-based Observations and Simulations of Spectral Scintillation Indices in the Arctic Ionosphere

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Durgonics, Tibor; Hoeg, Per; von Benzon, Hans-Henrik

During disturbed times, ionospheric scintillations can be severe and adversely impact satellite-based positioning and radio transmissions. The scintillation occurs in the amplitude, phase, polarization, and angle of arrival of the signal. Precise observation, classification, modeling, forecasting...

Interplanetary scintillation observations of an unbiased sample of 90 Ooty occultation radio sources at 326.5 MHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banhatti, D.G.; Ananthakrishnan, S.

1989-01-01

We present 327-MHz interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations of an unbiased sample of 90 extragalactic radio sources selected from the ninth Ooty lunar occultation list. The sources are brighter than 0.75 Jy at 327 MHz and lie outside the galactic plane. We derive values, the fraction of scintillating flux density, and the equivalent Gaussian diameter for the scintillating structure. Various correlations are found between the observed parameters. In particular, the scintillating component weakens and broadens with increasing largest angular size, and stronger scintillators have more compact scintillating components. (author)

Visual exploration and analysis of ionospheric scintillation monitoring data: The ISMR Query Tool

Science.gov (United States)

Vani, Bruno César; Shimabukuro, Milton Hirokazu; Galera Monico, João Francisco

2017-07-01

Ionospheric Scintillations are rapid variations on the phase and/or amplitude of a radio signal as it passes through ionospheric plasma irregularities. The ionosphere is a specific layer of the Earth's atmosphere located approximately between 50 km and 1000 km above the Earth's surface. As Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) - such as GPS, Galileo, BDS and GLONASS - use radio signals, these variations degrade their positioning service quality. Due to its location, Brazil is one of the places most affected by scintillation in the world. For that reason, ionosphere monitoring stations have been deployed over Brazilian territory since 2011 through cooperative projects between several institutions in Europe and Brazil. Such monitoring stations compose a network that generates a large amount of monitoring data everyday. GNSS receivers deployed at these stations - named Ionospheric Scintillation Monitor Receivers (ISMR) - provide scintillation indices and related signal metrics for available satellites dedicated to satellite-based navigation and positioning services. With this monitoring infrastructure, more than ten million observation values are generated and stored every day. Extracting the relevant information from this huge amount of data was a hard process and required the expertise of computer and geoscience scientists. This paper describes the concepts, design and aspects related to the implementation of the software that has been supporting research on ISMR data - the so-called ISMR Query Tool. Usability and other aspects are also presented via examples of application. This web based software has been designed and developed aiming to ensure insights over the huge amount of ISMR data that is fetched every day on an integrated platform. The software applies and adapts time series mining and information visualization techniques to extend the possibilities of exploring and analyzing ISMR data. The software is available to the scientific community through the

Spatial correlations in intense ionospheric scintillations - comparison between numerical computation and observation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumagai, H.

1987-01-01

The spatial correlations in intense ionospheric scintillations were analyzed by comparing numerical results with observational ones. The observational results were obtained by spaced-receiver scintillation measurements of VHF satellite radiowave. The numerical computation was made by using the fourth-order moment equation with fairly realistic ionospheric irregularity models, in which power-law irregularities with spectral index 4, both thin and thick slabs, and both isotropic and anisotropic irregularities, were considered. Evolution of the S(4) index and the transverse correlation function was computed. The numerical result that the transverse correlation distance decreases with the increase in S(4) was consistent with that obtained in the observation, suggesting that multiple scattering plays an important role in the intense scintillations observed. The anisotropy of irregularities proved to act as if the density fluctuation increased. This effect, as well as the effect of slab thickness, was evaluated by the total phase fluctuations that the radiowave experienced in the slab. On the basis of the comparison, the irregularity height and electron-density fluctuation which is necessary to produce a particular strength of scintillation were estimated. 30 references

Observational study of ionospheric irregularities and GPS scintillations associated with the 2012 tropical cyclone Tembin passing Hong Kong

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Zhe; Liu, Zhizhao

2016-05-01

This study presents the ionospheric responses observed in Hong Kong to a Typhoon, namely, Tembin, from the aspects of the occurrence of ionospheric irregularities and scintillations, using Global Positioning System (GPS) observations from a ground-based GPS scintillation monitoring station in Hong Kong and from GPS receivers on board the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) satellites. The ionospheric irregularities and scintillations are characterized by the rate of total electron content variation index (ROTI) and the amplitude scintillation index S4, respectively. The typhoon Tembin formed over the western North Pacific during 18-30 August 2012 and approached Hong Kong during 24-27 August 2012 with the closest distance 290 km from Hong Kong at around 17 universal time (UT) on 25 August 2012. The ground-based observations indicate that in the nighttime period of 20:00-02:00 local time (LT = UT + 8 h) on 26 August when Tembin passed closely to Hong Kong, the ionospheric irregularities and scintillations of GPS signals were observed in the south of Hong Kong, over the area of 13°N ~ 23°N in latitude and 110°E ~ 120°E in longitude. From the COSMIC observations, it shows that the number of radio occultation scintillation events peaks on 26 August 2012 during the passage of Tembin. Without the presence of strong geomagnetic or solar activity, it is suspected that gravity waves might be generated in the lower atmosphere and likely seed the formation of ionospheric plasma irregularities. This work for the first time from Hong Kong observes the sign of coupling between the lower atmosphere and ionosphere in a tropical cyclone event, combining both ground- and space-based GPS observation data.

Experimental Evidence on the Dependence of the Standard GPS Phase Scintillation Index on the Ionospheric Plasma Drift Around Noon Sector of the Polar Ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y.; Zhang, Q.-H.; Jayachandran, P. T.; Moen, J.; Xing, Z.-Y.; Chadwick, R.; Ma, Y.-Z.; Ruohoniemi, J. M.; Lester, M.

2018-03-01

First experimental proof of a clear and strong dependence of the standard phase scintillation index (σφ) derived using Global Positioning System measurements on the ionospheric plasma flow around the noon sector of polar ionosphere is presented. σφ shows a strong linear dependence on the plasma drift speed measured by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network radars, whereas the amplitude scintillation index (S4) does not. This observed dependence can be explained as a consequence of Fresnel frequency dependence of the relative drift and the used constant cutoff frequency (0.1 Hz) to detrend the data for obtaining standard σφ. The lack of dependence of S4 on the drift speed possibly eliminates the plasma instability mechanism(s) involved as a cause of the dependence. These observations further confirm that the standard phase scintillation index is much more sensitive to plasma flow; therefore, utmost care must be taken when identifying phase scintillation (diffractive phase variations) from refractive (deterministic) phase variations, especially in the polar region where the ionospheric plasma drift is much larger than in equatorial and midlatitude regions.

Low and Mid-Latitude Ionospheric Irregularities Studies Using TEC and Radio Scintillation Data from the CITRIS Radio Beacon Receiver in Low-Earth-Orbit

Science.gov (United States)

Siefring, C. L.; Bernhardt, P. A.; Huba, J.; Krall, J.; Roddy, P. A.

2009-12-01

Unique data on ionospheric plasma irregularities from the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) CITRIS (Scintillation and TEC Receiver in Space) instrument will be presented. CITRIS is a multi-band receiver that recorded TEC (Total Electron Content) and radio scintillations from Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) on STPSat1. The 555+/5 km altitude 35° inclination orbit covers low and mid-latitudes. The measurements require propagation from a transmitter to a receiver through the F-region plasma. CITRIS used both 1) satellite beacons in LEO, such as the NRL CERTO (Coherent Electromagnetic Radio TOmography) beacons and 2) the global network of ground-based DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite) beacons. The TEC measurements allow for tracking of ionospheric disturbances and irregularities while the measurements of scintillations can simultaneously characterize their effects. CITRIS was operated in a complementary fashion with the C/NOFS (Communication/Navigations Outages Forecasting System) satellite during most of its first year of operations. C/NOFS carries a three-frequency 150/400/1067 MHz CERTO beacon and is dedicated to the study of Spread-F. In the case of Spread-F, ionospheric irregularities start with large scale size density gradients (100s of km) and cascade through complex processes to short scale sizes (10s of meters). It is typically the 100m-1km scale features that harm communication and navigation systems through scintillations. A multi-sensor approach is needed to completely understand this complex system, such as, the combination of CITRIS remote radio sensing and C/NOFS in-situ data. Several types of irregularities have been studied including Spread-F and the newly discovered dawn-side depletions. Comparisons with the physics based SAMI3 model are being performed to help our understanding of the morphology of the irregularities.

Study of GNSS Loss of Lock Characteristics under Ionosphere Scintillation with GNSS Data at Weipa (Australia) During Solar Maximum Phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yang; Fu, Lianjie; Wang, Jinling; Zhang, Chunxi

2017-09-25

One of the adverse impacts of scintillation on GNSS signals is the loss of lock status, which can lead to GNSS geometry and visibility reductions that compromise the accuracy and integrity of navigation performance. In this paper the loss of lock based on ionosphere scintillation in this solar maximum phase has been well investigated with respect to both temporal and spatial behaviors, based on GNSS observatory data collected at Weipa (Australia; geographic: 12.45° S, 130.95° E; geomagnetic: 21.79° S, 214.41° E) from 2011 to 2015. Experiments demonstrate that the percentage of occurrence of loss of lock events under ionosphere scintillation is closely related with solar activity and seasonal shifts. Loss of lock behaviors under ionosphere scintillation related to elevation and azimuth angles are statistically analyzed, with some distinct characteristics found. The influences of daytime scintillation and geomagnetic storms on loss of lock have also been discussed in details. The proposed work is valuable for a deeper understanding of theoretical mechanisms of-loss of lock under ionosphere scintillation in global regions, and provides a reference for GNSS applications in certain regions at Australian low latitudes.

Validation of the α-μ Model of the Power Spectral Density of GPS Ionospheric Amplitude Scintillation

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Kelias Oliveira

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The α-μ model has become widely used in statistical analyses of radio channels, due to the flexibility provided by its two degrees of freedom. Among several applications, it has been used in the characterization of low-latitude amplitude scintillation, which frequently occurs during the nighttime of particular seasons of high solar flux years, affecting radio signals that propagate through the ionosphere. Depending on temporal and spatial distributions, ionospheric scintillation may cause availability and precision problems to users of global navigation satellite systems. The present work initially stresses the importance of the flexibility provided by α-μ model in comparison with the limitations of a single-parameter distribution for the representation of first-order statistics of amplitude scintillation. Next, it focuses on the statistical evaluation of the power spectral density of ionospheric amplitude scintillation. The formulation based on the α-μ model is developed and validated using experimental data obtained in São José dos Campos (23.1°S; 45.8°W; dip latitude 17.3°S, Brazil, located near the southern crest of the ionospheric equatorial ionization anomaly. These data were collected between December 2001 and January 2002, a period of high solar flux conditions. The results show that the proposed model fits power spectral densities estimated from field data quite well.

Methods of alleviation of ionospheric scintillation effects on digital communications

Science.gov (United States)

Massey, J. L.

1974-01-01

The degradation of the performance of digital communication systems because of ionospheric scintillation effects can be reduced either by diversity techniques or by coding. The effectiveness of traditional space-diversity, frequency-diversity and time-diversity techniques is reviewed and design considerations isolated. Time-diversity signaling is then treated as an extremely simple form of coding. More advanced coding methods, such as diffuse threshold decoding and burst-trapping decoding, which appear attractive in combatting scintillation effects are discussed and design considerations noted. Finally, adaptive coding techniques appropriate when the general state of the channel is known are discussed.

Effect of Magnetic Activity on Ionospheric Time Delay at Low ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

E) using dual frequency (1575.42 and 1227.60 MHz) GPS measurements. Data from GSV4004A GPS Iono- spheric Scintillation and TEC monitor (GISTM) have been chosen to study these effects. This paper presents the results of ionospheric time delay during quiet and disturbed days for the year 2005. Results show that.

Modeling of the Ionospheric Scintillation and Total Electron Content Observations during the 21 August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

Science.gov (United States)

Datta-Barua, S.; Gachancipa, J. N.; Deshpande, K.; Herrera, J. A.; Lehmacher, G. A.; Su, Y.; Gyuk, G.; Bust, G. S.; Hampton, D. L.

2017-12-01

High concentration of free electrons in the ionosphere can cause fluctuations in incoming electromagnetic waves, such as those from the different Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). The behavior of the ionosphere depends on time and location, and it is highly influenced by solar activity. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of a total solar eclipse on the local ionosphere in terms of ionospheric scintillations, and on the global ionosphere in terms of TEC (Total Electron Content). The studied eclipse occurred on 21 August 2017 across the continental United States. During the eclipse, we expected to see a decrease in the scintillation strength, as well as in the TEC values. As a broader impact part of our recently funded NSF proposal, we temporarily deployed two GNSS receivers on the eclipse's totality path. One GNSS receiver was placed in Clemson, SC. This is a multi-frequency GNSS receiver (NovAtel GPStation-6) capable of measuring high and low rate scintillation data as well as TEC values from four different GNSS systems. We had the receiver operating before, during, and after the solar eclipse to enable the comparison between eclipse and non-eclipse periods. A twin receiver collected data at Daytona Beach, FL during the same time, where an 85% partial solar eclipse was observed. Additionally, we set up a ground receiver onsite in the path of totality in Perryville, Missouri, from which the Adler Planetarium of Chicago launched a high-altitude balloon to capture a 360-degree video of the eclipse from the stratosphere. By analyzing the collected data, this study looks at the effects of partial and total solar eclipse periods on high rate GNSS scintillation data at mid-latitudes, which had not been explored in detail. This study also explores the impact of solar eclipses on signals from different satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo). Throughout the eclipse, the scintillation values did not appear to have dramatic changes

A search for interplanetary scintillation of Cygnus A at 81.5 MHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsien, S.C.; Duffett-Smith, P.J.

1982-01-01

IPS observations of Cygnus A at 81.5 MHz with the Cambridge 3.6-hectare array set an upper limit on the scintillation of 0.07 per cent of the total flux density. This suggests that the hotspots seen at high frequencies are much less prominent at low frequencies. (author)

A study on multifrequency scintillations near the EIA crest of the Indian zone

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, S. K.; Chatterjee, S.; Jana, Debasis

2017-10-01

Occurrence features of ionospheric scintillations at S band (2492.028 MHz) are reported for the first time. The same have been explored in the context of scintillations at VHF (250.650 MHz) and L5 (1176.45 MHz) bands. Observations were carried out during the period April-December, 2015 at Raja Peary Mohan College Centre (RPMC: 22.66° N, 88.4° E), located near the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crest of the Indian longitude zone. Mostly weak (<10 dB), short duration, slow fading rate with shallower slope power spectra characterize the S band scintillations compared to VHF and L5 band. In the severe scintillation conditions of VHF frequent loss of lock in L5 channel is reflected. Fade depth of 4.2 ± 1.3 dB and fade rate ∼9 fades/minute at S band mostly precede the loss of lock at L5 channel. A good correspondence between fade rates at multi frequency band is reflected irrespective of phases of scintillation. Spectral analysis reveals weak scattering is the dominating mechanism for scintillation at S band while VHF and L5 band scintillations are mostly attributed to multiple scattering. The estimated threshold coherence length of <23 m at VHF may be suggested to be a good indicator for occurrence of L5 and S band scintillations. Occurrence of simultaneous multi-satellite multi-frequency scintillations leads to speculation over the failsafe navigation using available IRNSS constellation. The results are discussed in terms of existing theory of evolution, structure and dynamics of electron density irregularities in the low latitude region.

Ionospheric effects during severe space weather events seen in ionospheric service data products

Science.gov (United States)

Jakowski, Norbert; Danielides, Michael; Mayer, Christoph; Borries, Claudia

Space weather effects are closely related to complex perturbation processes in the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere systems, initiated by enhanced solar energy input. To understand and model complex space weather processes, different views on the same subject are helpful. One of the ionosphere key parameters is the Total Electron Content (TEC) which provides a first or-der approximation of the ionospheric range error in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) applications. Additionally, horizontal gradients and time rate of change of TEC are important for estimating the perturbation degree of the ionosphere. TEC maps can effectively be gener-ated using ground based GNSS measurements from global receiver networks. Whereas ground based GNSS measurements provide good horizontal resolution, space based radio occultation measurements can complete the view by providing information on the vertical plasma density distribution. The combination of ground based TEC and vertical sounding measurements pro-vide essential information on the shape of the vertical electron density profile by computing the equivalent slab thickness at the ionosonde station site. Since radio beacon measurements at 150/400 MHz are well suited to trace the horizontal structure of Travelling Ionospheric Dis-turbances (TIDs), these data products essentially complete GNSS based TEC mapping results. Radio scintillation data products, characterising small scale irregularities in the ionosphere, are useful to estimate the continuity and availability of transionospheric radio signals. The different data products are addressed while discussing severe space weather events in the ionosphere e.g. events in October/November 2003. The complementary view of different near real time service data products is helpful to better understand the complex dynamics of ionospheric perturbation processes and to forecast the development of parameters customers are interested in.

Correlation analysis between the occurrence of ionospheric scintillation at the magnetic equator and at the southern peak of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly

Science.gov (United States)

de Lima, G. R. T.; Stephany, S.; de Paula, E. R.; Batista, I. S.; Abdu, M. A.; Rezende, L. F. C.; Aquino, M. G. S.; Dutra, A. P. S.

2014-06-01

Ionospheric scintillation refers to amplitude and phase fluctuations in radio signals due to electron density irregularities associated to structures named ionospheric plasma bubbles. The phenomenon is more pronounced around the magnetic equator where, after sunset, plasma bubbles of varying sizes and density depletions are generated by plasma instability mechanisms. The bubble depletions are aligned along Earth's magnetic field lines, and they develop vertically upward over the magnetic equator so that their extremities extend in latitude to north and south of the dip equator. Over Brazil, developing bubbles can extend to the southern peak of the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly, where high levels of ionospheric scintillation are common. Scintillation may seriously affect satellite navigation systems, such as the Global Navigation Satellite Systems. However, its effects may be mitigated by using a predictive model derived from a collection of extended databases on scintillation and its associated variables. This work proposes the use of a classification and regression decision tree to perform a study on the correlation between the occurrence of scintillation at the magnetic equator and that at the southern peak of the equatorial anomaly. Due to limited size of the original database, a novel resampling heuristic was applied to generate new training instances from the original ones in order to improve the accuracy of the decision tree. The correlation analysis presented in this work may serve as a starting point for the eventual development of a predictive model suitable for operational use.

New Opportunities for Remote Sensing Ionospheric Irregularities by Fitting Scintillation Spectra

Science.gov (United States)

Carrano, C. S.; Rino, C. L.; Groves, K. M.

2017-12-01

In a recent paper, we presented a phase screen theory for the spectrum of intensity scintillations when the refractive index irregularities follow a two-component power law [Carrano and Rino, DOI: 10.1002/2015RS005903]. More recently we have investigated the inverse problem, whereby phase screen parameters are inferred from scintillation time series. This is accomplished by fitting the spectrum of intensity fluctuations with a parametrized theoretical model using Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods. The Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo technique provides a-posteriori errors and confidence intervals. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) provides justification for the use of one- or two-component irregularity models. We refer to this fitting as Irregularity Parameter Estimation (IPE) since it provides a statistical description of the irregularities from the scintillations they produce. In this talk, we explore some new opportunities for remote sensing ionospheric irregularities afforded by IPE. Statistical characterization of irregularities and the plasma bubbles in which they are embedded provides insight into the development of the underlying instability. In a companion paper by Rino et al., IPE is used to interpret scintillation due to simulated EPB structure. IPE can be used to reconcile multi-frequency scintillation observations and to construct high fidelity scintillation simulation tools. In space-to-ground propagation scenarios, for which an estimate of the distance to the scattering region is available a-priori, IPE enables retrieval of zonal irregularity drift. In radio occultation scenarios, the distance to the irregularities is generally unknown but IPE enables retrieval of Fresnel frequency. A geometric model for the effective scan velocity maps Fresnel frequency to Fresnel scale, yielding the distance to the irregularities. We demonstrate this approach by geolocating irregularities observed by the CORISS instrument onboard the C/NOFS satellite.

MONITOR Ionospheric Network: two case studies on scintillation and electron content variability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Béniguel

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The ESA MONITOR network is composed of high-frequency-sampling global navigation satellite systems (GNSS receivers deployed mainly at low and high latitudes to study ionosphere variability and jointly with global GNSS data and ionospheric processing software in support of the GNSS and its satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS like the European EGNOS. In a recent phase of the project, the network was merged with the CNES/ASECNA network and new receivers were added to complement the latter in the western African sector. This paper summarizes MONITOR, presenting two case studies on scintillations (using almost 2 years of data measurements. The first case occurred during the major St. Patrick's Day geomagnetic storm in 2015. The second case study was performed in the last phase of the project, which was supported by ESA EGNOS Project Office, when we paid special attention to extreme events that might degrade the system performance of the European EGNOS.

VHF and L-band scintillation characteristics over an Indian low latitude station, Waltair (17.7° N, 83.3° E

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. V. S. Rama Rao

2005-10-01

Full Text Available Characteristics of simultaneous VHF (244 MHz and L-band (1.5 GHz scintillations recorded at a low-latitude station, Waltair (17.7° N, 83.3° E, during the low sunspot activity year of March 2004 to March 2005, suggest that the occurrence of scintillations is mainly due to two types, namely the Plasma Bubble Induced (PBI, which maximizes during the post sunset hours of winter and equinoctial months, and the Bottom Side Sinusoidal (BSS type, which maximizes during the post-midnight hours of the summer solstice months. A detailed study on the spectral characteristics of the scintillations at both the frequencies show that the post-sunset scintillations are strong with fast fading (≈40 fad/min and are multiple in nature in scattering, giving rise to steep spectral slopes, whereas the post-midnight scintillations, which occur mostly on the VHF signal with low fading rate (≈4 fad/min, are of the BSS type, often showing typical Fresnel oscillations with reduced roll off spectral slopes, indicating that the type of irregularity resembles a thin screen structure giving rise to weak scattering. Using the onset times of several similar scintillation patches across the two satellite (FLEETSAT 73° E, INMARSAT 65° E ray paths (sub-ionospheric points are separated by 82 km, the East ward movement of the irregularity patches is found to vary from 150 to 250 m/s during the post sunset hours and decrease slowly during the post midnight hours. Further, the east-west extent of the PBI type of irregularities is found to vary from 100 to 500 km, while that of the BSS type extend up to a few thousand kilometers. Keywords. Ionosphere (Ionospheric irregularities; Auroral ionosphere; Electric fields and currents

The Equatorial Scintillations and Space Weather Effects on its Generation during Geomagnetic Storms

Science.gov (United States)

Biktash, Lilia

Great diversity of the ionospheric phenomena leads to a variety of irregularity types with spatial size from many thousands of kilometers to few centimeters and lifetimes from days to fractions of second. Since the ionosphere strongly influences the propagation of radio waves, signal distortions caused by these irregularities affect short-wave transmissions on Earth, transiono-spheric satellite communications and navigation. In this work the solar wind and the equatorial ionosphere parameters, Kp, Dst, AU, AL indices characterized contribution of different mag-netospheric and ionospheric currents to the H-component of geomagnetic field are examined to test the space weather effect on the generation of ionospheric irregularities producing VLF scintillations. According to the results of the current statistical studies, one can predict scintil-lations from Aarons' criteria using the Dst index, which mainly depicts the magnetospheric ring current field. To amplify Aarons' criteria or to propose new criteria for predicting scintillation characteristics is the question. In the present phase of the experimental investigations of elec-tron density irregularities in the ionosphere new ways are opened up because observations in the interaction between the solar wind -magnetosphere -ionosphere during magnetic storms have progressed greatly. We have examined scintillation relation to magnetospheric and ionospheric currents and show that the factor, which presents during magnetic storms to fully inhibit scin-tillation, is the positive Bz-component of the IMF. During the positive Bz IMF F layer cannot raise altitude where scintillations are formed. The auroral indices and Kp do better for the prediction of the ionospheric scintillations at the equator. The interplanetary magnetic field data and models can be used to explain the relationship between the equatorial ionospheric parameters, h'F, foF2, and the equatorial geomagnetic variations with the polar ionosphere cur-rents and

Effect of geomagnetic storms on VHF scintillations observed at low latitude

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, S. B.; Patel, Kalpana; Singh, A. K.

2018-06-01

A geomagnetic storm affects the dynamics and composition of the ionosphere and also offers an excellent opportunity to study the plasma dynamics. In the present study, we have used the VHF scintillations data recorded at low latitude Indian station Varanasi (Geomag. latitude = 14^{°}55^' }N, long. = 154^{°}E) which is radiated at 250 MHz from geostationary satellite UFO-02 during the period 2011-2012 to investigate the effects of geomagnetic storms on VHF scintillation. Various geomagnetic and solar indices such as Dst index, Kp index, IMF Bz and solar wind velocity (Vx) are used to describe the geomagnetic field variation observed during geomagnetic storm periods. These indices are very helpful to find out the proper investigation and possible interrelation between geomagnetic storms and observed VHF scintillation. The pre-midnight scintillation is sometimes observed when the main phase of geomagnetic storm corresponds to the pre-midnight period. It is observed that for geomagnetic storms for which the recovery phase starts post-midnight, the probability of occurrence of irregularities is enhanced during this time and extends to early morning hours.

Understanding Transient Forcing with Plasma Instability Model, Ionospheric Propagation Model and GNSS Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Deshpande, K.; Zettergren, M. D.; Datta-Barua, S.

2017-12-01

Fluctuations in the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals observed as amplitude and phase scintillations are produced by plasma density structures in the ionosphere. Phase scintillation events in particular occur due to structures at Fresnel scales, typically about 250 meters at ionospheric heights and GNSS frequency. Likely processes contributing to small-scale density structuring in auroral and polar regions include ionospheric gradient-drift instability (GDI) and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI), which result, generally, from magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions (e.g. reconnection) associated with cusp and auroral zone regions. Scintillation signals, ostensibly from either GDI or KHI, are frequently observed in the high latitude ionosphere and are potentially useful diagnostics of how energy from the transient forcing in the cusp or polar cap region cascades, via instabilities, to small scales. However, extracting quantitative details of instabilities leading to scintillation using GNSS data drastically benefits from both a model of the irregularities and a model of GNSS signal propagation through irregular media. This work uses a physics-based model of the generation of plasma density irregularities (GEMINI - Geospace Environment Model of Ion-Neutral Interactions) coupled to an ionospheric radio wave propagation model (SIGMA - Satellite-beacon Ionospheric-scintillation Global Model of the upper Atmosphere) to explore the cascade of density structures from medium to small (sub-kilometer) scales. Specifically, GEMINI-SIGMA is used to simulate expected scintillation from different instabilities during various stages of evolution to determine features of the scintillation that may be useful to studying ionospheric density structures. Furthermore we relate the instabilities producing GNSS scintillations to the transient space and time-dependent magnetospheric phenomena and further predict characteristics of scintillation in different geophysical

Analysis of strong ionospheric scintillation events measured by means of GPS signals at low latitudes during disturbed conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Forte, B.

2012-08-01

Drifting structures characterized by inhomogeneities in the spatial electron density distribution at ionospheric heights cause the scintillation of radio waves propagating through. The fractional electron density fluctuations and the corresponding scintillation levels may reach extreme values at low latitudes during high solar activity. Different levels of scintillation were observed on experimental data collected in the Asian sector at low latitudes by means of a GPS dual frequency receiver under moderate solar activity (2005). The GPS receiver used in these campaigns was particularly modified in firmware in order to record power estimates on the C/A code as well as on the carriers L1 and L2. Strong scintillation activity was recorded in the post-sunset period (saturatingS4 and SI as high as 20 dB). Spectral modifications and broadening was observed during high levels of scintillation possibly indicating refractive scattering taking place instead of diffractive scattering. A possible interpretation of those events was attempted on the basis of the refractive scattering theory developed by Uscinski (1968) and Booker and MajidiAhi (1981).

Ionospheric scintillations on 3.925 GHz signal from Intelsat (701) at low latitude in the South Pacific region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, S; Kishore, A; Ramachandran, V

2007-01-01

The morphological features of initial ionospheric scintillations on 3.925 GHz beacon signal from geostationary satellite Intelsat (701) at Suva (Lat., 18.08 0 S, Long., 178.3 0 E, Geom. Lat., 22.1 0 S), Fiji, a low latitude station in the South Pacific region have been studied during the period of December 2003 to June 2004. Scintillations were, in general, sparse, of which activity was more pronounced in the daytime. Scintillation occurrence was less in general, showing a peak value of about 2.5% at 09 h LT and a secondary peak of about 2% at around 16 h LT. Scintillations were weak (S 4 index ≤ 0.25) and occurred mostly in patches of short duration of 2-5 min. It is reported here that weak and short duration scintillations with more daytime occurrence are mainly due to (i) the higher frequency beacon signal used (ii) the recording station being situated off the equatorial ionisation anomaly belt, and (iii) the period of observation falling in the low solar activity phase of the current solar cycle

GPS scintillations and total electron content climatology in the southern low, middle and high latitude regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luca Spogli

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years, several groups have installed high-frequency sampling receivers in the southern middle and high latitude regions, to monitor ionospheric scintillations and the total electron content (TEC changes. Taking advantage of the archive of continuous and systematic observations of the ionosphere on L-band by means of signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS, we present the first attempt at ionospheric scintillation and TEC mapping from Latin America to Antarctica. The climatology of the area considered is derived through Ground-Based Scintillation Climatology, a method that can identify ionospheric sectors in which scintillations are more likely to occur. This study also introduces the novel ionospheric scintillation 'hot-spot' analysis. This analysis first identifies the crucial areas of the ionosphere in terms of enhanced probability of scintillation occurrence, and then it studies the seasonal variation of the main scintillation and TEC-related parameters. The results produced by this sophisticated analysis give significant indications of the spatial/ temporal recurrences of plasma irregularities, which contributes to the extending of current knowledge of the mechanisms that cause scintillations, and consequently to the development of efficient tools to forecast space-weather-related ionospheric events.

On the occurrence and strength of multi-frequency multi-GNSS Ionospheric Scintillations in Indian sector during declining phase of solar cycle 24

Science.gov (United States)

Srinivasu, V. K. D.; Dashora, N.; Prasad, D. S. V. V. D.; Niranjan, K.; Gopi Krishna, S.

2018-04-01

This study presents unique perspectives of occurrence and strength of low latitude ionospheric scintillations on multiple signals of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and its frequency dependence using continuous observation records of 780 nights. A robust comparative analysis is performed using scintillation index, S4 and its variation during pre-midnight and post-midnight duration from a GNSS receiver located at Waltair (17.7°N, 83.3°E), India, covering period from July 2014 to August 2016. The results, generally exhibit the impact of declining phase of solar cycle 24 on occurrence and strength of scintillations, which, however, is evidently different over different frequencies transmitted from different GNSS systems. A deeper quantitative analysis uniquely reveals that apart from the solar cycle and seasonal effects, the number of visible satellites of a selected GNSS markedly affect the occurrence and also the strength. Processing scheme of adopting 6 hourly time windows of pre-midnight and post-midnight brought a novel result that the strength and occurrence of strong scintillations decrease with declining solar activity during pre-midnight hours but remarkably increase for moderate and weak scintillations during post-midnight. The physical processes that dominate the post-midnight equatorial ionosphere are invoked to explain such variations that are special during declining solar activity. Finally, inter-GNSS signal analysis in terms of the effect of strong, moderate and weak scintillations is presented with due consideration of number of satellite passes affected and frequency dependence of mean S4. The quantitative results of this study emphasize for the first time effect of low latitude scintillation on GNSS signals in Indian zone under changing background solar and seasonal conditions.

Kilometer-Spaced GNSS Array for Ionospheric Irregularity Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Yang

This dissertation presents automated, systematic data collection, processing, and analysis methods for studying the spatial-temporal properties of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) scintillations produced by ionospheric irregularities at high latitudes using a closely spaced multi-receiver array deployed in the northern auroral zone. The main contributions include 1) automated scintillation monitoring, 2) estimation of drift and anisotropy of the irregularities, 3) error analysis of the drift estimates, and 4) multi-instrument study of the ionosphere. A radio wave propagating through the ionosphere, consisting of ionized plasma, may suffer from rapid signal amplitude and/or phase fluctuations known as scintillation. Caused by non-uniform structures in the ionosphere, intense scintillation can lead to GNSS navigation and high-frequency (HF) communication failures. With specialized GNSS receivers, scintillation can be studied to better understand the structure and dynamics of the ionospheric irregularities, which can be parameterized by altitude, drift motion, anisotropy of the shape, horizontal spatial extent and their time evolution. To study the structuring and motion of ionospheric irregularities at the sub-kilometer scale sizes that produce L-band scintillations, a closely-spaced GNSS array has been established in the auroral zone at Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska to investigate high latitude scintillation and irregularities. Routinely collecting low-rate scintillation statistics, the array database also provides 100 Hz power and phase data for each channel at L1/L2C frequency. In this work, a survey of seasonal and hourly dependence of L1 scintillation events over the course of a year is discussed. To efficiently and systematically study scintillation events, an automated low-rate scintillation detection routine is established and performed for each day by screening the phase scintillation index. The spaced-receiver technique is applied to cross

A novel astronomical application for formation flying small satellites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bentum, Marinus Jan; Verhoeven, C.J.M.; Boonstra, A.J.; van der Veen, A.J.; Gill, E.K.A.

2011-01-01

OLFAR, Orbiting Low Frequency Antennas for Radio Astronomy, will be a space mission to observe the universe frequencies below 30 MHz, as it was never done before with an orbiting telescope. Because of the ionospheric scintillations below 30 MHz and the opaqueness of the ionosphere below 15 MHZ, a

A novel astronomical application for formation flying small satellites

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bentum, Marinus Jan; Verhoeven, C.J.M.; Boonstra, A.J.; Gill, E.K.A.; van der Veen, A.J.

2009-01-01

OLFAR, Orbiting Low Frequency Antennas for Radio Astronomy, will be a space mission to observe the universe frequencies below 30 MHz, as it was never done before with an orbiting telescope. Because of the ionospheric scintillations below 30 MHz and the opaqueness of the ionosphere below 15 MHz, a

Analytical study of nighttime scintillations using GPS at low latitude station Bhopal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maski, Kalpana, E-mail: k-maski@rediffmail.com [Department of Physics, Regional Institute of Education, Bhopal (India); Vijay, S. K. [Institute for Excellence in Higher Education, Bhopal (India)

2015-07-31

Sporadically structured ionosphere (i.e. in-homogeneities in refractive index) can cause fluctuations (due to refraction effects) on the radio signal that is passing through it. These fluctuations are called ionospheric scintillations. Low latitude region is suitable for studying these scintillations. The influence of the ionosphere on the propagation of the radio wave becomes very marked with reference to communication or navigational radio system at very low frequency (VLF) to a high frequency (HF), which operate over the distances of 1000 km or more. Radio wave communication at different frequencies depends on structure of the ionosphere. With the advent of the artificial satellites, they are used as a prime mode of radio wave communication. Some natural perturbation termed as irregularities, are present in the form of electron density of the ionosphere that cause disruption in the radio and satellite communications. Therefore the study of the ionospheric irregularities is of practical importance, if one wishes to understand the upper atmosphere completely. In order to make these communications uninterrupted the knowledge of irregularities, which are present in the ionosphere are very important. These irregularities can be located and estimated with the help of Ionospheric TEC and Scintillation. Scintillation is generally confined to nighttime hours, particularly around equatorial and low latitudes.

A different approach to the analysis of GPS scintillations data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forte, B.; Radicella, S.M.; Ezquer, R.G.

2001-09-01

Amplitude scintillations data from GPS have been analyzed. The objective is to estimate the impact of ionospheric scintillations at Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) Ranging and Integrity Monitoring Station (RIMS) level and at GPS user level. For this purpose a new approach to the problem has been considered. Data have been studied from the point of view of the impact of scintillations on the calculation of VTEC at pierce points and ionospheric grid points. An ionospheric grid of 5 deg. by 5 deg. surface squares has been assumed. From geometrical considerations and taking into account the basic principle to compute VTEC at grid points, with the data analyzed it is shown that very seldom scintillations can affect the calculation of a grid point VTEC. Data from all the RIMS and for the entire GPS satellites network must be analyzed simultaneously to describe a realistic scenario for the impact of scintillations on SBAS. Finally, GPS scintillation data have been analyzed at user level: service availability problems have been encountered. (author)

Full Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Data for ionosphere observation - A comparative study

Science.gov (United States)

Mohanty, S.; Singh, G.

2017-12-01

Ionosphere, predominantly, govern the propagation of radio waves, especially at L-band and lower frequencies. Small-scale, rapid fluctuations in the electron density, termed as scintillation phenomenon, cause rapid variations in signal amplitude and phase. Scintillation studies have been done using ground-based radio transmitter and beacon GPS signals. In this work, attempt has been made to utilize full polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite signal at L-band (1.27 GHz) to develop a new measurement index for SAR signal intensity fluctuation. Datasets acquired from Japan's latest Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS)-2 over the Indian subcontinent on two different dates, with varying ionospheric activities, have been utilized to compare the index. A 20% increase in the index values for a scintillation-affected day has been observed. The result coincides with the nature of ionospheric scintillation pattern typically observed over the equatorial belt. Total electron content values, for the two dates of acquisition, obtained from freely available Ionosphere Exchange (IONEX) data have been used to validate the varying ionospheric activities as well as the trend in index results. Another interesting finding of the paper is the demarcation of the equatorial anomaly belt. The index values are comparatively higher at these latitudes on a scintillation-affected day. Furthermore, the SAR signal intensity fluctuation index has great potential in being used as a preliminary measurement index to identify low frequency SAR data affected by ionospheric scintillation.

Ionospheric research at INPE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdu, M.A.

1984-01-01

Ionosphere investigations at INPE are mainly concerned with the problems of equatorial and tropical ionospheres and their electrodynamic coupling with the high latitude ionosphere. Present research objectives include investigations in the following specific areas: equatorial ionospheric plasma dynamics; plasma irregularity generation and morphology, and effects on space borne radar operations; ionospheric response to disturbance dynamo and magnetospheric electric fields; aeronomic effcts of charged particle precipitation in the magnetic anomaly, etc. These problems are being investigated using experimental datacollected from ionospheric diagnostic instruments being operated at different locations in Brazil. These instruments are: ionosondes, VHF electronic polarimeters, L-band scintillation receivers, airglow photometers, riometers and VLF receivers. A brief summary of the research activities and some recnet results will be presented. (Author) [pt

The role of MEXART in the National Space Weather Laboratory of Mexico: Detection of solar wind, CMEs, ionosphere, active regions and flares.

Science.gov (United States)

Mejia-Ambriz, J.; Gonzalez-Esparza, A.; De la Luz, V.; Villanueva-Hernandez, P.; Andrade, E.; Aguilar-Rodriguez, E.; Chang, O.; Romero Hernandez, E.; Sergeeva, M. A.; Perez Alanis, C. A.; Reyes-Marin, P. A.

2017-12-01

The National Space Weather Laboratory - Laboratorio Nacional de Clima Espacial (LANCE) - of Mexico has different ground based instruments to study and monitor the space weather. One of these instruments is the Mexican Array Radio Telescope (MEXART) which is principally dedicated to remote sensing the solar wind and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) at 140 MHz, the instrument can detect solar wind densities and speeds from about 0.4 to 1 AU by modeling observations of interplanetary scintillation (IPS). MEXART is also able to detect ionospheric disturbances associated with transient space weather events by the analysis of ionospheric scintillation (IONS) . Additionally, MEXART has followed the Sun since the beginning of the current Solar Cycle 24 with records of 8 minutes per day, and occasionally, has partially detected the process of strong solar flares. Here we show the contributions of MEXART to the LANCE by reporting recent detections of CMEs by IPS, the arrive of transient events at Earth by IONS, the influence of active regions in the flux of the Sun at 140 MHz and the detection of a M6.5 class flare. Furthermore we report the status of a near real time analysis of IPS data for forecast purposes and the potential contribution to the Worldwide IPS Stations network (WIPSS), which is an effort to achieve a better coverage of the solar wind observations in the inner heliosphere.

Climatology of the scintillation onset over southern Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Sousasantos, Jonas; de Oliveira Moraes, Alison; Sobral, José H. A.; Muella, Marcio T. A. H.; de Paula, Eurico R.; Paolini, Rafael S.

2018-04-01

This work presents an analysis of the climatology of the onset time of ionospheric scintillations at low latitude over the southern Brazilian territory near the peak of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA). Data from L1 frequency GPS receiver located in Cachoeira Paulista (22.4° S, 45.0° W; dip latitude 16.9° S), from September 1998 to November 2014, covering a period between solar cycles 23 and 24, were used in the present analysis of the scintillation onset time. The results show that the start time of the ionospheric scintillation follows a pattern, starting about 40 min earlier, in the months of November and December, when compared to January and February. The analyses presented here show that such temporal behavior seems to be associated with the ionospheric prereversal vertical drift (PRVD) magnitude and time. The influence of solar activity in the percentage of GPS links affected is also addressed together with the respective ionospheric prereversal vertical drift behavior. Based on this climatological study a set of empirical equations is proposed to be used for a GNSS alert about the scintillation prediction. The identification of this kind of pattern may support GNSS applications for aviation and oil extraction maritime stations positioning.

Severe ionosphere disturbances caused by the sudden response of evening subequatorial ionospheres to geomagnetic storms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, T.

1981-01-01

By monitoring C band beacon signals from geostationary satellites in Japan, we have observed anomalously strong ionospheric scintillations several times during three years from 1978 to 1980. These severe scinitillations occur associated with geomagnetic storms and accompany sudden and intense ionospheric perturbations in the low-latiude region. Through the analysis of these phenomena we have identified a new type of ionospheric disturbances characterized by intensifications of equatorial anomalies and successive severe ionospheric scintillations that extend to the C band range. The events occur only during a limited local time interval after the sunset, when storm time decreases of midlatitude geomagnetic fields in the same meridan take place during the same time interval. From the viewpoint of ionospheric storms, these disturbances precede the occurrence of midlatitude negative phases and storm time depressions of equatorial anomalies to indicate that the cause of the events is different from distrubed thermospheric circulations. The timing and magnitude of substorms at high-latitudes not always correlate with the events. We have concluded that the phenomena are closely related with penetrations toward low-latitudes of electric fields owing to the partial closure of asymmetrical ring currents

Climatology of ionospheric scintillation over the Vietnam low-latitude region for the period 2006-2014

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Thi Lan; Le, Huy Minh; Amory-Mazaudier, C.; Fleury, R.

2017-10-01

This paper presents the characteristics of the occurrence of ionospheric scintillations at low-latitude, over Vietnam, by using continuous data of three GSV4004 receivers located at PHUT/Hanoï (105.9°E, 21.0°N; magnetic latitude 14.4°N), HUES/Hue (107.6°E, 16.5°N; magnetic latitude 9.5°N) and HOCM/Ho Chi Minh city (106.6°E, 10.8°N; magnetic latitude 3.3°N) for the period 2006-2014. The results show that the scintillation activity is maximum during equinox months for all the years and depends on solar activity as expected. The correlations between the monthly percentage scintillation occurrence and the F10.7 flux are of 0.40, 0.52 and 0.67 for PHUT, HUES and HOCM respectively. The distribution of scintillation occurrences is dominant in the pre-midnight sector and around the northern crest of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA), from the 15°N to 20°N geographic latitude with a maximum at 16°N. The results obtained from the directional analysis show higher distributions of scintillations in the southern sky of PHUT and in the northern sky of HUES and HOCM, and in the elevation angles smaller than 40°. The correlation between ROTI and S4 is low and rather good at PHUT (under EIA) than HOCM (near equator). We found better correlation in the post-midnight hours and less correlation in the pre-midnight hours for all stations. When all satellites are considered during the period of 2009-2011, the range of variation of the ration between ROTI and S4 is from 1 to 7 for PHUT, from 0.3 to 6 for HUES and from 0.7 to 6 for HOCM.

Interstellar scintillations of PSR B1919+21: space-ground interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Shishov, V. I.; Smirnova, T. V.; Gwinn, C. R.; Andrianov, A. S.; Popov, M. V.; Rudnitskiy, A. G.; Soglasnov, V. A.

2017-07-01

We carried out observations of pulsar PSR B1919+21 at 324 MHz to study the distribution of interstellar plasma in the direction of this pulsar. We used the RadioAstron (RA) space radio telescope, together with two ground telescopes: Westerbork (WB) and Green Bank (GB). The maximum baseline projection for the space-ground interferometer was about 60 000 km. We show that interstellar scintillation of this pulsar consists of two components: diffractive scintillations from inhomogeneities in a layer of turbulent plasma at a distance z1 = 440 pc from the observer or homogeneously distributed scattering material to the pulsar; and weak scintillations from a screen located near the observer at z2 = 0.14 ± 0.05 pc. Furthermore, in the direction to the pulsar we detected a prism that deflects radiation, leading to a shift in observed source position. We show that the influence of the ionosphere can be ignored for the space-ground baseline. Analysis of the spatial coherence function for the space-ground baseline (RA-GB) yielded a scattering angle in the observer plane of θscat = 0.7 mas. An analysis of the time-frequency correlation function for weak scintillations yielded an angle of refraction in the direction to the pulsar θref, 0 = 110 ms and a distance to the prism zprism ≤ 2 pc.

Validation of measured poleward TEC gradient using multi-station GPS with Artificial Neural Network based TEC model in low latitude region for developing predictive capability of ionospheric scintillation

Science.gov (United States)

Sur, D.; Paul, A.

2017-12-01

The equatorial ionosphere shows sharp diurnal and latitudinal Total Electron Content (TEC) variations over a major part of the day. Equatorial ionosphere also exhibits intense post-sunset ionospheric irregularities. Accurate prediction of TEC in these low latitudes is not possible from standard ionospheric models. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based Vertical TEC (VTEC) model has been designed using TEC data in low latitude Indian longitude sector for accurate prediction of VTEC. GPS TEC data from the stations Calcutta (22.58°N, 88.38°E geographic, magnetic dip 32°), Baharampore (24.09°N, 88.25°E geographic, magnetic dip 35°) and Siliguri (26.72°N, 88.39°E geographic; magnetic dip 40°) are used as training dataset for the duration of January 2007-September 2011. Poleward VTEC gradients from northern EIA crest to region beyond EIA crest have been calculated from measured VTEC and compared with that obtained from ANN based VTEC model. TEC data from Calcutta and Siliguri are used to compute VTEC gradients during April 2013 and August-September 2013. It has been observed that poleward VTEC gradient computed from ANN based TEC model has shown good correlation with measured values during vernal and autumnal equinoxes of high solar activity periods of 2013. Possible correlation between measured poleward TEC gradients and post-sunset scintillations (S4 ≥ 0.4) from northern crest of EIA has been observed in this paper. From the observation, a suitable threshold poleward VTEC gradient has been proposed for possible occurrence of post-sunset scintillations at northern crest of EIA along 88°E longitude. Poleward VTEC gradients obtained from ANN based VTEC model are used to forecast possible ionospheric scintillation after post-sunset period using the threshold value. It has been observed that these predicted VTEC gradients obtained from ANN based VTEC model can forecast post-sunset L-band scintillation with an accuracy of 67% to 82% in this dynamic low latitude

Effects of the equatorial ionosphere on L-band Earth-space transmissions

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Ernest K.; Flock, Warren L.

1993-01-01

Ionosphere scintillation can effect satellite telecommunication up to Ku-band. Nighttime scintillation can be attributed to large-scale inhomogeneity in the F-region of the ionosphere predominantly between heights of 200 and 600 km. Daytime scintillation has been attributed to sporadic E. It can be thought of as occurring in three belts: equatorial, high-latitude, and mid-latitude, in order of severity. Equatorial scintillation occurs between magnetic latitudes +/- 25 degrees, peaking near +/- 10 degrees. It commonly starts abruptly near 2000 local time and dies out shortly after midnight. There is a strong solar cycle dependence and a seasonal preference for the equinoxes, particularly the vernal one. Equatorial scintillation occurs more frequently on magnetically quiet than on magnetically disturbed days in most longitudes. At the peak of the sunspot cycle scintillation depths as great as 20 dB were observed at L-band.

Measuring GNSS ionospheric total electron content at Concordia, and application to L-band radiometers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincenzo Romano

2013-06-01

Full Text Available In the framework of the project BIS - Bipolar Ionospheric Scintillation and Total Electron Content Monitoring, the ISACCO-DMC0 and ISACCO-DMC1 permanent monitoring stations were installed in 2008. The principal scope of the stations is to measure the ionospheric total electron content (TEC and to monitor the ionospheric scintillations, using high-sampling-frequency global positioning system (GPS ionospheric scintillation and TEC monitor (GISTM receivers. The disturbances that the ionosphere can induce on the electromagnetic signals emitted by the Global Navigation Satellite System constellations are due to the presence of electron density anomalies in the ionosphere, which are particularly frequent at high latitudes, where the upper atmosphere is highly sensitive to perturbations coming from outer space. With the development of present and future low-frequency space-borne microwave missions (e.g., Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity [SMOS], Aquarius, and Soil Moisture Active Passive missions, there is an increasing need to estimate the effects of the ionosphere on the propagation of electromagnetic waves that affects satellite measurements. As an example, how the TEC data collected at Concordia station are useful for the calibration of the European Space Agency SMOS data within the framework of an experiment promoted by the European Space Agency (known as DOMEX will be discussed. The present report shows the ability of the GISTM station to monitor ionospheric scintillation and TEC, which indicates that only the use of continuous GPS measurements can provide accurate information on TEC variability, which is necessary for continuous calibration of satellite data.

Searching for MHz Transients with the VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE)

Science.gov (United States)

Polisensky, Emil; Peters, Wendy; Giacintucci, Simona; Clarke, Tracy; Kassim, Namir E.; hyman, Scott D.; van der Horst, Alexander; Linford, Justin; Waldron, Zach; Frail, Dale

2018-01-01

NRL and NRAO have expanded the low frequency capabilities of the VLA through the VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE, http://vlite.nrao.edu/ ), effectively making the instrument two telescopes in one. VLITE is a commensal observing system that harvests data from the prime focus in parallel with normal Cassegrain focus observing on a subset of VLA antennas. VLITE provides over 6000 observing hours per year in a > 5 square degree field-of-view using 64 MHz bandwidth centered on 352 MHz. By operating in parallel, VLITE offers invaluable low frequency data to targeted observations of transient sources detected at higher frequencies. With arcsec resolution and mJy sensitivity, VLITE additionally offers great potential for blind searches of rarer radio-selected transients. We use catalog matching software on the imaging products from the daily astrophysics pipeline and the LOFAR Transients Pipeline (TraP) on repeated observations of the same fields to search for coherent and incoherent astronomical transients on timescales of a few seconds to years. We present the current status of the VLITE transient science program from its initial deployment on 10 antennas in November 2014 through its expansion to 16 antennas in the summer of 2017. Transient limits from VLITE’s first year of operation (Polisensky et al. 2016) are updated per the most recent analysis.

Geophysical analysis of coherent satellite scintillation data

Science.gov (United States)

Fremouw, E. J.; Lansinger, J. M.; Miller, D. A.

1981-11-01

In May of 1976, Air Force Satellite P76-5 was launched with the Defense Nuclear Agency's Wideband beacon, DNA-002, as its sole payload. Several researchers have employed the resulting data in studies of ionospheric structure and its effect on transionospheric radio communications. In the present work, recordings of amplitude and phase scintillation imposed on Wideband's VHF and UHF signals by the ionosphere have been used to study medium-scale structures in the auroral-zone F layer. Results include quantitative identification of a very close relationship between scintillation and solar/geomagnetic activity, together with lack of a seasonal variation in scintillation activity in the Alaskan sector. A surprisingly high correlation (90%) was found between monthly means of phase-scintillation index, on the one hand, and sunspot number and 10-cm solar radio flux, on the other. The high-latitude scintillation boundary was found to be very similar to the soft-electron precipitation boundary, including similarity in expansion rates with increasing magnetic activity. Interestingly, it is systematically shifted poleward of the precipitation boundary on the day side of the earth and equatorward on the night side. Taken together, the results of this research disclose a rather direct relationship between scintillation and soft-electron precipitation, with plasma convection likely playing an important role in generation of the scintillation-producing irregularities.

A modern trans-ionospheric propagation sensing system

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, G. J.; Klobuchar, J. A.; Ronn, A. E.; Bedard, M. G.

1989-09-01

One of the most important potential problems with modern military systems which utilize spacecraft is the effect of the ionosphere on the radio signals which pass to and from the spacecraft. Such systems include active communications and navigation satellites as well as both ground-based and potential space-based ranging systems. The major effects the ionosphere can have on such systems are the additional time delay the electrons in the earth's ionosphere add to the free space path delay, the short term rate of change of this additional delay, amplitude scintillation or fading effects the signal encounters due to irregularities in the ionosphere, and Faraday rotation of linearly polarized radio waves transmitted through the ionosphere. While some of these effects were studied adequate models of these effects on military systems still do not exist. A modern trans-ionospheric sensing system, called TISS, is being procured which will consist of a number of stations located throughout the world, making real time measurements of the time delay of the ionosphere, and its rate of change, as well as amplitude scintillation, along several different viewing directions from each station. These trans-ionospheric measurements will be used to allow models, which currently provide only monthly propagation parameters. The real-time specifications of these parameters can then be used as decision aids in both the tactical and the strategic military environments. The TISS will include first order artificial intelligence design to aid in gathering the most appropriate sets of available real-time trans-ionospheric propagation data, and will communicate these data sets to the Air Weather Service Forecasting Center where they will be tailored to specific military customers.

Bayesian estimation for ionospheric calibration in radio astronomy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van der Tol, S.

2009-01-01

Radio astronomical observations at low frequencies (< 250 MHz), can be severely distorted by fluctuations in electron density in the ionosphere. The free electrons cause a phase change of electromagnetic waves traveling through the ionosphere. This effect increases for lower frequencies. For this

The relationship between small-scale and large-scale ionospheric electron density irregularities generated by powerful HF electromagnetic waves at high latitudes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. D. Tereshchenko

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Satellite radio beacons were used in June 2001 to probe the ionosphere modified by a radio beam produced by the EISCAT high-power, high-frequency (HF transmitter located near Tromsø (Norway. Amplitude scintillations and variations of the phase of 150- and 400-MHz signals from Russian navigational satellites passing over the modified region were observed at three receiver sites. In several papers it has been stressed that in the polar ionosphere the thermal self-focusing on striations during ionospheric modification is the main mechanism resulting in the formation of large-scale (hundreds of meters to kilometers nonlinear structures aligned along the geomagnetic field (magnetic zenith effect. It has also been claimed that the maximum effects caused by small-scale (tens of meters irregularities detected in satellite signals are also observed in the direction parallel to the magnetic field. Contrary to those studies, the present paper shows that the maximum in amplitude scintillations does not correspond strictly to the magnetic zenith direction because high latitude drifts typically cause a considerable anisotropy of small-scale irregularities in a plane perpendicular to the geomagnetic field resulting in a deviation of the amplitude-scintillation peak relative to the minimum angle between the line-of-sight to the satellite and direction of the geomagnetic field lines. The variance of the logarithmic relative amplitude fluctuations is considered here, which is a useful quantity in such studies. The experimental values of the variance are compared with model calculations and good agreement has been found. It is also shown from the experimental data that in most of the satellite passes a variance maximum occurs at a minimum in the phase fluctuations indicating that the artificial excitation of large-scale irregularities is minimum when the excitation of small-scale irregularities is maximum.

Statistical evaluation of GLONASS amplitude scintillation over low latitudes in the Brazilian territory

Science.gov (United States)

de Oliveira Moraes, Alison; Muella, Marcio T. A. H.; de Paula, Eurico R.; de Oliveira, César B. A.; Terra, William P.; Perrella, Waldecir J.; Meibach-Rosa, Pâmela R. P.

2018-04-01

The ionospheric scintillation, generated by the ionospheric plasma irregularities, affects the radio signals that pass through it. Their effects are widely studied in the literature with two different approaches. The first one deals with the use of radio signals to study and understand the morphology of this phenomenon, while the second one seeks to understand and model how much this phenomenon interferes in the radio signals and consequently in the services to which these systems work. The interest of several areas, particularly to those that are life critical, has increased using the concept of satellite multi-constellation, which consists of receiving, processing and using data from different navigation and positioning systems. Although there is a vast literature analyzing the effects of ionospheric scintillation on satellite navigation systems, the number of studies using signals received from the Russian satellite positioning system (named GLONASS) is still very rare. This work presents for the first time in the Brazilian low-latitude sector a statistical analysis of ionospheric scintillation data for all levels of magnetic activities obtained by a set of scintillation monitors that receive signals from the GLONASS system. In this study, data collected from four stations were used in the analysis; Fortaleza, Presidente Prudente, São José dos Campos and Porto Alegre. The GLONASS L-band signals were analyzed for the period from December 21, 2012 to June 20, 2016, which includes the peak of the solar cycle 24 that occurred in 2014. The main characteristics of scintillation presented in this study include: (1) the statistical evaluation of seasonal and solar activity, showing the chances that an user on similar geophysical conditions may be susceptible to the effects of ionospheric scintillation; (2) a temporal analysis based on the local time distribution of scintillation at different seasons and intensity levels; and (3) the evaluation of number of

Propagation and scattering of electromagnetic waves by the ionospheric irregularities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, A.Y.; Kuo, S.P.; Lee, M.C.

1993-01-01

The problem of wave propagation and scattering in the ionosphere is particularly important in the areas of communications, remote-sensing and detection. The ionosphere is often perturbed with coherently structured (quasiperiodic) density irregularities. Experimental observations suggest that these irregularities could give rise to significant ionospheric effect on wave propagation such as causing spread-F of the probing HF sounding signals and scintillation of beacon satellite signals. It was show by the latter that scintillation index S 4 ∼ 0.5 and may be as high as 0.8. In this work a quasi-particle theory is developed to study the scintillation phenomenon. A Wigner distribution function for the wave intensity in the (k,r) space is introduced and its governing equation is derived with an effective collision term giving rise to the attenuation and scattering of the wave. This kinetic equation leads to a hierarchy of moment equations in r space. This systems of equations is then truncated to the second moment which is equivalent to assuming a cold quasi-particle distribution In this analysis, the irregularities are modeled as a two dimensional density modulation on an uniform background plasma. The analysis shows that this two dimensional density grating, effectively modulates the intensity of the beacon satellite signals. This spatial modulation of the wave intensity is converted into time modulation due to the drift of the ionospheric irregularities, which then contributes to the scintillation of the beacon satellite signals. Using the proper plasma parameters and equatorial measured data of irregularities, it is shown that the scintillation index defined by S4=( 2 >- 2 )/ 2 where stands for spatial average over an irregularity wavelength is in the range of the experimentally detected values

The mid-latitude ionosphere under quiet geomagnetic conditions: propagation analysis of SuperDARN radar observations from large ionospheric perturbations

OpenAIRE

De Larquier, Sebastien

2013-01-01

The Earth's ionosphere is a dynamic environment strongly coupled to the neutral atmosphere, magnetosphere and solar activity. In the context of this research, we restrict our interest to the mid-latitude (a.k.a., sub-auroral) ionosphere during quiet geomagnetic conditions. The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) is composed of more than 30 low-power High Frequency (HF, from 8-18 MHz) Doppler radars covering the sub-auroral, auroral and polar ionosphere in both hemispheres. SuperDARN ...

An ionospheric index suitable for estimating the degree of ionospheric perturbations

Science.gov (United States)

Wilken, Volker; Kriegel, Martin; Jakowski, Norbert; Berdermann, Jens

2018-03-01

Space weather can strongly affect trans-ionospheric radio signals depending on the used frequency. In order to assess the strength of a space weather event from its origin at the sun towards its impact on the ionosphere a number of physical quantities need to be derived from scientific measurements. These are for example the Wolf number sunspot index, the solar flux density F10.7, measurements of the interplanetary magnetic field, the proton density, the solar wind speed, the dynamical pressure, the geomagnetic indices Auroral Electrojet, Kp, Ap and Dst as well as the Total Electron Content (TEC), the Rate of TEC, the scintillation indices S4 and σ(ϕ) and the Along-Arc TEC Rate index index. All these quantities provide in combination with an additional classification an orientation in a physical complex environment. Hence, they are used for brief communication of a simplified but appropriate space situation awareness. However, space weather driven ionospheric phenomena can affect many customers in the communication and navigation domain, which are still served inadequately by the existing indices. We present a new robust index, that is able to properly characterize temporal and spatial ionospheric variations of small to medium scales. The proposed ionospheric disturbance index can overcome several drawbacks of other ionospheric measures and might be suitable as potential driver for an ionospheric space weather scale.

GPS phase scintillation and auroral electrojet currents during geomagnetic storms of March 17, 2013 and 2015

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prikryl, P.; Ghoddousi-Fard, R.; Viljanen, A.

2017-01-01

in the context of solar wind coupling to the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. Phase scintillation is observed at high latitudes by arrays of high-rate GNSS Ionospheric Scintillation and TEC Monitors (GISTMs) and geodetic-quality GPS receivers sampling at 1 Hz. The high-rate GPS receivers are distributed...... in the northern and in the southern high latitudes with sparser coverage. In addition to GPS receivers, the high-latitude ionosphere dynamics is studied using arrays of ground-based instruments including HF radars, ionosondes, riometers, magnetometers, optical imagers as well as particle detectors and ultraviolet...

Low-latitude scintillation occurrences around the equatorial anomaly crest over Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Abadi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We investigated low-latitude ionospheric scintillation in Indonesia using two GPS receivers installed at Bandung (107.6° E, 6.9° S; magnetic latitude 17.5° S and Pontianak (109.3° E, 0.02° S; magnetic latitude 8.9° S. This study aimed to characterise climatological and directional ionospheric scintillation occurrences, which are useful not only for the physics of ionospheric irregularities but also for practical use in GNSS (global navigation satellite system-based navigation. We used the deployed instrument's amplitude scintillation (S4 index data from 2009, 2010, and 2011; the yearly SSN (sunspot-smoothed numbers were 3.1, 16.5, and 55.9, respectively. In summary, (1 scintillation occurrences in the post-sunset period (18:00–01:00 LT during equinox months (plasma bubble season at the two sites can be ascribed to the plasma bubble; (2 using directional analyses of the two sites, we found that the distribution of scintillation occurrences is generally concentrated between the two sites, indicating the average location of the EIA (equatorial ionisation anomaly crest; (3 scintillation occurrence enhancements for the two sites in field-aligned directions are herein reported for the first time by ground-based observation in a low-latitude region; (4 distribution of scintillation occurrences at Pontianak are concentrated in the southern sky, especially in the southwest direction, which is very likely associated with the plasma bubble tilted westward with increasing latitude; and (5 scintillation occurrence in the post-midnight period in the non-plasma-bubble season is the most intriguing variable occurring between the two sites (i.e. post-midnight scintillations are observed more at Bandung than Pontianak. Most of the post-midnight scintillations observed at Bandung are concentrated in the northern sky, with low elevation angles. This might be due to the amplitude of irregularities in certain directions, which may be effectively enhanced by

Cubesat-Based Dtv Receiver Constellation for Ionospheric Tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Bahcivan, H.; Leveque, K.; Doe, R. A.

2013-12-01

The Radio Aurora Explorer mission, funded by NSF's Space Weather and Atmospheric Research program, has demonstrated the utility of CubeSat-based radio receiver payloads for ionospheric research. RAX has primarily been an investigation of microphysics of meter-scale ionospheric structures; however, the data products are also suitable for research on ionospheric effects on radio propagation. To date, the spacecraft has acquired (1) ground-based UHF radar signals that are backscattered from meter-scale ionospheric irregularities, which have been used to measure the dispersion properties of meter-scale plasma waves and (2) ground-based signals, directly on the transmitter-spacecraft path, which have been used to measure radio propagation disturbances (scintillations). Herein we describe the application of a CubeSat constellation of UHF receivers to expand the latter research topic for global-scale ionospheric tomography. The enabling factor for this expansion is the worldwide availability of ground-based digital television (DTV) broadcast signals whose characteristics are optimal for scintillation analysis. A significant part of the populated world have transitioned, or soon to be transitioned, to DTV. The DTV signal has a standard format that contains a highly phase-stable pilot carrier that can be readily adapted for propagation diagnostics. A multi-frequency software-defined radar receiver, similar to the RAX payload, can measure these signals at a large number of pilot carrier frequencies to make radio ray and diffraction tomographic measurements of the ionosphere and the irregularities contained in it. A constellation of CubeSats, launched simultaneously, or in sequence over years, similar to DMSPs, can listen to the DTV stations, providing a vast and dense probing of the ionosphere. Each spacecraft can establish links to a preprogrammed list of DTV stations and cycle through them using time-division frequency multiplexing (TDFM) method. An on board program can

A prediction model of short-term ionospheric foF2 Based on AdaBoost

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiukuan; Liu, Libo; Ning, Baiqi

Accurate specifications of spatial and temporal variations of the ionosphere during geomagnetic quiet and disturbed conditions are critical for applications, such as HF communications, satellite positioning and navigation, power grids, pipelines, etc. Therefore, developing empirical models to forecast the ionospheric perturbations is of high priority in real applications. The critical frequency of the F2 layer, foF2, is an important ionospheric parameter, especially for radio wave propagation applications. In this paper, the AdaBoost-BP algorithm is used to construct a new model to predict the critical frequency of the ionospheric F2-layer one hour ahead. Different indices were used to characterize ionospheric diurnal and seasonal variations and their dependence on solar and geomagnetic activity. These indices, together with the current observed foF2 value, were input into the prediction model and the foF2 value at one hour ahead was output. We analyzed twenty-two years’ foF2 data from nine ionosonde stations in the East-Asian sector in this work. The first eleven years’ data were used as a training dataset and the second eleven years’ data were used as a testing dataset. The results show that the performance of AdaBoost-BP is better than those of BP Neural Network (BPNN), Support Vector Regression (SVR) and the IRI model. For example, the AdaBoost-BP prediction absolute error of foF2 at Irkutsk station (a middle latitude station) is 0.32 MHz, which is better than 0.34 MHz from BPNN, 0.35 MHz from SVR and also significantly outperforms the IRI model whose absolute error is 0.64 MHz. Meanwhile, AdaBoost-BP prediction absolute error at Taipei station from the low latitude is 0.78 MHz, which is better than 0.81 MHz from BPNN, 0.81 MHz from SVR and 1.37 MHz from the IRI model. Finally, the variety characteristics of the AdaBoost-BP prediction error along with seasonal variation, solar activity and latitude variation were also discussed in the paper.

Toward the Probabilistic Forecasting of High-latitude GPS Phase Scintillation

Science.gov (United States)

Prikryl, P.; Jayachandran, P.T.; Mushini, S. C.; Richardson, I. G.

2012-01-01

The phase scintillation index was obtained from L1 GPS data collected with the Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN) during years of extended solar minimum 2008-2010. Phase scintillation occurs predominantly on the dayside in the cusp and in the nightside auroral oval. We set forth a probabilistic forecast method of phase scintillation in the cusp based on the arrival time of either solar wind corotating interaction regions (CIRs) or interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs). CIRs on the leading edge of high-speed streams (HSS) from coronal holes are known to cause recurrent geomagnetic and ionospheric disturbances that can be forecast one or several solar rotations in advance. Superposed epoch analysis of phase scintillation occurrence showed a sharp increase in scintillation occurrence just after the arrival of high-speed solar wind and a peak associated with weak to moderate CMEs during the solar minimum. Cumulative probability distribution functions for the phase scintillation occurrence in the cusp are obtained from statistical data for days before and after CIR and ICME arrivals. The probability curves are also specified for low and high (below and above median) values of various solar wind plasma parameters. The initial results are used to demonstrate a forecasting technique on two example periods of CIRs and ICMEs.

CARINA Satellite Mission to Investigate the Upper Atmosphere below the F-Layer Ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Siefring, C. L.; Bernhardt, P. A.; Briczinski, S. J., Jr.; Huba, J.; Montgomery, J. A., Jr.

2017-12-01

A new satellite design permits broad science measurements from the ocean to the ionosphere by flying below the F-Layer. The satellite called CARINA for Coastal-Ocean, Assimilation, Radio, Ionosphere, Neutral-Drag, and Atmospherics. The unique system capabilities are long duration orbits below the ionosphere and a HF receiver to measure broadband signals. The CARINA science products include recording the ocean surface properties, data for assimilation into global ionosphere models, radio wave propagation measurements, in-situ observations of ionospheric structures, validating neutral drag models and theory, and broadband atmospheric lightning characterization. CARINA will also measure nonlinear wave-generation using ionospheric modification sites in Alaska, Norway, Puerto Rico, and Russia and collaborate with geophysics HF radars (such as Super-DARN) for system calibration. CARINA is a linear 6-U CubeSat with a long antenna extended in the wake direction. The CARINA science mission is supported by three instruments. First, the Electric Field Instrument (EFI) is a radio receiver covering the 2 to 18 MHz range. The receiver can capture both narrow and wide bandwidths for up to 10 minutes. EFI is designed to provide HF signal strength and phase, radar Doppler shift and group delay, and electron plasma density from photoelectron excited plasma waves. Second a Ram Langmuir Probe (RLP) measures high-resolution ion currents at a 10 kHz rate. These measurements yield electron and ion density at the spacecraft. Finally, the Orbiting GPS Receiver (OGR) provides dual frequency GPS position with ionosphere correction. OGR also measures total electron content above the spacecraft and L-Band scintillations. CARINA will be the lowest satellite in orbit at 250 km altitude, <0.01 eccentricity, and up to 4-month lifetime. The design supports unique capabilities with broad applications to the geosciences. Remote sensing of the ocean will sample the HF signals scattered from the rough

Time and latitudinal distribution of the ionospheric irregularities in Brazil, through the VHF-scintillation and ionogram data analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, O.R.

1984-01-01

Equatorial ionospheric irregularity distribution morphology, and dynamics, and the dynamics of the ambient ionosphere were investigated. Spread F data from ionograms over Fortaleza (4 0 S; 38 0 O) and Cachoeira Paulista (22,7 0 S; 45 0 O), and simultaneous VHF scintillations of geoestationary satellite beacon received over Natal (5,6 0 S; 33,7 0 O) were used to determine the irregularity local time versus seasonal distribution, over the equatorial and low latitude location, during the solar activity maximum as well as minimum epochs. Concept of flux tube alignment properties of the transequatorial plasma bubbles were used to determine statistical features of the plasma bubble rise velocities. Calculations of plasma bubble rise velocities were then carried out for different solar activity epochs and compared with prereversal enhancement amplitude in the F-layer vertical rise velocities, for the same epochs. Using theoretical considerations on the development of plasma bubble based on flux tube integrated properties, the observed dependence of the plasma bubble rise velocities and the F-region dynamo electric field has been analysed to estimate the average ionizations depletions in the plasma bubble. Possible causes for the lack of correlation often observed between bubble rise velocities and F-Layer velocities also are discussed. (Author) [pt

Cambridge observations at 38-115 MHz and their implications for space astronomy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saunders, R.

1987-01-01

The design and performance of the Cambridge LF telescopes are reviewed. Consideration is given to the 151-MHz 6C telescope, the 38-MHz and 151-MHz LF synthesis telescopes, 81.5-MHz interplanetary scintillation observations with the 3.6-hectare array, long-baseline interferometry at 81.5 MHz, and the use of the Jodrell Bank MERLIN for 151-MHz closure-phase observations of bright sources. The strict limitation on the field mappable at a given resolution in ground-based observations at these frequencies is pointed out, and some outstanding astronomical problems requiring 0.3-30-MHz space observations are listed. 7 references

A review of ionospheric effects on Earth-space propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Klobuchar, J. A.

1984-01-01

A short description is given of each ionospheric total electron content (TEC) effect upon radio waves, along with a representative value of the magnitude of each of these effects under normal ionospheric conditions. A discussion is given of the important characteristics of average ionospheric TEC behavior and the temporal and spatial variability of TEC. Radio waves undergo several effects when they pass through the Earth's ionosphere. One of the most important of these effects is a retardation, or group delay, on the modulation or information carried on the radio wave that is due to its encounter with the free, thermal electrons in the Earth's ionosphere. Other effects the ionosphere has on radio waves include: radio frequency (RF) carrier phase advance; Doppler shift of the RF carrier of the radio wave; Faraday rotation of the plane of polarization of linearly polarized waves; angular refraction or bending of the radio wave path as it travels through the ionosphere; and amplitude and phase scintillations.

Ionospheric Impacts on UHF Space Surveillance

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, J. C.

2017-12-01

Earth's atmosphere contains regions of ionized plasma caused by the interaction of highly energetic solar radiation. This region of ionization is called the ionosphere and varies significantly with altitude, latitude, local solar time, season, and solar cycle. Significant ionization begins at about 100 km (E layer) with a peak in the ionization at about 300 km (F2 layer). Above the F2 layer, the atmosphere is mostly ionized but the ion and electron densities are low due to the unavailability of neutral molecules for ionization so the density decreases exponentially with height to well over 1000 km. The gradients of these variations in the ionosphere play a significant role in radio wave propagation. These gradients induce variations in the index of refraction and cause some radio waves to refract. The amount of refraction depends on the magnitude and direction of the electron density gradient and the frequency of the radio wave. The refraction is significant at HF frequencies (3-30 MHz) with decreasing effects toward the UHF (300-3000 MHz) range. UHF is commonly used for tracking of space objects in low Earth orbit (LEO). While ionospheric refraction is small for UHF frequencies, it can cause errors in range, azimuth angle, and elevation angle estimation by ground-based radars tracking space objects. These errors can cause significant errors in precise orbit determinations. For radio waves transiting the ionosphere, it is important to understand and account for these effects. Using a sophisticated radio wave propagation tool suite and an empirical ionospheric model, we calculate the errors induced by the ionosphere in a simulation of a notional space surveillance radar tracking objects in LEO. These errors are analyzed to determine daily, monthly, annual, and solar cycle trends. Corrections to surveillance radar measurements can be adapted from our simulation capability.

GPS phase scintillation during the geomagnetic storm of March 17, 2015: The relation to auroral electrojet currents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prikryl, Paul; Ghoddousi-Fard, Reza; Connors, Martin

and magnetometers. GPS phase scintillation index is computed for L1 signal sampled at the rate of 50 Hz by specialized GPS scintillation receivers of the Expanded Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (ECHAIN). To further extend the geographic coverage, the phasescintillation proxy index is obtained from......Ionospheric irregularities cause rapid fluctuations of radio wave amplitude and phase that candegrade GPS positional accuracy and affect performance of radio communication and navigation systems. The ionosphere becomes particularly disturbed during geomagnetic storms caused by impacts of coronal...... mass ejections compounded by high-speed plasma streams from coronal holes. Geomagnetic storm of March 17, 2015 was the largest in the current solar cycle. The high-latitude ionosphere dynamics is studied using arrays of ground-based instruments including GPS receivers, HF radars, ionosondes, riometers...

Ionospheric wave and irregularity measurements using passive radio astronomy techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erickson, W.C.; Mahoney, M.J.; Jacobson, A.R.; Knowles, S.H.

1988-01-01

The observation of midlatitude structures using passive radio astronomy techniques is discussed, with particular attention being given to the low-frequency radio telescope at the Clark Lake Radio Observatory. The present telescope operates in the 10-125-MHz frequency range. Observations of the ionosphere at separations of a few kilometers to a few hundreds of kilometers by the lines of sight to sources are possible, allowing the determination of the amplitude, wavelength, direction of propagation, and propagation speed of ionospheric waves. Data are considered on large-scale ionospheric gradients and the two-dimensional shapes and sizes of ionospheric irregularities. 10 references

Ionosphere research with a HF/MF cubesat radio instrument

Science.gov (United States)

Kallio, Esa; Aikio, Anita; Alho, Markku; Fontell, Mathias; Harri, Ari-Matti; Kauristie, Kirsti; Kestilä, Antti; Koskimaa, Petri; Mäkelä, Jakke; Mäkelä, Miika; Turunen, Esa; Vanhamäki, Heikki; Verronen, Pekka

2017-04-01

New technology provides new possibilities to study geospace and 3D ionosphere by using spacecraft and computer simulations. A type of nanosatellites, CubeSats, provide a cost effective possibility to provide in-situ measurements in the ionosphere. Moreover, combined CubeSat observations with ground-based observations gives a new view on auroras and associated electromagnetic phenomena. Especially joint and active CubeSat - ground based observation campaigns enable the possibility of studying the 3D structure of the ionosphere. Furthermore using several CubeSats to form satellite constellations enables much higher temporal resolution. At the same time, increasing computation capacity has made it possible to perform simulations where properties of the ionosphere, such as propagation of the electromagnetic waves in the medium frequency, MF (0.3-3 MHz) and high frequency, HF (3-30 MHz), ranges is based on a 3D ionospheric model and on first-principles modelling. Electromagnetic waves at those frequencies are strongly affected by ionospheric electrons and, consequently, those frequencies can be used for studying the plasma. On the other hand, even if the ionosphere originally enables long-range telecommunication at MF and HF frequencies, the frequent occurrence of spatiotemporal variations in the ionosphere disturbs communication channels, especially at high latitudes. Therefore, study of the MF and HF waves in the ionosphere has both a strong science and technology interests. We introduce recently developed simulation models as well as measuring principles and techniques to investigate the arctic ionosphere by a polar orbiting CubeSat whose novel AM radio instrument measures HF and MF waves. The cubesat, which contains also a white light aurora camera, is planned to be launched in late 2017 (http://www.suomi100satelliitti.fi/eng). The new models are (1) a 3D ray tracing model and (2) a 3D full kinetic electromagnetic simulation. We also introduce how combining of the

Geomagnetic oriented electromagnetic radiation in the ionosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benton, C.U.; Fowles, H.M.; Goen, P.K.

1976-08-01

Strong bursts of electromagnetic radiation were observed in the ionosphere during the Waso rocket Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) experiment. The pulses have a frequency content from below 20 MHz to above 70 MHz. They vary in duration between 5 μs and 2 ms and in peak-amplitudes of 2 mV/m to greater than 200 mV/m. These pulses show a high degree of geomagnetic correlation and are of unknown origin

Performance evaluation of GPS receiver under equatorial scintillation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison de Oliveira Moraes

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Equatorial scintillation is a phenomenon that occurs daily in the equatorial region after the sunset and affects radio signals that propagate through the ionosphere. Depending on the temporal and spatial situation, equatorial scintillation can represent a problem in the availability and precision of the Global Positioning System (GPS. This work is concerned with evaluating the impact of equatorial scintillation on the performance of GPS receivers. First, the morphology and statistical model of equatorial scintillation is briefly presented. A numerical model that generates synthetic scintillation data to simulate the effects of equatorial scintillation is presented. An overview of the main theoretical principles on GPS receivers is presented. The analytical models that describe the effects of scintillation at receiver level are presented and compared with numerical simulations using a radio software receiver and synthetic data. The results achieved by simulation agreed quite well with those predicted by the analytical models. The only exception is for links with extreme levels of scintillation and when weak signals are received.

Correlations between Strong Range Spread-F and GPS L-Band Scintillations Observed in Hainan in 2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo-Jun, Wang; Jian-Kui, Shi; She-Ping, Shang; Xiao, Wang

2009-01-01

Data from the DPS-4 digisonde and the GPS L-band ionospheric scintillation monitor are employed to study the correlations between strong range spread-F (SSF) and GPS L-band scintillations observed in the ionosphere over Hainan Island, China (19.5°N, 109.1°E geogr., dip lat. 9°N) in 2004. The SSF in the ionogram is different from the general range spread-F because it extends in frequency well beyond FoF2 and makes FoF2 difficult to be determined. The observations show that the SSF phenomenon is frequently accompanied by the occurrence of GPS L-band scintillations. The SSF and GPS L-band scintillations occur frequently in the equinoctial months (March, April, September, and October), but rarely in the winter (January, February, November, and December) and summer (May–August); especially, occurrence variations of the SSF and GPS L-band scintillations nearly have a same trend. The SSF and scintillations may be associated with the occurrence of topside plasma bubbles and could be explained by the generalized Rayleigh–Taylor instability

Magnetic field orientations in Saturn's upper ionosphere inferred from Voyager radio occultations

Science.gov (United States)

Hinson, D. P.

1984-01-01

The radio scintillations observed during occultations of Voyagers 1 and 2 by Saturn are analyzed to determine the morphology of plasma irregularities and hence the magnetic field orientation in Saturn's upper atmosphere. The measurement techniques, the weak scattering theory, and the method used to relate the observed radio scintillations to physical properties of the ionospheric irregularities are briefly described. Results on the spatial characteristics of the irregularities are presented, and the magnetic field orientation in Saturn's ionosphere is inferred. Although the occultation measurements generally confirm the accuracy of the Saturnian magnetic field model of Connerney et al. (1982), it is found that a small adjustment of the coefficients in that model's zonal harmonic expansion would remove the discrepancy between the model predictions and the measurements. A strategy for obtaining improved measurements of Saturn's magnetic field from radio occultation observations of scintillations and Faraday rotation using an orbiting spacecraft is briefly discussed.

GPS phase scintillation at high latitudes during the geomagnetic storm of 17-18 March 2015

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prikryl, P.; Ghoddousi-Fard, R.; Weygand, J. M.

2016-01-01

The geomagnetic storm of 17–18 March 2015 was caused by the impacts of a coronal mass ejection and a high-speed plasma stream from a coronal hole. The high-latitude ionosphere dynamics is studied using arrays of ground-based instruments including GPS receivers, HF radars, ionosondes, riometers......, and magnetometers. The phase scintillation index is computed for signals sampled at a rate of up to 100 Hz by specialized GPS scintillation receivers supplemented by the phase scintillation proxy index obtained from geodetic-quality GPS data sampled at 1 Hz. In the context of solar wind coupling...... to the magnetosphere-ionosphere system, it is shown that GPS phase scintillation is primarily enhanced in the cusp, the tongue of ionization that is broken into patches drawn into the polar cap from the dayside storm-enhanced plasma density, and in the auroral oval. In this paper we examine the relation between...

Detection and Characterization of Equatorial Scintillation for Real-Time Operational Support

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

McNeil, W

1997-01-01

The Phillips Laboratory Scintillation Network Decision Aid (PL-SCINDA) is a software tool which uses real-time data from remote sites to model ionospheric plasma depletions in the equatorial region...

Evaluation of Inversion Methods Applied to Ionospheric ro Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Rios Caceres, Arq. Estela Alejandra; Rios, Victor Hugo; Guyot, Elia

The new technique of radio-occultation can be used to study the Earth's ionosphere. The retrieval processes of ionospheric profiling from radio occultation observations usually assume spherical symmetry of electron density distribution at the locality of occultation and use the Abel integral transform to invert the measured total electron content (TEC) values. This pa-per presents a set of ionospheric profiles obtained from SAC-C satellite with the Abel inversion technique. The effects of the ionosphere on the GPS signal during occultation, such as bending and scintillation, are examined. Electron density profiles are obtained using the Abel inversion technique. Ionospheric radio occultations are validated using vertical profiles of electron con-centration from inverted ionograms , obtained from ionosonde sounding in the vicinity of the occultation. Results indicate that the Abel transform works well in the mid-latitudes during the daytime, but is less accurate during the night-time.

Ionospheric reflection of the magnetic activity described by the index η

Science.gov (United States)

Dziak-Jankowska, Beata; Stanisławska, Iwona; Ernst, Tomasz; Tomasik, Łukasz

2011-09-01

Differences in the external part of the vertical geomagnetic component point to the existence of local inhomogeneities in the magnetosphere or the ionosphere. Usually used magnetic indices are not sufficient to express the state of ionosphere, the common used global Kp index derived in the three-hour interval does not indicate much more rapidly changes appearing in ionosphere. Magnetic index η reflects ionospheric disturbances when other indices show very quiet conditions. Data of ionospheric characteristics (foE, foEs, h'E, h'F2) during 28-day long quiet day conditions (Kp = 0-2) in 2004 were analyzed. The correlations between strong local disturbances in ionosphere during very quiet days and high values of magnetic index η were found. The most sensitive to magnetic influence - ionospheric E layer data (foE characteristic) - reaches median deviations up to (+0.8 MHz and -0.8 MHz) during very low magnetic activity (Kp = 0-1). The high peaks (2-2.7) of the magnetic index η correlate in time with large local median deviations of foE. Such local deviations can suggest local inhomogeneities (vertical drifts) in the ionosphere. The correlation in space is not trivial. The strong peak of η is situated between the positive and negative deviations of foE. Additional observation is connected with correlation in time of the high η value with the negative median deviations of h'F2 (in some cases up to -90 km). The analysis was based on one-minute data recorded at each of 20 European Magnetic Observatories working in the INTERMAGNET network and from 19 ionosondes for 2004. Ionospheric data are sparse in time and in space in opposite to the magnetic data. The map of the magnetic indices can suggest the behavior of ionospheric characteristics in the areas where we have no data.

Characteristics of ionospheric irregularities causing scintillations at VHF/UHF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vats, H.O.; Deshpande, M.R.; Rastogi, R.G.

1978-01-01

Some properties of ionization irregularities using amplitude scintillation records of radio beacons from ATS-6 (phase II) at Ootacamund, India have been investigated. For the estimation of scale-size and strength of the irregularities a simple diffraction model has been used which explains only weak and moderate equatorial scintillation observations. It was found that the scale sizes of day time E-region irregularities are smaller than those in the F-region during night time in addition, irregularities are generated initially at large scale sizes which later break up into smaller scale sizes

Obtaining Networked Scintillation and Total Electron Content Data Across Africa and Asia: Partnering with the IHY/UNBSSI Developing Nations Program

Science.gov (United States)

Groves, K. M.; Basu, S.; Erickson, T.; Sunanda, B.; David, B.

2005-12-01

Under the Scintillation Network Decision Aid (SCINDA) project, scientists at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) have developed a sensor network for the purpose of monitoring low-latitude ionospheric total electron content (TEC) and scintillations associated with equatorial Spread F. In addition to monitoring GPS scintillations, TEC and VHF scintillations, the sensor package measures ionospheric drifts when irregularities are present providing important data on vertical electric fields in the F-region .The network currently consists of twelve stations distributed around the globe and the data have been used to conduct numerous studies on the characteristics and climatology of equatorial scintillation, including the impacts of magnetic storms on the equatorial ionosphere. Notably absent from the existing network are observing sites in Africa where both satellite observations and limited historical data sets suggest significant scintillation activity, though the detailed behavior and longitudinal variations across the continent are largely unknown. The latter aspect, in particular, is of great interest because of substantial changes in the orientation of the geomagnetic field in extreme West Africa that transition to a more uniform field geometry spanning the rest of the continent. Understanding the effects of these changes on scintillation climatology will provide new insights into the processes that trigger equatorial Spread F and assist researchers in developing improved forecasts of such activity. AFRL aims to establish 5-8 monitoring sites across equatorial Africa in collaboration with host nations participating in the United Nations Basic Space Science Initiative during the IHY period. In addition to expanding scientific opportunities, it is hoped that these sites will lead to greater awareness of the significant space weather issues impacting Africa and result in enhanced international collaboration between both African and non-African scientists

Temporal and Spatial Characterization of GPS Fading From Ionospheric Irregularities Under Low latitude

Science.gov (United States)

De Paula, E. R.; Moraes, A. D. O.; Vani, B. C.; Sobral, J. H. A.; Abdu, M. A.; Galera Monico, J. F.

2017-12-01

The ionosphere over the peak of the anomaly represents a treat for navigation systems based on GNSS. Brazilian territory is mostly under this harsh layer for satellite communication in general and in particular for navigation, like GPS users, where their receivers tracking performance are damaged under scintillation conditions. Ionospheric scintillation is responsible for significant degradation in the accuracy of navigation and positioning. Phase shifts accompanied by amplitude fades significantly degrades the signal-to-noise ratio of the received signal disrupting the channel and loosing navigation performance. The stronger the scintillations are, more difficulty will be for the GNSS receiver tracking loops to recover the phase and code replicas. These phenomena under specific geophysical conditions may severely affect the system availability and positioning. In this work the temporal characteristics of amplitude scintillation will be analyzed at the three available GPS frequencies, L1, L2C and L5. Aspect like fading duration and depth will be evaluated and compared among the three available frequencies for the current solar cycle. This work will use GPS scintillation data recorded during six months of data during 2014 to 2015 at three stations under Brazilian territory located near the southern crest of the equatorial ionization anomaly. The analysis will be performed focusing on the fading profile of the three frequencies comparing how the fading of those signals behave statistically between them. Aspects like loss of lock, spatial orientation between the signal across the ionospheric irregularity will also be discussed showing how much more susceptible the new frequencies might be in comparison to the widely used and studied L1 frequency.

Simultaneous radar and spaced receiver VHF scintillation observations of ESF irregularities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Tiwari

2006-07-01

Full Text Available Simultaneous observations of equatorial spread F (ESF irregularities made on 10 nights during March-April 1998 and 1999, using an 18-MHz radar at Trivandrum (77° E, 8.5° N, dip 0.5° N and two spaced receivers recording scintillations on a 251-MHz signal at Tirunelveli (77.8° E, 8.7° N, dip 0.4° N, have been used to study the evolution of Equatorial Spread F (ESF irregularities. Case studies have been carried out on the day-to-day variability in ESF structure and dynamics, as observed by 18-MHz radar, and with spaced receiver measurements of average zonal drift Vo of the 251-MHz radio wave diffraction pattern on the ground, random velocity Vc, which is a measure of random changes in the characteristics of scintillation-producing irregularities, and maximum cross-correlation CI of the spaced receivers signals. Results show that in the initial phase of plasma bubble development, the greater the maximum height of ESF irregularities responsible for the radar backscatter, the greater the decorrelation is of the spaced receiver scintillation signals, indicating greater turbulence. The relationship of the maximum spectral width derived from the radar observations and CI also supports this result.

Deep depletions of total electron content associated with severe mid-latitude gigahertz scintillations during geomagnetic storms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogawa, T.; Kumagai, H.

1985-01-01

Using 136-MHz Faraday rotation data obtained at three closely spaced stations, we present evidence that severe nightime gigahertz scintillations, which appear rarely at mid-latitudes around Japan only during geomagnetic storm conditions, are closely associated with deep depletions of total electron content (TEC). The TEC depletions amount to 2--8 x 10 16 el/m 2 (10--30% of the background TEC), and their durations range from 10 min to 1 hour. These depletions move northeastward or eastward with velocities between 60 and 260 m/s. The depletions are probably not counterparts of the equatorial bubbles but seem to be formed in localized regions around Japan under complicated and peculiar ionospheric conditions. There is an indication that the oscillation of the F region caused by large-scale TID's propagating from north to south (approx.600 m/s) may initiate the generation of the depletion

The lower ionosphere response to its disturbances by powerful radio waves

Science.gov (United States)

Bakhmetieva, N. V.; Frolov, V. L.; Vyakhirev, V. D.; Kalinina, E. E.; Akchurin, A. D.; Zykov, E. Yu.

2018-04-01

The paper presents data from some campaigns at Sura heating facility in 2011-1016. The experiments on probing of the artificial disturbed region of the lower ionosphere were carried out at two observation sites. One of them was located near Vasil'sursk 1 km from Sura facility (56.1°N; 46.1°E) and the other site was located at the Observatory (55.85°N; 48.8°E) of Kazan State University, 170 km to the East. Investigation of the features of the disturbed region of the lower ionosphere based on its diagnostics by the methods of the vertical sounding and oblique backscattering is the main goal of this paper. Ionosphere disturbance was fulfilled by the effect of the powerful radio wave of the ordinary or extraordinary polarization emitted by transmitters of the Sura facility with effective radiated power ERP = 50-120 MW at the frequency of 4.3, 4.7 and 5.6 MHz. Pumping waves were emitted with period from 30 s to 15 min. The disturbed region of the ionosphere in Vasil'sursk was probed by the vertical sounding technique using the partial reflexion radar at the frequency of 2.95 and 4.7 MHz. For the oblique sounding of the disturbed region the modified ionosonde Cyclon-M, operating at ten frequencies from 2.01 to 6.51 MHz was used at the Observatory site. On many heating sessions simultaneous variations of the probing partial reflection signals in Vasil'sursk and backscattered signals in Observatory were observed at the height at 40-100 km below the reflection height of the pumping wave. These observations were correlated with the pumping periods of the Sura facility. Possible mechanisms of the appearance of the disturbance in the lower ionosphere and its effect on the probing radio waves are discussed.

A statistical study of faint radio sources at 81.5 MHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duffett-Smith, P.J.; Purvis, A.; Hewish, A.

1980-01-01

The method of interplanetary scintillations (IPS) together with the technique of background deflection analysis (P(D)) have been used to determine the mean angular size and the sky density of scintillating radio sources in the range 2 to 3 Jy at 81.5 MHz. It is found that the radio power from a high proportion of the sources in this range comes from one or two components of angular diameter about 0.7 arcsec. (author)

Scintillating confusion: Evaluation of a technique for measuring compact structure in weak radio sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spangler, S.R.; Cordes, J.M.; Meyers, K.A.

1979-01-01

An attractive scheme for investigating compact structure in weak radio sources is to study the scintillation properties of confusion in a large single-dish radio telescope. We have investigated the utility of this technique by observing the scintillations of 860-MHz confusion of the NRAO 300' (91 m) telescope. Analysis of these data indicated a reduction in the mean scintillation index with decreasing flux density which implied that weaker sources possessed less compact structure. More direct observations indicated that the weak sources of interest were not significantly deficient in compact structure, so the first result is probably due to properties of the IPS process in the strong scintillation regime. Our results may be due to overresolution (by the IPS process in the strong scintillation regime) of the ''hot spots'' responsible for scintillation in most strong sources at frequencies below 1000 MHz, or may indicate abnormally strong turbulence in the solar wind during August, 1977. Future applications of this method would be best conducted at lower frequencies with larger reflectors or short-spacing interferometers

Remote sensing of the ionosphere using satellite radio beacons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, Kenneth

1991-01-01

Since the launch of Sputnik I in 1957, satellite radio beacons have been used to measure the total electron content of the ionosphere. A review of the role of satellite beacons in studies of the vertical and spatial structure of the total electron content and on the occurrence of plasma irregularities, both of which affect transionospheric radio signals, is presented. Measurements of Faraday rotation and time of flight give information on the topside of the ionosphere and on the protonosphere. Morphological studies show that the slab thickness of the ionosphere depends on the solar index but is approximately independent of geographical location. Scintillation of amplitude, phase, polarization, and angle provide information on plasma irregularity occurrence in space and time. (author). 23 refs., 16 figs ., 4 tabs

Amplitude scintillations of ATS-6 radio signals in Lannion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornec, J.P.

1978-01-01

The paper reports the results of a study of the scintillations observed on the amplitude of signal transmitted by the geostationary satellite ATS-6 on 40, 140, and 360 MHz, received at Lannion, France. Diffraction patterns caused bubbles of irregularities are studied and found to be mainly a summer phenomenon. It is concluded that there is a great increase in frequency occurrence and in the strength of scintillations from winter to summer, and that for the whole observation period, scintillation is mainly a nighttime pheonomenon, reaching its maximum activity at 2100-2200

Doppler measurements of the ionosphere on the occasion of the Apollo-Soyuz test project. Part 1: Computer simulation of ionospheric-induced Doppler shifts

Science.gov (United States)

Grossi, M. D.; Gay, R. H.

1975-01-01

A computer simulation of the ionospheric experiment of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was performed. ASTP is the first example of USA/USSR cooperation in space and is scheduled for summer 1975. The experiment consists of performing dual-frequency Doppler measurements (at 162 and 324 MHz) between the Apollo Command Service Module (CSM) and the ASTP Docking Module (DM), both orbiting at 221-km height and at a relative distance of 300 km. The computer simulation showed that, with the Doppler measurement resolution of approximately 3 mHz provided by the instrumentation (in 10-sec integration time), ionospheric-induced Doppler shifts will be measurable accurately at all times, with some rare exceptions occurring when the radio path crosses regions of minimum ionospheric density. The computer simulation evaluated the ability of the experiment to measure changes of columnar electron content between CSM and DM (from which horizontal gradients of electron density at 221-km height can be obtained) and to measure variations in DM-to-ground columnar content (from which an averaged columnar content and the electron density at the DM can be deduced, under some simplifying assumptions).

Using GPS TEC measurements to probe ionospheric spatial spectra at mid-latitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Lay, E. H.; Parker, P. A.; Light, M. E.; Carrano, C. S.; Debchoudhury, S.; Haaser, R. A.

2017-12-01

The physics of how random ionospheric structure causes signal degradation is well understood as weak forward scattering through an effective diffraction grating created by plasma irregularities in the ionosphere. However, the spatial scale spectrum of those irregularities required for input into scintillation models and models of traveling ionospheric disturbances is poorly characterized, particularly at the kilometer to tens of kilometer scale lengths important for very-high-frequency (VHF) scintillation prediction. Furthermore, the majority of characterization studies have been performed in low-latitude or high-latitude regions where geomagnetic activity dominates the physical processes. At mid-latitudes, tropospheric and geomagnetic phenomena compete in disturbing the ionosphere, and it is not well understood how these multiple sources affect the drivers that influence the spatial spectrum. In this study, we are interested in mid-latitude electron density irregularities on the order of 10s of kilometers that would affect VHF signals. Data from the GPS networks Japan GEONET and the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO, UNAVCO) in the western United States were analyzed for this study. Japan GEONET is a dense network of GPS receivers (station spacing of tens of km), with fairly evenly spaced positions over all of Japan. The PBO, on the other hand, has several pockets of extremely dense coverage (station spacing within a few km), but is less dense on average. We analyze a day with a large solar storm (2015/03/17, St. Patrick's Day Storm) to allow high scintillation potential at mid-latitudes, a day with low geomagnetic activity and low thunderstorm activity (2016/01/31), and a day with low geomagnetic activity and high thunderstorm activity (2015/08/02). We then perform two-dimensional spatial analyses on the TEC data from these two networks on scale lengths of 20 to 200 km to infer the spatial scale spectra.

Simultaneous radar and spaced receiver VHF scintillation observations of ESF irregularities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Tiwari

2006-07-01

Full Text Available Simultaneous observations of equatorial spread F (ESF irregularities made on 10 nights during March-April 1998 and 1999, using an 18-MHz radar at Trivandrum (77° E, 8.5° N, dip 0.5° N and two spaced receivers recording scintillations on a 251-MHz signal at Tirunelveli (77.8° E, 8.7° N, dip 0.4° N, have been used to study the evolution of Equatorial Spread F (ESF irregularities. Case studies have been carried out on the day-to-day variability in ESF structure and dynamics, as observed by 18-MHz radar, and with spaced receiver measurements of average zonal drift V_o of the 251-MHz radio wave diffraction pattern on the ground, random velocity V_c, which is a measure of random changes in the characteristics of scintillation-producing irregularities, and maximum cross-correlation C_I of the spaced receivers signals. Results show that in the initial phase of plasma bubble development, the greater the maximum height of ESF irregularities responsible for the radar backscatter, the greater the decorrelation is of the spaced receiver scintillation signals, indicating greater turbulence. The relationship of the maximum spectral width derived from the radar observations and C_I also supports this result.

Velocities of Auroral Coherent Echoes At 12 and 144 Mhz

Science.gov (United States)

Koustov, A. V.; Danskin, D. W.; Makarevitch, R. A.; Uspensky, M. V.; Janhunen, P.; Nishitani, N.; Nozawa, N.; Lester, M.; Milan, S.

Two Doppler coherent radar systems are currently working at Hankasalmi, Finland, the STARE and CUTLASS radars operating at 144 MHz and 12 MHz, respectively. The STARE beam 3 is nearly co-located with the CUTLASS beam 5 providing an opportunity for echo velocity comparison along the same direction but at significantly different radar frequencies. In this study we consider one event when STARE radar echoes are detected t the same ranges as CUTLASS radar echoes. The observations are complemented by EISCAT measurements of the ionospheric electric field and elec- tron density behavior at one range of 900 km. Two separate situations are studied; for the first one, CUTLASS observed F-region echoes (including the range of the EIS- CAT measurements) while for the second one CUTLASS observed E-region echoes. In both cases STARE E-region measurements were available. We show that F-region CUTLASS velocities agree well with the convection component along the CUTLASS radar beam while STARE velocities are sometimes smaller by a factor of 2-3. For the second case, STARE velocities are found to be either smaller or larger than CUTLASS velocities, depending on range. Plasma physics of E- and F-region irregularities is dis- cussed in attempt to explain inferred relationship between various velocities. Special attention is paid to ionospheric refraction that is important for the detection of 12-MHz echoes.

Geospace ionosphere research with a MF/HF radio instrument on a cubesat

Science.gov (United States)

Kallio, E. J.; Aikio, A. T.; Alho, M.; Fontell, M.; van Gijlswijk, R.; Kauristie, K.; Kestilä, A.; Koskimaa, P.; Makela, J. S.; Mäkelä, M.; Turunen, E.; Vanhamäki, H.

2016-12-01

Modern technology provides new possibilities to study geospace and its ionosphere, using spacecraft and and computer simulations. A type of nanosatellites, CubeSats, provide a cost effective possibility to provide in-situ measurements in the ionosphere. Moreover, combined CubeSat observations with ground-based observations gives a new view on auroras and associated electromagnetic phenomena. Especially joint and active CubeSat - ground based observation campaigns enable the possibility of studying the 3D structure of the ionosphere. Furthermore using several CubeSats to form satellite constellations enables much higher temporal resolution. At the same time, increasing computation capacity has made it possible to perform simulations where properties of the ionosphere, such as propagation of the electromagnetic waves in the medium frequency, MF (0.3-3 MHz) and high frequency, HF (3-30 MHz), ranges is based on a 3D ionospheric model and on first-principles modelling. Electromagnetic waves at those frequencies are strongly affected by ionospheric electrons and, consequently, those frequencies can be used for studying the plasma. On the other hand, even if the ionosphere originally enables long-range telecommunication at MF and HF frequencies, the frequent occurrence of spatiotemporal variations in the ionosphere disturbs communication channels, especially at high latitudes. Therefore, study of the MF and HF waves in the ionosphere has both a strong science and technology interests. We present computational simulation results and measuring principles and techniques to investigate the arctic ionosphere by a polar orbiting CubeSat whose novel AM radio instrument measures HF and MF waves. The cubesat, which contains also a white light aurora camera, is planned to be launched in 2017 (http://www.suomi100satelliitti.fi/eng). We have modelled the propagation of the radio waves, both ground generated man-made waves and space formed space weather related waves, through the 3D

Cosmic ray spectroscopy using plastic scintillator detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rudra, Sharmili; Nandan, Akhilesh P.; Neog, Himangshu; Biswas, S.; Mohanty, B.; Mahapatra, S.; Samal, P.K.

2014-01-01

A simple and new technique has been developed using plastic scintillator detectors for cosmic ray spectroscopy without single channel analyzer (SCA) or multichannel analyzer (MCA). In this technique only a leading edge discriminator (LED) and a NIM scaler have been used. Plastic scintillator detectors has been used to measure the velocity of cosmic ray muons. Here the time difference has been measured from the Tektronix DPO 5054 digital phosphor oscilloscope with 500 MHz and 5 GS/s. The details of experimental technique, analysis procedure and experimental results are presented

Identification of scintillation signatures on GPS signals originating from plasma structures detected with EISCAT incoherent scatter radar along the same line of sight.

Science.gov (United States)

Forte, Biagio; Coleman, Chris; Skone, Susan; Häggström, Ingemar; Mitchell, Cathryn; Da Dalt, Federico; Panicciari, Tommaso; Kinrade, Joe; Bust, Gary

2017-01-01

Ionospheric scintillation originates from the scattering of electromagnetic waves through spatial gradients in the plasma density distribution, drifting across a given propagation direction. Ionospheric scintillation represents a disruptive manifestation of adverse space weather conditions through degradation of the reliability and continuity of satellite telecommunication and navigation systems and services (e.g., European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, EGNOS). The purpose of the experiment presented here was to determine the contribution of auroral ionization structures to GPS scintillation. European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) measurements were obtained along the same line of sight of a given GPS satellite observed from Tromso and followed by means of the EISCAT UHF radar to causally identify plasma structures that give rise to scintillation on the co-aligned GPS radio link. Large-scale structures associated with the poleward edge of the ionospheric trough, with auroral arcs in the nightside auroral oval and with particle precipitation at the onset of a substorm were indeed identified as responsible for enhanced phase scintillation at L band. For the first time it was observed that the observed large-scale structures did not cascade into smaller-scale structures, leading to enhanced phase scintillation without amplitude scintillation. More measurements and theory are necessary to understand the mechanism responsible for the inhibition of large-scale to small-scale energy cascade and to reproduce the observations. This aspect is fundamental to model the scattering of radio waves propagating through these ionization structures. New insights from this experiment allow a better characterization of the impact that space weather can have on satellite telecommunications and navigation services.

Radio Observations of the Ionosphere From an Imaging Array and a CubeSat

Science.gov (United States)

Isham, B.; Gustavsson, B.; Bullett, T. W.; Bergman, J. E. S.; Rincón-Charris, A.; Bruhn, F.; Funk, P.

2017-12-01

The ionosphere is a source of many radio emissions in the various low-frequency, medium-frequency, and high-frequency bands (0 to 30 MHz). In addition to natural radio emissions, artificial emissions can be stimulated using high-power radiowave ionospheric modification facilities. Two complementary projects are underway for the purpose of improving our knowledge of the processes of radio emissions from the ionosphere. One project is the Aguadilla radio array, located in northwestern Puerto Rico. The Aguadilla array is intended to produce 2 to 25 MHz radio images of the ionosphere, as well as to perform bistatic radar imaging of the ionosphere over Puerto Rico. The array will consist of multiple antenna elements, each of which is a single active (electromagnetically short) crossed electric dipole. The elements are arranged within a roughly 200 by 300-meter core array, in a semi-random pattern providing an optimal distribution of baseline vectors, with 6-meter minimum spacing to eliminate spacial aliasing. In addition, several elements are arranged in a partial ring around the central core, providing a roughly four times expanded region in u-v space for improved image resolution and quality. Phase is maintained via cabled connections to a central location. A remote array is also being developed, in which phase is maintained between elements by through the use of GPS-disciplined rubidium clocks. The other project involves the GimmeRF radio instrument, designed for 0.3 to 30 MHz vector observation of the radio electric field, and planned for launch in 2020 on a CubeSat. The data rate that can be sustained by GimmeRF far exceeds any available communication strategy. By exploiting fast on-board computing and efficient artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for analysis and data selection, the usage of the telemetry link can be optimized and value added to the mission. Radio images recorded by the radio array from below the ionosphere can be directly compared with the

Metrology and ionospheric observation standards

Science.gov (United States)

Panshin, Evgeniy; Minligareev, Vladimir; Pronin, Anton

Accuracy and ionospheric observation validity are urgent trends nowadays. WMO, URSI and national metrological and standardisation services bring forward requirements and descriptions of the ionospheric observation means. Researches in the sphere of metrological and standardisation observation moved to the next level in the Russian Federation. Fedorov Institute of Applied Geophysics (IAG) is in charge of ionospheric observation in the Russian Federation and the National Technical Committee, TC-101 , which was set up on the base of IAG- of the standardisation in the sphere. TC-101 can be the platform for initiation of the core international committee in the network of ISO The new type of the ionosounde “Parus-A” is engineered, which is up to the national requirements. “Parus-A” calibration and test were conducted by National metrological Institute (NMI) -D.I. Mendeleyev Institute for Metrology (VNIIM), signed CIMP MRA in 1991. VNIIM is a basic NMI in the sphere of Space weather (including ionospheric observations), the founder of which was celebrated chemist and metrologist Dmitriy I. Mendeleyev. Tests and calibration were carried out for the 1st time throughout 50-year-history of ionosonde exploitation in Russia. The following metrological characteristics were tested: -measurement range of radiofrequency time delay 0.5-10 ms; -time measurement inaccuracy of radio- frequency pulse ±12mcs; -frequency range of radio impulse 1-20 MHz ; -measurement inaccuracy of radio impulse carrier frequency± 5KHz. For example, the sound impulse simulator that was built-in in the ionosounde was used for measurement range of radiofrequency time delay testing. The number of standards on different levels is developed. - “Ionospheric observation guidance”; - “The Earth ionosphere. Terms and definitions”.

Ionospheric Anomalies of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake with Multiple Observations during Magnetic Storm Phase

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yang

2017-04-01

days. Associated with geomagnetic storm at similar time, radio occultation data provided by COSMIC were deeply investigated within the whole month. It's quite different that the storm or earthquake didn't trigger scintillation burst. This is probably due to the storm occurrence local time was in noon sector, which has little impact on ionospheric irregularities increase, but help to enhance the effect of westward electricity, which on the other hand diminishes scintillation bubbles (Li et al 2008). A small geomagnetic disturbance was also found almost a week prior to the earthquake, the relationship of this event to the major earthquake is worth further discussion. Similar analysis of GNSS TECs have been done, the results indicated that it can be also referred as precursor to the major earthquake. Li G, Ning B, Zhao B, et al. Effects of geomagnetic storm on GPS ionospheric scintillations at Sanya[J]. Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 2008, 70(7):1034-1045. Liu J Y, Chen Y I, Chuo Y J, et al. A statistical investigation of pre-earthquake ionospheric anomaly[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 2006, 111(A5). Liu J Y, Sun Y Y. Seismo-traveling ionospheric disturbances of ionograms observed during the 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku Earthquake[J]. Earth, Planets and Space, 2011, 63(7):897-902. Zhao B, Wang M, Yu T, et al. Is an unusual large enhancement of ionospheric electron density linked with the 2008 great Wenchuan earthquake?[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 2008, 113(A11):A11304. Pulinets S A. Seismic activity as a source of the ionospheric variability [J]. Advances in Space Research, 1998, 22(6):903-906.

An empirical model of L-band scintillation S4 index constructed by using FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC data

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Shih-Ping; Bilitza, Dieter; Liu, Jann-Yenq; Caton, Ronald; Chang, Loren C.; Yeh, Wen-Hao

2017-09-01

Modern society relies heavily on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology for applications such as satellite communication, navigation, and positioning on the ground and/or aviation in the troposphere/stratosphere. However, ionospheric scintillations can severely impact GNSS systems and their related applications. In this study, a global empirical ionospheric scintillation model is constructed with S4-index data obtained by the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC (F3/C) satellites during 2007-2014 (hereafter referred to as the F3CGS4 model). This model describes the S4-index as a function of local time, day of year, dip-latitude, and solar activity using the index PF10.7. The model reproduces the F3/C S4-index observations well, and yields good agreement with ground-based reception of satellite signals. This confirms that the constructed model can be used to forecast global L-band scintillations on the ground and in the near surface atmosphere.

Equatorial Ionospheric Irregularities Study from ROCSAT Data

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-20

UNLIMITED: PB Public Release 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Ionospheric irregularity/scintillation occurrences can be caused by external driving ...Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan e-mail: chliu2@gate.sinica.edu.tw phone :886-3-4227151x34757 CoPI: Shin-Yi Su Institution: National Central...University, Chung-Li, Taiwan e-mail: sysu@csrsr.ncu.edu.tw phone :886-3-4227151x57643 CoPI: Lung-Chi Tsai Institution: National Central University, Chung-Li

Present situation of researches on polar ionosphere by C.C.I.R

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishikawa, Saburo

1974-01-01

Various subjects of studies made by the sixth research committee of C.C.I.R. (International Radio Consultative Committee) are reported. The C.C.I.R. has not any definite study programme and question concerning polar ionosphere, because it studies and delivers opinion on the techniques and operation of radio communication especially in developing countries. The subjects of study programme by the sixth research committee are as follows: estimation of the intensity and transmission loss of space wave electric field in a zone between 1.5 and 40 MHz, observation of the ionosphere of oblique entrance, scattering propagation of ionosphere, back scattering, fading of signal transmitted through ionosphere, transmission of space waves in the zone between 150 and 1,500 kHz, and effect of ionosphere on space communication. In addition, the following fourteen reports are cited: confirmation of prodromal phenomena of ionosphere disturbances, observation of the ionosphere of oblique entrance, remote propagation with supermode, basic information on forecast, back scattering, side scattering from the ground surface and ionosphere, Esub(s) propagation, scattering propagation, Esub(s) forecast, fading, effect of ionosphere on the transmission between the earth and space, radio noise produced in and above ionosphere, and propagation of standard broadcast wave. (Iwakiri, K.)

Spatial irregularities in Jupiter's upper ionosphere observed by Voyager radio occultations

Science.gov (United States)

Hinson, D. P.; Tyler, G. L.

1982-01-01

Radio scintillations (at 3.6 and 13 cm) produced by scattering from ionospheric irregularities during the Voyager occultations are interpreted using a weak-scattering theory. Least squares solutions for ionospheric parameters derived from the observed fluctuation spectra yield estimates of (1) the axial ratio, (2) angular orientation of the anisotropic irregularities, (3) the power law exponent of the spatial spectrum of irregularities, and (4) the magnitude of the spatial variations in electron density. It is shown that the measured angular orientation of the anisotropic irregularities indicates magnetic field direction and may provide a basis for refining Jovian magnetic field models.

First light from a kilometer-baseline Scintillation Auroral GPS Array.

Science.gov (United States)

Datta-Barua, S; Su, Y; Deshpande, K; Miladinovich, D; Bust, G S; Hampton, D; Crowley, G

2015-05-28

We introduce and analyze the first data from an array of closely spaced Global Positioning System (GPS) scintillation receivers established in the auroral zone in late 2013 to measure spatial and temporal variations in L band signals at 100-1000 m and subsecond scales. The seven receivers of the Scintillation Auroral GPS Array (SAGA) are sited at Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska. The receivers produce 100 s scintillation indices and 100 Hz carrier phase and raw in-phase and quadrature-phase samples. SAGA is the largest existing array with baseline lengths of the ionospheric diffractive Fresnel scale at L band. With an initial array of five receivers, we identify a period of simultaneous amplitude and phase scintillation. We compare SAGA power and phase data with collocated 630.0 nm all-sky images of an auroral arc and incoherent scatter radar electron precipitation measurements, to illustrate how SAGA can be used in multi-instrument observations for subkilometer-scale studies. A seven-receiver Scintillation Auroral GPS Array (SAGA) is now at Poker Flat, Alaska SAGA is the largest subkilometer array to enable phase/irregularities studies Simultaneous scintillation, auroral arc, and electron precipitation are observed.

Multiscale modeling and nested simulations of three-dimensional ionospheric plasmas: Rayleigh–Taylor turbulence and nonequilibrium layer dynamics at fine scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahalov, Alex

2014-01-01

Multiscale modeling and high resolution three-dimensional simulations of nonequilibrium ionospheric dynamics are major frontiers in the field of space sciences. The latest developments in fast computational algorithms and novel numerical methods have advanced reliable forecasting of ionospheric environments at fine scales. These new capabilities include improved physics-based predictive modeling, nesting and implicit relaxation techniques that are designed to integrate models of disparate scales. A range of scales, from mesoscale to ionospheric microscale, are included in a 3D modeling framework. Analyses and simulations of primary and secondary Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities in the equatorial spread F (ESF), the response of the plasma density to the neutral turbulent dynamics, and wave breaking in the lower region of the ionosphere and nonequilibrium layer dynamics at fine scales are presented for coupled systems (ions, electrons and neutral winds), thus enabling studies of mesoscale/microscale dynamics for a range of altitudes that encompass the ionospheric E and F layers. We examine the organizing mixing patterns for plasma flows, which occur due to polarized gravity wave excitations in the neutral field, using Lagrangian coherent structures (LCS). LCS objectively depict the flow topology and the extracted scintillation-producing irregularities that indicate a generation of ionospheric density gradients, due to the accumulation of plasma. The scintillation effects in propagation, through strongly inhomogeneous ionospheric media, are induced by trapping electromagnetic (EM) waves in parabolic cavities, which are created by the refractive index gradients along the propagation paths. (paper)

Short-term magnetic field alignment variations of equatorial ionospheric irregularities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, A.L.

1988-01-01

The ionospheric irregularities that cause equatorial scintillation are elongated along the north-south magnetic field lines. During a 1981 field campaign at Ascension Island, 250-MHz receivers were spaced from 300 m to 1.6 km along the field lines, and the signals received from the Marisat satellite were cross correlated. Data collected during eight nights of fading showed a linear relationship between fading rate and cross correlation. The alignment of the antennas was adjusted to give a zero time lag between the widely spaced receivers with a measurement accuracy of 0.03 s. Since the average irregularity velocity was 125 m/s, this time accuracy translated to an angular measurement accuracy of 0.1 deg. During a 4-hour period of nightly fading, occasional differences in time of arrival were noted that corresponded to a tilt in the north-south alignment of + or - 1 deg. Data from several nights of fading were analyzed, and each night exhibited the same variance in the north-south irregularity alignment. It is postulated that the shift in the measured peak correlation may have been caused by patches of irregularities at different altitudes where the magnetic field lines have a slightly different direction. 13 references

Occurrence and zonal drifts of small-scale ionospheric irregularities over an equatorial station during solar maximum - Magnetic quiet and disturbed conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Muella, M. T. A. H.; de Paula, E. R.; Kantor, I. J.; Rezende, L. F. C.; Smorigo, P. F.

2009-06-01

A statistical study of L-band amplitude scintillations and zonal drift velocity of Fresnel-scale ionospheric irregularities is presented. Ground-based global positioning system (GPS) data acquired at the equatorial station of São Luís (2.33°S, 44.21°W, dip latitude 1.3°S), Brazil, during the solar maximum period from March 2001 to February 2002 are used in the analysis. The variation of scintillations and irregularity drift velocities with local time, season and magnetic activity are reported. The results reveal that for the near overhead ionosphere (satellite elevation angle >45°) a broad maximum in the occurrence of scintillation is seen from October to February. In general, weak scintillations (S 4 90%) during equinox (March-April; September-October) and December solstice (November-February) quiet time conditions and, many of the scintillations, occurred during pre-midnight hours. The mean zonal velocities of the irregularities are seen to be ˜30 m s -1 larger near December solstice, while during the equinoctial period the velocities decay faster and the scintillations tend to cease earlier. On geomagnetically disturbed nights, scintillation activity seems to be strongly affected by the prompt penetration of magnetospheric electric fields and disturbance dynamo effects. On disturbed days, during the equinox and December solstice seasons, the scintillations tend to be suppressed in the pre-midnight hours, whereas during June solstice months (May-August) the effect is opposite. In the post-midnight period, the mostly marked increase in the scintillation occurrence is observed during the equinox months. The results show that during disturbed conditions only one type of storm (when the main phase maximum takes place during the daytime hours) agrees with the Aarons' description, that is the suppression of L-band scintillations in the first recovery phase night. The results also reveal that the storm-time irregularity drifts become more spread in velocity and

Atmospheric Drag, Occultation ‘N’ Ionospheric Scintillation (ADONIS) mission proposal

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hettrich, S.; Kempf, Y.; Perakis, N.; Górski, J.; Edl, M.; Urbář, Jaroslav; Dósa, M.; Gini, F.; Roberts, O. W.; Schindler, S.; Schemmer, M.; Steenari, D.; Joldžić, N.; Ødegaard, L.-K. G.; Sarria, D.; Volwerk, M.; Praks, J.

2015-01-01

Roč. 5, Article Number: A2 (2015), s. 1-14 ISSN 2115-7251 Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : ionosphere (general) * thermosphere * space weather * drag * missions Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 2.846, year: 2015 http://www.swsc-journal.org/articles/swsc/abs/2015/01/swsc140006/swsc140006.html

A prediction model of short-term ionospheric foF2 based on AdaBoost

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiukuan; Ning, Baiqi; Liu, Libo; Song, Gangbing

2014-02-01

In this paper, the AdaBoost-BP algorithm is used to construct a new model to predict the critical frequency of the ionospheric F2-layer (foF2) one hour ahead. Different indices were used to characterize ionospheric diurnal and seasonal variations and their dependence on solar and geomagnetic activity. These indices, together with the current observed foF2 value, were input into the prediction model and the foF2 value at one hour ahead was output. We analyzed twenty-two years' foF2 data from nine ionosonde stations in the East-Asian sector in this work. The first eleven years' data were used as a training dataset and the second eleven years' data were used as a testing dataset. The results show that the performance of AdaBoost-BP is better than those of BP Neural Network (BPNN), Support Vector Regression (SVR) and the IRI model. For example, the AdaBoost-BP prediction absolute error of foF2 at Irkutsk station (a middle latitude station) is 0.32 MHz, which is better than 0.34 MHz from BPNN, 0.35 MHz from SVR and also significantly outperforms the IRI model whose absolute error is 0.64 MHz. Meanwhile, AdaBoost-BP prediction absolute error at Taipei station from the low latitude is 0.78 MHz, which is better than 0.81 MHz from BPNN, 0.81 MHz from SVR and 1.37 MHz from the IRI model. Finally, the variety characteristics of the AdaBoost-BP prediction error along with seasonal variation, solar activity and latitude variation were also discussed in the paper.

ULF wave effects on high frequency signal propagation through the ionosphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. L. Waters

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Variations in the total electron content (TEC of the ionosphere alter the propagation characteristics of EM radiation for frequencies above a few megahertz (MHz. Spatial and temporal variations of the ionosphere TEC influence highly sensitive, ground based spatial measurements such as those used in radio astronomy and Global Positioning System (GPS applications. In this paper we estimate the magnitudes of the changes in TEC and the time delays of high frequency signals introduced by variations in the ionosphere electron density caused by the natural spectrum of ultra-low frequency (ULF wave activity that originates in near-Earth space. The time delays and associated phase shifts depend on the frequency, spatial structure and amplitude of the ULF waves.

Multisector scintillation detector with fiber-optic light collection

Science.gov (United States)

Ampilogov, N. V.; Denisov, S. P.; Kokoulin, R. P.; Petrukhin, A. A.; Prokopenko, N. N.; Shulzhenko, I. A.; Unatlokov, I. B.; Yashin, I. I.

2017-07-01

A new type of scintillation detector for the use in high energy physics is described. The octagonal detector consists of eight triangular scintillator sectors with total area of 1 m2. Each sector represents two plates of 2 cm thick plastic scintillator. Seven 1 mm thick WLS fibers are laid evenly between the plates. The space between the fibers is filled with silicone compound to provide better light collection. Fiber ends from all eight sectors are gathered in the central part of the detector into a bunch and docked to the cathode of a FEU-115m photomultiplier. The read-out of the counter signals is carried out from 7th and 12th dynodes, providing a wide dynamic range up to about 10000 particles. The front-end electronics of the detector is based on the flash-ADC with a sampling frequency of 200 MHz. The features of detecting and recording systems of the multisector scintillation detector (MSD) and the results of its testing are discussed.

Scintillation measurements at Bahir Dar during the high solar activity phase of solar cycle 24

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kriegel, Martin; Jakowski, Norbert; Berdermann, Jens; Sato, Hiroatsu [German Aerospace Center (DLR), Neustrelitz (Germany). Inst. of Communications and Navigation; Mersha, Mogese Wassaie [Bahir Dar Univ. (Ethiopia). Washera Geospace and Radar Science Lab.

2017-04-01

Small-scale ionospheric disturbances may cause severe radio scintillations of signals transmitted from global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs). Consequently, smallscale plasma irregularities may heavily degrade the performance of current GNSSs such as GPS, GLONASS or Galileo. This paper presents analysis results obtained primarily from two high-rate GNSS receiver stations designed and operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in cooperation with Bahir Dar University (BDU) at 11.6 N, 37.4 E. Both receivers collect raw data sampled at up to 50 Hz, from which characteristic scintillation parameters such as the S4 index are deduced. This paper gives a first overview of the measurement setup and the observed scintillation events over Bahir Dar in 2015. Both stations are located close to one another and aligned in an east-west, direction which allows us to estimate the zonal drift velocity and spatial dimension of equatorial ionospheric plasma irregularities. Therefore, the lag times of moving electron density irregularities and scintillation patterns are derived by applying cross-correlation analysis to high-rate measurements of the slant total electron content (sTEC) along radio links between a GPS satellite and both receivers and to the associated signal power, respectively. Finally, the drift velocity is derived from the estimated lag time, taking into account the geometric constellation of both receiving antennas and the observed GPS satellites.

Ionospheric TEC Weather Map Over South America

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, H.; Wrasse, C. M.; Denardini, C. M.; Pádua, M. B.; de Paula, E. R.; Costa, S. M. A.; Otsuka, Y.; Shiokawa, K.; Monico, J. F. Galera; Ivo, A.; Sant'Anna, N.

2016-11-01

Ionospheric weather maps using the total electron content (TEC) monitored by ground-based Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers over South American continent, TECMAP, have been operationally produced by Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais's Space Weather Study and Monitoring Program (Estudo e Monitoramento Brasileiro de Clima Especial) since 2013. In order to cover the whole continent, four GNSS receiver networks, (Rede Brasileiro de Monitoramento Contínuo) RBMC/Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics, Low-latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network, International GNSS Service, and Red Argentina de Monitoreo Satelital Continuo, in total 140 sites, have been used. TECMAPs with a time resolution of 10 min are produced in 12 h time delay. Spatial resolution of the map is rather low, varying between 50 and 500 km depending on the density of the observation points. Large day-to-day variabilities of the equatorial ionization anomaly have been observed. Spatial gradient of TEC from the anomaly trough (total electron content unit, 1 TECU = 1016 el m-2 (TECU) 80) causes a large ionospheric range delay in the GNSS positioning system. Ionospheric plasma bubbles, their seeding and development, could be monitored. This plasma density (spatial and temporal) variability causes not only the GNSS-based positioning error but also radio wave scintillations. Monitoring of these phenomena by TEC mapping becomes an important issue for space weather concern for high-technology positioning system and telecommunication.

Equatorial Scintillation Study at Ilorin and Nsukka, Nigeria during Year 2011-2012

Science.gov (United States)

Akala, A.

2017-12-01

This study presents GNSS scintillations over Ilorin (8.48 oN, 4.54 oE, and mag lat: 1.83oS) and Nsukka (6.84 oN, 7.37 oE, and mag lat: 2.94oS), Nigeria during year 2011-2012. The two stations are located within the inner flank of the equatorial ionization anomaly. Firstly, we investigated the climatology of equatorial scintillations at the two stations. We suppressed multipath effects on the data by imposing a 300 elevation masking on the data. In addition, we investigated scintillation occurrences at the two locations on a satellite-by-satellite basis at varying elevation angles. The source of scintillation records at low-elevation angle is attributed to multipath, while that at high-elevation angle is attributed to ionospheric irregularities. Seasonally, scintillations recorded highest occurrences during March equinox, and the least during June solstice. The trend of scintillations, at both low- and high-elevation angles at the two stations were almost the same. EGNOS satellites signals scintillated at the two locations during the time intervals when GPS satellites signals experienced scintillations. These results could support the development of scintillation models for equatorial Africa, and could also be of benefit to GPS and EGNOS service providers and designers, with a view to providing robust services for GNSS user community in Africa.

Analysis of strong scintillation events by using GPS data at low latitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Forte, Biagio; Jakowski, Norbert; Wilken, Volker

2010-05-01

Drifting structures charaterised by inhomogeneities in the spatial electron density distribution at ionospheric heights originate scintillation of radio waves propagating through. The fractional electron density fluctuations and the corresponding scintillation levels may reach extreme values at low latitudes during high solar activity. Strong scintillation events have disruptive effects on a number of technological applications. In particular, operations and services based on GPS signals and receivers may experience severe disruption due to a significant degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio, eventually leading to signal loss of lock. Experimental scintillation data collected in the Asian sector at low latitudes by means of a GPS dual frequency receiver under moderate solar activity (2006) have been analysed. The GPS receiver is particularly modified in firmware in order to record power estimates on the C/A code as well as on the carriers L1 and L2. Strong scintillation activity is recorded in the post-sunset period (saturating S4 and SI as high as 20 dB). An overview of these events is presented, by taking into account scintillation impact on the signal intensity, phase, and dynamics. In particular, the interpretation of these events based on a refined scattering theory is provided with possible consequences for standard scintillation models.

Ionospheric Trend Over Wuhan During 1947-2017: Comparison Between Simulation and Observation

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, Xinan; Hu, Lianhuan; Wei, Yong; Wan, Weixing; Ning, Baiqi

2018-02-01

Since Roble and Dickinson (1989), who drew the community's attention about the greenhouse gas effect on the ionosphere, huge efforts have been implemented on ionospheric climate study. However, direct comparison between observations and simulations is still rare. Recently, the Wuhan ionosonde observations were digitized and standardized through unified method back to 1947. In this study, the NCAR-TIEGCM was driven by Mauna Loa Observatory observed CO2 level and International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) geomagnetic field to simulate their effects on ionospheric long-term trend over Wuhan. Only March equinox was considered in both data analysis and simulation. Simulation results show that the CO2 and geomagnetic field have comparable effect on hmF2 trend, while geomagnetic field effect is stronger than CO2 on foF2 trend over Wuhan. Both factors result in obvious but different diurnal variations of foF2/hmF2 long-term trends. The geomagnetic field effect is nonlinear versus years since the long-term variation of geomagnetic field intensity and orientation is complex. Mean value of foF2 and hmF2 trend is (-0.0021 MHz/yr, -0.106 km/yr) and (-0.0022 MHz/yr, -0.0763 km/yr) for observation and simulation, respectively. Regarding the diurnal variation of the trend, the simulation accords well with that of observation except hmF2 results around 12 UT. Overall, good agreement between observation and simulation illustrates the good quality of Wuhan ionosonde long-term data and the validity of ancient ionosphere reconstruction based on realistic indices driving simulation.

Exploiting LF/MF signals of opportunity for lower ionospheric remote sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Higginson-Rollins, Marc A.; Cohen, Morris B.

2017-08-01

We introduce a method to diagnose and track the D region ionosphere (60-100 km). This region is important for long-distance terrestrial communication and is impacted by a variety of geophysical phenomena, but it is traditionally very difficult to detect. Modern remote sensing methods used to study the D region are predominately near the very low frequency (VLF, 3-30 kHz) band, with some work also done in the high-frequency and very high frequency bands (HF/VHF, 3-300 MHz). However, the frequency band between VLF and HF has been largely ignored as a diagnostic tool for the ionosphere. In this paper, we evaluate the use of 300 kHz radio reflections as a diagnostic tool for characterizing the D region of the ionosphere. We present radio receiver data, analyze diurnal trends in the signal from these transmitters, and identify ionospheric disturbances impacting LF/MF propagation. We find that 300 kHz remote sensing may allow a unique method for D region diagnostics compared to both the VLF and HF/VHF frequency bands, due to a more direct ionospheric reflection coefficient calculation method with high temporal resolution without the use of forward modeling.

Letter to the Editor UHF electromagnetic emission stimulated by HF pumping of the ionosphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. M. Grach

2002-10-01

Full Text Available UHF electromagnetic emission (with a frequency near 600 MHz from the F-region of the ionosphere pumped by an HF powerful radio wave is revealed. Possible mechanisms of the emission excitation, such as plasma mode con-version, scattering or Earth thermal noise emission off the plasma density irregularities, bremsstrahlung and excitation of high Rydberg states of the neutral particles by the accelerated electrons are discussed.Key words. Ionosphere (active experiments; wave-particle interactions – Solar physics, astrophysics, and astronomy (radio emissions

Letter to the Editor UHF electromagnetic emission stimulated by HF pumping of the ionosphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. N. Sergeev

Full Text Available UHF electromagnetic emission (with a frequency near 600 MHz from the F-region of the ionosphere pumped by an HF powerful radio wave is revealed. Possible mechanisms of the emission excitation, such as plasma mode con-version, scattering or Earth thermal noise emission off the plasma density irregularities, bremsstrahlung and excitation of high Rydberg states of the neutral particles by the accelerated electrons are discussed.Key words. Ionosphere (active experiments; wave-particle interactions – Solar physics, astrophysics, and astronomy (radio emissions

A study on ionospheric scintillation near the EIA crest in relation to equatorial electrodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, S.; Chakraborty, S. K.; Veenadhari, B.; Banola, S.

2014-02-01

Equatorial electrojet (EEJ) data, which are considered as a proxy index of equatorial electric field, are analyzed in conjunction with equatorial ionosonde, total electron content (TEC) and scintillation data near the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crest for the equinoctial months of high solar activity years (2011-2012) to identify any precursor index of postsunset evolution of equatorial electron density irregularities and subsequent occurrence of scintillation near the northern EIA crest. Only geomagnetically quiet and normal electrojet days are considered. The diurnal profiles of EEJ on the scintillation days exhibit a secondary enhancement in the afternoon to presunset hours following diurnal peaks. A series of electrodynamical processes conducive for generation of irregularities emerge following secondary enhancement of EEJ. Latitudinal profile of TEC exhibits resurgence in EIA structure around the postsunset period. Diurnal TEC profile near the EIA crest resembles postsunset secondary enhancement on the days with afternoon enhancement in EEJ. Occurrence of equatorial spread F and postsunset scintillation near the EIA crest seems to follow the secondary enhancement events in EEJ. Both the magnitude and duration of enhanced EEJ are found to be important for postsunset intensification of EIA structure and subsequent occurrence of equatorial irregularities. A critical value combining the two may be considered an important precursor for postsunset occurrence of scintillation near the EIA crest. The results are validated using archived data for the years 1989-1990 and explained in terms of modulation effects of enhanced equatorial fountain.

Plasma instabilities in the ionosphere at the crest of anomaly region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarkar, Shivalika, E-mail: shivalikasarkar@gmail.com [Department of Education in Science and Mathematics, Regional Institute of Education, Bhopal – 462013 (India); Tiwari, Sunita, E-mail: suni-tiwari@yahoo.co.in [LNCT, Kalchuri Nagar, Raisen Road, Bhopal (India); Gwal, A. K., E-mail: ashok.gwal@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Barkatullah University, Bhopal-462026 (India)

2015-07-31

Comparison of the in situ density fluctuations measured by the DEMETER satellite with ground based GPS receiver measurements at the equatorial anomaly station Bhopal [geographic coordinates (23.2°N, 77.6°E); geomagnetic coordinates (14.29° N, 151.12°E)] for the low solar activity year, 2005, are presented in this paper. The Langmuir Probe experiment and Plasma Analyzer onboard DEMETER measure the electron and ion densities respectively. It is interesting to note that in situ density fluctuations observed on magnetic flux tubes that pass over Bhopal can be used as indicator of ionospheric scintillations at that site. Many cases of density fluctuations and associated scintillations have been observed during descending low solar activity period.

GNSS monitoring of the ionosphere for Space Weather services

Science.gov (United States)

Krankowski, A.; Sieradzki, R.; Zakharenkova, I. E.; Cherniak, I. V.

2012-04-01

The International GNSS Service (IGS) Ionosphere Working Group routinely provides the users global ionosphere maps (GIMs) of vertical total electron content (vTEC). The IGS GIMs are provided with spatial resolution of 5.0 degrees x 2.5 degrees in longitude and latitude, respectively. The current temporal resolution is 2 hours, however, 1-hour maps are delivered as a pilot project. There are three types IGS GIMs: the final, rapid and predicted. The latencies of the IGS ionospheric final and rapid products are 10 days and 1 day, respectively. The predicted GIMs are generated for 1 and 2 days in advance. There are four IGS Associate Analysis Centres (IAACs) that provide ionosphere maps computed with independent methodologies using GNSS data. These maps are uploaded to the IGS Ionosphere Combination and Validation Center at the GRL/UWM (Geodynamics Research Laboratory of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland) that produces the IGS official ionospheric products, which are published online via ftp and www. On the other hand, the increasing number of permanently tracking GNSS stations near the North Geomagnetic Pole allow for using satellite observations to detect the ionospheric disturbances at high latitudes with even higher spatial resolution. In the space weather service developed at GRL/UWM, the data from the Arctic stations belonging to IGS/EPN/POLENET networks were used to study TEC fluctuations and scintillations. Since the beginning of 2011, a near real-time service presenting the conditions in the ionosphere have been operational at GRL/UWM www site. The rate of TEC index (ROTI) expressed in TECU/min is used as a measure of TEC fluctuations. The service provides 2-hour maps of the TEC variability. In addition, for each day the daily map of the ionospheric fluctuations as a function geomagnetic local time is also created. This presentation shows the architecture, algorithms, performance and future developments of the IGS GIMs and this new space

Ionospheric Remote Sensing using GPS Radio Occultation and Ultraviolet Photometry aboard the ISS

Science.gov (United States)

Budzien, S. A.; Powell, S. P.; O'Hanlon, B.; Humphreys, T.; Bishop, R. L.; Stephan, A. W.; Gross, J.; Chakrabarti, S.

2017-12-01

The GPS Radio Occultation and Ultraviolet Photometer Co-located (GROUP-C) experiment launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on February 19, 2017 as part of the Space Test Program Houston #5 payload (STP-H5). After early orbit testing, GROUP-C began routine science operations in late April. GROUP-C includes a high-sensitivity far-ultraviolet photometer measuring horizontal nighttime ionospheric gradients and an advanced software-defined GPS receiver providing ionospheric electron density profiles, scintillation measurements, and lower atmosphere profiles. GROUP-C and a companion experiment, the Limb-Imaging Ionospheric and Thermospheric Extreme-Ultraviolet Spectrograph (LITES), offer a unique capability to study spatial and temporal variability of the thermosphere and ionosphere using multi-sensor approaches, including ionospheric tomography. Data are collected continuously across low- and mid-latitudes as the ISS orbit precesses through all local times every 60 days. The GROUP-C GPS sensor routinely collects dual-frequency GPS occultations, makes targeted raw signal captures of GPS and Galileo occultations, and includes multiple antennas to characterize multipath in the ISS environment. The UV photometer measures the 135.6 nm ionospheric recombination airglow emision along the nightside orbital track. We present the first analysis of ionospheric observations, discuss the challenges and opportunities of remote sensing from the ISS platform, and explore how these new data help address questions regarding the complex and dynamic features of the low and middle latitude ionosphere-thermosphere relevant to the upcoming GOLD and ICON missions.

LHCb Upgrade: Scintillating Fibre Tracker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tobin, Mark

2016-01-01

The LHCb detector will be upgraded during the Long Shutdown 2 (LS2) of the LHC in order to cope with higher instantaneous luminosities and to read out the data at 40 MHz using a trigger-less read-out system. All front-end electronics will be replaced and several sub-detectors must be redesigned to cope with higher occupancy. The current tracking detectors downstream of the LHCb dipole magnet will be replaced by the Scintillating Fibre (SciFi) Tracker. The SciFi Tracker will use scintillating fibres read out by Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). State-of-the-art multi-channel SiPM arrays are being developed to read out the fibres and a custom ASIC will be used to digitise the signals from the SiPMs. The evolution of the design since the Technical Design Report in 2014 and the latest R & D results are presented.

Equatorial plasma bubbles in the ionosphere over Eritrea: occurrence and drift speed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. H. Wiens

2006-07-01

Full Text Available An all-sky imager was installed in Asmara, Eritrea (15.4° N, 38.9° E, 7° N dip and used to monitor the OI 630-nm nightglow. Nine months of data were studied between September 2001 and May 2002, a time including the recent maximum in the solar activity cycle. Equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs were recorded on 63% of nights with adequate viewing conditions. The station location within view of the equatorial ionization anomaly and with a magnetic declination near zero makes it an excellent test case for comparison with satellite studies of the seasonal variation of EPBs with longitude. The imager was accompanied by two Cornell GPS scintillation monitors, and the amplitude scintillation data are compared to the all-sky data. GPS scintillations indicate the beginning of EPBs, but die out sooner in the post-midnight period than the larger scale EPBs. Both phenomena exhibit clear occurrence maxima around the equinoxes. Ionospheric zonal drift speeds have been deduced from EPB and GPS scintillation pattern movement. Average near-midnight EPB drift speeds are between 100 and 120 m/s most months, with the GPS scintillation speeds being about the same. A winter drift speed maximum is evident in both EPB and GPS scintillation monthly means.

THE IMPACT OF THE IONOSPHERE ON GROUND-BASED DETECTION OF THE GLOBAL EPOCH OF REIONIZATION SIGNAL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sokolowski, Marcin; Wayth, Randall B.; Tremblay, Steven E.; Tingay, Steven J.; Waterson, Mark; Tickner, Jonathan; Emrich, David; Schlagenhaufer, Franz; Kenney, David; Padhi, Shantanu, E-mail: marcin.sokolowski@curtin.edu.au [International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Curtin University, G.P.O Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845 (Australia)

2015-11-01

The redshifted 21 cm line of neutral hydrogen (H i), potentially observable at low radio frequencies (∼50–200 MHz), is a promising probe of the physical conditions of the intergalactic medium during Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). The sky-averaged H i signal is expected to be extremely weak (∼100 mK) in comparison to the Galactic foreground emission (∼10{sup 4} K). Moreover, the sky-averaged spectra measured by ground-based instruments are affected by chromatic propagation effects (∼tens of kelvin) originating in the ionosphere. We analyze data collected with the upgraded Broadband Instrument for Global Hydrogen Reionization Signal system deployed at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory to assess the significance of ionospheric effects on the detection of the global EoR signal. The ionospheric effects identified in these data are, particularly during nighttime, dominated by absorption and emission. We measure some properties of the ionosphere, such as the electron temperature (T{sub e} ≈ 470 K at nighttime), magnitude, and variability of optical depth (τ{sub 100} {sub MHz} ≈ 0.01 and δτ ≈ 0.005 at nighttime). According to the results of a statistical test applied on a large data sample, very long integrations (∼100 hr collected over approximately 2 months) lead to increased signal-to-noise ratio even in the presence of ionospheric variability. This is further supported by the structure of the power spectrum of the sky temperature fluctuations, which has flicker noise characteristics at frequencies ≳10{sup −5} Hz, but becomes flat below ≈10{sup −5} Hz. Hence, we conclude that the stochastic error introduced by the chromatic ionospheric effects tends to zero in an average. Therefore, the ionospheric effects and fluctuations are not fundamental impediments preventing ground-based instruments from integrating down to the precision required by global EoR experiments, provided that the ionospheric contribution is

VLF wave generation by beating of two HF waves in the ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Kuo, Spencer; Snyder, Arnold; Kossey, Paul; Chang, Chia-Lie; Labenski, John

2011-05-01

Theory of a beat-wave mechanism for very low frequency (VLF) wave generation in the ionosphere is presented. The VLF current is produced by beating two high power HF waves of slightly different frequencies through the nonlinearity and inhomogeneity of the ionospheric plasma. Theory also shows that the density irregularities can enhance the beat-wave generation. An experiment was conducted by transmitting two high power HF waves of 3.2 MHz and 3.2 MHz + f, where f = 5, 8, 13, and 2.02 kHz, from the HAARP transmitter. In the experiment, the ionosphere was underdense to the O-mode heater, i.e., the heater frequency f0 > foF2, and overdense or slightly underdense to the X-mode heater, i.e., f0 < fxF2 or f0 ≥ fxF2. The radiation intensity increased with the VLF wave frequency, was much stronger with the X-mode heaters, and was not sensitive to the electrojet. The strongest VLF radiation of 13 kHz was generated when the reflection layer of the X-mode heater was just slightly below the foF2 layer and the spread of the O-mode sounding echoes had the largest enhancement, suggesting an optimal setting for beat-wave generation of VLF waves by the HF heaters.

Coupling of ionosphere and troposphere during the occurrence of isolated tornadoes on November 20, 1973

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, R. J.; Phan, T.; Smith, R. E.

1979-01-01

The paper examines the coupling between the ionosphere and the troposphere during time periods with isolated tornadoes on the stormy day of November 20, 1973. Observations are made with a high-frequency CW Doppler array system, in which radio receivers located at a central site monitored signals transmitted from three independent remote sites on three sets of frequencies (4.0125, 4.759, 5.734 MHz) and reflected off the ionosphere approximately halfway between the transmitter and receiver sites. It is shown that the sources of the gravity waves associated with tornadoes are always on the squall lines and near the tornado touchdown locations, and that analyses of ionospheric Doppler sounder observations of medium-scale gravity waves can contribute to the understanding of the coupling between the ionosphere and the troposphere during periods of severe storm activity.

Distributed sensing of ionospheric irregularities with a GNSS receiver array

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Yang; Datta-Barua, Seebany; Bust, Gary S.; Deshpande, Kshitija B.

2017-08-01

We present analysis methods for studying the structuring and motion of ionospheric irregularities at the subkilometer scale sizes that produce L band scintillations. Spaced-receiver methods are used for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers' phase measurements over approximately subkilometer to kilometer length baselines for the first time. The quantities estimated by these techniques are plasma drift velocity, diffraction anisotropy magnitude and orientation, and characteristic velocity. Uncertainties are quantified by ensemble simulation of noise on the phase signals carried through to the observations of the spaced-receiver linear system. These covariances are then propagated through to uncertainties on drifts through linearization about the estimated values of the state. Five receivers of SAGA, the Scintillation Auroral Global Positioning System (GPS) Array, provide 100 Hz power and phase data for each channel at L1 frequency. The array is sited in the auroral zone at Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska. A case study of a single scintillating satellite observed by the array is used to demonstrate the spaced-receiver and uncertainty estimation process. A second case study estimates drifts as measured by multiple scintillating channels. These scintillations are correlated with auroral activity, based on all-sky camera images. Measurements and uncertainty estimates made over a 30 min period are compared to a collocated incoherent scatter radar and show good agreement in horizontal drift speed and direction during periods of scintillation for which the characteristic velocity is less than the drift velocity.

Radio tomography and scintillation studies of ionospheric electron density modification caused by a powerful HF-wave and magnetic zenith effect at mid-latitudes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tereshchenko, E.D.; Khudukon, B.Z.; Gurevich, A.V.; Zybin, K.P.; Frolov, V.L.; Myasnikov, E.N.; Muravieva, N.V.; Carlson, H.C.

2004-01-01

Observations of the ionospheric electron density modified by a powerful wave of the Sura HF heating facility were carried out in Russia at middle latitudes in August 2002. Amplitude scintillations and variations of the phase of VHF signals from Russian orbiting satellites passing over the heated region along the chain of three satellite receivers have been recorded. The experimental data were converted to electron density maps using a stochastic inversion. Tomographic measurements conducted during a low magnetic activity revealed that HF powerful waves can produce significant electron density disturbances up to heights significantly exceeding altitudes of the F layer peak. Both large-scale plasma enhancements and small-scale density irregularities can be generated by the HF radiation. Wavy density structures were also observed within a sector which is much wider than the area covered by the main lobe of the heating antenna. Small-scale density irregularities are mostly field-aligned although large-scale structures can be detected within a much larger area. A distinctive peculiarity of electron density changes occurred during heating is producing a zone of low density inside the area illuminated by the antenna beam. The results indicate that satellite radio tomography and scintillation measurements are effective diagnostic techniques giving a valuable information to studies of effects induced by HF modification. The complete system of plasma density disturbances describing by the theory of 'the magnetic zenith effect' has been for the first time studied in this Letter. A good agreement between the theory and experimental data has been obtained

Search for Erzion nuclear catalysis chains from cosmic ray Erzions stopping in organic scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bazhutov, Yu.N.; Pletnikov, E.V.

2006-01-01

In the framework of Erzion model, charged cosmic ray Erzions stopping in organic substance begin to create Erzion nuclear catalysis chains with frequency of ∼ 100 MHz during ∼ 10-100 ms. Using an organic substance (plastic) scintillator we can observe long and flat (10-100 ms) pulses of large amplitude (∼100 MeV). No elementary particle can imitate such pulses. It is expected that such pulses in a plastic scintillator with mass of 100 kg will appear at the sea level every week. Such pulses can be observed every day with the Spectrometric Scintillation Super-Telescope (SSTIS) built at IZMIRAN for cosmic rays monitoring. (authors)

Propagation of ULF waves through the ionosphere: Inductive effect for oblique magnetic fields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. D. Sciffer

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Solutions for ultra-low frequency (ULF wave fields in the frequency range 1–100mHz that interact with the Earth's ionosphere in the presence of oblique background magnetic fields are described. Analytic expressions for the electric and magnetic wave fields in the magnetosphere, ionosphere and atmosphere are derived within the context of an inductive ionosphere. The inductive shielding effect (ISE arises from the generation of an "inductive" rotational current by the induced part of the divergent electric field in the ionosphere which reduces the wave amplitude detected on the ground. The inductive response of the ionosphere is described by Faraday's law and the ISE depends on the horizontal scale size of the ULF disturbance, its frequency and the ionosphere conductivities. The ISE for ULF waves in a vertical background magnetic field is limited in application to high latitudes. In this paper we examine the ISE within the context of oblique background magnetic fields, extending studies of an inductive ionosphere and the associated shielding of ULF waves to lower latitudes. It is found that the dip angle of the background magnetic field has a significant effect on signals detected at the ground. For incident shear Alfvén mode waves and oblique background magnetic fields, the horizontal component of the field-aligned current contributes to the signal detected at the ground. At low latitudes, the ISE is larger at smaller conductivity values compared with high latitudes.

Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere-magnetosphere interactions; electric fields and currents; wave propagation

L-band nighttime scintillations at the northern edge of the EIA along 95°E during the ascending half of the solar cycle 24

Science.gov (United States)

Dutta, Barsha; Kalita, Bitap Raj; Bhuyan, Pradip Kumar

2018-04-01

The characteristics of nighttime ionospheric scintillations measured at the L-band frequency of 1.575 GHz over Dibrugarh (27.5°N, 95°E, MLAT ∼ 17°N, 43° dip) during the ascending half of the solar cycle 24 from 2010 to 2014 have been investigated and the results are presented in this paper. The measurement location is within or outside the zone of influence of the equatorial ionization anomaly depending on solar and geomagnetic activity. Maximum scintillation is observed in the equinoxes irrespective of solar activity with clear asymmetry between March and September. The occurrence frequency in the solstices shifts from minimum in the June solstice in low solar activity to a minimum in the December solstice in high solar activity years. A significant positive correlation of occurrence of scintillations in the June solstice with solar activity has been observed. However, earlier reports from the Indian zone (∼75°E) indicate negative or no correlation of scintillation in June solstice with solar activity. Scintillations activity/occurrence in solstices indicates a clear positive correlation with Es recorded simultaneously by a collocated Ionosonde. In equinoxes, maximum scintillations occur in the pre-midnight hours while in solstices the occurrence frequency peaks just after sunset. The incidence of strong scintillations (S4 ≥ 0.4) increases with increase in solar activity. Strong (S4 ≥ 0.4) ionospheric scintillations accompanied by TEC depletions in the pre-midnight period is attributed to equatorial irregularities whereas the dusk period scintillations are related to the sporadic-E activity. Present results thus indicate that the current location at the northern edge of the EIA behaves as low as well as mid-latitude location.

Propagation of gravity waves and spread F in the low-latitude ionosphere over Tucumán, Argentina, by continuous Doppler sounding: First results

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Chum, Jaroslav; Bonomi, F. A. M.; Fišer, Jiří; Cabrera, M. A.; Ezquer, R. G.; Burešová, Dalia; Laštovička, Jan; Baše, Jiří; Hruška, František; Molina, M. G.; Ise, J. E.; Cangemi, J. I.; Šindelářová, Tereza

2014-01-01

Roč. 119, č. 8 (2014), s. 6954-6965 ISSN 2169-9380 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP209/12/2440; GA ČR GP13-09778P Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : low latitude ionosphere * Ionospheric irregularities * equatorial spread F * gravity waves * scintillation * remote sensing * Doppler sounding Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology Impact factor: 3.426, year: 2014 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014JA020184/abstract

Spectral intensity dependence an isotropy of sources stronger than 0.1 Jy at 2700 MHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balonek, T.J.; Broderick, J.J.; Condon, J.J.; Crawford, D.F.; Jauncey, D.L.

1975-01-01

The 1000-foot (305 m) telescope of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center was used to measure 430 MHz flux densities of sources stronger than 0.1 Jy at 2700 MHz. Distributions of the resulting two-point spectral indices α (430, 2700) of sources in the intensity range 0.1less than or equal toS<0.35 Jy were compared with α (318, 2700) distributions of sources stronger than 0.35 Jy at 2700 MHz. The median normal-component spectral index and fraction of flat-spectrum sources in the faintest sample do not continue the previously discovered trend toward increased spectral steepening of faint sources. This result differs from the prediction of simple evolutionary cosmological models and therefore favors the alternative explanation that local source-density inhomogeneities are responsible for the observed intensity dependence of spectral indices

St. Patrick's Day 2015 geomagnetic storm analysis based on Real Time Ionosphere Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

García-Rigo, Alberto

2017-04-01

Ionosphere Monitoring (RTIM) is a new Working Group within the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) Sub-Commission 4.3 "Atmosphere Remote Sensing". The complementary expertise of the participating research groups allows to analyse the ionospheric behaviour from a broad perspective, taking benefit of comparing multiple independent real time and near real time ionospheric approaches. In this context, a detailed analysis will be presented for the days in March, 2015 surrounding St. Patrick's Day 2015 geomagnetic storm, based on the existing ionospheric models (global or regional) within the group, which are mainly based on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and ionosonde data. For this purpose, a variety of ionospheric parameters will be considered, including Total Electron Content (TEC), F2 layer critical frequency (foF2), F2 layer peak (hmF2), bottomside half-thickness (B0) and ionospheric disturbance W-index. Also, ionospheric high-frequency perturbations such as Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs), scintillations and the impact of solar flares facing the Earth will be presented to derive a clear picture of the ionospheric dynamics. Among other sources of information to take part in the comparisons, there will be (1) scintillation results -from MONITOR ESA/ESTEC-funded project- derived by means of S4 index and Sigma Phi (IEEA), specially significant in the African sector and European high latitudes, (2) dynamics of the global maps of W-index with 1h resolution derived from JPL Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs; IZMIRAN), (3) deviations from expected quiet-time behavior analysed in terms of foF2, hmF2, B0 and B1 based on IRTAM and GIRO network of digisondes (Lowell), showing F2 layer peculiar changes due to the storm, (4) statistics based on the median of the VTEC for the 15 previous days considering VTEC european regional maps (ROB), (5) time series of VTEC data that are derived by running the NRT ionosphere model of DGFI-TUM in offline mode, which show

High-latitude observations of impulse-driven ULF pulsations in the ionosphere and on the ground

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. W. Menk

2003-02-01

Full Text Available We report the simultaneous observation of 1.6–1.7 mHz pulsations in the ionospheric F-region with the CUTLASS bistatic HF radar and an HF Doppler sounder, on the ground with the IMAGE and SAMNET magnetometer arrays, and in the upstream solar wind. CUTLASS was at the time being operated in a special mode optimized for high resolution studies of ULF waves. A novel use is made of the ground returns to detect the ionospheric signature of ULF waves. The pulsations were initiated by a strong, sharp decrease in solar wind dynamic pressure near 09:28 UT on 23 February 1996, and persisted for some hours. They were observed with the magnetometers over 20° in latitude, coupling to a field line resonance near 72° magnetic latitude. The magnetic pulsations had azimuthal m numbers ~ -2, consistent with propagation away from the noon sector. The radars show transient high velocity flows in the cusp and auroral zones, poleward of the field line resonance, and small amplitude 1.6–1.7 mHz F-region oscillations across widely spaced regions at lower latitudes. The latter were detected in the radar ground scatter returns and also with the vertical incidence Doppler sounder. Their amplitude is of the order of ± 10 ms-1. A similar perturbation frequency was present in the solar wind pressure recorded by the WIND spacecraft. The initial solar wind pressure decrease was also associated with a decrease in cosmic noise absorption on an imaging riometer near 66° magnetic latitude. The observations suggest that perturbations in the solar wind pressure or IMF result in fast compressional mode waves that propagate through the magnetosphere and drive forced and resonant oscillations of geomagnetic field lines. The compressional wave field may also stimulate ionospheric perturbations. The observations demonstrate that HF radar ground scatter may contain important information on small-amplitude features, extending the scope and capability of these radars to track

Plastic scintillation dosimetry: Optimal selection of scintillating fibers and scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archambault, Louis; Arsenault, Jean; Gingras, Luc; Sam Beddar, A.; Roy, Rene; Beaulieu, Luc

2005-01-01

Scintillation dosimetry is a promising avenue for evaluating dose patterns delivered by intensity-modulated radiation therapy plans or for the small fields involved in stereotactic radiosurgery. However, the increase in signal has been the goal for many authors. In this paper, a comparison is made between plastic scintillating fibers and plastic scintillator. The collection of scintillation light was measured experimentally for four commercial models of scintillating fibers (BCF-12, BCF-60, SCSF-78, SCSF-3HF) and two models of plastic scintillators (BC-400, BC-408). The emission spectra of all six scintillators were obtained by using an optical spectrum analyzer and they were compared with theoretical behavior. For scintillation in the blue region, the signal intensity of a singly clad scintillating fiber (BCF-12) was 120% of that of the plastic scintillator (BC-400). For the multiclad fiber (SCSF-78), the signal reached 144% of that of the plastic scintillator. The intensity of the green scintillating fibers was lower than that of the plastic scintillator: 47% for the singly clad fiber (BCF-60) and 77% for the multiclad fiber (SCSF-3HF). The collected light was studied as a function of the scintillator length and radius for a cylindrical probe. We found that symmetric detectors with nearly the same spatial resolution in each direction (2 mm in diameter by 3 mm in length) could be made with a signal equivalent to those of the more commonly used asymmetric scintillators. With augmentation of the signal-to-noise ratio in consideration, this paper presents a series of comparisons that should provide insight into selection of a scintillator type and volume for development of a medical dosimeter

Tracking heliospheric disturbances by interplanetary scintillation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Tokumaru

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Coronal mass ejections are known as a solar cause of significant geospace disturbances, and a fuller elucidation of their physical properties and propagation dynamics is needed for space weather predictions. The scintillation of cosmic radio sources caused by turbulence in the solar wind (interplanetary scintillation; IPS serves as an effective ground-based method for monitoring disturbances in the heliosphere. We studied global properties of transient solar wind streams driven by CMEs using 327-MHz IPS observations of the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory (STEL of Nagoya University. In this study, we reconstructed three-dimensional features of the interplanetary (IP counterpart of the CME from the IPS data by applying the model fitting technique. As a result, loop-shaped density enhancements were deduced for some CME events, whereas shell-shaped high-density regions were observed for the other events. In addition, CME speeds were found to evolve significantly during the propagation between the corona and 1 AU.

Assessment of GPS Multifrequency Signal Characteristics During Periods of Ionospheric Scintillations from an Anomaly Crest Location

Science.gov (United States)

Goswami, S.; Paul, K. S.; Paul, A.

2017-09-01

Multifrequency GPS transmissions have provided the opportunity for testing the applicability of the principle of frequency diversity for scintillation mitigation. Published results addressing this issue with quantified estimates are not available in literature, at least from the anomaly crest location of the Indian longitude sector. Multifrequency scattering within the same L band is often the attributed cause behind simultaneous decorrelated signal fluctuations. The present paper aims to provide proportion of time during scintillation patches that decorrelations are found across GPS L1, L2, and L5 frequencies associated with high S4, corresponding high values of scattering coefficients, and large receiver position deviations thereby seriously compromising the performance of satellite-based navigation system. Results from the anomaly crest station at Calcutta indicate maximum 40% of scintillation time during February-April 2014 and 33% during August-October 2014 that the signals are decorrelated. It is important to note that it is only during these time intervals that the principle of frequency diversity could be applied for scintillation mitigation.

Study of spatial and temporal characteristics of L-band scintillations over the Indian low-latitude region and their possible effects on GPS navigation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. V. S. Rama Rao

2006-07-01

Full Text Available The scintillation data (S4-index at the L-band frequency of 1.575GHz, recorded from a total of 18 GPS receivers installed at different locations in India under the GAGAN project, have provided us with a unique opportunity, for the first time in the Indian region, to make a simultaneous study of spatio-temporal and intensity characteristics of the trans-ionospheric scintillations during the 18-month, low sunspot activity (LSSA period from January 2004 to July 2005. During this period, the occurrence of scintillations is found to be maximum around the pre-midnight hours of equinox months, with very little activity during the post-midnight hours. No significant scintillation activity is observed during the summer and winter months of the period of observation. The intensity (S4 index of the scintillation activity is stronger around the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA region in the geographic latitude range of 15° to 25° N in the Indian region. These scintillations are often accompanied by the TEC depletions with durations ranging from 5 to 25 min and magnitudes from 5 to 15 TEC units which affect the positional accuracy of the GPS by 1 to 3 m. Further, during the intense scintillation events (S4>0.45≈10 dB, the GPS receiver is found to lose its lock for a short duration of 1 to 4 min, increasing the error bounds effecting the integrity of the SBAS operation. During the present period of study, a total of 395 loss of lock events are observed in the Indian EIA region; this number is likely to increase during the high sunspot activity (HSSA period, creating more adverse conditions for the trans-ionospheric communications and the GPS-based navigation systems.

Mapping of the quasi-periodic oscillations at the flank magnetopause into the ionosphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. R. Dougal

2013-11-01

Full Text Available We have estimated the ionospheric location, area, and travel time of quasi-periodic oscillations originating from the magnetospheric flanks. This was accomplished by utilizing global and local MHD models and Tsyganenko semi-empirical magnetic field model on multiple published and four new cases believed to be caused by the Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability. Finally, we used auroral, magnetometer, and radar instruments to observe the ionospheric signatures. The ionospheric magnetic latitude determined using global MHD and Tsyganenko models ranged from 58.3–80.2 degrees in the Northern Hemisphere and −59.6 degrees to −83.4 degrees in the Southern Hemisphere. The ionospheric magnetic local time ranged between 5.0–13.8 h in the Northern Hemisphere and 1.3–11.9 h in the Southern Hemisphere. Typical Alfvén wave travel time from spacecraft location to the closest ionosphere ranged between 0.6–3.6 min. The projected ionospheric size calculated at an altitude of 100 km ranged from 47–606 km, the same order of magnitude as previously determined ionospheric signature sizes. Stationary and traveling convection vortices were observed in SuperDARN radar data in both hemispheres. The vortices were between 1000–1800 km in size. Some events were located within the ionospheric footprint ranges. Pc5 magnetic oscillations were observed in SuperMAG magnetometer data in both hemispheres. The oscillations had periods between 4–10 min with amplitudes of 3–25 nT. They were located within the ionospheric footprint ranges. Some ground magnetometer data power spectral density peaked at frequencies within one tenth of a mHz of the peaks found in the corresponding Cluster data. These magnetometer observations were consistent with previously published results.

VLITE-Fast: A Real-time, 350 MHz Commensal VLA Survey for Fast Transients

Science.gov (United States)

Kerr, Matthew; Ray, Paul S.; Kassim, Namir E.; Clarke, Tracy; Deneva, Julia; Polisensky, Emil

2018-01-01

The VLITE (VLA Low Band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment; http://vlite.nrao.edu) program operates commensally during all Very Large Array observations, collecting data from 320 to 384 MHz. Recently expanded to include 16 antennas, the large field of view and huge time on sky offer good coverage of the transient, low-frequency sky. We describe the VLITE-Fast system, a GPU-based signal processor capable of detecting short (system, techniques for mitigating interference, and initial results from searches for FRBs.

Waveform digitizing at 500 MHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atiya, M.; Ito, M.; Haggerty, J.; Ng, C.; Sippach, F.W.

1988-01-01

Experiment E787 at Brookhaven National Laboratory is designed to study the decay K + → π + ν/bar /nu// to a sensitivity of 2 /times/ 10 -10 . To achieve acceptable muon rejection it is necessary to couple traditional methods (range/energy/momentum correlation) with observation of the (π + → μ + ν, μ + → e + ν/bar /nu//) decay sequence in scintillator. We report on the design and construction of 200 channels of relatively low cost solid state waveform digitizers. The distinguishing features are: 8 bits dynamic range, 500 MHz sampling, zero suppression on the fly, deep memory (up to .5 msec), and fast readout time (100 μsec for the entire system). We report on data obtained during the February-May 1988 run showing performance of the system for the observation of the above decay. 8 figs

Waveform digitizing at 500 MHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atiya, M.; Ito, M.; Haggerty, J.; Ng, C.; Sippach, F.W.

1988-01-01

Experiment E787 at Brookhaven National Laboratory is designed to study the decay K + → π + ν/bar /nu// to a sensitivity of 2 /times/ 10/sup /minus/10/. To achieve acceptable muon rejection it is necessary to couple traditional methods (range/energy/momentum correlation) with observation of the π + → μ + → e + ν/bar /nu// decay sequence in scintillator. We report on the design and construction of over 200 channels of relatively low cost solid state waveform digitizers. The distinguishing features are: 8 bits dynamic range, 500 MHz sampling, zero suppression on the fly, deep memory (up to .5 msec), and fast readout time (100 μsec for the entire system). We report on data obtained during the February--May 1988 run showing performance of the system for the observation of the above decay. 9 figs

Features of HF Radio Wave Attenuation in the Midlatitude Ionosphere Near the Skip Zone Boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Denisenko, P. F.; Skazik, A. I.

2017-06-01

We briefly describe the history of studying the decameter radio wave attenuation by different methods in the midlatitude ionosphere. A new method of estimating the attenuation of HF radio waves in the ionospheric F region near the skip zone boundary is presented. This method is based on an analysis of the time structure of the interference field generated by highly stable monochromatic X-mode radio waves at the observation point. The main parameter is the effective electron collision frequency νeff, which allows for all energy losses in the form of equivalent heat loss. The frequency νeff is estimated by matching the assumed (model) and the experimentally observed structures. Model calculations are performed using the geometrical-optics approximation. The spatial attenuation caused by the influence of the medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances is taken into account. Spherical shape of the ionosphere and the Earth's magnetic field are roughly allowed for. The results of recording of the level of signals from the RWM (Moscow) station at a frequency of 9.996 MHz at point Rostov are used.

The Scintillation and Tomography Receiver in Space (CITRIS) Instrument for Ionospheric Research

Science.gov (United States)

2008-01-01

be used by data assimila- tion models to improve ionospheric density specifica- tions. Current assimilation models have been devel- oped to...geomagnetic latitude where the layer tends to be higher than at mid - latitudes . The west layer is near a mid - latitude region at –35° geomagnetic...CITRIS relative to the CERTO radio beacon transmitter on the COSMIC FM5 satellite. The orbits cross at a latitude of –35.5° N and a longitude of

Use of Faraday-rotation data from beacon satellites to determine ionospheric corrections for interplanetary spacecraft navigation

Science.gov (United States)

Royden, H. N.; Green, D. W.; Walson, G. R.

1981-01-01

Faraday-rotation data from the linearly polarized 137-MHz beacons of the ATS-1, SIRIO, and Kiku-2 geosynchronous satellites are used to determine the ionospheric corrections to the range and Doppler data for interplanetary spacecraft navigation. The JPL operates the Deep Space Network of tracking stations for NASA; these stations monitor Faraday rotation with dual orthogonal, linearly polarized antennas, Teledyne polarization tracking receivers, analog-to-digital converter/scanners, and other support equipment. Computer software examines the Faraday data, resolves the pi ambiguities, constructs a continuous Faraday-rotation profile and converts the profile to columnar zenith total electron content at the ionospheric reference point; a second program computes the line-of-sight ionospheric correction for each pass of the spacecraft over each tracking complex. Line-of-sight ionospheric electron content using mapped Faraday-rotation data is compared with that using dispersive Doppler data from the Voyager spacecraft; a difference of about 0.4 meters, or 5 x 10 to the 16th electrons/sq m is obtained. The technique of determining the electron content of interplanetary plasma by subtraction of the ionospheric contribution is demonstrated on the plasma torus surrounding the orbit of Io.

Lightning impact on micro-second long ionospheric variability

Science.gov (United States)

Koh, Kuang Liang; Liu, Zhongjian; Fullekrug, Martin

2017-04-01

Lightning discharges cause electron heating and enhanced ionisation in the D region ionosphere which disturb the transmission of VLF communications [Inan et al., 2010]. A disturbance of such nature was measured in a VLF transmission with a sampling rate of 1 MHz, enabling much faster ionospheric variability to be observed when compared to previous studies which typically report results with a time resolution >5-20ms. The disturbance resembles "Long Recovery Early VLF" (LORE) events [Haldoupis et al. 2013, Cotts & Inan 2007]. LOREs exhibit observable ionospheric effects that last longer (>200s) than other lightning related disturbances. It was proposed that the mechanism behind the long-lasting effects of LOREs is different to shorter events [Gordillo-Vázquez et al. 2016]. The ionospheric variability inferred from the transmitted signal is seen to change dramatically after the lightning onset, suggesting that there are fast processes in the ionosphere affected or produced which have not been considered in previous research. The ionospheric variability inferred from the main two frequencies of the transmission is different. A possible explanation is a difference in the propagation paths of the two main frequencies of the transmission [Füllekrug et al., 2015]. References Inan, U.S., Cummer, S.A., Marshall, R.A., 2010. A survey of ELF and VLF research on lightning-ionosphere interactions and causative discharges. J. Geophys. Res. 115, A00E36. doi:10.1029/2009JA014775 Cotts, B.R.T., Inan, U.S., 2007. VLF observation of long ionospheric recovery events. Geophys. Res. Lett. 34, L14809. doi:10.1029/2007GL030094 Haldoupis, C., Cohen, M., Arnone, E., Cotts, B., Dietrich, S., 2013. The VLF fingerprint of elves: Step-like and long-recovery early VLF perturbations caused by powerful ±CG lightning EM pulses. J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics 118, 5392-5402. doi:10.1002/jgra.50489 Gordillo-Vázquez, F.J., Luque, A., Haldoupis, C., 2016. Upper D region chemical kinetic modeling of

Faraday Rotation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Signals as a Method of Ionospheric Characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Cushley, A. C.; Kabin, K.; Noël, J.-M.

2017-10-01

Radio waves propagating through plasma in the Earth's ambient magnetic field experience Faraday rotation; the plane of the electric field of a linearly polarized wave changes as a function of the distance travelled through a plasma. Linearly polarized radio waves at 1090 MHz frequency are emitted by Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) devices that are installed on most commercial aircraft. These radio waves can be detected by satellites in low Earth orbits, and the change of the polarization angle caused by propagation through the terrestrial ionosphere can be measured. In this manuscript we discuss how these measurements can be used to characterize the ionospheric conditions. In the present study, we compute the amount of Faraday rotation from a prescribed total electron content value and two of the profile parameters of the NeQuick ionospheric model.

Effect of ray and speed perturbations on ionospheric tomography by over-the-horizon radar: A new method, useful for SuperDarn radar

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenbeis, J.; Roy, C.; Bland, E. C.; Occhipinti, G.

2017-12-01

Most recent methods in ionospheric tomography are based on the inversion of the total electron content measured by ground-based GPS receivers. As a consequence of the high frequency of the GPS signal and the absence of horizontal raypaths, the electron density structure is mainly reconstructed in the F2 region (300 km), where the ionosphere reaches the maximum of ionization, and is not sensitive to the lower ionospheric structure. We propose here a new tomographic method of the lower ionosphere (Roy et al., 2014), based on the full inversion of over-the-horizon (OTH) radar data and applicable to SuperDarn data. The major advantage of our methodology is taking into account, numerically and jointly, the effect that the electron density perturbations induce not only in the speed of electromagnetic waves but also on the raypath geometry. This last point is extremely critical for OTH/SuperDarn data inversions as the emitted signal propagates through the ionosphere between a fixed starting point (the radar) and an unknown end point on the Earth surface where the signal is backscattered. We detail our ionospheric tomography method with the aid of benchmark tests in order to highlight the sensitivity of the radar related to the explored observational parameters: frequencies, elevations, azimuths. Having proved the necessity to take into account both effects simultaneously, we apply our method to real backscattered data from Super Darn and OTH radar. The preliminary solution obtained with the Hokkaido East SuperDARN with only two frequencies (10MHz and 11MHz), showed here, is stable and push us to deeply explore a more complete dataset that we will present at the AGU 2017. This is, in our knowledge, the first time that an ionospheric tomography has been estimated with SuperDarn backscattered data. Reference: Roy, C., G. Occhipinti, L. Boschi, J.-P. Moliné, and M. Wieczorek (2014), Effect of ray and speed perturbations on ionospheric tomography by over-the-horizon radar: A

Statistical parameters of nonisothermal lower ionospheric plasma in the electrically active mesosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Martynenko, S. I.; Rozumenko, V. T.; Tyrnov, O. F.; Manson, A. H.; Meek, C. E.

The large V/m electric fields inherent in the lower mesosphere play an essential role in lower ionospheric electrodynamics. They must be the cause of large variations in the electron temperature and the electron collision frequency and consequently of the transition of the ionospheric plasma in the lower part of the D region into a nonisothermal state. This study is based on the datasets on large mesospheric electric fields collected with the 2.2-MHz radar of the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies, University of Saskatchewan, Canada (52°N geographic latitude, 60.4°N geomagnetic latitude), and with the 2.3-MHz radar of the Kharkiv V. Karazin National University, Ukraine (49.6°N geographic latitude, 45.6°N geomagnetic latitude). The statistical analysis of these data is presented by [Meek, C.E., Manson, A.H., Martynenko, S.I., Rozumenko, V.T., Tyrnov, O.F. Remote sensing of mesospheric electric fields using MF radars. J. Atmos. Solar-Terr. Phys. 66, 881-890, 2004. 10.1016/j.jastp.2004.02.002]. The large mesospheric electric fields in the 60-67-km altitude range are experimentally established to follow a Rayleigh distribution in the 0 < E < 2.5 V/m interval. These data have permitted the resulting differential distributions of relative disturbances in the electron temperature, θ, and the effective electron collision frequency, η, to be determined. The most probable θ and η values are found to be in the 1.4-2.2 interval, and hence the nonstationary state of the lower part of the D region needs to be accounted for in studying processes coupling the electrically active mesosphere and the lower ionospheric plasma.

A Comprehensive Assessment of Radio Occultation Ionospheric Measurements at Mid-Latitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Keele, C.; Brum, C. G. M.; Rodrigues, F. S.; Aponte, N.; Sulzer, M. P.

2015-12-01

The GPS radio occultation (RO) has become a widely used technique for global measurements of the ionospheric electron density (Ne). To advance our understanding of the accuracy of the RO profiles at mid latitudes, we performed a comprehensive comparison of RO measurements made by the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) satellites and observations of Ne profiles made by the Arecibo Observatory incoherent scatter radar (ISR). COSMIC is formed by six satellites in circular, 800 km altitude low-Earth orbit (LEO) at 72° inclination. The satellites orbit in their own plane, approximately 24° apart in ascending node. The satellites are equipped with dual-frequency GPS receivers capable of making measurements of the total electron content (TEC) along the signal path and, therefore, RO observations. The Arecibo ISR, located at(18.35°N, 66.75°W; ˜28.25°N dip latitude), operates at a frequency of 430 MHz with a maximum bandwidth of about 1 MHz. The large collecting area provided by the 300 m dish antenna combined with high peak power transmitters (2.0-2.5 MW) allows the radar to make accurate Ne measurements throughout the entire ionospheric F-region and topside heights. We analyzed 74 and 89 days of line feed and Gregorian data, respectively, collected between 2006 and 2014. There were 638 RO profiles measured within 10° of latitude and 20° of longitude from Arecibo Observatory and within ±10 minutes of the radar measurements. Preliminary analyses of the observations show patterns in the relationship between densities measured by the Arecibo ISR and densities estimated from the COSMIC ROs. We will present and discuss the behavior of the patterns. We will also present results of a numerical model representing the patterns and discuss the possibility of using this model to improve RO estimates of density profiles.

Response of the lower ionosphere to the great solar flare of August 7, 1972

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, T [Hyogo Coll. of Medicine, Hyogo (Japan)

1975-01-01

The response of the ionosphere in an altitude range of 50--200 km to the great solar flare that occurred at about 1500 UT on 7 August 1972 is studied. Sudden increases in electron concentration, Pedersen and Hall electric conductivities (SIEC), total electron content (SITEC) and sudden cosmic noise absorption (SCNA) due to solar x-ray flux increments at 1530, 1600, 1700 and 2100 UT are calculated for the location of 40/sup 0/N latitude and 75/sup 0/W longitude, and some of the results are compared with observed values. The solar X-ray emissions concerned in this study are those with wavelengths of 1--100 A, of which emission fluxes measured from the SOLRAD 10 satellite are available for the 1--20 A band, while emission spectra for other wavelength bands are assumed. Two altitude profiles of increased electron concentrations at each time are first derived based on two assumed effective recombination coefficient profiles, then associated increments in 30 MHz cosmic noise absorption and Pedersen and Hall electric conductivities are derived. It is found that the calculated 30 MHz SCNA's (SCNA values) and SITEC's (50--200 km) at 1530, 1600 and 1700 UT for one of the increased electron concentration profiles are in reasonably good agreement with the observed ones, but the SITEC's roughly corrected for the entire ionosphere at 1530 and 1600 UT seem to be greater by more than 20 and 30% than the observed ones, respectively. These results seem to imply that the derived electron concentration enhancements in the ionosphere above about 100 km are overestimated.

Low frequency modulation of transionospheric radio wave amplitude at low-latitudes: possible role of field line oscillations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. K. Sinha

Full Text Available Ionospheric scintillations of radio waves at low-latitudes are associated with electron density irregularities. These irregularities are field-aligned and can provide excitation energy all along the field line to non-local field-aligned oscillations, such as the local field line oscillations. Eigen-periods of toroidal field line oscillations at low-latitudes, computed by using the dipole magnetic field and ion distributions obtained from the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI for typical nighttime conditions, fall in the range of 20–25 s. When subjected to spectral analysis, signal strength of the radio waves recorded on the 250 MHz beacon at Pondicherry (4.5° N dip, Mumbai (13.4° N dip and Ujjain (18.6° N dip exhibit periodicities in the same range. For the single event for which simultaneous ground magnetic data were available, the geomagnetic field also oscillated at the same periodicity. The systematic presence of a significant peak in the 20–25 s range during periods of strong radio wave scintillations, and its absence otherwise suggests the possibility that field line oscillations are endogenously excited by the irregularities, and the oscillations associated with the excited field line generate the modulation characteristics of the radio waves received on the ground. The frequency of modulation is found to be much lower than the characteristic frequencies that define the main body of scintillations, and they probably correspond to scales that are much larger than the typical Fresnel scale. It is possible that the refractive mechanism associated with larger scale long-lived irregularities could be responsible for the observed phenomenon. Results of a preliminary numerical experiment that uses a sinusoidal phase irregularity in the ionosphere as a refracting media are presented. The results show that phase variations which are large enough to produce a focal plane close to the ground can reproduce features that are not

Low frequency modulation of transionospheric radio wave amplitude at low-latitudes: possible role of field line oscillations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. K. Sinha

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Ionospheric scintillations of radio waves at low-latitudes are associated with electron density irregularities. These irregularities are field-aligned and can provide excitation energy all along the field line to non-local field-aligned oscillations, such as the local field line oscillations. Eigen-periods of toroidal field line oscillations at low-latitudes, computed by using the dipole magnetic field and ion distributions obtained from the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI for typical nighttime conditions, fall in the range of 20–25 s. When subjected to spectral analysis, signal strength of the radio waves recorded on the 250 MHz beacon at Pondicherry (4.5° N dip, Mumbai (13.4° N dip and Ujjain (18.6° N dip exhibit periodicities in the same range. For the single event for which simultaneous ground magnetic data were available, the geomagnetic field also oscillated at the same periodicity. The systematic presence of a significant peak in the 20–25 s range during periods of strong radio wave scintillations, and its absence otherwise suggests the possibility that field line oscillations are endogenously excited by the irregularities, and the oscillations associated with the excited field line generate the modulation characteristics of the radio waves received on the ground. The frequency of modulation is found to be much lower than the characteristic frequencies that define the main body of scintillations, and they probably correspond to scales that are much larger than the typical Fresnel scale. It is possible that the refractive mechanism associated with larger scale long-lived irregularities could be responsible for the observed phenomenon. Results of a preliminary numerical experiment that uses a sinusoidal phase irregularity in the ionosphere as a refracting media are presented. The results show that phase variations which are large enough to produce a focal plane close to the ground can reproduce features that are not

Observation of suprathermal electron fluxes during ionospheric modification experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fejer, J.A.; Sulzer, M.P.

1987-01-01

The temporal behavior of backscatter by ionospheric Langmuir waves was observed with the 430-MHz radar at Arecibo while a powerful HF wave was cycled 2 s on, 3 s off. The time resolution was 0.1 s. Late at night, in the absence of photoelectrons, using an HF equivalent radiated power of 80 MW at 3.175 MHz, the initial enhancement of about 6% above system noise of the backscattered power with Doppler shifts between -3.75 and -3.85 MHz was reached about 0.25 s after switching on the HF transmitter. In the following second the enhancement gradually decreased to about 3% and remained there until switching off. During the late afternoon, in the presence of photoelectrons, using the same HF power at 5.1 MHz, an initial enhancement by 25% of the backscattered power with Doppler shifts between -5.25 and -5.35 MHz appeared within less than 0.1 s after switching on the HF transmitter. The incoherent backscatter by Langmuir waves enhanced by photoelectrons was already above system noise by a factor greatly in excess of 10 before switching on the HF transmitter; the 25% enhancement thus corresponds to an enhancement greatly in excess of 250% above system noise. The enhancement drops to less than one tenth of its original value in less than a second. The nighttime effect is attributed to multiple acceleration of electrons from the high-energy tail of the Maxwellian distribution. The daytime effect is believed to be due to a modification in the distribution function of photoelectrons

Probing ionospheric structures using the LOFAR radio telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Mevius, M.; van der Tol, S.; Pandey, V. N.; Vedantham, H. K.; Brentjens, M. A.; de Bruyn, A. G.; Abdalla, F. B.; Asad, K. M. B.; Bregman, J. D.; Brouw, W. N.; Bus, S.; Chapman, E.; Ciardi, B.; Fernandez, E. R.; Ghosh, A.; Harker, G.; Iliev, I. T.; Jelić, V.; Kazemi, S.; Koopmans, L. V. E.; Noordam, J. E.; Offringa, A. R.; Patil, A. H.; van Weeren, R. J.; Wijnholds, S.; Yatawatta, S.; Zaroubi, S.

2016-07-01

LOFAR is the LOw-Frequency Radio interferometer ARray located at midlatitude (52°53'N). Here we present results on ionospheric structures derived from 29 LOFAR nighttime observations during the winters of 2012/2013 and 2013/2014. We show that LOFAR is able to determine differential ionospheric total electron content values with an accuracy better than 0.001 total electron content unit = 1016m-2 over distances ranging between 1 and 100 km. For all observations the power law behavior of the phase structure function is confirmed over a long range of baseline lengths, between 1 and 80 km, with a slope that is, in general, larger than the 5/3 expected for pure Kolmogorov turbulence. The measured average slope is 1.89 with a one standard deviation spread of 0.1. The diffractive scale, i.e., the length scale where the phase variance is 1rad2, is shown to be an easily obtained single number that represents the ionospheric quality of a radio interferometric observation. A small diffractive scale is equivalent to high phase variability over the field of view as well as a short time coherence of the signal, which limits calibration and imaging quality. For the studied observations the diffractive scales at 150 MHz vary between 3.5 and 30 km. A diffractive scale above 5 km, pertinent to about 90% of the observations, is considered sufficient for the high dynamic range imaging needed for the LOFAR epoch of reionization project. For most nights the ionospheric irregularities were anisotropic, with the structures being aligned with the Earth magnetic field in about 60% of the observations.

Statistics on the parameters of nonisothermal ionospheric plasma in large mesospheric electric fields

Science.gov (United States)

Martynenko, S.; Rozumenko, V.; Tyrnov, O.; Manson, A.; Meek, C.

The large V/m electric fields inherent in the mesosphere play an essential role in lower ionospheric electrodynamics. They must be the cause of large variations in the electron temperature and the electron collision frequency at D region altitudes, and consequently the ionospheric plasma in the lower part of the D region undergoes a transition into a nonisothermal state. This study is based on the databases on large mesospheric electric fields collected with the 2.2-MHz radar of the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies, University of Saskatchewan, Canada (52°N geographic latitude, 60.4°N geomagnetic latitude) and with the 2.3-MHz radar of the Kharkiv V. Karazin National University (49.6°N geographic latitude, 45.6°N geomagnetic latitude). The statistical analysis of these data is presented in Meek, C. E., A. H. Manson, S. I. Martynenko, V. T. Rozumenko, O. F. Tyrnov, Remote sensing of mesospheric electric fields using MF radars, Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, in press. The large mesospheric electric fields is experimentally established to follow a Rayleigh distribution in the interval 0 ionospheric plasma.

Effect of solar and magnetic activity on VHF scintillations near the equatorial anomaly crest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. P. Singh

2004-09-01

Full Text Available The VHF amplitude scintillation recorded during the period January 1991 to December 1993 in the declining phase of a solar cycle and April 1998 to December 1999 in the ascending phase of the next solar cycle at Varanasi (geogr. lat.=25.3°, long.=83.0°, dip=37°N have been analyzed to study the behavior of ionospheric irregularities during active solar periods and magnetic storms. It is shown that irregularities occur at arbitrary times and may last for <30min. A rise in solar activity increases scintillations during winter (November-February and near equinoxes (March-April; September-October, whereas it depresses the scintillations during the summer (May-July. In general, the role of magnetic activity is to suppress scintillations in the pre-midnight period and to increase it in the post-midnight period during equinox and winter seasons, whilst during summer months the effect is reversed. The pre-midnight scintillation is sometimes observed when the main phase of D_st corresponds to the pre-midnight period. The annual variation shows suppression of scintillations on disturbed days, both during pre-midnight and post-midnight period, which becomes more effective during years of high solar activity. It is observed that for magnetic storms for which the recovery phase starts post-midnight, the probability of occurrence of irregularities is enhanced during this time. If the magnetic storm occurred during daytime, then the probability of occurrence of scintillations during the night hours is decreased. The penetration of magnetospheric electric fields to the magnetic equator affects the evolution of low-latitude irregularities. A delayed disturbance dynamo electric field also affects the development of irregularities.

Are historical values of ionospheric parameters from ionosondes overestimated?

Science.gov (United States)

Laštovička, J.; Koucká Knížová, P.; Kouba, D.

2012-04-01

Ionogram-scaled values from pre-digital ionosonde times had been derived from ionograms under the assumption of the vertical reflection of ordinary mode of sounding radio waves. Classical ionosondes were unable to distinguish between the vertical and oblique reflections and in the case of the Es-layer also between the ordinary and extraordinary mode reflections due to mirror-like reflections. However, modern digisondes determine clearly the oblique or extraordinary mode reflections. Evaluating the Pruhonice digisonde ionograms in "classical" and in "correct" way we found for seven summers (2004-2010) that among strong foEs (> 6 MHz) only 10% of foEs values were correct and 90% were artificially enhanced in average by 1 MHz, in extreme cases by more than 3 MHz (some oblique reflections). 34% of all reflections were oblique reflections. With other ionospheric parameters like foF2 or foE the problem is less severe because non-mirror reflection makes delay of the extraordinary mode with respect to the ordinary mode and they are separated on ionograms, and oblique reflections are less frequent than with the patchy Es layer. At high latitudes another problem is caused by the z-mode, which is sometimes difficult to be distinguished from the ordinary mode.

Daily observations of the development of the ionospheric equatorial anomaly by means of differential Doppler shift method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Y.N.; Cheng, K.; Chen, S.W.

1987-01-01

The differential Doppler frequency shifts observed by receiving coherent radio signals at frequencies of 150 and 400 MHz transmitted from the polar orbiting satellites of U.S. Navy Navigation Satellite System have been used to deduce the latitudinal variations of the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) near the ionospheric equatorial anomaly crest region. All latitudinal variations of TEC thus obtained for each passage of an NNSS satellite are used to construct daily contour plots of TEC in a latitude versus local time coordinates. It has been shown that these contour plot of TEC can be used to investigate the behavior of TEC around equatorial anomaly crest region. Some results are presented and discussed. 18 references

Development of intermediate-scale structure at different altitudes within an equatorial plasma bubble: Implications for L-band scintillations

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharyya, A.; Kakad, B.; Gurram, P.; Sripathi, S.; Sunda, S.

2017-01-01

An important aspect of the development of intermediate-scale length (approximately hundred meters to few kilometers) irregularities in an equatorial plasma bubble (EPB) that has not been considered in the schemes to predict the occurrence pattern of L-band scintillations in low-latitude regions is how these structures develop at different heights within an EPB as it rises in the postsunset equatorial ionosphere due to the growth of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Irregularities at different heights over the dip equator map to different latitudes, and their spectrum as well as the background electron density determine the strength of L-band scintillations at different latitudes. In this paper, VHF and L-band scintillations recorded at different latitudes together with theoretical modeling of the scintillations are used to study the implications of this structuring of EPBs on the occurrence and strength of L-band scintillations at different latitudes. Theoretical modeling shows that while S4 index for scintillations on a VHF signal recorded at an equatorial station may be >1, S4 index for scintillations on a VHF signal recorded near the crest of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) generally does not exceed the value of 1 because the intermediate-scale irregularity spectrum at F layer peak near the EIA crest is shallower than that found in the equatorial F layer peak. This also explains the latitudinal distribution of L-band scintillations. Thus, it is concluded that there is greater structuring of an EPB on the topside of the equatorial F region than near the equatorial F layer peak.

Observations of magnetic field and TEC fluctuations caused by ionospheric responses to acoustic and gravity waves from ground-level, natural hazard sources

Science.gov (United States)

Inchin, P.; Zettergren, M. D.; Snively, J. B.; Komjathy, A.; Verkhoglyadova, O. P.

2017-12-01

Recent studies have reported magnetic field fluctuations following intense seismic hazard events [e.g. Aoyama et al., EPS, 68, 2016; Toh et al., JGR, 116, 2011]. These perturbations can be associated with ionospheric dynamo phenomena driven by seismically generated acoustic and gravity waves (AGWs). AGW-related dynamo effects can be separated from other sources of magnetic fluctuations (e.g. piezo magnetic effects, magnetospheric forcing or Rayleigh surface waves) based on time delays from event onset (corresponding closely with travel times for AGWs from ground to the ionosphere) and spectral content measured concurrently in total electron content (TEC). Modeling studies aimed at understanding these magnetic field fluctuations have demonstrated the idea that AGWs propagating through the conducting ionosphere can induce current densities sufficient to produce observable magnetic signatures [Zettergren and Snively, JGR, 120, 2017]. Here, we investigate the features of seismic-related magnetic field fluctuations in data and their generation via the effects of seismically-forced AGWs on the ionosphere [Iyemori et al., EPS, 65, 2013; Hasbi et al., JASTP, 71, 2005]. Concurrent magnetic field and TEC data are analyzed for several events: the Chilean earthquakes of 2010 and 2015, Chile's Calbuco volcano eruption and the Sumatran earthquake on March 28, 2005. We investigate the qualitative features of the disturbances as well as quantitative spectral and timing analysis of the data. For Chilean earthquakes, TEC and ground-based magnetometer data reveal fluctuations in magnetic field exhibiting 4-5 mHz frequencies, the same as in TEC. For the Calbuco volcano eruption and Sumatran earthquake both TEC and magnetic field perturbations exhibit frequencies of 4-5 mHz. The results are consistent with previous reports [Aoyama et al., EPS, 68, 2016, Hasbi et al., JASTP, 71, 2005, Iyemori et al., EPS, 65, 2013]. These observations are further interpreted through detailed numerical

Upper ionosphere and magnetospheric-ionospheric coupling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manzano, J.R.

1989-02-01

After a presentation of the ionospheric physics and of the earth magnetosphere morphology, generation and dynamics, the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling in quiet and perturbed conditions is discussed. Some summary information about other planetary magnetospheres, particularly Venus and Jupiter magnetospheres, are finally given. 41 refs, 24 figs

Generation of a severe convective ionospheric storm under stable Rayleigh–Taylor conditions: triggering by meteors?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. C. Kelley

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Here we report on four events detected using the Jicamarca Radio Observatory (JRO over an 18-year period, in which huge convective ionospheric storms (CISs occur in a stable ionosphere. We argue that these rare events could be initiated by meteor-induced electric fields. The meteor-induced electric fields map to the bottomside of the F region, causing radar echoes and a localized CIS. If and when a localized disturbance reaches 500 km, we argue that it becomes two-dimensionally turbulent and cascades structure to both large and small scales. This leads to long-lasting structure and, almost certainly, to scintillations over a huge range of latitudes some ±15° wide and to 3 m irregularities, which backscatter the VHF radar waves. These structures located at high altitudes are supported by vortices shed by the upwelling bubble in a vortex street.

High Resolution Gamma Ray Spectroscopy at MHz Counting Rates With LaBr3 Scintillators for Fusion Plasma Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Nocente, M.; Tardocchi, M.; Olariu, A.; Olariu, S.; Pereira, R. C.; Chugunov, I. N.; Fernandes, A.; Gin, D. B.; Grosso, G.; Kiptily, V. G.; Neto, A.; Shevelev, A. E.; Silva, M.; Sousa, J.; Gorini, G.

2013-04-01

High resolution γ-ray spectroscopy measurements at MHz counting rates were carried out at nuclear accelerators, combining a LaBr 3(Ce) detector with dedicated hardware and software solutions based on digitization and off-line analysis. Spectra were measured at counting rates up to 4 MHz, with little or no degradation of the energy resolution, adopting a pile up rejection algorithm. The reported results represent a step forward towards the final goal of high resolution γ-ray spectroscopy measurements on a burning plasma device.

Scintillation response of organic and inorganic scintillators

CERN Document Server

Papadopoulos, L M

1999-01-01

A method to evaluate the scintillation response of organic and inorganic scintillators to different heavy ionizing particles is suggested. A function describing the rate of the energy consumed as fluorescence emission is derived, i.e., the differential response with respect to time. This function is then integrated for each ion and scintillator (anthracene, stilbene and CsI(Tl)) to determine scintillation response. The resulting scintillation responses are compared to the previously reported measured responses. Agreement to within 2.5% is observed when these data are normalized to each other. In addition, conclusions regarding the quenching parameter kB dependence on the type of the particle and the computed values of kB for certain ions are included. (author)

The D-region of the ionosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitra, A.P.

1978-01-01

The D-region of the ionosphere, traditionally defined as the region of ionization below 100 km, is a link between the non-ionized stratosphere below and the dense plasma above. In it, minor neutral constituents play a dominant role and chemical reactions, both neutral and ionic, are dominant. It plays a very important role in the propagation of radiowaves at all frequencies below 30 MHz, and is particularly important in effecting communication over areas of the earth, such as polar regions, that are inaccessible to synchronous satellite links. Work which has been carried out on the neutral environment, D-region ionization, positive and negative ions found in the D-region, disturbances in the D-region (of solar origin and due to local dynamics or thermal changes), and the chemistry of the region, is considered. Possible future D-region studies are outlined. (UK)

Faraday rotation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) signals as a method of ionospheric characterization

Science.gov (United States)

Cushley, A. C.; Kabin, K.; Noel, J. M. A.

2017-12-01

Radio waves propagating through plasma in the Earth's ambient magnetic field experience Faraday rotation; the plane of the electric field of a linearly polarized wave changes as a function of the distance travelled through a plasma. Linearly polarized radio waves at 1090 MHz frequency are emitted by Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) devices which are installed on most commercial aircraft. These radio waves can be detected by satellites in low earth orbits, and the change of the polarization angle caused by propagation through the terrestrial ionosphere can be measured. In this work we discuss how these measurements can be used to characterize the ionospheric conditions. In the present study, we compute the amount of Faraday rotation from a prescribed total electron content value and two of the profile parameters of the NeQuick model.

47 CFR 101.77 - Public safety licensees in the 1850-1990 MHz, 2110-2150 MHz, and 2160-2200 MHz bands.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

..., 2110-2150 MHz, and 2160-2200 MHz bands. 101.77 Section 101.77 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS...-1990 MHz, 2110-2150 MHz, and 2160-2200 MHz bands. (a) In order for public safety licensees to qualify... a Police licensee, a Fire Licensee, or an Emergency Medical Licensee as defined in § 90.7 of this...

Scintillation properties of quantum-dot doped styrene based plastic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, J.M.; Kim, H.J.; Hwang, Y.S.; Kim, D.H.; Park, H.W.

2014-01-01

We fabricated quantum-dot doped plastic scintillators in order to control the emission wavelength. We studied the characterization of the quantum-dots (CdSe/ZnS) and PPO (2, 5-diphenyloxazole) doped styrene based plastic scintillators. PPO is usually used as a dopant to enhance the scintillation properties of organic scintillators with a maximum emission wavelength of 380 nm. In order to study the scintillation properties of the quantum-dots doped plastic scintillators, the samples were irradiated with X-ray, photon, and 45 MeV proton beams. We observed that only PPO doped plastic scintillators shows a luminescence peak around 380 nm. However, both the quantum-dots and PPO doped plastic scintillators shows luminescence peaks around 380 nm and 520 nm. Addition of quantum-dots had shifted the luminescence spectrum from 380 nm (PPO) toward the region of 520 nm (Quantum-dots). Emissions with wavelength controllable plastic scintillators can be matched to various kinds of photosensors such as photomultiplier tubes, photo-diodes, avalanche photo-diodes, and CCDs, etc. Also quantum-dots doped plastic scintillator, which is irradiated 45 MeV proton beams, shows that the light yield of quantum-dots doped plastic scintillator is increases as quantum-dots doping concentration increases at 520 nm. And also the plastic scintillators were irradiated with Cs-137 γ-ray for measuring fluorescence decay time. -- Highlights: • Quantum-dot doped plastic scintillator is grown by the thermal polymerization method. • Quantum-dot doped plastic scintillators can control the emission wavelength to match with photo-sensor. • Quantum-dots and PPO doped plastic scintillators emitted luminescence peaks around 380 nm and 520 nm. • We observed the energy transfer from PPO to quantum-dot in the quantum-dot doped plastic scintillator

Scintillation properties of quantum-dot doped styrene based plastic scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, J.M.; Kim, H.J., E-mail: hongjooknu@gmail.com; Hwang, Y.S.; Kim, D.H.; Park, H.W.

2014-02-15

We fabricated quantum-dot doped plastic scintillators in order to control the emission wavelength. We studied the characterization of the quantum-dots (CdSe/ZnS) and PPO (2, 5-diphenyloxazole) doped styrene based plastic scintillators. PPO is usually used as a dopant to enhance the scintillation properties of organic scintillators with a maximum emission wavelength of 380 nm. In order to study the scintillation properties of the quantum-dots doped plastic scintillators, the samples were irradiated with X-ray, photon, and 45 MeV proton beams. We observed that only PPO doped plastic scintillators shows a luminescence peak around 380 nm. However, both the quantum-dots and PPO doped plastic scintillators shows luminescence peaks around 380 nm and 520 nm. Addition of quantum-dots had shifted the luminescence spectrum from 380 nm (PPO) toward the region of 520 nm (Quantum-dots). Emissions with wavelength controllable plastic scintillators can be matched to various kinds of photosensors such as photomultiplier tubes, photo-diodes, avalanche photo-diodes, and CCDs, etc. Also quantum-dots doped plastic scintillator, which is irradiated 45 MeV proton beams, shows that the light yield of quantum-dots doped plastic scintillator is increases as quantum-dots doping concentration increases at 520 nm. And also the plastic scintillators were irradiated with Cs-137 γ-ray for measuring fluorescence decay time. -- Highlights: • Quantum-dot doped plastic scintillator is grown by the thermal polymerization method. • Quantum-dot doped plastic scintillators can control the emission wavelength to match with photo-sensor. • Quantum-dots and PPO doped plastic scintillators emitted luminescence peaks around 380 nm and 520 nm. • We observed the energy transfer from PPO to quantum-dot in the quantum-dot doped plastic scintillator.

Scintillator structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cusano, D.A.; Prener, J.S.

1978-01-01

Distributed phosphor scintillator structures providing superior optical coupling to photoelectrically responsive devices together with methods for fabricating said scintillator structures are disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention relating to scintillator structures, the phosphor is distributed in a 'layered' fashion with certain layers being optically transparent so that the visible wavelength output of the scintillator is better directed to detecting devices. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention relating to scintillator structures, the phosphor is distributed throughout a transparent matrix in a continuous fashion whereby emitted light is more readily transmitted to a photodetector. Methods for fabricating said distributed phosphor scintillator structures are also disclosed. (Auth.)

COMPARISON OF COSEISMIC IONOSPHERIC DISTURBANCE WAVEFORMS REVISITED: STRIKE-SLIP, NORMAL, AND REVERSE FAULT EARTHQUAKE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mokhamad Nur Cahyadi

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Using Total Electron Content (TEC measurements with Global Positioning System we studied ionospheric responses to three large earthquakes with difference focal mechanism that occurred in the Sumatra Andaman 26 December 2004, North off Sumatra 11 April 2012, and North Japan 7 December 2012. These earthquakes have different focal mechanisms, i.e. high-angle reverse, strike-slip, and normal faulting, respectively. TEC responses to the Sumatra Andaman 2004 and north Japan 2012 events initiated with positive changes. On the other hand, the initial TEC changes in the Sumatra 2012 earthquake showed both positive and negative polarities depending on the azimuth around the focal area. Such a variety may reflect differences in coseismic vertical crustal displacements, which are dominated by uplift and subsidence in the Sumatra 2012 event. This phenomena has same characteristic with 1994 Kuril Arch earthquake. There are three different propagation velocity in the Sumatra 2012 earthquake, within the first 300 km until 430 km, the CID propagation velocity was ~3 km/s, which is equal to the secod sound speed at the height of the ionospheric F-layer. Starting from 380 km until 750 km out from the epicenter, the disturbance seems to divide into two separate perturbations, with each propagating at a different velocity, about 1 km/s for the one and about 0.4 m/s for the other. The apparent velocity in the Sumatra Andaman 2004 and Japan 2012 propagated ~ 1 km/s and ~ 0.3 km/s, consistent with the sound speed at the ionospheric F layer height and internal gravity wave respectively. Resonant oscillation of TEC with a frequency of ~ 3.7 mHZ and ~4.4 mHz have been found in the Sumatra 2012 and Sumatra Andaman 2004 events. Those earthquakes, which occurred during a period of quiet geomagnetic activity, also showed clear preseismic TEC anomalies similar to those before the 2011 Tohoku-Oki and 2007 Bengkulu earthquake.   The positive anomalies started 30-60 minutes

Liquid scintillation solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, E.C.

1976-01-01

The liquid scintillation solution described includes a mixture of: a liquid scintillation solvent, a primary scintillation solute, a secondary scintillation solute, a variety of appreciably different surfactants, and a dissolving and transparency agent. The dissolving and transparency agent is tetrahydrofuran, a cyclic ether. The scintillation solvent is toluene. The primary scintillation solute is PPO, and the secondary scintillation solute is dimethyl POPOP. The variety of appreciably different surfactants is composed of isooctylphenol-polyethoxyethanol and sodium dihexyl sulphosuccinate [fr

SciFi - A large Scintillating Fibre Tracker for LHCb

CERN Multimedia

Quagliani, Renato

2016-01-01

The LHCb detector will be upgraded during the Long Shutdown 2 (LS2) of the LHC in order to cope with higher instantaneous luminosities and to read out the data at 40MHz using a trigger-less read-out system. All front-end electronics will be replaced and several sub-detectors must be redesigned to cope with higher occupancy. The current tracking detectors downstream of the LHCb dipole magnet will be replaced by the Scintillating Fibre (SciFi) Tracker. Concept, design and operational parameters are driven by the challenging LHC environment including significant ionising and neutron radiation levels. Over a total active surface of 360 m2 the SciFi Tracker will use scintillating fibres (Ø 0.25 mm) read out by Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). State-of-the-art multi-channel SiPM arrays are being developed to read out the fibres and a custom ASIC will be used to digitise the signals from the SiPMs. The project is now at the transition from R&D to series production. We will present the evolution of the design a...

Long-period and short-period variations of ionospheric parameters studied from complex observations performed on Cuba

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laso, B; Lobachevskii, L A; Potapova, N I; Freizon, I A; Shapiro, B S

1980-09-01

Cuban data from 1978 are used to study long-period (i.e., diurnal) variations of Doppler shift on a 3000 km path at frequencies of 10 and 15 MHz these variations are related to variations of parameters on the ionospheric path. Short-period variations were also studied on the basis of Doppler shift data and vertical sounding data in the 0.000111-0.00113 Hz frequency range. The relation between the observed variations and internal gravity waves are discussed.

Solar-terrestrial disturbances of June-September 1982, 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumagai, Hiroshi; Ogawa, Tadahiko; Hori, Toshihiro

1986-01-01

Observations of the scintillations associated with the major geomagnetic storms occurring on July 14 and September 7, 1982 are described. On July 14, relatively weak and long-lasting scintillations were observed on 136-MHz radio wave from the geostationary satellite, ETS-II. These scintillations have features somewhat different from those under geomagnetically quiet conditions; (1) They appeared at local times between 0 h and 10 h. (2) Very high irregularity drifts of about 200 m/s were observed throughout the scintillations by means of the three-antenna measurement. (3) When the geomagnetic H-component was rapidly decreasing, the irregularity drift direction reversed from southwestward to northeastward. (4) Power spectra of the scintillations were steeper than usual. (5) TID-like fluctuations propagating southeastward were detected on the time variation in TEC (Total Electron Content). These features may suggest that the ionospheric F region irregularities observed on July 14 were considerably controlled and modified by the geomagnetic storm. On September 7 also during the geomagnetic storm, scintillations with the maximum depth of 10 dB p-p appeared on 4-GHz radio wave from the geostationary satellite, CS. This event satisfies the conditions necessary for producing microwave scintillations at mid-latitudes around Japan. (author)

Scintillation properties of acrylate based plastic scintillator by photoploymerization method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sung Hwan [Dept. of Radiological Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Joo Il [Dept. of of Radiology, Daegu Health College, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

2016-12-15

In this study, we prepared and characterized a acrylate based UV-curable plastic scintillator. It was used co-polymers TMPTA, DHPA and Ultima GoldTM LLT organic scintillator. The emission spectrum of the plastic scintillator was located in the range of 380⁓520 nm, peaking at 423 nm. And the scintillator is more than 50% transparent in the range of 400⁓ 800 nm. The emission spectrum is well match to the quantum efficiency of photo-multiplier tube and the fast decay time of the scintillation is 12 ns, approximately. This scintillation material provides the possibility of combining 3D printing technology, and then the applications of the plastic scintillator may be expected in human dosimetry etc.

Response of the EIA ionosphere to the 7-8 May 2005 geomagnetic storm

Science.gov (United States)

Aggarwal, Malini; Joshi, H. P.; Iyer, K. N.; Kwak, Y. S.

2013-08-01

In this paper, response of low latitude ionosphere to a moderate geomagnetic storm of 7-8 May 2005 (SSC: 1920 UT on 7 May with Sym-H minimum, ∼-112 nT around 1600 UT on 8 May) has been investigated using the GPS measurements from a near EIA crest region, Rajkot (Geog. 22.29°N, 70.74°E, Geomag.14°), India. We found a decrease in total electron content (TEC) in 12 h after the onset of the storm, an increase during and after 6 h of Sym-H deep minimum with a decrease below its usual-day level on the second day during the recovery phase of the storm. On 8 May, an increase of TEC is observed after sunset and during post-midnight hours (maximum up to 170%) with the formation of ionospheric plasma bubbles followed by a nearly simultaneous onset of scintillations at L-band frequencies following the time of rapid decrease in Sym-H index (-30 nT/h around 1300 UT).

Wave disturbances in the solar corona: radio observations at 24.5-25.5 MHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kobrin, M.M.; Snegriev, S.D.

1984-01-01

We present an analysis of observations of fluctuations in the integrated flux of radio emission from the ''quiet'' sun. The observations were made on the UTR-2 radiotelescope, simultaneously at 11 frequencies in the range 24.5-25.5 MHz. Control observations of Taurus were made in order to allow for the effects of the earth's ionosphere. We measured the phase dependences between oscillations in the radio emission intensity which looked like wave trains. From these measurements we found that for periods of about 10 min we always observed disturbances propagating from the lower levels of the corona to the upper levels. The frequency drift in the trains is observed to be about 10 -3 MHz/sec, corresponding to a disturbance velocity of about 100 km/sec. This may be associated with the propagation of magnetosonic waves. Our estimates show that the observed effects cannot be explained by a bremsstrahlung mechanism: We need to rely on plasma mechanisms in order to explain how the radio emission is generated

CubeSat for Natural-Hazard Estimation With Ionospheric Sciences (CNEWS): A Concept Development to Aid Tsunami Early Warning Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Komjathy, A.; Romero-Wolf, A.; Yang, Y. M.; Langley, R. B.; Foster, J. H.

2014-12-01

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University New Brunswick (Canada) and the University of Hawaii have developed a concept to provide open ocean tsunami wave height estimates using very accurate measurements of absolute total electron content (TEC) perturbations. Ionosphere-derived tsunami wave height estimates from our CubeSat for Natural-Hazard Estimation With Ionospheric Sciences (CNEWS) mission will refine the tsunami source energy calculation and improve the tsunami scale calculation for a localized region. As a secondary science objective, transmitting impulsive HF/VHF (10-40 MHz) transmissions through the ionosphere will provide in-situ geomagnetic disturbance measurements, which allow for discrimination between tsunami-induced signatures and space-weather-related fluctuations. NASA has invested several millions of dollars in the development of a tsunami warning system based on geodetic measurements from ground-based GPS stations. Leveraging this investment by simultaneously using ionospheric measurement from this GPS network for the detection of tsunamis represents a significant step forward. GPS ionospheric imaging is limited, however, by the slowly changing satellite geometry and its weak absolute TEC resolution (about 3 TECU). It has also been shown that GPS ionospheric imaging alone cannot distinguish between space weather fluctuations and those due to natural hazards. The very precise ionospheric measurements generated by CNEWS are expected to provide a quasi-static image of tsunami ionospheric signatures that we will use in an advanced model inversion technique to estimate tsunami wave heights at 10 cm (one sigma) uncertainty. The geomagnetic field strength resolution is also a key constraint for discriminating between natural hazards and space weather effects. HF/VHF impulses can resolve absolute TEC measurements at the 0.02 TECU level and geomagnetic field strength may be measured at 50 nT resolution.

Relation of decorrelated transionospheric GPS signal fluctuations from two stations in the northern anomaly crest region with equatorial ionospheric dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, K. S.; Paul, A.

2017-05-01

The ionosphere around the northern crest of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) and beyond exhibits rapid temporal as well as spatial development of ionization density irregularities during postsunset hours. A GPS campaign was conducted during September 2012 and April 2013 from the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, Calcutta (22.58°N, 88.38°E geographic; magnetic dip: 32°N), and North Bengal University (NBU), Siliguri (26.72°N, 88.39°E geographic, magnetic dip: 39.49°N) in India in order to assess and quantify differences, if any, in the nature of carrier to noise ratio (C/N0) fluctuations observed on the same satellite link around the same time interval from these stations. Significant decorrelation of the received signals was found when tracking the same satellite vehicle (SV) link from these stations during periods of scintillations. Low values of correlation coefficient of C/N0 at L1 frequency recorded on the same SV link at these two stations were found to correspond with high irregularity characteristic velocities. North-south spatial displacement rates of the impact of ionospheric irregularities were calculated based on coordinated GPS observations which followed an increasing trend with irregularity characteristic velocities measured at VHF. Values of characteristic velocities in excess of 36 m/s were also found to result in large receiver position deviations 3.5-4.0 m during periods of scintillations. Information related to time lag associated with occurrence of scintillations on the same SV link observed from two stations could be useful for improving performance of transionospheric satellite-based position determination techniques.

Scintillation Counters

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Zane W.

Scintillators find wide use in radiation detection as the detecting medium for gamma/X-rays, and charged and neutral particles. Since the first notice in 1895 by Roentgen of the production of light by X-rays on a barium platinocyanide screen, and Thomas Edison's work over the following 2 years resulting in the discovery of calcium tungstate as a superior fluoroscopy screen, much research and experimentation have been undertaken to discover and elucidate the properties of new scintillators. Scintillators with high density and high atomic number are prized for the detection of gamma rays above 1 MeV; lower atomic number, lower-density materials find use for detecting beta particles and heavy charged particles; hydrogenous scintillators find use in fast-neutron detection; and boron-, lithium-, and gadolinium-containing scintillators are used for slow-neutron detection. This chapter provides the practitioner with an overview of the general characteristics of scintillators, including the variation of probability of interaction with density and atomic number, the characteristics of the light pulse, a list and characteristics of commonly available scintillators and their approximate cost, and recommendations regarding the choice of material for a few specific applications. This chapter does not pretend to present an exhaustive list of scintillators and applications.

Ionosphere Waves Service - A demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Crespon, François

2013-04-01

In the frame of the FP7 POPDAT project the Ionosphere Waves Service was developed by ionosphere experts to answer several questions: How make the old ionosphere missions more valuable? How provide scientific community with a new insight on wave processes that take place in the ionosphere? The answer is a unique data mining service accessing a collection of topical catalogues that characterize a huge number of Atmospheric Gravity Waves, Travelling Ionosphere Disturbances and Whistlers events. The Ionosphere Waves Service regroups databases of specific events extracted by experts from a ten of ionosphere missions which end users can access by applying specific searches and by using statistical analysis modules for their domain of interest. The scientific applications covered by the IWS are relative to earthquake precursors, ionosphere climatology, geomagnetic storms, troposphere-ionosphere energy transfer, and trans-ionosphere link perturbations. In this presentation we propose to detail the service design, the hardware and software architecture, and the service functions. The service interface and capabilities will be the focus of a demonstration in order to help potential end-users for their first access to the Ionosphere Waves Service portal. This work is made with the support of FP7 grant # 263240.

Update on the Commensal VLA Low-band Ionospheric and Transient Experiment (VLITE)

Science.gov (United States)

Kassim, Namir E.; Clarke, Tracy E.; Ray, Paul S.; Polisensky, Emil; Peters, Wendy M.; Giacintucci, Simona; Helmboldt, Joseph F.; Hyman, Scott D.; Brisken, Walter; Hicks, Brian; Deneva, Julia S.

2017-01-01

The JVLA Low-band Ionospheric and Transient Experiment (VLITE) is a commensal observing system on the NRAO JVLA. The separate optical path of the prime-focus sub-GHz dipole feeds and the Cassegrain-focus GHz feeds provided an opportunity to expand the simultaneous frequency operation of the JVLA through joint observations across both systems. The low-band receivers on 10 JVLA antennas are outfitted with dedicated samplers and use spare fibers to transport the 320-384 MHz band to the VLITE correlator. The initial phase of VLITE uses a custom-designed real-time DiFX software correlator to produce autocorrelations, as well as parallel and cross-hand cross-correlations from the linear dipole feeds. NRL and NRAO have worked together to explore the scientific potential of the commensal low frequency system for ionospheric remote sensing, astrophysics and transients. VLITE operates at nearly 70% wall time with roughly 6200 hours of JVLA time recorded each year.VLITE data are used in real-time for ionospheric research and are transferred daily to NRL for processing in the astrophysics and transient pipelines. These pipelines provide automated radio frequency interference excision, calibration, imaging and self-calibration of data.We will review early scientific results from VLITE across all three science focus areas, including the ionosphere, slow (> 1 sec) transients, and astrophysics. We also discuss the future of the project, that includes its planned expansion to eVLITE including the addition of more antennas, and a parallel capability to search for fast (complement NRAO’s 3 GHz VLA Sky Survey (VLASS). Revised pipelines are under development for operation during the on-the-fly operation mode of the sky survey.

DEMETER Observations of Equatorial Plasma Depletions and Related Ionospheric Phenomena

Science.gov (United States)

Berthelier, J.; Malingre, M.; Pfaff, R.; Jasperse, J.; Parrot, M.

2008-12-01

DEMETER, the first micro-satellite of the CNES MYRIAD program, was launched from Baikonour on June 29, 2004 on a nearly circular, quasi helio-synchronous polar orbit at ~ 715 km altitude. The DEMETER mission focuses primarily on the search for a possible coupling between seismic activity and ionospheric disturbances as well as on the effects of natural phenomena such as tropospheric thunderstorms and man-made activities on the ionosphere. The scientific payload provides fairly complete measurements of the ionospheric plasma, energetic particles above ~ 70 keV, and plasma waves, up to 20 kHz for the magnetic and 3.3 MHz for the electric components. Several studies related to space weather and ionospheric physics have been conducted over the past years. Following a brief description of the payload and the satellite modes of operation, this presentation will focus on a set of results that provide a new insight into the physics of instabilities in the night-time equatorial ionosphere. The observations were performed during the major magnetic storm of November 2004. Deep plasma depletions were observed on several night-time passes at low latitudes characterized by the decrease of the plasma density by nearly 3 orders of magnitude relative to the undisturbed plasma, and a significant abundance of molecular ions. These features can be best interpreted as resulting from the rise of the F-layer above the satellite altitude over an extended region of the ionosphere. In one of the passes, DEMETER was operated in the Burst mode and the corresponding high resolution data allowed for the discovery of two unexpected phenomena. The first one is the existence of high intensity monochromatic wave packets at the LH frequency that develop during the decay phase of intense bursts of broadband LH turbulence. The broadband LH turbulence is triggered by whistlers emitted by lightning from atmospheric thunderstorms beneath the satellite. The second unexpected feature is the detection of a

High latitude ionospheric structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-06-01

The Earth's ionosphere is an important element in solar-terrestrial energy transfer processes. As a major terrestrial sink for many solar and magnetospheric events, the ionosphere has characteristic features that are traced to such seemingly remote phenomena as solar flares, radiation belt wave-particle interactions and magnetospheric substorms. In considering the multiple of solar-terrestrial plasma interactions, it is important to recognize that the high-latitude ionosphere is not altogether a simple receptor of various energy deposition processes. The high-altitude ionosphere plays an active feedback role by controlling the conductivity at the base of far-reaching magnetic field lines and by providing a plasma source for the magnetosphere. Indeed, the role of the ionosphere during magnetospheric substorms is emerging as a topic for meaningful study in the overall picture of magnetospheric-ionospheric coupling

Radio scintillations observed during atmospheric occultations of Voyager: Internal gravity waves at Titan and magnetic field orientations at Jupiter and Saturn. Ph.D. Thesis

Science.gov (United States)

Hinson, D. P.

1983-01-01

The refractive index of planetary atmospheres at microwave frequencies is discussed. Physical models proposed for the refractive irregularities in the ionosphere and neutral atmosphere serve to characterize the atmospheric scattering structures, and are used subsequently to compute theoretical scintillation spectra for comparison with the Voyager occultation measurements. A technique for systematically analyzing and interpreting the signal fluctuations observed during planetary occultations is presented and applied to process the dual-wavelength data from the Voyager radio occultations by Jupiter, Saturn, and Titan. Results concerning the plasma irregularities in the upper ionospheres of Jupiter and Saturn are reported. The measured orientation of the irregularities is used to infer the magnetic field direction at several locations in the ionospheres of these two planets; the occultation measurements conflict with the predictions of Jovian magnetic field models, but generally confirm current models of Saturn's field. Wave parameters, including the vertical fluxes of energy and momentum, are estimated, and the source of the internal gravity waves discovered in Titan's upper atmosphere is considered.

Measurement of total electron content of midlatitude ionosphere and protonosphere via Faraday rotation and group relay techniques using transmission from geostationary satellites ATS-3 and ATS-6

Science.gov (United States)

Paul, M. P.

1982-01-01

Measurement of integrated columnar electron content and total electron content for the local ionosphere and the overlying protonosphere via Faraday rotation and group delay techniques has proven very useful. A field station was established having the geographic location of 31.5 deg N latitude and 91.06 deg W longitude to accomplish these objectives. A polarimeter receiving system was set up in the beginning to measure the Faraday rotation of 137.35 MHz radio signal from geostationary satellite ATS 3 to yield the integrated columnar electron content of the local ionosphere. The measurement was continued regularly, and the analysis of the data thus collected provided a synopsis of the statistical variation of the ionosphere along with the transient variations that occurred during the periods of geomagnetic and other disturbances.

Scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cusano, D.A.; Holub, F.F.; Prochazka, S.

1979-01-01

Scintillator bodies comprising phosphor materials and having high optical translucency with low light absorption, and methods of making the scintillator bodies, are described. Fabrication methods include (a) a hot-pressing process, (b) cold-pressing followed by sintering, (c) controlled cooling from a melt, and (d) hot-forging. The scintillator bodies that result are easily machined to desired shapes and sizes. Suitable phosphors include BaFCl:Eu, LaOBr:Tb, CsI:Tl, CaWO 4 and CdWO 4 . (U.K.)

Nonlinear physics of the ionosphere and LOIS/LOFAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thide, Bo

2007-01-01

The ionosphere is the only large-scale plasma laboratory without walls that we have direct access to. Here we can study, both in situ and from the ground, basic small- and large-scale processes and fundamental physical principles that control planet Earth's interaction with its space environment. From results obtained in systematic, repeatable experiments, where we can vary the stimulus and observe its response in a controlled, laboratory-like manner, we can draw conclusions on similar physical processes occurring naturally in the Earth's plasma environment as well as in parts of the plasma universe that are not easily accessible to direct probing. Of particular interest is electromagnetic turbulence excited in the ionosphere by beams of particles (photons, electrons) and its manifestation in terms of secondary radiation (electrostatic and electromagnetic waves), structure formation (solitons, cavitons, alfveons, hybrons, striations) and the associated exchange of energy, linear momentum and angular momentum. The primarily astrophysics-oriented, distributed radio telescope Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) currently under construction in the Netherlands, Germany and France, will operate in a frequency range (10-240 MHz), close to fundamental ionospheric plasma resonance/cut-off frequencies, with a sensitivity that is orders of magnitude higher than any radio (or radar) facility used so far. The LOFAR Outrigger in Scandinavia (LOIS) radio and radar facility, with one station in Vaexjoe in southern Sweden and three more planned in the same area (Ronneby, Kalmar, Lund) plus one near Poznan in Poland, supplements LOFAR with optimized Earth and space observing extensions. For this purpose LOIS will operate in the same frequency range as LOFAR (but extended on the low-frequency side) and will augment the observation capability to enable direct radio imaging of plasma vorticity

Scintillation scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mehrbrodt, A.W.; Mog, W.F.; Brunnett, C.J.

1977-01-01

A scintillation scanner having a visual image producing means coupled through a lost motion connection to the boom which supports the scintillation detector is described. The lost motion connection is adjustable to compensate for such delays as may occur between sensing and recording scintillations. 13 claims, 5 figures

Ionosphere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taieb, C [Centre National d' Etudes des Telecommunications (CNET), 92 - Issy-les-Moulineaux (France)

1977-11-01

This paper comprises four parts. The first one deals with the neutral atmosphere, its structure, its composition, its variations. The second one describes the ionospheric plasma, (the ionized part) and explains its formation. The influence of the geomagnetic field is discussed in the third chapter, the fourth one being concerned with the means of studying the ionosphere: ionograms obtained by ionosondes or incoherent scattering sounding or from satellite measurements.

Liquid scintillation solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, E.C.

1977-01-01

A liquid scintillation solution is described which includes (1) a scintillation solvent (toluene and xylene), (2) a primary scintillation solute (PPO and Butyl PBD), (3) a secondary scintillation solute (POPOP and Dimethyl POPOP), (4) a plurality of substantially different surfactants and (5) a filter dissolving and/or transparentizing agent. 8 claims

Scintillation camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zioni, J.; Klein, Y.; Inbar, D.

1975-01-01

The scintillation camera is to make pictures of the density distribution of radiation fields created by the injection or administration radioactive medicaments into the body of the patient. It contains a scintillation crystal, several photomultipliers and computer circuits to obtain an analytical function at the exits of the photomultiplier which is dependent on the position of the scintillations at the time in the crystal. The scintillation crystal is flat and spatially corresponds to the production site of radiation. The photomultipliers form a pattern whose basic form consists of at least three photomultipliers. They are assigned to at least two crossing parallel series groups where a vertical running reference axis in the crystal plane belongs to each series group. The computer circuits are each assigned to a reference axis. Each series of a series group assigned to one of the reference axes in the computer circuit has an adder to produce a scintillation dependent series signal. Furthermore, the projection of the scintillation on this reference axis is calculated. A series signal is used for this which originates from a series chosen from two neighbouring photomultiplier series of this group. The scintillation must have appeared between these chosen series. They are termed as basic series. The photomultiplier can be arranged hexagonally or rectangularly. (GG/LH) [de

Coupled storm-time magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere simulations including microscopic ionospheric turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Merkin, V. G.; Wiltberger, M. J.; Zhang, B.; Liu, J.; Wang, W.; Dimant, Y. S.; Oppenheim, M. M.; Lyon, J.

2017-12-01

During geomagnetic storms the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system becomes activated in ways that are unique to disturbed conditions. This leads to emergence of physical feedback loops that provide tighter coupling between the system elements, often operating across disparate spatial and temporal scales. One such process that has recently received renewed interest is the generation of microscopic ionospheric turbulence in the electrojet regions (electrojet turbulence, ET) that results from strong convective electric fields imposed by the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction. ET leads to anomalous electron heating and generation of non-linear Pedersen current - both of which result in significant increases in effective ionospheric conductances. This, in turn, provides strong non-linear feedback on the magnetosphere. Recently, our group has published two studies aiming at a comprehensive analysis of the global effects of this microscopic process on the magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system. In one study, ET physics was incorporated in the TIEGCM model of the ionosphere-thermosphere. In the other study, ad hoc corrections to the ionospheric conductances based on ET theory were incorporated in the conductance module of the Lyon-Fedder-Mobarry (LFM) global magnetosphere model. In this presentation, we make the final step toward the full coupling of the microscopic ET physics within our global coupled model including LFM, the Rice Convection Model (RCM) and TIEGCM. To this end, ET effects are incorporated in the TIEGCM model and propagate throughout the system via thus modified TIEGCM conductances. The March 17, 2013 geomagnetic storm is used as a testbed for these fully coupled simulations, and the results of the model are compared with various ionospheric and magnetospheric observatories, including DMSP, AMPERE, and Van Allen Probes. Via these comparisons, we investigate, in particular, the ET effects on the global magnetosphere indicators such as the

Observations of Pc5 micropulsation-related electric field oscillations in equatorial ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Reddy, C. A.; Ravindran, Sudha; Viswanathan, K. S.; Murthy, B. V. Krishna; Rao, D. R. K.; Araki, T.

1994-01-01

A 54.95-MHz coherent backscatter radar, an ionosonde and the magnetometer located at Trivandrum in India (8.5 deg N, 77 deg E, 0.5 deg N dip angle) recorded large-amplitude ionospheric fluctuations and magnetic field fluctuations associated with a Pc5 micropulsation event, which occurred during an intense magnetic storm on 24 March 1991 (A(sub p) = 161). Simultaneous 100-n T-level fluctuations are also observed in the H-component at Brorfelde, Denmark (55.6 deg N gm) and at Narsarsuaq, Greenland (70.6 deg N gm). Our study of the above observations shows that the E-W electric field fluctuations in the E- and F-regions and the magnetic field fluctuations at Thumba are dominated by a near-sinusoidal oscillation of 10 min during 1730-1900 IST (1200-1330 UT), the amplitude of the electric field oscillation in the equatorial electrojet (EEJ) is 0.1-0.25 mV/m and it increases with height, while it is about 1.0 mV/m in the F-region, the ground-level H-component oscillation can be accounted for by the ionospheric current oscillation generated by the observed electric field oscillation in the EEJ and the H-component oscillations at Trivandrum and Brofelde are in phase with each other. The observations are interpreted in terms of a compressional cavity mode resonance in the inner magnetosphere and the assoicated ionospheric electric field penetrating from high latitudes to the magnetic equator.

Radiation damage studies on new liquid scintillators and liquid-core scintillating fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golovkin, S.V.

1994-01-01

The radiation resistant of some new liquid scintillation and capillaries filled with liquid scintillators has been presented. It was found that scintillation efficiency of the scintillator based on 1-methyl naphthalene with a new R39 only by 10% at the dose of 190 Mrad and the radiation resistance of thin liquid-core scintillating was decreased fibers exceeded 60 Mrad. 35 refs

Tsunami Ionospheric warning and Ionospheric seismology

Science.gov (United States)

Lognonne, Philippe; Rolland, Lucie; Rakoto, Virgile; Coisson, Pierdavide; Occhipinti, Giovanni; Larmat, Carene; Walwer, Damien; Astafyeva, Elvira; Hebert, Helene; Okal, Emile; Makela, Jonathan

2014-05-01

The last decade demonstrated that seismic waves and tsunamis are coupled to the ionosphere. Observations of Total Electron Content (TEC) and airglow perturbations of unique quality and amplitude were made during the Tohoku, 2011 giant Japan quake, and observations of much lower tsunamis down to a few cm in sea uplift are now routinely done, including for the Kuril 2006, Samoa 2009, Chili 2010, Haida Gwai 2012 tsunamis. This new branch of seismology is now mature enough to tackle the new challenge associated to the inversion of these data, with either the goal to provide from these data maps or profile of the earth surface vertical displacement (and therefore crucial information for tsunami warning system) or inversion, with ground and ionospheric data set, of the various parameters (atmospheric sound speed, viscosity, collision frequencies) controlling the coupling between the surface, lower atmosphere and the ionosphere. We first present the state of the art in the modeling of the tsunami-atmospheric coupling, including in terms of slight perturbation in the tsunami phase and group velocity and dependance of the coupling strength with local time, ocean depth and season. We then show the confrontation of modelled signals with observations. For tsunami, this is made with the different type of measurement having proven ionospheric tsunami detection over the last 5 years (ground and space GPS, Airglow), while we focus on GPS and GOCE observation for seismic waves. These observation systems allowed to track the propagation of the signal from the ground (with GPS and seismometers) to the neutral atmosphere (with infrasound sensors and GOCE drag measurement) to the ionosphere (with GPS TEC and airglow among other ionospheric sounding techniques). Modelling with different techniques (normal modes, spectral element methods, finite differences) are used and shown. While the fits of the waveform are generally very good, we analyse the differences and draw direction of future

Liquid scintillation solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long, E.C.

1976-01-01

The invention deals with a liquid scintillation solution which contains 1) a scintillation solvent (toluol), 2) a primary scintillation solute (PPO), 3) a secondary scintillation solute (dimethyl POPOP), 4) several surfactants (iso-octyl-phenol polyethoxy-ethanol and sodium di-hexyl sulfosuccinate) essentially different from one another and 5) a filter resolution and/or transparent-making agent (cyclic ether, especially tetrahydrofuran). (HP) [de

The ionospheric eclipse factor method (IEFM) and its application to determining the ionospheric delay for GPS

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Y.; Tscherning, C. C.; Knudsen, P.; Xu, G.; Ou, J.

2008-01-01

A new method for modeling the ionospheric delay using global positioning system (GPS) data is proposed, called the ionospheric eclipse factor method (IEFM). It is based on establishing a concept referred to as the ionospheric eclipse factor (IEF) λ of the ionospheric pierce point (IPP) and the IEF’s influence factor (IFF) bar{λ}. The IEF can be used to make a relatively precise distinction between ionospheric daytime and nighttime, whereas the IFF is advantageous for describing the IEF’s variations with day, month, season and year, associated with seasonal variations of total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere. By combining λ and bar{λ} with the local time t of IPP, the IEFM has the ability to precisely distinguish between ionospheric daytime and nighttime, as well as efficiently combine them during different seasons or months over a year at the IPP. The IEFM-based ionospheric delay estimates are validated by combining an absolute positioning mode with several ionospheric delay correction models or algorithms, using GPS data at an international Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) service (IGS) station (WTZR). Our results indicate that the IEFM may further improve ionospheric delay modeling using GPS data.

The ionospheric eclipse factor method (IEFM) and its application to determining the ionospheric delay for GPS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yuan, Y.; Tscherning, C.C.; Knudsen, Per

2006-01-01

A new method for modeling the ionospheric delay using global positioning system (GPS) data is proposed, called the ionospheric eclipse factor method (IEFM). It is based on establishing a concept referred to as the ionospheric eclipse factor (IEF) lambda of the ionospheric pierce point (IPP....... The IEFM-based ionospheric delay estimates are validated by combining an absolute positioning mode with several ionospheric delay correction models or algorithms, using GPS data at an international Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) service (IGS) station (WTZR). Our results indicate that the IEFM...

Atmosphere-Ionosphere Electrodynamic Coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Sorokin, V. M.; Chmyrev, V. M.

Numerous phenomena that occur in the mesosphere, ionosphere, and the magnetosphere of the Earth are caused by the sources located in the lower atmosphere and on the ground. We describe the effects produced by lightning activity and by ground-based transmitters operated in high frequency (HF) and very low frequency (VLF) ranges. Among these phenomena are the ionosphere heating and the formation of plasma density inhomogeneities, the excitation of gamma ray bursts and atmospheric emissions in different spectral bands, the generation of ULF/ELF/VLF electromagnetic waves and plasma turbulence in the ionosphere, the stimulation of radiation belt electron precipitations and the acceleration of ions in the upper ionosphere. The most interesting results of experimental and theoretical studies of these phenomena are discussed below. The ionosphere is subject to the action of the conductive electric current flowing in the atmosphere-ionosphere circuit. We present a physical model of DC electric field and current formation in this circuit. The key element of this model is an external current, which is formed with the occurrence of convective upward transport of charged aerosols and their gravitational sedimentation in the atmosphere. An increase in the level of atmospheric radioactivity results in the appearance of additional ionization and change of electrical conductivity. Variation of conductivity and external current in the lower atmosphere leads to perturbation of the electric current flowing in the global atmosphere-ionosphere circuit and to the associated DC electric field perturbation both on the Earth's surface and in the ionosphere. Description of these processes and some results of the electric field and current calculations are presented below. The seismic-induced electric field perturbations produce noticeable effects in the ionosphere by generating the electromagnetic field and plasma disturbances. We describe the generation mechanisms of such experimentally

Ionospheric Digital Database

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The ionosphere is that part of the Earth's atmosphere that results mainly from the photo ionization of the upper atmosphere. Traditionally, the following ionospheric...

Southern European ionospheric TEC maps based on Kriging technique to monitor ionosphere behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Bouza, Marta; Paparini, Claudia; Otero, Xurxo; Herraiz, Miguel; Radicella, Sandro M.; Abe, Oladipo E.; Rodríguez-Caderot, Gracia

2017-10-01

Global or regional Maps of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) are an efficient tool to monitor the delay introduced by the ionosphere in the satellite signals. Ionospheric disturbance periods are of particular interest because these conditions can strongly affect satellite navigation range measurements. This work presents post-processing regional vertical TEC maps over Southern Europe ([35°N-50°N] latitude) obtained by applying Kriging interpolation to GPS derived TEC over more than 100 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations. These maps are used to study the behavior of the ionosphere during space weather events and their effects. To validate these maps, hereafter called Southern European Ionospheric Maps (SEIMs), their TEC values have been compared with those obtained from EGNOS Message Server (EMS) and with direct experimental TEC data from GNSS stations. Ionospheric space weather events related to geomagnetic storms of March 17th, 2013, February 19th, 2014 and March 17th, 2015 have been selected. To test the methodology, one period of quiet days has been also analyzed. TEC values obtained by SEIMs in the Ionospheric Grid Points (IGPs) defined by EGNOS are very close to those given by EMS and in the period of major geomagnetic storms the difference does not exceed 6 TEC units. These results confirm the good performance of the technique used for obtaining the SEIMs that can be a useful tool to study the ionosphere behavior during geomagnetic storms and their effects in the region of interest.

Observations of the Ionospheric Response to a Weak Substorm Onset

Science.gov (United States)

Chartier, A.; Gjerloev, J. W.; Ohtani, S.; Nikoukar, R.; Forte, B.

2015-12-01

We present observations of substorm onset at Tromsø, Norway. This event was unusually well observed by ground magnetometers, incoherent scatter radar, satellites, an allsky camera and a scintillation monitor in the vicinity of the onset location. At onset, ground magnetometer observations indicate the formation of a westward electrojet above Tromsø and, at the same location, allsky camera images show an arc brightening and moving poleward. Satellite observations are consistent with an onset location at Tromsø, followed by a westward surge of dipolarization. Two features of the ionospheric response are observed by the incoherent scatter radar at Tromsø: 1) At onset, ion drift velocities reduce sharply from 100-400 m/s to roughly zero, consistent with a field-aligned potential drop shielding the ionosphere from magnetospheric convection. 2) There is a two-stage enhancement of the westward electrojet, with each stage directly preceded by an increase of ionization. Both these features are consistent with the theory that the inner magnetosphere acts neither as a current nor a voltage generator during substorm onset. Figure shows EISCAT observations of line-of-sight ion drifts, electron and ion temperatures. There is a transition from ExB drift, indicated by a decrease in ion velocity in panel (a), to electron precipitation indicated by increased electron temperatures in panel (b). Substorm onset occurs at the transition time, around 20:02:30 UT.

Ionospheric flow during extended intervals of northward but By -dominated IMF

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. B. Sigwarth

Full Text Available We present SuperDARN radar observations of the nightside high-latitude ionospheric flow during two 6-hour intervals of quasi-steady northward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF. During both intervals (01:30–07:30 UT on 2 December and 21:00–03:00 UT on 14/15 December 1999, the solar wind and IMF remained relatively steady with Bz positive and By negative, such that the IMF clock angle was ~ - 50° to - 60°. Throughout both intervals the radar data clearly indicate the presence of a highly distorted By-dominated twin cell flow pattern, indicative of an open magnetosphere, which is confirmed by DMSP and auroral data. Estimates of the changes in open flux present during each interval indicate approximately balanced dayside and nightside reconnection at rates of ~ 30–35 kV over the full 6 h. However, strong bursts of flow with speeds of over ~ 1000 ms-1 are observed near magnetic midnight on time scales of ~ 1 h, which are associated with increases in the transpolar voltage. These are indicative of the net closure of open flux by recon-nection in the tail. During one large flow burst, the night-side reconnection rate is estimated to have been ~ 1.5 times the dayside rate, i.e. ~ 45–60 kV compared with ~ 30–40 kV. Magnetic bays, which would indicate the formation of a sub-storm current wedge, are not observed in association with these bursts. In addition, no low-latitude Pi2s or geostationary particle injections were observed, although some local, small amplitude Pi2-band (5–50 mHz activity does accompany the bursts. Coincident measurements of the flow and of the low amplitude magnetic perturbations reveal nightside ionospheric conductances of no more than a few mho, indicative of little associated precipitation. Therefore, we suggest that the flow bursts are the ionospheric manifestation of bursty reconnection events occurring in the more distant geomagnetic tail. The main implication of these findings is that, under the circumstances

25 years of satellite beacon studies in Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Sinno, K.

The occurrence of ionospheric scintillation exhibits behavior similar to both that of TEC fluctuations and night time ionospheric spread-F. The scintillations are also noted to vary in the same fashion diurnally and seasonally, having a principal maximum at about midnight during the summer. These characteristics also apply to the 1.7 GHz scintillation detected by the ETS-II and GMS satellites. Attention is presently given to the scintillation's frequency dependence, the development of severe scintillation events, and the enhancement of midlatitude scintillation due to field-aligned irregularities.

How Interplanetary Scintillation Data Can Improve Modeling of Coronal Mass Ejection Propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Taktakishvili, A.; Mays, M. L.; Manoharan, P. K.; Rastaetter, L.; Kuznetsova, M. M.

2017-12-01

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can have a significant impact on the Earth's magnetosphere-ionosphere system and cause widespread anomalies for satellites from geosynchronous to low-Earth orbit and produce effects such as geomagnetically induced currents. At the NASA/GSFC Community Coordinated Modeling Center we have been using ensemble modeling of CMEs since 2012. In this presnetation we demonstrate that using of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations from the Ooty Radio Telescope facility in India can help to track CME propagaion and improve ensemble forecasting of CMEs. The observations of the solar wind density and velocity using IPS from hundreds of distant sources in ensemble modeling of CMEs can be a game-changing improvement of the current state of the art in CME forecasting.

Ground-based acoustic parametric generator impact on the atmosphere and ionosphere in an active experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. G. Rapoport

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We develop theoretical basics of active experiments with two beams of acoustic waves, radiated by a ground-based sound generator. These beams are transformed into atmospheric acoustic gravity waves (AGWs, which have parameters that enable them to penetrate to the altitudes of the ionospheric E and F regions where they influence the electron concentration of the ionosphere. Acoustic waves are generated by the ground-based parametric sound generator (PSG at the two close frequencies. The main idea of the experiment is to design the output parameters of the PSG to build a cascade scheme of nonlinear wave frequency downshift transformations to provide the necessary conditions for their vertical propagation and to enable penetration to ionospheric altitudes. The PSG generates sound waves (SWs with frequencies f1 = 600 and f2 = 625 Hz and large amplitudes (100–420 m s−1. Each of these waves is modulated with the frequency of 0.016 Hz. The novelty of the proposed analytical–numerical model is due to simultaneous accounting for nonlinearity, diffraction, losses, and dispersion and inclusion of the two-stage transformation (1 of the initial acoustic waves to the acoustic wave with the difference frequency Δf = f2 − f1 in the altitude ranges 0–0.1 km, in the strongly nonlinear regime, and (2 of the acoustic wave with the difference frequency to atmospheric acoustic gravity waves with the modulational frequency in the altitude ranges 0.1–20 km, which then reach the altitudes of the ionospheric E and F regions, in a practically linear regime. AGWs, nonlinearly transformed from the sound waves, launched by the two-frequency ground-based sound generator can increase the transparency of the ionosphere for the electromagnetic waves in HF (MHz and VLF (kHz ranges. The developed theoretical model can be used for interpreting an active experiment that includes the PSG impact on the atmosphere–ionosphere system

LHCb : A Scintillating Fibre Trackind Detector for the LHCb Upgrade

CERN Multimedia

Lindner, Rolf

2014-01-01

LHCb is preparing the upgrade which is scheduled to be installed in 2018/19. The Scintillating Fibre (SciFi) Tracker will be designed to replace the current tracking system downstream of the magnet, required to run at an increased luminosity of 1 - 2 10$^{33}$ cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ and to collect a total of 50fb$^{-1}$ of data. The readout of the detector will be at 40MHz, applying a full software based trigger for every single bunch crossing. The SciFi Tracker consists of 12 planes covering a total surface of 350 m2. Modules are based on 2.5 m long multilayer ribbons made of 250 um diameter scintillating fibres as the active medium and signal transport. Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays with 128 channels at a width of 250 um are used for the readout. The signals from the SiPMS are digitized on an ASIC chip before reconstructing the track hit position within an FPGA on the front-end board. Several challenges facing this detector and the significant progress over the last year will be presented regarding the p...

VLITE Surveys the Sky: A 340 MHz Companion to the VLA Sky Survey (VLASS)

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Wendy; Clarke, Tracy; Brisken, Walter; Cotton, William; Richards, Emily E.; Giacintucci, Simona; Kassim, Namir

2018-01-01

The VLA Low Band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE; ) is a commensal observing system on the Karl G. Janksy Very Large Array (VLA) which was developed by the Naval Research Laboratory and NRAO. A 64 MHz sub-band from the prime focus 240-470 MHz dipoles is correlated during nearly all regular VLA observations. VLITE uses dedicated samplers and fibers, as well as a custom designed, real-time DiFX software correlator, and requires no additional resources from the VLA system running the primary science program. The experiment has been operating since November 2014 with 10 antennas; a recent expansion in summer 2017 increased that number to 16 and more than doubled the number of baselines.The VLA Sky Survey (VLASS; ), is an ongoing survey of the entire sky visible to the VLA at a frequency of 2-4 GHz. The observations are made using an "on-the-fly" (OTF) continuous RA scanning technique which fills in the sky by observing along rows of constant declination. VLITE breaks the data into 2-second integrations and correlates these at a central position every 1.5 degrees. All data for each correlator position is imaged separately, corrected and weighted by an appropriately elongated primary beam model, and then combined in the image plane to create a mosaic of the sky. A catalog of the sources is extracted to provide a 340 MHz sky model.We present preliminary images and catalogs from the 2017 VLASS observations which began in early September, 2017, and continued on a nearly daily basis throughout the fall. In addition to providing a unique sky model at 340 MHz, these data complement VLASS by providing spectral indices for all cataloged sources.

Solid scintillator 'Ready Cap' for measurement with a liquid scintillation counter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ijiri, Kenichi; Endo, Masashi; Nogawa, Norio; Tsuda, Shoko; Nakamura, Aiko; Morikawa, Naotake; Osaki, Susumu.

1990-01-01

'Ready Cap', a small plastic container coated with solid scintillator has recently been introduced (Beckman Instruments, Inc.). Pulse height spectra and counting efficiencies obtained with a liquid scintillator and Ready Cap using a liquid scintillation counter were compared for 15 different radionuclides. For radionuclides emitting low-energy β-rays or characteristic X-rays, the spectra for Ready Cap shifted toward the higher energy side compared with the spectra for the liquid scintillator. This tendency was reversed for the nuclides emitting higher-energy β-radiations ( 36 Cl and 32 P). Generally, counting efficiencies both in Ready Cap and in liquid scintillator increased with increase in the energy of β- or X-rays. For some nuclides, Ready Cap gave higher counting efficiencies and for others it gave lower values than in the liquid scintillator. However, the differences were not large within each nuclide. The use of Ready Cap is recommended for measurements of radionuclides when liquid scintillation cocktails have no means of waste disposal under the present Japanese radioisotope regulation. (author)

Observations of Pc5 micropulsation-related electric field oscillations in the equatorial ionosphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. A. Reddy

1994-05-01

Full Text Available A 54.95-MHz coherent backscatter radar, an ionosonde and the magnetometer located at Trivandrum in India (8.5°N, 77°E, 0.5°N dip angle recorded large-amplitude ionospheric fluctuations and magnetic field fluctuations associated with a Pc5 micropulsation event, which occurred during an intense magnetic storm on 24 March 1991 (Ap=161. Simultaneous 100-nT-level fluctuations are also observed in the H-component at Brorfelde, Denmark (55.6°N gm and at Narsarsuaq, Greenland (70.6°N gm. Our study of the above observations shows that the E-W electric field fluctuations in the E- and F-regions and the magnetic field fluctuations at Thumba are dominated by a near-sinusoidal oscillation of 10 min during 1730-1900 IST (1200-1330 UT, the amplitude of the electric field oscillation in the equatorial electrojet (EEJ is 0.1-0.25 mV m-1 and it increases with height, while it is about 1.0 mV m-1 in the F-region, the ground-level H-component oscillation can be accounted for by the ionospheric current oscillation generated by the observed electric field oscillation in the EEJ and the H-component oscillations at Trivandrum and Brorfelde are in phase with each other. The observations are interpreted in terms of a compressional cavity mode resonance in the inner magnetosphere and the associated ionospheric electric field penetrating from high latitudes to the magnetic equator.

Ionospheric Change and Solar EUV Irradiance

Science.gov (United States)

Sojka, J. J.; David, M.; Jensen, J. B.; Schunk, R. W.

2011-12-01

The ionosphere has been quantitatively monitored for the past six solar cycles. The past few years of observations are showing trends that differ from the prior cycles! Our good statistical relationships between the solar radio flux index at 10.7 cm, the solar EUV Irradiance, and the ionospheric F-layer peak density are showing indications of divergence! Present day discussion of the Sun-Earth entering a Dalton Minimum would suggest change is occurring in the Sun, as the driver, followed by the Earth, as the receptor. The dayside ionosphere is driven by the solar EUV Irradiance. But different components of this spectrum affect the ionospheric layers differently. For a first time the continuous high cadence EUV spectra from the SDO EVE instrument enable ionospheric scientists the opportunity to evaluate solar EUV variability as a driver of ionospheric variability. A definitive understanding of which spectral components are responsible for the E- and F-layers of the ionosphere will enable assessments of how over 50 years of ionospheric observations, the solar EUV Irradiance has changed. If indeed the evidence suggesting the Sun-Earth system is entering a Dalton Minimum periods is correct, then the comprehensive EVE solar EUV Irradiance data base combined with the ongoing ionospheric data bases will provide a most fortuitous fiduciary reference baseline for Sun-Earth dependencies. Using the EVE EUV Irradiances, a physics based ionospheric model (TDIM), and 50 plus years of ionospheric observation from Wallops Island (Virginia) the above Sun-Earth ionospheric relationship will be reported on.

Comparison of 74-MHz interplanetary scintillation and IMP 7 observations of the solar wind during 1973

Science.gov (United States)

Coles, W. A.; Harmon, J. K.; Lazarus, A. J.; Sullivan, J. D.

1978-01-01

Solar wind velocities measured by earth-orbiting spacecraft are compared with velocities determined from interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations for 1973, a period when high-velocity streams were prevalent. The spacecraft and IPS velocities agree well in the mean and are highly correlated. No simple model for the distribution of enhanced turbulence within streams is sufficient to explain the velocity comparison results for the entire year. Although a simple proportionality between density fluctuation level and bulk density is consistent with IPS velocities for some periods, some streams appear to have enhanced turbulence in the high-velocity region, where the density is low.

Ionosphere monitoring and forecast activities within the IAG working group "Ionosphere Prediction"

Science.gov (United States)

Hoque, Mainul; Garcia-Rigo, Alberto; Erdogan, Eren; Cueto Santamaría, Marta; Jakowski, Norbert; Berdermann, Jens; Hernandez-Pajares, Manuel; Schmidt, Michael; Wilken, Volker

2017-04-01

Ionospheric disturbances can affect technologies in space and on Earth disrupting satellite and airline operations, communications networks, navigation systems. As the world becomes ever more dependent on these technologies, ionospheric disturbances as part of space weather pose an increasing risk to the economic vitality and national security. Therefore, having the knowledge of ionospheric state in advance during space weather events is becoming more and more important. To promote scientific cooperation we recently formed a Working Group (WG) called "Ionosphere Predictions" within the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) under Sub-Commission 4.3 "Atmosphere Remote Sensing" of the Commission 4 "Positioning and Applications". The general objective of the WG is to promote the development of ionosphere prediction algorithm/models based on the dependence of ionospheric characteristics on solar and magnetic conditions combining data from different sensors to improve the spatial and temporal resolution and sensitivity taking advantage of different sounding geometries and latency. Our presented work enables the possibility to compare total electron content (TEC) prediction approaches/results from different centers contributing to this WG such as German Aerospace Center (DLR), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Technische Universität München (TUM) and GMV. DLR developed a model-assisted TEC forecast algorithm taking benefit from actual trends of the TEC behavior at each grid point. Since during perturbations, characterized by large TEC fluctuations or ionization fronts, this approach may fail, the trend information is merged with the current background model which provides a stable climatological TEC behavior. The presented solution is a first step to regularly provide forecasted TEC services via SWACI/IMPC by DLR. UPC forecast model is based on applying linear regression to a temporal window of TEC maps in the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) domain

Simulation of D and E region high-power microwave heating with HF ionospheric modification experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meltz, G.; Rush, C.M.; Violette, E.J.

1981-01-01

The microwave power beam from a Solar Power Satellite (SPS) is sufficiently intense to cause large changes in the properties of the lower ionosphere by ohmic heating of the plasma. Power is absorbed from the beam at a rate that is proportional to the ratio of the flux s and the square of an effective frequency f/sub e/. Throughout most of the lower ionosphere f/sub e/ = f -+ f/sub L/, where f is the wave frequency and f/sub L is a reduced electron gyrofrequency. It follows that SPS equivalent heating can be simulated at much lower power fluxes with HF radio waves. A detailed examination of the frequency scaling, based on fluid and kinetic theory estimates of the change in electron temperature and density, shows that the high-power HF facility at Platteville, CO, can simulate or exceed the ohmic effects of the SPS beam up to 90 km. This paper describes the results of a series of 5.2 and 9.9 MHz underdense heating experiments undertaken to study the effect of high-power microwaves on the lower ionosphere. A pulsed ionosonde probe, located nearly below the most intense portion of the high-power beam, was used to observe the changes in the D and lower E region. Both phase and amplitude measurements were recorded during CW and intermittent heating

Complex network description of the ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Shikun; Zhang, Hao; Li, Xihai; Li, Yihong; Niu, Chao; Yang, Xiaoyun; Liu, Daizhi

2018-03-01

Complex networks have emerged as an essential approach of geoscience to generate novel insights into the nature of geophysical systems. To investigate the dynamic processes in the ionosphere, a directed complex network is constructed, based on a probabilistic graph of the vertical total electron content (VTEC) from 2012. The results of the power-law hypothesis test show that both the out-degree and in-degree distribution of the ionospheric network are not scale-free. Thus, the distribution of the interactions in the ionosphere is homogenous. None of the geospatial positions play an eminently important role in the propagation of the dynamic ionospheric processes. The spatial analysis of the ionospheric network shows that the interconnections principally exist between adjacent geographical locations, indicating that the propagation of the dynamic processes primarily depends on the geospatial distance in the ionosphere. Moreover, the joint distribution of the edge distances with respect to longitude and latitude directions shows that the dynamic processes travel further along the longitude than along the latitude in the ionosphere. The analysis of small-world-ness indicates that the ionospheric network possesses the small-world property, which can make the ionosphere stable and efficient in the propagation of dynamic processes.

Space weather and the Earth ionosphere from auroral zone to equator

Science.gov (United States)

Biktash, L.

2007-08-01

ionospheric phenomena. For example, the changes of the ionosphere height may serve as a good measure for predictions of the spread F or intense ionospheric scintillations. It should be noted that more detail investigations of the high and low latitude quantitative relationships with high-precision data are required to include in features of the ionosheric models during geomagnetic storms.

Solar eclipses at high latitudes: ionospheric effects in the lower ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Cherniakov, S.

2017-12-01

The partial reflection facility of the Polar Geophysical Institute (the Tumanny observatory, 69.0N, 35.7E) has observed behavior of the high-latitude lower ionosphere during the 20 March 2015 total solar eclipse. There were several effects during the eclipse. At the heights of 60-80 km the ionosphere has shown the effect of a "short night", but at the higher altitudes local enhanced electron concentration had a wave-like form. Data received by the riometer of the Tumanny observatory have also shown wave-like behavior. The behavior can be explained by influence of acoustic-gravity waves which originated after cooling of the atmosphere during the lunar shadow supersonic movement, and transport processes during the eclipse. During the 21 August 2017 solar eclipse there was a substorm at the high latitudes. But after the end of the substorm in the region of the Tumanny observatory the observed amplitudes of the reflected waves had wave effects which could be connected with the coming waves from the region of the eclipse. The wave features were also shown in the behavior of the total electron content (TEC) of the lower ionosphere. During several solar eclipses it was implemented observations of lower ionosphere behavior by the partial reflection facility of the Tumanny observatory. The consideration of the lower ionosphere TEC had revealed common features in the TEC behavior during the eclipses. The photochemical theory of processes in the lower ionosphere is very complicated and up to now it is not completely developed. Therefore introduction of the effective coefficients determining the total speed of several important reactions has been widely adopted when modeling the D-region of the ionosphere. However, experimental opportunities for obtaining effective recombination coefficients are rather limited. One of the methods to estimate effective recombination coefficients uses the phenomenon of a solar eclipse. During solar eclipses at the partial reflection facility of

The ionosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taieb, C.

1977-01-01

This paper comprises four parts. The first one is dealing with the neutral atmosphere, its structure, its composition, its variations. The second one describes the ionospheric plasma, (the ionized part) and explains its formation. The influence of the geomagnetic field is discussed in the third chapter, the fourth one being concerned with the means of studying the ionosphere: ionograms obtained by ionosondes or incoherent scattering sounding or from satellite measurements [fr

Magnetotail processes and their ionospheric signatures

Science.gov (United States)

Ferdousi, B.; Raeder, J.; Zesta, E.; Murphy, K. R.; Cramer, W. D.

2017-12-01

In-situ observations in the magnetotail are sparse and limited to single point measurements. In the ionosphere, on the other hand, there is a broad range of observations, including magnetometers, auroral imagers, and various radars. Since the ionosphere is to some extent a mirror of plasmasheet processes it can be used as a monitor of magnetotail dynamics. Thus, it is of great importance to understand the coupling between the ionosphere and the magnetosphere in order to properly interpret the ionosphere and ground observations in terms of magnetotail dynamics. For this purpose, the global magnetohydrodynamic model OpenGGCM is used to investigate magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. One of the key processes in magnetotail dynamics are bursty bulk flows (BBFs) which are the major means by which momentum and energy get transferred through the magnetotail and down to the ionosphere. BBFs often manifested in the ionosphere as auroral streamers. This study focuses on mapping such flow bursts from the magnetotail to the ionosphere along the magnetic field lines for three states of the magnetotail: pre-substorm onset through substorm expansion and during steady magnetospheric convection (SMC) following the substorm. We find that the orientation of streamers in the ionosphere differes for different local times, and that, for both tail and ionospheric signatures, activity increases during the SCM configutation compared to the pre-onset and quiet times. We also find that the background convection in the tail impacts the direction and deflection of the BBFs and the subsequent orientation of the auroral streamers in the ionosphere.

High efficiency scintillation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noakes, J.E.

1976-01-01

A scintillation counter consisting of a scintillation detector, usually a crystal scintillator optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube which converts photons to electrical pulses is described. The photomultiplier pulses are measured to provide information on impinging radiation. In inorganic crystal scintillation detectors to achieve maximum density, optical transparency and uniform activation, it has been necessary heretofore to prepare the scintillator as a single crystal. Crystal pieces fail to give a single composite response. Means are provided herein for obtaining such a response with crystal pieces, such means comprising the combination of crystal pieces and liquid or solid organic scintillator matrices having a cyclic molecular structure favorable to fluorescence. 8 claims, 6 drawing figures

The worldwide ionospheric data base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilitza, D.

1989-04-01

The worldwide ionospheric data base is scattered over the entire globe. Different data sets are held at different institutions in the U.S., U.S.S.R., Australia, Europe, and Asia. The World Data Centers on the different continents archive and distribute part of the huge data base; the scope and cross section of the individual data holdings depend on the regional and special interest of the center. An attempt is made to pull together all the strings that point toward different ionospheric data holdings. Requesters are provided with the information about what is available and where to get it. An attempt is also made to evaluate the reliability and compatibility of the different data sets based on the consensus in the ionospheric research community. The status and accuracy of the standard ionospheric models are also discussed because they may facilitate first order assessment of ionospheric effects. This is a first step toward an ionospheric data directory within the framework of NSSDC's master directory

The worldwide ionospheric data base

Science.gov (United States)

Bilitza, Dieter

1989-01-01

The worldwide ionospheric data base is scattered over the entire globe. Different data sets are held at different institutions in the U.S., U.S.S.R., Australia, Europe, and Asia. The World Data Centers on the different continents archive and distribute part of the huge data base; the scope and cross section of the individual data holdings depend on the regional and special interest of the center. An attempt is made to pull together all the strings that point toward different ionospheric data holdings. Requesters are provided with the information about what is available and where to get it. An attempt is also made to evaluate the reliability and compatibility of the different data sets based on the consensus in the ionospheric research community. The status and accuracy of the standard ionospheric models are also discussed because they may facilitate first order assessment of ionospheric effects. This is a first step toward an ionospheric data directory within the framework of NSSDC's master directory.

Design of readout electronics for a scintillating plate calorimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawley, H.B.; Meyer, W.T.; Rosenberg, E.I.; Thomas, W.D.; Blair, R.E.; Buehring, A.; Dawson, J.; Hill, N.; Noland, R.; Petereit, E.; Price, L.E.; Proudfoot, J.; Spinka, H.; Talaga, R.; Trost, H.J.; Underwood, D.; Wickland, A.B.; Hurlbut, C.; Hagopian, V.; Johnson, K.; Imlay, R.; McNeil, R.; Metcalf, W.; Bolen, L.; Cremaldi, L.; Reidy, J.; Summers, D.; Fu, P.; Gabriel, T.; Handler, T.; Ficenec, J.R.; Lu, B.; Mo, L.; Piilonen, L.E.; Nunamaker, T.; Burke, M.; Hackworth, D.T.; Porter, T.F.; Ravas, R.J.; Scherbarth, D.; Swensrud, R.; Carlsmith, D.; Foudas, C.; Lackey, J.; Loveless, D.; Reeder, D.; Robb, P.; Smith, W.H.

1990-01-01

A scintillator calorimeter produces unique problems for the designer of readout electronics. On the one hand the narrow time structure of scintillator pulses, ∼10 nsec, is well matched to the rf structure of the SSC and gives hope of isolating information from individual beam crossings. On the other hand, the compensation mechanism and the need to broaden the pulse shape for use with analog signal sampling devices gives a somewhat wider time structure, ∼50-100 nsec. Furthermore the granularity of such a device implies that the full energy of an electromagnetic shower may be totally contained within one readout channel. If the resolution of the electronics is not to compromise the intrinsic resolution of the calorimeter, assumed to be σ/E ∼ 15%/√E + 1% (E in Gev), coverage of the full dynamic range (40,000:1) requires at least two 12-bit devices with 7 bits of overlap for a linear front-end electronics chain. The positioning of the electronics also is a critical issue. At luminosities of 10 33 cm -2 sec -1 , electronics placed on the calorimeter must withstand doses of at least 10 10 neutron/cm 2 and 2,000 Rad per year at 90 degree. In the past year, the scintillating calorimeter collaboration has begun studying these and related issues. Among the work reported below is: a study related to remote location of the calorimeter electronics, a comprehensive program to evaluate the properties of FADCs capable of operation at 60-80 MHz, design of a analog memory unit and development of a benchmark system to help evaluate components under development both within and outside the authors' collaboration

Synthesis of plastic scintillation microspheres: Evaluation of scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santiago, L.M.; Bagán, H.; Tarancón, A.; Garcia, J.F.

2013-01-01

The use of plastic scintillation microspheres (PSm) appear to be an alternative to liquid scintillation for the quantification of alpha and beta emitters because it does not generate mixed wastes after the measurement (organic and radioactive). In addition to routine radionuclide determinations, PSm can be used for further applications, e.g. for usage in a continuous monitoring equipment, for measurements of samples with a high salt concentration and for an extractive scintillation support which permits the separation, pre-concentration and measurement of the radionuclides without additional steps of elution and sample preparation. However, only a few manufacturers provide PSm, and the low number of regular suppliers reduces its availability and restricts the compositions and sizes available. In this article, a synthesis method based on the extraction/evaporation methodology has been developed and successfully used for the synthesis of plastic scintillation microspheres. Seven different compositions of plastic scintillation microspheres have been synthesised; PSm1 with polystyrene, PSm2 with 2,5-Diphenyloxazol(PPO), PSm3 with p-terphenyl (pT), PSm4 with PPO and 1,4-bis(5-phenyloxazol-2-yl) (POPOP), PSm5 pT and (1,4-bis [2-methylstyryl] benzene) (Bis-MSB), PSm6 with PPO, POPOP and naphthalene and PSm7 with pT, Bis-MSB and naphthalene. The synthesised plastic scintillation microspheres have been characterised in terms of their morphology, detection capabilities and alpha/beta separation capacity. The microspheres had a median diameter of approximately 130 μm. Maximum detection efficiency values were obtained for the PSm4 composition as follows 1.18% for 3 H, 51.2% for 14 C, 180.6% for 90 Sr/ 90 Y and 76.7% for 241 Am. Values of the SQP(E) parameter were approximately 790 for PSm4 and PSm5. These values show that the synthesised PSm exhibit good scintillation properties and that the spectra are at channel numbers higher than in commercial PSm. Finally, the addition

Ionospheric control of the magnetosphere: conductance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. J. Ridley

2004-01-01

Full Text Available It is well known that the ionosphere plays a role in determining the global state of the magnetosphere. The ionosphere allows magnetospheric currents to close, thereby allowing magnetospheric convection to occur. The amount of current which can be carried through the ionosphere is mainly determined by the ionospheric conductivity. This paper starts to quantify the nonlinear relationship between the ionospheric conductivity and the global state of the magnetosphere. It is found that the steady-state magnetosphere acts neither as a current nor as a voltage generator; a uniform Hall conductance can influence the potential pattern at low latitudes, but not at high latitude; the EUV generated conductance forces the currents to close in the sunlight, while the potential is large on the nightside; the solar generated Hall conductances cause a large asymmetry between the dawn and dusk potential, which effects the pressure distribution in the magnetosphere; a uniform polar cap potential removes some of this asymmetry; the potential difference between solar minimum and maximum is ∼11%; and the auroral precipitation can be related to the local field-aligned current through an exponential function. Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere-magnetosphere interactions; modelling and forecasting; polar ionosphere

Plastic scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreeshchev, E.A.; Kilin, S.F.; Kavyrzina, K.A.

1978-01-01

A plastic scintillator for ionizing radiation detectors with high time resolution is suggested. To decrease the scintillation pulse width and to maintain a high light yield, the 4 1 , 4 5 -dibromo-2 1 , 2 5 , 5 1 , 5 5 -tetramethyl-n-quinquiphenyl (Br 2 Me 4 Ph) in combination with n-terphenyl (Ph 3 ) or 2, 5-diphenyloxadiazol-1, 3, 4 (PPD) is used as a luminescent addition. Taking into consideration the results of a special study, it is shown, that the following ratio of ingradients is the optimum one: 3-4 mass% Ph 3 or 4-7 mas% PPD + 2-5 mass% Br 2 Me 4 Ph + + polymeric base. The suggested scintillator on the basis of polystyrene has the light yield of 0.23-0.26 arbitrary units and the scintillation pulse duration at half-height is 0.74-0.84 ns

Observations of Pc5 micropulsation-related electric field oscillations in the equatorial ionosphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. A. Reddy

Full Text Available A 54.95-MHz coherent backscatter radar, an ionosonde and the magnetometer located at Trivandrum in India (8.5°N, 77°E, 0.5°N dip angle recorded large-amplitude ionospheric fluctuations and magnetic field fluctuations associated with a Pc5 micropulsation event, which occurred during an intense magnetic storm on 24 March 1991 (A_p=161. Simultaneous 100-nT-level fluctuations are also observed in the H-component at Brorfelde, Denmark (55.6°N gm and at Narsarsuaq, Greenland (70.6°N gm. Our study of the above observations shows that the E-W electric field fluctuations in the E- and F-regions and the magnetic field fluctuations at Thumba are dominated by a near-sinusoidal oscillation of 10 min during 1730-1900 IST (1200-1330 UT, the amplitude of the electric field oscillation in the equatorial electrojet (EEJ is 0.1-0.25 mV m^-1 and it increases with height, while it is about 1.0 mV m^-1 in the F-region, the ground-level H-component oscillation can be accounted for by the ionospheric current oscillation generated by the observed electric field oscillation in the EEJ and the H-component oscillations at Trivandrum and Brorfelde are in phase with each other. The observations are interpreted in terms of a compressional cavity mode resonance in the inner magnetosphere and the associated ionospheric electric field penetrating from high latitudes to the magnetic equator.

Ionosphere Waves Service (IWS) - a problem-oriented tool in ionosphere and Space Weather research produced by POPDAT project

Science.gov (United States)

Ferencz, Csaba; Lizunov, Georgii; Crespon, François; Price, Ivan; Bankov, Ludmil; Przepiórka, Dorota; Brieß, Klaus; Dudkin, Denis; Girenko, Andrey; Korepanov, Valery; Kuzmych, Andrii; Skorokhod, Tetiana; Marinov, Pencho; Piankova, Olena; Rothkaehl, Hanna; Shtus, Tetyana; Steinbach, Péter; Lichtenberger, János; Sterenharz, Arnold; Vassileva, Any

2014-05-01

In the frame of the FP7 POPDAT project the Ionosphere Waves Service (IWS) has been developed and opened for public access by ionosphere experts. IWS is forming a database, derived from archived ionospheric wave records to assist the ionosphere and Space Weather research, and to answer the following questions: How can the data of earlier ionospheric missions be reprocessed with current algorithms to gain more profitable results? How could the scientific community be provided with a new insight on wave processes that take place in the ionosphere? The answer is a specific and unique data mining service accessing a collection of topical catalogs that characterize a huge number of recorded occurrences of Whistler-like Electromagnetic Wave Phenomena, Atmosphere Gravity Waves, and Traveling Ionosphere Disturbances. IWS online service (http://popdat.cbk.waw.pl) offers end users to query optional set of predefined wave phenomena, their detailed characteristics. These were collected by target specific event detection algorithms in selected satellite records during database buildup phase. Result of performed wave processing thus represents useful information on statistical or comparative investigations of wave types, listed in a detailed catalog of ionospheric wave phenomena. The IWS provides wave event characteristics, extracted by specific software systems from data records of the selected satellite missions. The end-user can access targets by making specific searches and use statistical modules within the service in their field of interest. Therefore the IWS opens a new way in ionosphere and Space Weather research. The scientific applications covered by IWS concern beyond Space Weather also other fields like earthquake precursors, ionosphere climatology, geomagnetic storms, troposphere-ionosphere energy transfer, and trans-ionosphere link perturbations.

Ionospheric topside sounding.

Science.gov (United States)

Calvert, W

1966-10-14

Over the past few years, the satellite topside sounders have significantly contributed to the understanding of the upper ionosphere. A great quantity of radio echo data has been accumulated, from which the ionospheric electrondensity distribution can be determined. The topside measurements of electron density essentially agree with similar measurements from the ground, except for an occasional 10-percent discrepancy near the peak of the ionosphere. While horizontal non-uniformity is a likely cause, this discrepancy has not yet been adequately explained. The electron-density scale heights measured at a constant altitude indicate both a higher temperature and a heavier mean ion mass at high latitudes. At low latitudes the topside measurements have shown the detailed latitudinal structure of the equatorial anomaly, demonstrating control by the geomagnetic field. A variety of electron-density irregularities have been studied. Most are greatly elongated along the magnetic field, and produce echoes either by lateral scattering, if they are thin, or by longitudinal ducting, if they are thick. Some of the thick irregularities are continuous between the hemispheres and support conjugate echo propagation. The topside sounders have revealed the complex structure of the ionosphere near the auroral zone and at higher latitudes. At night an east-west trough of greatly reduced electron density occurs equatorward of the auroral zone. At the auroral zone itself the electron density is high and quite variable, both in space and time. The electron density at the polar cap within the auroral zone is often uniform and smooth. Ionospheric irregularities are common in the area of the trough and the auroral zone. Among other satellites, the topside sounders have been used in various plasma studies involving the excitation and propagation of waves. These studies suggest that the ionosphere is an appropriate region for future plasma physics investigations, especially with rocket and

Ionospheric research for space weather service support

Science.gov (United States)

Stanislawska, Iwona; Gulyaeva, Tamara; Dziak-Jankowska, Beata

2016-07-01

Knowledge of the behavior of the ionosphere is very important for space weather services. A wide variety of ground based and satellite existing and future systems (communications, radar, surveillance, intelligence gathering, satellite operation, etc) is affected by the ionosphere. There are the needs for reliable and efficient support for such systems against natural hazard and minimalization of the risk failure. The joint research Project on the 'Ionospheric Weather' of IZMIRAN and SRC PAS is aimed to provide on-line the ionospheric parameters characterizing the space weather in the ionosphere. It is devoted to science, techniques and to more application oriented areas of ionospheric investigation in order to support space weather services. The studies based on data mining philosophy increasing the knowledge of ionospheric physical properties, modelling capabilities and gain applications of various procedures in ionospheric monitoring and forecasting were concerned. In the framework of the joint Project the novel techniques for data analysis, the original system of the ionospheric disturbance indices and their implementation for the ionosphere and the ionospheric radio wave propagation are developed since 1997. Data of ionosonde measurements and results of their forecasting for the ionospheric observatories network, the regional maps and global ionospheric maps of total electron content from the navigational satellite system (GNSS) observations, the global maps of the F2 layer peak parameters (foF2, hmF2) and W-index of the ionospheric variability are provided at the web pages of SRC PAS and IZMIRAN. The data processing systems include analysis and forecast of geomagnetic indices ap and kp and new eta index applied for the ionosphere forecasting. For the first time in the world the new products of the W-index maps analysis are provided in Catalogues of the ionospheric storms and sub-storms and their association with the global geomagnetic Dst storms is

Modeling the effects of Multi-path propagation and scintillation on GPS signals

Science.gov (United States)

Habash Krause, L.; Wilson, S. J.

2014-12-01

GPS signals traveling through the earth's ionosphere are affected by charged particles that often disrupt the signal and the information it carries due to "scintillation", which resembles an extra noise source on the signal. These signals are also affected by weather changes, tropospheric scattering, and absorption from objects due to multi-path propagation of the signal. These obstacles cause distortion within information and fading of the signal, which ultimately results in phase locking errors and noise in messages. In this work, we attempted to replicate the distortion that occurs in GPS signals using a signal processing simulation model. We wanted to be able to create and identify scintillated signals so we could better understand the environment that caused it to become scintillated. Then, under controlled conditions, we simulated the receiver's ability to suppress scintillation in a signal. We developed a code in MATLAB that was programmed to: 1. Create a carrier wave and then plant noise (four different frequencies) on the carrier wave, 2. Compute a Fourier transform on the four different frequencies to find the frequency content of a signal, 3. Use a filter and apply it to the Fourier transform of the four frequencies and then compute a Signal-to-noise ratio to evaluate the power (in Decibels) of the filtered signal, and 4.Plot each of these components into graphs. To test the code's validity, we used user input and data from an AM transmitter. We determined that the amplitude modulated signal or AM signal would be the best type of signal to test the accuracy of the MATLAB code due to its simplicity. This code is basic to give students the ability to change and use it to determine the environment and effects of noise on different AM signals and their carrier waves. Overall, we were able to manipulate a scenario of a noisy signal and interpret its behavior and change due to its noisy components: amplitude, frequency, and phase shift.

Scintillator device using a combined organic-inorganic scintillator as dose ratemeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb, W.; Lauterbach, U.

1974-01-01

The dose ratemeter independent of energy in the energy region 17 keV to 3 MeV consists of an organic and an inorganic scintillator. The organic scintillation material of an anthracene monocrystal is surrounded by ZnS surface coating. The coating thickness of the inorganic scintillator ZnS is measured in such a manner for gamma and X-radiation below 100 keV that the light produced due to the incident radiation compensates for the decrease of light produced in the organic scintillator. The whole energy and dose rate region of interest for radiation protection can thus be measured with a detector volume of 135 cm 3 . (DG) [de

Ionospheric control of the magnetosphere: conductance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. J. Ridley

2004-01-01

Full Text Available It is well known that the ionosphere plays a role in determining the global state of the magnetosphere. The ionosphere allows magnetospheric currents to close, thereby allowing magnetospheric convection to occur. The amount of current which can be carried through the ionosphere is mainly determined by the ionospheric conductivity. This paper starts to quantify the nonlinear relationship between the ionospheric conductivity and the global state of the magnetosphere. It is found that the steady-state magnetosphere acts neither as a current nor as a voltage generator; a uniform Hall conductance can influence the potential pattern at low latitudes, but not at high latitude; the EUV generated conductance forces the currents to close in the sunlight, while the potential is large on the nightside; the solar generated Hall conductances cause a large asymmetry between the dawn and dusk potential, which effects the pressure distribution in the magnetosphere; a uniform polar cap potential removes some of this asymmetry; the potential difference between solar minimum and maximum is ∼11%; and the auroral precipitation can be related to the local field-aligned current through an exponential function.

Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere-magnetosphere interactions; modelling and forecasting; polar ionosphere

Ionospheric effects of thunderstorms and lightning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lay, Erin H. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2014-02-03

Tropospheric thunderstorms have been reported to disturb the lower ionosphere (~65-90 km) by convective atmospheric gravity waves and by electromagnetic field changes produced by lightning discharges. However, due to the low electron density in the lower ionosphere, active probing of its electron distribution is difficult, and the various perturbative effects are poorly understood. Recently, we have demonstrated that by using remotely-detected ?me waveforms of lightning radio signals it is possible to probe the lower ionosphere and its fluctuations in a spatially and temporally-resolved manner. Here we report evidence of gravity wave effects on the lower ionosphere originating from the thunderstorm. We also report variations in the nighttime ionosphere atop a small thunderstorm and associate the variations with the storm’s electrical activity. Finally, we present a data analysis technique to map ionospheric acoustic waves near thunderstorms.

Ionospheric behaviour during storm recovery phase

Science.gov (United States)

Buresova, D.; Lastovicka, J.; Boska, J.; Sindelarova, T.; Chum, J.

2012-04-01

Intensive ionospheric research, numerous multi-instrumental observations and large-scale numerical simulations of ionospheric F region response to magnetic storm-induced disturbances during the last several decades were primarily focused on the storm main phase, in most cases covering only a few hours of the recovery phase following after storm culmination. Ionospheric behaviour during entire recovery phase still belongs to not sufficiently explored and hardly predictable features. In general, the recovery phase is characterized by an abatement of perturbations and a gradual return to the "ground state" of ionosphere. However, observations of stormy ionosphere show significant departures from the climatology also within this phase. This paper deals with the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the ionospheric behaviour during the entire recovery phase of strong-to-severe magnetic storms at middle latitudes for nowadays and future modelling and forecasting purposes.

Performance of molded plastic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gen, N.S.; Leman, V.E.; Solomonov, V.M.

1989-01-01

The performance of molded plastic scintillators is studied. The plastic scintillators studied were formed by transfer molding and intrusion from a scintillation composition consisting of polystyrene and a standard system of luminescent additives: 2 mass % of paraterphenyl + 0.06 mass % 1,4-di-/2-[5-phenyloxazoyly]/benzene and a plasticizer. The combined effect of mechanical load and temperature was studied. The effect of radiation on molded plastic scintillators was studied using gamma radiation from a 60 Co source. The studies show that the main operating characteristics of molded plastic scintillators are on a par with those of polymerized plastic scintillators. At the same time, molded plastic scintillators are superior in thermal stability at temperatures below the glass transition temperature and with respect to their working temperature range

Scintillation hodoscopes on the basis of hodoscopic photomultipliers using scintillation fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alimova, T.V.; Vasil'chenko, V.G.; Vechkanov, G.N.

1986-01-01

Scintillation hodoscopes characteristics and their design features have been considered. The space resolution for hodoscopes consisting of 4 layers of scintillation fibres 200 mm long and 1 mm in diameter is 0.4-0.6 mm. With 2 fibres layer 1 m long and 3.8 mm in diameter the space resolution 3 mm has been obtained. A possibility to construct 0.1 mm resolution scintillation hodoscopes is discussed

Ionosphere Waves Service (IWS – a problem-oriented tool in ionosphere and Space Weather research produced by POPDAT project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferencz Csaba

2014-05-01

Full Text Available In the frame of the FP7 POPDAT project the Ionosphere Waves Service (IWS has been developed and opened for public access by ionosphere experts. IWS is forming a database, derived from archived ionospheric wave records to assist the ionosphere and Space Weather research, and to answer the following questions: How can the data of earlier ionospheric missions be reprocessed with current algorithms to gain more profitable results? How could the scientific community be provided with a new insight on wave processes that take place in the ionosphere? The answer is a specific and unique data mining service accessing a collection of topical catalogs that characterize a huge number of recorded occurrences of Whistler-like Electromagnetic Wave Phenomena, Atmosphere Gravity Waves, and Traveling Ionosphere Disturbances. IWS online service (http://popdat.cbk.waw.pl offers end users to query optional set of predefined wave phenomena, their detailed characteristics. These were collected by target specific event detection algorithms in selected satellite records during database buildup phase. Result of performed wave processing thus represents useful information on statistical or comparative investigations of wave types, listed in a detailed catalog of ionospheric wave phenomena. The IWS provides wave event characteristics, extracted by specific software systems from data records of the selected satellite missions. The end-user can access targets by making specific searches and use statistical modules within the service in their field of interest. Therefore the IWS opens a new way in ionosphere and Space Weather research. The scientific applications covered by IWS concern beyond Space Weather also other fields like earthquake precursors, ionosphere climatology, geomagnetic storms, troposphere-ionosphere energy transfer, and trans-ionosphere link perturbations.

Martian Ionospheric Observation and Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

González-Galindo, Francisco

2018-02-01

The Martian ionosphere is a plasma embedded within the neutral upper atmosphere of the planet. Its main source is the ionization of the CO2-dominated Martian mesosphere and thermosphere by the energetic EUV solar radiation. The ionosphere of Mars is subject to an important variability induced by changes in its forcing mechanisms (e.g., the UV solar flux) and by variations in the neutral atmosphere (e.g., the presence of global dust storms, atmospheric waves and tides, changes in atmospheric composition, etc.). Its vertical structure is dominated by a maximum in the electron concentration placed at about 120–140 km of altitude, coincident with the peak of the ionization rate. Below, a secondary peak produced by solar X-rays and photoelectron-impact ionization is observed. A sporadic third layer, possibly of meteoric origin, has been also detected below. The most abundant ion in the Martian ionosphere is O2+, although O+ can become more abundant in the upper ionospheric layers. While below about 180–200 km the Martian ionosphere is dominated by photochemical processes, above those altitudes the dynamics of the plasma become more important. The ionosphere is also an important source of escaping particles via processes such as dissociative recombination of ions or ion pickup. So, characterization of the ionosphere provides or can provide information about such disparate systems and processes as the solar radiation getting to the planet, the neutral atmosphere, the meteoric influx, the atmospheric escape to space, or the interaction of the planet with the solar wind. It is thus not surprising that the interest about this region dates from the beginning of the space era. From the first measurements provided by the Mariner 4 mission in the 1960s to the contemporaneous observations, still ongoing, by the Mars Express and MAVEN orbiters, our current knowledge of this atmospheric region is the consequence of the accumulation of more than 50 years of discontinuous

Multi-Instrument Investigation of Ionospheric Flow Channels and Their Impact on the Ionosphere and Thermosphere during Geomagnetic Storms

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-29

AFRL-AFOSR-JP-TR-2018-0009 Multi-instrument investigation of ionospheric flow channels and their impact on the ionosphere and thermosphere during...SUBTITLE Multi-instrument investigation of ionospheric flow channels and their impact on the ionosphere and thermosphere during geomagnetic storms 5a...Experiment) and GOCE (Gravity field and steady- state Ocean Circulation Explorer) satellite data. We also created a series of computer algorithms to

Examining the Electric Fields of the Evening Equatorial Ionosphere When the Solar Terminator is Aligned and Not Aligned with the Magnetic Meridian

Science.gov (United States)

Eccles, J. V.

2014-12-01

The electric field structure of the equatorial ionosphere near sunset has implications on the development of plasma irregularities. The details of the development of the electric fields are examined using a global ionosphere-electrodynamics model. The results of simulations of simplified conditions show the influence of the arrangement of the solar terminator with the magnetic meridian. The relationships of the Curl-Free mechanism, the Hall Current Divergence mechanism, and the role of the Equatorial Electorjet region control the magnitude and timing of the Prereversal Enhancement of the zonal electric field as well as its altitude profile above the F region bottomside. Realistic conditions for 'equinox' and 'solstice' solar terminator arrangments are presented. The stability of the low-latitude ionosphere has a demonstrated relationship with the solar terminator alignment [Tsunoda, JGR, 1981]. The profile of the vertical and zonal electric field below the bottomside is then examined using the global model to explore the controlling elements of the electric field structure and the growth rates of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and Collisional Shear instability.Tsunoda, R. T. (1985), Control of the seasonal and longitudinal occurrence of equatorial scintillations by the longitudinal gradient in integrated E region Pedersen conductivity, J. Geophys. Res., 90(A1),447-456, doi:10.1029/JA090iA01p00447.

Ionospheric response to a recurrent magnetic storm during an event of High Speed Stream in October 2016.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicoli Candido, C. M.; Resende, L.; Becker-Guedes, F.; Batista, I. S.

2017-12-01

In this work we investigate the response of the low latitude ionosphere to recurrent geomagnetic activity caused by events of High speed streams (HSSs)/Corotating Interaction Regions (CIRs) during the low descending phase of solar activity in the solar cycle 24. Intense magnetic field regions called Corotating Interaction Regions or CIRs are created by the interaction of fast streams and slow streams ejected by long duration coronal holes in Sun. This interaction leads to an increase in the mean interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) which causes moderate and recurrent geomagnetic activity when interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere. The ionosphere can be affected by these phenomena by several ways, such as an increase (or decrease) of the plasma ionization, intensification of plasma instabilities during post-sunset/post-midnight hours and subsequent development of plasma irregularities/spread-F, as well as occurrence of plasma scintillation. Therefore, we investigate the low latitude ionospheric response during moderate geomagnetic storm associated to an event of High Speed Stream occurred during decreasing phase of solar activity in 2016. An additional ionization increasing is observed in Es layer during the main peak of the geomagnetic storm. We investigate two possible different mechanisms that caused these extras ionization: the role of prompt penetration of interplanetary electric field, IEFEy at equatorial region, and the energetic electrons precipitation on the E and F layers variations. Finally, we used data from Digisondes installed at equatorial region, São Luís, and at conjugate points in Brazilian latitudes, Boa Vista and Cachoeira Paulista. We analyzed the ionospheric parameters such as the critical frequency of F layer, foF2, the F layer peak height, hmF2, the F layer bottomside, h'F, the blanketing frequency of sporadic layer, fbEs, the virtual height of Es layer h'Es and the top frequency of the Es layer ftEs during this event.

Silicon photomultiplier arrays for the LHCb scintillating fibre tracker

CERN Multimedia

Girard, Olivier Goran; Kuonen, Axel Kevin; Stramaglia, Maria Elena

2017-01-01

For the LHCb detector upgrade in 2019, a large scale scintillating fibre tracker read out with silicon photomultipliers is under construction. The harsh radiation environment (neutron and ionising radiation), the 40MHz read-out rate of the trigger less system and the large detector surface of 320m2 impose many challenges. We present the results from lab tests with 1MeV electrons and from the SPS test facility at CERN for the mulitchannel SiPM array that combines peak photo-detection efficiency of 48% and extremely low correlated noise. The measurements were performed with detectors irradiated with neutrons up to a fluence of 12*1011 neq/cm2 and single photon detection was maintained. First results of the characterization of the pre-series of 500 detectors delivered by Hamamatsu and irradiation studies on a large sample will be included.

47 CFR 15.242 - Operation in the bands 174-216 MHz and 470-668 MHz.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Operation in the bands 174-216 MHz and 470-668... bands 174-216 MHz and 470-668 MHz. (a) The marketing and operation of intentional radiators under the... services, facilities, and beds for use beyond 24 hours in rendering medical treatment and institutions and...

Scintillating properties of frozen new liquid scintillators

CERN Document Server

Britvich, G I; Golovkin, S V; Martellotti, G; Medvedkov, A M; Penso, G; Soloviev, A S; Vasilchenko, V G

1999-01-01

The light emission from scintillators which are liquid at room temperature was studied in the interval between $+20$~$^{\\circ}$C and $-120$~$^{\\circ}$C, where the phase transition from liquid to solid takes place. The light yield measured at $-120$~$^{\\circ}$C is about twice as much as that observed at $+20$~$^{\\circ}$C. By cooling the scintillator from $+20$~$^{\\circ}$C to $-120$~$^{\\circ}$C and then heating it from $-120$~$^{\\circ}$C to $+20$~$^{\\circ}$C, the light yield varies in steps at well defined temperatures, which are different for the cooling and heating processes. These hysteresis phenomena appear to be related to the solvent rather than to the dopant. The decay time of scintillation light was measured at $+20$~$^{\\circ}$C and $-120$~$^{\\circ}$C. Whilst at room temperature most of the light is emitted with a decay time of 6--8 ns, at $-120$~$^{\\circ}$C a slower component, with a decay time of 25--35 ns, becomes important.

Artificial neural network applications in ionospheric studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. R. Cander

1998-06-01

Full Text Available The ionosphere of Earth exhibits considerable spatial changes and has large temporal variability of various timescales related to the mechanisms of creation, decay and transport of space ionospheric plasma. Many techniques for modelling electron density profiles through entire ionosphere have been developed in order to solve the "age-old problem" of ionospheric physics which has not yet been fully solved. A new way to address this problem is by applying artificial intelligence methodologies to current large amounts of solar-terrestrial and ionospheric data. It is the aim of this paper to show by the most recent examples that modern development of numerical models for ionospheric monthly median long-term prediction and daily hourly short-term forecasting may proceed successfully applying the artificial neural networks. The performance of these techniques is illustrated with different artificial neural networks developed to model and predict the temporal and spatial variations of ionospheric critical frequency, f0F2 and Total Electron Content (TEC. Comparisons between results obtained by the proposed approaches and measured f0F2 and TEC data provide prospects for future applications of the artificial neural networks in ionospheric studies.

Japan contribution to studies of low-latitude and equatorial ionosphere over Southeast Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, M.; Ishii, M.; Otsuka, Y.; Shiokawa, K.; Saito, A.; Tsuda, T.; Fukao, S.

2008-12-01

A dense observation network to study ionosphere is deployed over Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Equatorial Atmosphere Radar (EAR) at Kototabang, Indonesia is the center facility, and supporting instruments, i.e., an ionosonde, a VHF ionosphere radar, an optical imager, a GPS scintillation receiver, a magnetometer, a meteor radar, etc. are collocated. NICT operates the ionosonde network SEALION (South East Asian Low-latitude IOnosonde Network) that meridionally extends from the EAR site to Chumphong and Chiang Mai in Thailand, and two more sites (Baq Liu and Phy Thuy) in Vietnam. Additional facilities are an MF radar at Pameungpeuk, Indonesia, and an optical imager at Darwin, Australia. We have been observing plasma bubbles since 2001, that, for example, contributed clarification of time- spatial structures of the phenomena, their relationship to the pre-reversal enhancement, control of bubble occurrence by the meridional winds, etc. We are starting studies of their seeding by means of atmospheric waves that propages from the lower atmosphere, too. In 2008, Nagoya University will soon install three Fabry-Perot interferometers at the EAR site, Chiang Mai, and Darwin. We also have a plan to install digital beacon receivers in some of these sites. Next research program that follows CPEA (Coupling Processes in the Equatorial Atmosphere, 2001-2007) is under planning now. Our main facilities cover ± 10° of geomagnetic latitude, where the magnetic declination is relatively small, and the geomagnetic equator is in the geographic northern hemisphere. We will review our achievements, and show on-going efforts and future plans. Collaboration with the C/NOFS satellite, and comparisons to results from the American sector should be beneficial for global-scale understanding of the equatorial ionosphere/atmosphere.

The height of electron content changes in the ionosphere from ATS6 beacon data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, K.; Heron, M.L.

1984-01-01

A technique is described which uses relative changes in Faraday rotation and modulation phase of satellite radio signals to determine the median height of the enhancement (or depletion) in the electron density of the ionosphere. During the post sunrise formation of the F layer the incremental layers have a median height of around 210 km (+- 40) and in the afternoon the decremental median is above the peak at 340 km (+- 40) on a winter day. A winter night-time enhancement just after midnight appears as a thick layer extending upwards from the peak, with a median height at about 730 km. The method applies to large scale irregularities but not to small, dense, scintillation-causing irregularities for which Faraday and modulation phases do not represent the total electron content. (author)

Scintillator manufacture at Fermilab

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mellott, K.; Bross, A.; Pla-Dalmau, A.

1998-08-01

A decade of research into plastic scintillation materials at Fermilab is reviewed. Early work with plastic optical fiber fabrication is revisited and recent experiments with large-scale commercial methods for production of bulk scintillator are discussed. Costs for various forms of scintillator are examined and new development goals including cost reduction methods and quality improvement techniques are suggested.

Extruding plastic scintillator at Fermilab

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pla-Dalmau, Anna; Bross, Alain D.; Rykalin, Viktor V.

2003-01-01

An understanding of the costs involved in the production of plastic scintillators and the development of a less expensive material have become necessary with the prospects of building very large plastic scintillation detectors. Several factors contribute to the high cost of plastic scintillating sheets, but the principal reason is the labor-intensive nature of the manufacturing process. In order to significantly lower the costs, the current casting procedures had to be abandoned. Since polystyrene is widely used in the consumer industry, the logical path was to investigate the extrusion of commercial-grade polystyrene pellets with dopants to yield high quality plastic scintillator. This concept was tested and high quality extruded plastic scintillator was produced. The D0 and MINOS experiments are already using extruded scintillator strips in their detectors. An extrusion line has recently been installed at Fermilab in collaboration with NICADD (Northern Illinois Center for Accelerator and Detector Development). This new facility will serve to further develop and improve extruded plastic scintillator. This paper will discuss the characteristics of extruded plastic scintillator and its raw materials, the different manufacturing techniques and the current R andD program at Fermilab

Lagopedo: two F-region ionospheric depletion experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pongratz, M.B.; Smith, G.M.; Sutherland, C.D.; Zinn, J.

1977-01-01

A significant depletion of ionospheric plasma was produced by a chemical release experiment in the F-layer ionosphere over Hawaii. The results of measurements of the hole produced in the ionospheric plasma are reported

Multi-technique investigations of storm-time ionospheric irregularities over the São Luís equatorial station in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. R. de Paula

2004-11-01

Full Text Available On 11 April 2001, a large magnetic storm occurred with SSC at 13:43 UT, and Dst reached below -200nT after two southward Bz excursions. The Kp index during this storm reached 8 and remained high (>4 for about 21h, and the São Luís magnetometer H component presented simultaneous oscillations and decreased substantially relative to the previous magnetically quiet days. This storm triggered strong ionospheric irregularities, as observed by a recently installed 30MHz coherent scatter radar, a digisonde, and a GPS scintillation receiver, all operating at the São Luís equatorial station (2.33° S, 44° W, dip latitude 1.3° S. The ionospheric conditions and the characteristics of the ionospheric irregularities observed by these instruments are presented and discussed. The VHF radar RTI (Range Time Intensity echoes and their power spectra and spectral width for the storm night 11-12 April 2001, were used to analyse the nature and dynamics of the plasma irregularities and revealed the coexistence of many structures in the altitudinal range of 400-1200km, some locally generated and others that drifted from other longitudinal sectors. The radar data also revealed that the plumes had periodic eastward and westward zonal velocities after 22:20 UT, when well-developed quiet-time plumes typically drift eastward. Another interesting new observation is that the F-layer remained anomalously high throughout the 11-12 April 2001 storm night (21:00 UT to 09:00 UT next day (the LT at São Luís is UT -3h, as indicated by the digisonde parameters hmF2 and h'F, which is a condition favourable for spread F generation and maintenance. The AE auroral index showed enhancements (followed by decreases that are indicative of magnetospheric convection enhancements at about 15:00 UT, 20:00 UT and 22:00 UT on 11 April 2001 and at 00:20 UT (small amplitude on 12 April 2001, associated with many Bz fluctuations, including clear two southward incursions that gave rise

Scintillation counting apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noakes, J.E.

1978-01-01

Apparatus is described for the accurate measurement of radiation by means of scintillation counters and in particular for the liquid scintillation counting of both soft beta radiation and gamma radiation. Full constructional and operating details are given. (UK)

47 CFR 101.69 - Transition of the 1850-1990 MHz, 2110-2150 MHz, and 2160-2200 MHz bands from the fixed microwave...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

..., and 2160-2200 MHz bands from the fixed microwave services to personal communications services and...) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES FIXED MICROWAVE SERVICES Applications and Licenses License Transfers... MHz bands from the fixed microwave services to personal communications services and emerging...

Study of Ionospheric Indexes T and MF2 related to R12 for Solar Cycles 19-21

Science.gov (United States)

Villanueva, Lucia

2013-04-01

Modern worldwide communications are mainly based on satellite systems, remote communication networks, and advanced technologies. The most important space weather "meteorological" events produce negative effects on signal transmissions. Magnetic storm conditions that follow coronal mass ejections are particularly of great importance for radio communication at HF frequencies (3-30 MHz range), because the Ionization increase (or decrease), significantly over (or below), the Average Values. Nowadays new technologies make possible to establish Geophysical Observatories and monitor the sun almost in real time giving information about geomagnetic indices. Space Weather programs have interesting software predictions of foF2 producing maps and plots, every some minutes. The Average Values of the ionospheric parameters mainly depend on the position, hour, season and the phase of the 11-year cycle of the solar activity. Around 1990´s several ionospheric indexes were suggested to better predict the state of the foF2 monthly media, as: IF2, G, T and MF2, based on foF2 data from different latitude ionospheric observatories. They really show better seasonal changes than monthly solar indexes of solar flux F10.7 or the international sunspot numbers Ri. The main purpose of this paper is to present an analogic model for the ionospheric index MF2, to establish the average long term predictions of this index. Changes of phase from one cycle to the other of one component of the model is found to fit the data. The usefulness of this model could be the prediction of the ionospheric normal conditions for one entire solar cycle having just the prediction of the maximum of the next smooth sunspot number R12. In this presentation, comparisons of the Australian T index and and the Mikhailov MF2 index show an hysteresis variation with the solar monthly index Ri, such dependence is quite well represented by a polynomial fit of degree 6 for rising and decaying fases for solar cycles 19, 20 and

Liquid scintillation measurement. I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rexa, R.; Tykva, R.

1983-01-01

The individual components of scintillation solutions and their tasks are listed. Explained briefly is the scintillation process in a liquid scintillator. Factors are discussed which influence this process as are methods applied to supress their influence. They include: ionization quenching, quenching by dilution and concentration, chemical, colour, phase and photon quenching and single-photon events causing an undesirable backgorund. (M.D.)

Effects of the 2017 Solar Eclipse on HF Radio Propagation and the D-Region Ionosphere: Citizen Science Investigation

Science.gov (United States)

Fry, C. D.; Adams, M.; Gallagher, D. L.; Habash Krause, L.; Rawlins, L.; Suggs, R. M.; Anderson, S. C.

2017-12-01

August 21, 2017 provided a unique opportunity to investigate the effects of the total solar eclipse on high frequency (HF) radio propagation and ionospheric variability. In Marshall Space Flight Center's partnership with the US Space and Rocket Center (USSRC) and Austin Peay State University (APSU), we engaged students and citizen scientists in an investigation of the eclipse effects on the mid-latitude ionosphere. The Amateur Radio community has developed several automated receiving and reporting networks that draw from widely-distributed, automated and manual radio stations to build a near-real time, global picture of changing radio propagation conditions. We used these networks and employed HF radio propagation modeling in our investigation. A Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) collaboration with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) ensured that many thousands of amateur radio operators would be "on the air" communicating on eclipse day, promising an extremely large quantity of data would be collected. Activities included implementing and configuring software, monitoring the HF Amateur Radio frequency bands and collecting radio transmission data on days before, the day of, and days after the eclipse to build a continuous record of changing propagation conditions as the moon's shadow marched across the United States. Our expectations were the D-Region ionosphere would be most impacted by the eclipse, enabling over-the-horizon radio propagation on lower HF frequencies (3.5 and 7 MHz) that are typically closed during the middle of the day. Post-eclipse radio propagation analysis provided insights into ionospheric variability due to the eclipse. We report on results, interpretation, and conclusions of these investigations.

LEAP: An Innovative Direction Dependent Ionospheric Calibration Scheme for Low Frequency Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Rioja, María J.; Dodson, Richard; Franzen, Thomas M. O.

2018-05-01

The ambitious scientific goals of the SKA require a matching capability for calibration of atmospheric propagation errors, which contaminate the observed signals. We demonstrate a scheme for correcting the direction-dependent ionospheric and instrumental phase effects at the low frequencies and with the wide fields of view planned for SKA-Low. It leverages bandwidth smearing, to filter-out signals from off-axis directions, allowing the measurement of the direction-dependent antenna-based gains in the visibility domain; by doing this towards multiple directions it is possible to calibrate across wide fields of view. This strategy removes the need for a global sky model, therefore all directions are independent. We use MWA results at 88 and 154 MHz under various weather conditions to characterise the performance and applicability of the technique. We conclude that this method is suitable to measure and correct for temporal fluctuations and direction-dependent spatial ionospheric phase distortions on a wide range of scales: both larger and smaller than the array size. The latter are the most intractable and pose a major challenge for future instruments. Moreover this scheme is an embarrassingly parallel process, as multiple directions can be processed independently and simultaneously. This is an important consideration for the SKA, where the current planned architecture is one of compute-islands with limited interconnects. Current implementation of the algorithm and on-going developments are discussed.

Cherenkov and scintillation light separation in organic liquid scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caravaca, J.; Descamps, F.B.; Land, B.J.; Orebi Gann, G.D. [University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States); Yeh, M. [Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY (United States)

2017-12-15

The CHErenkov/Scintillation Separation experiment (CHESS) has been used to demonstrate the separation of Cherenkov and scintillation light in both linear alkylbenzene (LAB) and LAB with 2 g/L of PPO as a fluor (LAB/PPO). This is the first successful demonstration of Cherenkov light detection from the more challenging LAB/PPO cocktail and improves on previous results for LAB. A time resolution of 338 ± 12 ps FWHM results in an efficiency for identifying Cherenkov photons in LAB/PPO of 70 ± 3% and 63 ± 8% for time- and charge-based separation, respectively, with scintillation contamination of 36 ± 5% and 38 ± 4. LAB/PPO data is consistent with a rise time of τ{sub r} = 0.72 ± 0.33 ns. (orig.)

Cherenkov and scintillation light separation in organic liquid scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caravaca, J.; Descamps, F.B.; Land, B.J.; Orebi Gann, G.D.; Yeh, M.

2017-01-01

The CHErenkov/Scintillation Separation experiment (CHESS) has been used to demonstrate the separation of Cherenkov and scintillation light in both linear alkylbenzene (LAB) and LAB with 2 g/L of PPO as a fluor (LAB/PPO). This is the first successful demonstration of Cherenkov light detection from the more challenging LAB/PPO cocktail and improves on previous results for LAB. A time resolution of 338 ± 12 ps FWHM results in an efficiency for identifying Cherenkov photons in LAB/PPO of 70 ± 3% and 63 ± 8% for time- and charge-based separation, respectively, with scintillation contamination of 36 ± 5% and 38 ± 4. LAB/PPO data is consistent with a rise time of τ r = 0.72 ± 0.33 ns. (orig.)

Scintillation-based Search for Off-pulse Radio Emission from Pulsars

Science.gov (United States)

Ravi, Kumar; Deshpande, Avinash A.

2018-05-01

We propose a new method to detect off-pulse (unpulsed and/or continuous) emission from pulsars using the intensity modulations associated with interstellar scintillation. Our technique involves obtaining the dynamic spectra, separately for on-pulse window and off-pulse region, with time and frequency resolutions to properly sample the intensity variations due to diffractive scintillation and then estimating their mutual correlation as a measure of off-pulse emission, if any. We describe and illustrate the essential details of this technique with the help of simulations, as well as real data. We also discuss the advantages of this method over earlier approaches to detect off-pulse emission. In particular, we point out how certain nonidealities inherent to measurement setups could potentially affect estimations in earlier approaches and argue that the present technique is immune to such nonidealities. We verify both of the above situations with relevant simulations. We apply this method to the observation of PSR B0329+54 at frequencies of 730 and 810 MHz made with the Green Bank Telescope and present upper limits for the off-pulse intensity at the two frequencies. We expect this technique to pave the way for extensive investigations of off-pulse emission with the help of existing dynamic spectral data on pulsars and, of course, with more sensitive long-duration data from new observations.

Developing an ionospheric map for South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. I. Okoh

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The development of a map of the ionosphere over South Africa is presented in this paper. The International Reference Ionosphere (IRI model, South African Bottomside Ionospheric Model (SABIM, and measurements from ionosondes in the South African Ionosonde Network, were combined within their own limitations to develop an accurate representation of the South African ionosphere. The map is essentially in the form of a computer program that shows spatial and temporal representations of the South African ionosphere for a given set of geophysical parameters. A validation of the map is attempted using a comparison of Total Electron Content (TEC values derived from the map, from the IRI model, and from Global Positioning System (GPS measurements. It is foreseen that the final South African ionospheric map will be implemented as a Space Weather product of the African Space Weather Regional Warning Centre.

Dual-frequency radio soundings of planetary ionospheres avoid misinterpretations of ionospheric features

Science.gov (United States)

Paetzold, M.; Andert, T.; Bird, M. K.; Häusler, B.; Hinson, D. P.; Peter, K.; Tellmann, S.

2017-12-01

Planetary ionospheres are usually sounded at single frequency, e.g. S-band or X-band, or at dual-frequencies, e.g. simultaneous S-band and X-band frequencies. The differential Doppler is computed from the received dual-frequency sounding and it has the advantage that any residual motion by the spaceraft body is compensated. The electron density profile is derived from the propagation of the two radio signals through the ionospheric plasma. Vibrational motion of small amplitude by the spacecraft body may still be contained in the single frequency residuals and may be translated into electron densities. Examples from Mars Express and Venus Express shall be presented. Cases from other missions shall be presented where wave-like structures in the upper ionosphere may be a misinterpretation.

New Model for Ionospheric Irregularities at Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Keskinen, M. J.

2018-03-01

A new model for ionospheric irregularities at Mars is presented. It is shown that wind-driven currents in the dynamo region of the Martian ionosphere can be unstable to the electromagnetic gradient drift instability. This plasma instability can generate ionospheric density and magnetic field irregularities with scale sizes of approximately 15-20 km down to a few kilometers. We show that the instability-driven magnetic field fluctuation amplitudes relative to background are correlated with the ionospheric density fluctuation amplitudes relative to background. Our results can explain recent observations made by the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft in the Martian ionosphere dynamo region.

WORKSHOP: Scintillating fibre detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1989-01-01

Scintillating fibre detector development and technology for the proposed US Superconducting Supercollider, SSC, was the subject of a recent workshop at Fermilab, with participation from the high energy physics community and from industry. Sessions covered the current status of fibre technology and fibre detectors, new detector applications, fluorescent materials and scintillation compositions, radiation damage effects, amplification and imaging structures, and scintillation fibre fabrication techniques

Application of Wuhan Ionospheric Oblique Backscattering Sounding System (WIOBSS) for the investigation of midlatitude ionospheric irregularities

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jin; Zhou, Xiaoming; Qiao, Lei; Gong, Wanlin

2018-03-01

An upgrade of Wuhan Ionospheric Backscattering Sounding System (WIOBSS) was developed in 2015. Based on the Universal Serial Bus (USB), and a high performance FPGA, the newly designed WIOBSS has a completely digital structure, which makes it portable and flexible. Two identical WIOBSSs, which were situated at Mile (24.31°N, 103.39°E) and Puer (22.74°N, 101.05°E) respectively, were used to investigate the ionospheric irregularities. The comparisons of group distance, Doppler shift and width between Mile-Puer and Puer-Mile VHF ionospheric propagation paths indicate that the reciprocity of the irregularities is satisfied at midlatitude region. The WIOBSS is robust in the detection of ionospheric irregularities.

Electron traps and scintillation mechanism in YAlO3:Ce and LuAlO3:Ce scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wojtowicz, A.J.; Glodo, J.; Drozdowski, W.; Przegietka, K.R.

1998-01-01

In this paper we present the results of thermoluminescence, isothermal decay and scintillation light yield measurements on two isostructural scintillator materials, YAlO 3 :Ce and LuAlO 3 :Ce. In addition to the variety of deep traps identified by thermoluminescence and isothermal decays, scintillation light yield experiments demonstrate the presence in both materials of a number of relatively shallow traps. While the deep traps may reduce the scintillation light yield, they do not influence the kinetics of the process. The shallow traps, on the other hand, by interfering with the process of radiative recombination of charge carriers via Ce 3+ ions, can strongly affect not only the yield of the scintillation process but its kinetics as well. The presence of shallow traps provides a consistent explanation for a number of poorly understood relationships between the two scintillator materials, including a higher room temperature scintillation light yield and longer scintillation decay time in YAlO 3 :Ce, and a longer scintillation rise time in LuAlO 3 :Ce. Theoretical analysis indicates that elimination of these traps would make the two materials nearly identical in scintillator performance. Although the specific identity of all traps remains elusive, the performance of both scintillator materials is now, in practical terms, fully understood. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Photon statistics in scintillation crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Bora, Vaibhav Joga Singh

Scintillation based gamma-ray detectors are widely used in medical imaging, high-energy physics, astronomy and national security. Scintillation gamma-ray detectors are eld-tested, relatively inexpensive, and have good detection eciency. Semi-conductor detectors are gaining popularity because of their superior capability to resolve gamma-ray energies. However, they are relatively hard to manufacture and therefore, at this time, not available in as large formats and much more expensive than scintillation gamma-ray detectors. Scintillation gamma-ray detectors consist of: a scintillator, a material that emits optical (scintillation) photons when it interacts with ionization radiation, and an optical detector that detects the emitted scintillation photons and converts them into an electrical signal. Compared to semiconductor gamma-ray detectors, scintillation gamma-ray detectors have relatively poor capability to resolve gamma-ray energies. This is in large part attributed to the "statistical limit" on the number of scintillation photons. The origin of this statistical limit is the assumption that scintillation photons are either Poisson distributed or super-Poisson distributed. This statistical limit is often dened by the Fano factor. The Fano factor of an integer-valued random process is dened as the ratio of its variance to its mean. Therefore, a Poisson process has a Fano factor of one. The classical theory of light limits the Fano factor of the number of photons to a value greater than or equal to one (Poisson case). However, the quantum theory of light allows for Fano factors to be less than one. We used two methods to look at the correlations between two detectors looking at same scintillation pulse to estimate the Fano factor of the scintillation photons. The relationship between the Fano factor and the correlation between the integral of the two signals detected was analytically derived, and the Fano factor was estimated using the measurements for SrI2:Eu, YAP

Ionospheric Anomaly before Kyushu|Japan Earthquake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YANG Li

2017-05-01

Full Text Available GIM data released by IGS is used in the article and a new method of combining the Sliding Time Window Method and the Ionospheric TEC correlation analysis method of adjacent grid points is proposed to study the relationship between pre-earthquake ionospheric anomalies and earthquake. By analyzing the abnormal change of TEC in the 5 grid points around the seismic region, the abnormal change of ionospheric TEC is found before the earthquake and the correlation between the TEC sequences of lattice points is significantly affected by earthquake. Based on the analysis of the spatial distribution of TEC anomaly, anomalies of 6 h, 12 h and 6 h were found near the epicenter three days before the earthquake. Finally, ionospheric tomographic technology is used to do tomographic inversion on electron density. And the distribution of the electron density in the ionospheric anomaly is further analyzed.

Sounding rockets explore the ionosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendillo, M.

1990-01-01

It is suggested that small, expendable, solid-fuel rockets used to explore ionospheric plasma can offer insight into all the processes and complexities common to space plasma. NASA's sounding rocket program for ionospheric research focuses on the flight of instruments to measure parameters governing the natural state of the ionosphere. Parameters include input functions, such as photons, particles, and composition of the neutral atmosphere; resultant structures, such as electron and ion densities, temperatures and drifts; and emerging signals such as photons and electric and magnetic fields. Systematic study of the aurora is also conducted by these rockets, allowing sampling at relatively high spatial and temporal rates as well as investigation of parameters, such as energetic particle fluxes, not accessible to ground based systems. Recent active experiments in the ionosphere are discussed, and future sounding rocket missions are cited

Uranium-scintillator device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, S.D.

1979-01-01

The calorimeter subgroup of the 1977 ISABELLE Summer Workshop strongly recommended investigation of the uranium-scintillator device because of its several attractive features: (1) increased resolution for hadronic energy, (2) fast time response, (3) high density (i.e., 16 cm of calorimeter per interaction length), and, in comparison with uranium--liquid argon detectors, (4) ease of construction, (5) simple electronics, and (6) lower cost. The AFM group at the CERN ISR became interested in such a calorimeter for substantially the same reasons, and in the fall of 1977 carried out tests on a uranium-scintillator (U-Sc) calorimeter with the same uranium plates used in their 1974 studies of the uranium--liquid argon (U-LA) calorimeter. The chief disadvantage of the scintillator test was that the uranium plates were too small to fully contain the hadronic showers. However, since the scintillator and liquid argon tests were made with the plates, direct comparison of the two types of devices could be made

Scintillating plate calorimeter optical design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNeil, R.; Fazely, A.; Gunasingha, R.; Imlay, R.; Lim, J.

1990-01-01

A major technical challenge facing the builder of a general purpose detector for the SSC is to achieve an optimum design for the calorimeter. Because of its fast response and good energy resolution, scintillating plate sampling calorimeters should be considered as a possible technology option. The work of the Scintillating Plate Calorimeter Collaboration is focused on compensating plate calorimeters. Based on experimental and simulation studies, it is expected that a sampling calorimeter with alternating layers of high-Z absorber (Pb, W, DU, etc.) and plastic scintillator can be made compensating (e/h = 1.00) by suitable choice of the ratio of absorber/scintillator thickness. Two conceptual designs have been pursued by this subsystem collaboration. One is based on lead as the absorber, with read/out of the scintillator plates via wavelength shifter fibers. The other design is based on depleted uranium as the absorber with wavelength shifter (WLS) plate readout. Progress on designs for the optical readout of a compensating scintillator plate calorimeter are presented. These designs include readout of the scintillator plates via wavelength shifter plates or fiber readout. Results from radiation damage studies of the optical components are presented

Application of TaiWan Ionosphere Model to Single-Frequency Ionospheric Delay Correction for GPS Static Position Positioning

Science.gov (United States)

Macalalad, E. P.; Tsai, L.; Wu, J.

2011-12-01

Ionospheric delay is one of the major sources of error in GPS positioning and navigation. This error in both pseudorange and phase ranges can vary depending on the location of observation, local time, season, solar cycle and geomagnetic activity. This effect can be practically removed using dual-frequency receivers. However, these types of receivers are very expensive and thus, impractical for most users. Therefore, for single-frequency receivers, ionosphere is usually modeled to attempt to remove this effect analytically. Numerous ionosphere models have been introduced in the past. Some of which are the Klobuchar (or broadcast) model and the global ionosphere map (GIM) provided by the International GNSS Service (IGS). In this paper, another model, called the TaiWan Ionosphere Model (TWIM) was used to correct this effect. TWIM is a three dimensional ionospheric electron (ne) density model derived from FormoSat3/COSMIC GPS Radio Occultation measurements, was used to calculate ionospheric delay for GPS single-frequency positioning. The ne profiles were used to calculate the slant TEC (STEC) between a receiver and each GPS satellite and correct the pseudorange single-frequency observations. The corrected pseudorange for every epoch was used to calculate the position of the receiver. Observations were made in a low-latitude location near one of the peaks of the equatorial anomaly. It was shown that TEC maps generated using TWIM exhibited detailed structure of the ionosphere, whereas Klobuchar and GIM only provided the basic diurnal and geographic features of the ionosphere. Also, it was shown that for static point positioning TWIM provides more accurate and more precise positioning than the Klobuchar and GIM models. That is, on the average, the horizontal accuracy, represented by the circular error probable (CEP), distance RMS (DRMS) and twice the DRMS (2DRMS), were better by 15-18% as compared with the CEP, DRMS and 2DRMS of uncorrected, Klobuchar and GIM. Moreover

Scintillators and other particle optical detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chipaux, R.

2011-01-01

The author reports and comments his researcher career in the field of particle optical detectors. He addresses the cases of organic scintillators (scintillating fibers, liquid scintillators), inorganic scintillators (crystals for electromagnetic calorimetry, crystals for solar neutrino spectroscopy), and Cherenkov Effect detectors. He also reports his works on Cd Te detectors and their modelling

Eu-activated fluorochlorozirconate glass-ceramic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, J. A.; Schweizer, S.; Henke, B.; Chen, G.; Woodford, J.; Newman, P. J.; MacFarlane, D. R.

2006-01-01

Rare-earth-doped fluorochlorozirconate (FCZ) glass-ceramic materials have been developed as scintillators and their properties investigated as a function of dopant level. The paper presents the relative scintillation efficiency in comparison to single-crystal cadmium tungstate, the scintillation intensity as a function of x-ray intensity and x-ray energy, and the spatial resolution (modulation transfer function). Images obtained with the FCZ glass-ceramic scintillator and with cadmium tungstate are also presented. Comparison shows that the image quality obtained using the glass ceramic is close to that from cadmium tungstate. Therefore, the glass-ceramic scintillator could be used as an alternative material for image formation resulting from scintillation. Other inorganic scintillators such as single crystals or polycrystalline films have limitations in resolution or size, but the transparent glass-ceramic can be scaled to any shape or size with excellent resolution

Spread F occurrence and drift under the crest of the equatorial ionization anomaly from continuous Doppler sounding and FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC scintillation data

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Chum, Jaroslav; Liu, J.-Y.; Chen, S.-P.; Cabrera, M. A.; Laštovička, Jan; Baše, Jiří; Burešová, Dalia; Fišer, Jiří; Hruška, František; Ezquer, R.

2016-01-01

Roč. 68, č. 1 (2016), č. článku 56. ISSN 1880-5981 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GC15-07281J; GA ČR(CZ) GAP209/12/2440 Grant - others:Akademie věd České republiky(CZ) M100421201 Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : ionospheric irregularities * equatorial spread F * plasma bubbles * equatorial ionization anomaly * remote sensing * Doppler sounding * GPS signal occultation and scintillation Subject RIV: DG - Athmosphere Sciences, Meteorology Impact factor: 2.243, year: 2016 http:// earth -planets-space.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40623-016-0433-1

Variation in the WWV, 15 MHz field strength received at Hiraiso during a low solar activity and the application of the result to radio disturbance warning services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohshio, Mitsuo; Kidokoro, Tsuneichi

1978-01-01

Recurrent geomagnetic storms occur predominantly apparently during the period of low solar activity. Radio disturbance warning services are apt to be made in terms of geomagnetic disturbances in this period. This analysis has been made from the standpoint of making the electric field strength of a short wave (WWV, 15 MHz) circuit with a long distance received at Hiraiso, Japan correspond to not only geomagnetic disturbances, but also its absorption in the ionosphere. The electric field strength has been treated as a newly introduced daily mean value of time-integrated one in this paper. The result has been obtained from the analysis that about 2/3 of the daily electric field strength of the total cases treated were influenced by geomagnetic disturbances and that about 2/3 within the remaining about 1/3 proved to be influenced by the ionospheric absorption, ionospheric parameters such as f sub(min) and the phase of a VLF radio wave circuit being used. The strength has been considered to be influenced by the absorption also in case of being influenced by geomagnetic disturbances. The remaining about 1/9 of the total cases could not correspond to its cause. Some applications of the consideration have been made to practical problems. (author)

Scintillator material. Szintillatormaterial

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Siegmund, M; Bendig, J; Regenstein, W

1987-11-25

A scintillator material for detection and quantitative determination of ionizing radiation is discussed consisting of an acridone dissolved in a fluid or solid medium. Solvent mixtures with at least one protogenic component or polymers and copolymers are used. The scintillator material is distinguished by an excellent stability at high energy doses.

Neutrons detection by scintillation; Detection de neutrons par scintillations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giraudon, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1955-01-15

The absence of charge of neutrons and their elevated penetration power make difficult their detection. Techniques vary otherwise with the energy of the particle. The author proposes the realization of a scintillation detector with a big volume of liquid scintillator and containing boron for the detection of slowing-down neutrons in the domain of intermediate energies from 1 to 10{sup 5} eV about. (M.B.) [French] L'absence de charge du neutron et son pouvoir de penetration eleve rendent difficile sa detection. Les techniques par ailleurs varient avec l'energie de cette particule. L'auteur propose la realisation d'un detecteur a scintillations comprenant un grand volume de scintillateur liquide et contenant du bore pour la detection des neutrons en ralentissement dans le domaine des energies intermediaires de 1 a 10{sup 5} eV environ. (M.B.)

Influence of sampling properties of fast-waveform digitizers on neutron−gamma-ray, pulse-shape discrimination for organic scintillation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flaska, Marek; Faisal, Muhammad; Wentzloff, David D.; Pozzi, Sara A.

2013-01-01

One of the most important questions to be answered with regard to digital pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) systems based on organic scintillators is: What sampling properties are required for a fast-waveform digitizer used for digitizing neutron/gamma-ray pulses, while an accurate PSD is desired? Answering this question is the main objective of this paper. Specifically, the paper describes the influence of the resolution and sampling frequency of a waveform digitizer on the PSD performance of organic scintillators. The results presented in this paper are meant to help the reader choosing a waveform digitizer with appropriate bit resolution and sampling frequency. The results presented here show that a 12-bit, 250-MHz digitizer is a good choice for applications that require good PSD performance. However, when more accurate PSD performance is the main requirement, this paper presents PSD figures of merit to qualify the impact of further increasing either sampling frequency or resolution of the digitizer

Analysis of ULF Waves During Substorms Observed in the Ionosphere from the Dayside Ground Magnetometer and in the Solar Wind from the Satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Streltsov, A. V.; Alimaganbetov, M.

2017-12-01

Magnetospheric substorm is one of the most interesting and complicated phenomena of solar-terrestrial interactions. Despite numerous theoretical and experimental studies conducted during last 50 years, its several important phenomena are not completely understood yet. One of them are intense, ultra-low-frequency (from 0.5 mHz to 100 mHz), electromagnetic pulsations which are always observed during the substorms with the ground-based magnetometers and radars at high latitudes. These waves have the largest amplitudes in the power spectral densities during substorms. Hence, they are the most effective drivers of such mechanisms as high-latitude ionosphere energization, ion outflow production, formation of plasma density cavities, etc. In our study, we focus on the waves with frequencies 0.5-1.0 mHz, which is the lowest part of the frequency spectra observed during the substorm. The questions of what phenomena cause these oscillations and what are their spatiotemporal properties are among the most important ones about the physics of the substorm. To answer these questions, we analyzed disturbances of the magnetic field obtained from the two sources for the period from October 2015 to November 2016 during several substorms. One source is the fluxgate magnetometer in Poker Flat, Alaska. Another is the NASA Advanced Composite Explorer satellite in the Lagrangian L1 point that detects most of the solar wind from the Sun. The goal of our project is to find correlations between the disturbances observed from these sources, which will be a strong argument that the solar wind has a strong influence on the electromagnetic coupling between the ionosphere and magnetosphere of the Earth during the substorms. We observed 48 substorms during the abovementioned period. Our findings show that 1) the dominant frequency of the large-amplitude ULF waves observed during the substorms is 1 mHz or less; and 2) the same frequencies are frequently observed in the waves detected from the both

Elve Doublets: The Ionospheric Fingerprints of Compact Intracloud Discharges

Science.gov (United States)

da Silva, C. L.; Marshall, R. A.; Pasko, V. P.

2015-12-01

Compact intracloud discharges (CIDs) persist to date as one of the most mysterious lightning manifestations. CIDs are known to be the strongest natural sources of radio-frequency radiation on Earth. At VHF frequencies, approximately above 30 MHz, their emitted power is ten times stronger than that of other lightning processes. The well-known strength of CIDs in VHF contrasts with the lack of substantial optical measurements. CID's VLF/LF electric field change waveforms resemble one full cycle of a distorted sine function, with the first half-cycle being (a few times) larger-amplitude and shorter-duration than the second. For this reason CIDs have been dubbed narrow bipolar events (NBEs). NBE waveshapes are strikingly similar to the largest initial breakdown pulses (IBPs) that occur during the earlier stages of a conventional lightning flash, called classic IBPs. The similarity between classic IBP and NBE far-field waveforms, combined with the fact that positive-polarity NBEs frequently appear as the first event in an otherwise regular positive intracloud discharge, may be indicative that the source of these two E-field pulse types share the same physical mechanism inside thunderclouds [da Silva and Pasko, JGR, 120, 4989-5009, 2015]. In this presentation, we introduce a novel way to investigate CIDs. We show evidence that CIDs can produce an unique ionospheric signature, named "elve doublets". These signatures are characterized by a pair of elves separated in time by 80-160 microseconds. Our analysis combines fast photometric elve data, equivalent-transmission-line models to describe the dynamics of CID source currents, and FDTD modeling of electromagnetic wave propagation in the Earth-ionosphere waveguide accounting for its nonlinear interaction with the lower ionosphere [Marshall et al., GRL, 42, 2015, doi:10.1002/2015GL064862]. We show that typical (negative-polarity) CID altitudes, between 14-22 km, explain the time delay observed in elve doublets, where the

Calculations and measurements of the scintillator-to-water stopping power ratio of liquid scintillators for use in proton radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott Ingram, W.; Robertson, Daniel; Beddar, Sam

2015-01-01

Liquid scintillators are a promising detector for high-resolution three-dimensional proton therapy dosimetry. Because the scintillator comprises both the active volume of the detector and the phantom material, an ideal scintillator will exhibit water equivalence in its radiological properties. One of the most fundamental of these is the scintillator’s stopping power. The objective of this study was to compare calculations and measurements of scintillator-to-water stopping power ratios to evaluate the suitability of the liquid scintillators BC-531 and OptiPhase HiSafe 3 for proton dosimetry. We also measured the relative scintillation output of the two scintillators. Both calculations and measurements show that the linear stopping power of OptiPhase is significantly closer to water than that of BC-531. BC-531 has a somewhat higher scintillation output. OptiPhase can be mixed with water at high concentrations, which further improves its scintillator-to-water stopping power ratio. However, this causes the solution to become cloudy, which has a negative impact on the scintillation output and spatial resolution of the detector. OptiPhase is preferred over BC-531 for proton dosimetry because its density and scintillator-to-water stopping power ratio are more water equivalent

Multiple frequency radar observations of high-latitude E region irregularities in the HF modified ionosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noble, S.T.; Djuth, F.T.; Jost, R.J.

1987-01-01

In September 1983, experiments were conducted in Scandinavia using the high-power heating facility near Tromso, Norway. The purpose of the HF ionospheric modification experiments was to investigate the behavior of artificially produced E region irregularities at auroral latitudes. The majority of observations were made with backscatter radars operating at 46.9 and 143.8 MHz, but limited observations were also made at 21.4 and 140.0 MHz. These radars are sensitive to irregularities having scale lengths of between 1 and 7 m across the geomagnetic field lines. The growth and decay of the irregularities are scale length dependent with the shorter lengths growing and dissipating more rapidly than the longer lengths (e-folding growth times = 10 1 --10 2 ms; decay times = 10 2 --10 3 ms). During periods of full power ordinary mode heating, irregularities having peak cross sections of 10 4 m 2 at 46.9 MHz and 10 5 m 2 at 143.8 MHz are observed. However, the cross sections normally measured are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude smaller than the peak values. The cross sections are nonlinearly dependent on the HF power and begin to saturate at levels greater than 50--75 percent of full power. Past E and F region data from Arecibo are used in conjunction with the Tromso measurements to ascertain the relative roles played by various mechanisms in exciting irregularities. In the E region, the results tend to favor those instability processes which operate at the upper hybrid resonance level (e.g., thermal parametric and resonance instabilities) over those that operate at the reflection level (e.g., parametric decay instability). However, it is likely that anyh of the mechanisms studied could at times contribute to irregularity production in the E regions

Thermospheric storms and related ionospheric effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chandra, S.; Spencer, N.W.

1976-01-01

A comparative study of thermospheric storms for the equinox and winter conditions is presented based on the neutral composition measurements from the Aeros-A Nate (Neutral Atmosphere Temperature Experiment) experiment. The main features of the two storms as inferred from the changes in N 2 , Ar, He, and O are described, and their implications to current theories of thermospheric storms are discussed. On the basis of the study of the F region critical frequency measured from a chain of ground-based ionospheric stations during the two storm periods, the general characteristics of the ionospheric storms and the traveling ionospheric disturbances are described. It is suggested that the positive and negative phases of ionospheric storms are the various manifestations of thermospheric storms

A clear link connecting the troposphere and ionosphere: ionospheric reponses to the 2015 Typhoon Dujuan

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Jian; Yao, Yibin; Xu, Yahui; Kuo, Chungyen; Zhang, Liang; Liu, Lei; Zhai, Changzhi

2017-09-01

The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) total electron content (TEC) sequences were used to capture the arrival time and location of the ionosphere disturbances in response to the 2015 Typhoon Dujuan. After removing the de-trended TEC variation, the clear ionosphere disturbances on the typhoon landing day could be distinguished, and these disturbances disappeared from the TEC sequences before and after the typhoon landing day. The foF2 data observed by Xiamen ionosonde station also show ionosphere disturbances. Based on the advantages of GNSS multi-point observations, the disturbances horizontal velocity in the ionosphere were estimated according to the linear theory for a dispersion relation of acoustic gravity waves (AGWs) in an isothermal atmosphere. The average horizontal velocity (˜ 240 m/s) and the radial velocity (˜ 287 m/s) were used in the two-dimensional grid search for the origin point on the Earth's surface. The origin area was determined to be on the eastern side of Taiwan. Lastly, a possible physical mechanism is discussed in this study. When typhoons land on Taiwan, the severe convective storms and the drag effect from the Central Mountains create an ideal location for development of AGWs. Topographic conditions, like the high lapse rate, contribute to the formation of AGWs, which then propagates into the ionosphere altitude.

The 938 MHz resonant damping loops for the 200 MHz SPS travelling wave cavities

CERN Document Server

Caspers, F

2012-01-01

Measurements of the beam stability in the SPS in 1982 - 1983 have shown a transversal instability for high intensity beams [1]. The fact that this related technical note is published nearly 30 years later, is related to the revival of interest in the frame of SPS impedance evaluation for LS1. Until now there was just a barely known paper folder available which could be consulted on request. The instability mentioned above was identified from beam measurements as raised by a deflecting mode at approximately 940 MHz in the 200 MHz travelling wave cavities of the SPS. Estimates showed that an attenuation of this particular mode by 20 dB would be desirable. In order to achieve this attenuation some vacuum ports on top of the cavities were available. For the damping devices three requirements had to be met: - sufficient damping at about 940 MHz - no serious change of cavity input VSWR at 200 MHz - no water cooling requirement for this higher order mode coupler.

Inorganic liquid scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlicek, Z.; Barta, C.; Jursova, L.

1986-01-01

An inorganic liquid scintillator is designed which contains 1 to 30 wt.% of an inorganic molecular compound as the basic active component; the compound contains a cation with an atomic number higher than 47 and a halogen anion. The basic inorganic component is dissolved in water or in an organic solvent in form of non-dissociated molecules or self-complexes in which the bond is preserved between the cation and anion components. The light yield from these scintillators ranges between 70 and 150% of the light yield of a standard organic scintillator based on toluene. They are advantageous in that that they allow to increase the water content in the sample to up to 100%. (M.D.)

Preface: International Reference Ionosphere - Progress in Ionospheric Modelling

Science.gov (United States)

Bilitza Dieter; Reinisch, Bodo

2010-01-01

The international reference ionosphere (lRI) is the internationally recommended empirical model for the specification of ionospheric parameters supported by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) and recognized by the International Standardization Organization (ISO). IRI is being continually improved by a team of international experts as new data become available and better models are being developed. This issue chronicles the latest phase of model updates as reported during two IRI-related meetings. The first was a special session during the Scientific Assembly of the Committee of Space Research (COSPAR) in Montreal, Canada in July 2008 and the second was an IRI Task Force Activity at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs in May 2009. This work led to several improvements and additions of the model which will be included in the next version, IRI-201O. The issue is divided into three sections focusing on the improvements made in the topside ionosphere, the F-peak, and the lower ionosphere, respectively. This issue would not have been possible without the reviewing efforts of many individuals. Each paper was reviewed by two referees. We thankfully acknowledge the contribution to this issue made by the following reviewers: Jacob Adeniyi, David Altadill, Eduardo Araujo, Feza Arikan, Dieter Bilitza, Jilijana Cander, Bela Fejer, Tamara Gulyaeva, Manuel Hermindez-Pajares, Ivan Kutiev, John MacDougal, Leo McNamara, Bruno Nava, Olivier Obrou, Elijah Oyeyemi, Vadym Paznukhov, Bodo Reinisch, John Retterer, Phil Richards, Gary Sales, J.H. Sastri, Ludger Scherliess, Iwona Stanislavska, Stamir Stankov, Shin-Yi Su, Manlian Zhang, Y ongliang Zhang, and Irina Zakharenkova. We are grateful to Peggy Ann Shea for her final review and guidance as the editor-in-chief for special issues of Advances in Space Research. We thank the authors for their timely submission and their quick response to the reviewer comments and humbly

Neutrons detection by scintillation; Detection de neutrons par scintillations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giraudon, J. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1955-01-15

The absence of charge of neutrons and their elevated penetration power make difficult their detection. Techniques vary otherwise with the energy of the particle. The author proposes the realization of a scintillation detector with a big volume of liquid scintillator and containing boron for the detection of slowing-down neutrons in the domain of intermediate energies from 1 to 10{sup 5} eV about. (M.B.) [French] L'absence de charge du neutron et son pouvoir de penetration eleve rendent difficile sa detection. Les techniques par ailleurs varient avec l'energie de cette particule. L'auteur propose la realisation d'un detecteur a scintillations comprenant un grand volume de scintillateur liquide et contenant du bore pour la detection des neutrons en ralentissement dans le domaine des energies intermediaires de 1 a 10{sup 5} eV environ. (M.B.)

Liquid scintillation, counting, and compositions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sena, E.A.; Tolbert, B.M.; Sutula, C.L.

1975-01-01

The emissions of radioactive isotopes in both aqueous and organic samples can be measured by liquid scintillation counting in micellar systems. The micellar systems are made up of scintillation solvent, scintillation solute and a mixture of surfactants, preferably at least one of which is relatively oil-soluble water-insoluble and another which is relatively water-soluble oil-insoluble

Influence of Ionospheric Irregularities on GNSS Remote Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. V. Tinin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We have used numerical simulation to study the effects of ionospheric irregularities on accuracy of global navigation satellite system (GNSS measurements, using ionosphere-free (in atmospheric research and geometry-free (in ionospheric research dual-frequency phase combinations. It is known that elimination of these effects from multifrequency GNSS measurements is handi-capped by diffraction effects during signal propagation through turbulent ionospheric plasma with the inner scale being smaller than the Fresnel radius. We demonstrated the possibility of reducing the residual ionospheric error in dual-frequency GNSS remote sensing in ionosphere-free combination by Fresnel inversion. The inversion parameter, the distance to the virtual screen, may be selected from the minimum of amplitude fluctuations. This suggests the possibility of improving the accuracy of GNSS remote sensing in meteorology. In the study of ionospheric disturbances with the aid of geometry-free combination, the Fresnel inversion eliminates only the third-order error. To eliminate the random TEC component which, like the measured average TEC, is the first-order correction, we should use temporal filtering (averaging.

A STUDY ON THE KOREAN IONOSPHERIC VARIABILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seok-Hee Bae

1992-06-01

Full Text Available The ionosphere in accordance with solar activity can affect the transmission of radio waves. The effect of the ionosphere on the radio wave propagation are scattering of radio waves, attenuation, angle error, ranging error, and time delay. The present study is based on the Korean ionospheirc data obtained at the AnYang Radio Research Laboratory from January 1985 through October 1989. The data are analyzed to show the daily and the annual variations of the ionosphere. The data are also used to simulate the density distribution of the Korean ionosphere following the Chapman law.

Sub-nanosecond plastic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyons, P.B.; Caldwell, S.E.; Hocker, L.P.; Crandall, D.G.; Zagarino, P.A.; Cheng, J.; Tirsell, G.; Hurlbut, C.R.

1977-01-01

Quenched plastic scintillators have been developed that yield much faster short decay components and greatly reduced long decay components compared to conventional plastic scintillators. The plastics are produced through the addition of selected quench agents to NE111 plastic scintillator that result in reduced total light output. Eight different agents have been studied. Benzophenone and piperidine are two of the most effective quench agents. Data are presented both for short and long decay components. The plastics are expected to make significant contributions in areas of plasma diagnostics

Sub-nanosecond plastic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyons, P.B.; Caldwell, S.E.; Hocker, L.P.; Crandall, D.G.; Zagarino, P.A.; Cheng, J.; Tirsell, G.; Hurlbut, C.R.

1976-01-01

Quenched plastic scintillators have been developed that yield much faster short decay components and greatly reduced long decay components compared to conventional plastic scintillators. The plastics are produced through the addition of selected quench agents to NE111 plastic scintillator that result in reduced total light output. Eight different agents have been studied. Benzophenone and piperidine are two of the most effective quench agents. Data are presented both for short and long decay components. The plastics are expected to make significant contributions in areas of plasma diagnostics

Long wavelength scintillators for fiber-optic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyons, P.B.; Franks, L.; Lutz, S.; Flournoy, J.; Fullman, E.

1980-01-01

The use of fiber optics in plasma diagnostics has spurred the development of long wavelength scintillators with fast temporal characteristics. In this paper we describe several new liquid scintillator systems with fluorescent emissions maxima up to 730 nm. Subnanosecond scintillator FWHM response times have been obtained by the operation of liquid scintillators at elevated temperatures. Data on fiber system sensitivity versus fiber length and scintillator emission wavelength will be presented

High Efficiency, Low Cost Scintillators for PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanai Shah

2007-01-01

Inorganic scintillation detectors coupled to PMTs are an important element of medical imaging applications such as positron emission tomography (PET). Performance as well as cost of these systems is limited by the properties of the scintillation detectors available at present. The Phase I project was aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of producing high performance scintillators using a low cost fabrication approach. Samples of these scintillators were produced and their performance was evaluated. Overall, the Phase I effort was very successful. The Phase II project will be aimed at advancing the new scintillation technology for PET. Large samples of the new scintillators will be produced and their performance will be evaluated. PET modules based on the new scintillators will also be built and characterized

The quest for the ideal inorganic scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derenzo, S.E.; Weber, M.J.; Bourret-Courchesne, E.; Klintenberg, M.K.

2002-01-01

The past half century has witnessed the discovery of many new inorganic scintillator materials and numerous advances in our understanding of the basic physical processes governing the transformation of ionizing radiation into scintillation light. Whereas scintillators are available with a good combination of physical properties, none provides the desired combination of stopping power, light output, and decay time. A review of the numerous scintillation mechanisms of known inorganic scintillators reveals why none of them is both bright and fast. The mechanisms of radiative recombination in wide-bandgap direct semiconductors, however, remain relatively unexploited for scintillators. We describe how suitably doped semiconductor scintillators could provide a combination of high light output, short decay time, and linearity of response that approach fundamental limits

Multi element high resolution scintillator structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cusano, D.A.

1980-01-01

A gamma camera scintillator structure, suitable for detecting high energy gamma photons which, in a single scintillator camera, would require a comparatively thick scintillator crystal, so resulting in unacceptable dispersion of light photons, comprises a collimator array of a high Z material with elongated, parallel wall channels with the scintillator material being disposed in one end of the channels so as to form an integrated collimator/scintillator structure. The collimator channel walls are preferably coated with light reflective material and further light reflective surfaces being translucent to gamma photons, may be provided in each channel. The scintillators may be single crystals or preferably comprise a phosphor dispersed in a thermosetting translucent matrix as disclosed in GB2012800A. The light detectors of the assembled camera may be photomultiplier tubes charge coupled devices or charge injection devices. (author)

Extruded plastic scintillator for MINERvA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pla-Dalmau, Anna; Bross, Alan D.; FermilabRykalin, Victor V.; Wood, Brian M.; NICADD, DeKalb

2005-01-01

An extrusion line has recently been installed at Fermilab in collaboration with NICADD (Northern Illinois Center for Accelerator and Detector Development). This new facility will serve to further develop and improve extruded plastic scintillator. Since polystyrene is widely used in the consumer industry, the logical path was to investigate the extrusion of commercial-grade polystyrene pellets with dopants to yield high quality plastic scintillator. The D0 and MINOS experiments are already using extruded scintillator strips in their detectors. A new experiment at Fermilab is pursuing the use of extruded plastic scintillator. A new plastic scintillator strip is being tested and its properties characterized. The initial results are presented here

Real-time volumetric scintillation dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beddar, S

2015-01-01

The goal of this brief review is to review the current status of real-time 3D scintillation dosimetry and what has been done so far in this area. The basic concept is to use a large volume of a scintillator material (liquid or solid) to measure or image the dose distributions from external radiation therapy (RT) beams in three dimensions. In this configuration, the scintillator material fulfills the dual role of being the detector and the phantom material in which the measurements are being performed. In this case, dose perturbations caused by the introduction of a detector within a phantom will not be at issue. All the detector configurations that have been conceived to date used a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) camera to measure the light produced within the scintillator. In order to accurately measure the scintillation light, one must correct for various optical artefacts that arise as the light propagates from the scintillating centers through the optical chain to the CCD chip. Quenching, defined in its simplest form as a nonlinear response to high-linear energy transfer (LET) charged particles, is one of the disadvantages when such systems are used to measure the absorbed dose from high-LET particles such protons. However, correction methods that restore the linear dose response through the whole proton range have been proven to be effective for both liquid and plastic scintillators. Volumetric scintillation dosimetry has the potential to provide fast, high-resolution and accurate 3D imaging of RT dose distributions. Further research is warranted to optimize the necessary image reconstruction methods and optical corrections needed to achieve its full potential

Imaging melanin cancer growth in-vivo using raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) at 50 MHz and 100 MHz

Science.gov (United States)

Omar, Murad; Schwarz, Mathias; Soliman, Dominik; Symvoulidis, Panagiotis; Ntziachristos, Vasilis

2016-03-01

We used raster-scan optoacoustic mesoscopy (RSOM) at 50 MHz, and at 100 MHz, to monitor tumor growth, and tumor angiogenesis, which is a central hallmark of cancer, in-vivo. In this study we compared the performance, and the effect of the 50 MHz, and the 100 MHz frequencies on the quality of the final image. The system is based on a reflection-mode implementation of RSOM. The detectors used are custom made, ultrawideband, and spherically focused. The use of such detectors enables light coupling from the same side as the detector, thus reflection-mode. Light is in turn coupled using a fiber bundle, and the detector is raster scanned in the xy-plane. Subsequently, to retrieve small features, the raw data are reconstructed using a multi-bandwidth, beamforming reconstruction algorithm. Comparison of the system performance at the different frequencies shows as expected a higher resolution in case of the 100 MHz detector compared to the 50 MHz. On the other hand the 50 MHz has a better SNR, can detect features from deeper layers, and has higher angular acceptance. Based on these characteristics the 50 MHz detector was mostly used. After comparing the performance we monitored the growth of B16F10 cells, melanin tumor, over the course of 9 days. We see correspondence between the optoacoustic measurements and the cryoslice validations. Additionally, in areas close to the tumor we see sprouting of new vessels, starting at day 4-5, which corresponds to tumor angiogenesis.

Neutron crosstalk between liquid scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verbeke, J.M., E-mail: verbeke2@llnl.gov; Prasad, M.K., E-mail: prasad1@llnl.gov; Snyderman, N.J., E-mail: snyderman1@llnl.gov

2015-09-11

A method is proposed to quantify the fractions of neutrons scattering between liquid scintillators. Using a spontaneous fission source, this method can be utilized to quickly characterize an array of liquid scintillators in terms of crosstalk. The point model theory due to Feynman is corrected to account for these multiple scatterings. Using spectral information measured by the liquid scintillators, fractions of multiple scattering can be estimated, and mass reconstruction of fissile materials under investigation can be improved. Monte Carlo simulations of mono-energetic neutron sources were performed to estimate neutron crosstalk. A californium source in an array of liquid scintillators was modeled to illustrate the improvement of the mass reconstruction.

Neutron crosstalk between liquid scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verbeke, J.M.; Prasad, M.K.; Snyderman, N.J.

2015-01-01

A method is proposed to quantify the fractions of neutrons scattering between liquid scintillators. Using a spontaneous fission source, this method can be utilized to quickly characterize an array of liquid scintillators in terms of crosstalk. The point model theory due to Feynman is corrected to account for these multiple scatterings. Using spectral information measured by the liquid scintillators, fractions of multiple scattering can be estimated, and mass reconstruction of fissile materials under investigation can be improved. Monte Carlo simulations of mono-energetic neutron sources were performed to estimate neutron crosstalk. A californium source in an array of liquid scintillators was modeled to illustrate the improvement of the mass reconstruction

High-symmetry organic scintillator systems

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Patrick L.

2017-07-18

An ionizing radiation detector or scintillator system includes a scintillating material comprising an organic crystalline compound selected to generate photons in response to the passage of ionizing radiation. The organic compound has a crystalline symmetry of higher order than monoclinic, for example an orthorhombic, trigonal, tetragonal, hexagonal, or cubic symmetry. A photodetector is optically coupled to the scintillating material, and configured to generate electronic signals having pulse shapes based on the photons generated in the scintillating material. A discriminator is coupled to the photon detector, and configured to discriminate between neutrons and gamma rays in the ionizing radiation based on the pulse shapes of the output signals.

Temperature dependence of plastic scintillators

Science.gov (United States)

Peralta, L.

2018-03-01

Plastic scintillator detectors have been studied as dosimeters, since they provide a cost-effective alternative to conventional ionization chambers. Several articles have reported undesired response dependencies on beam energy and temperature, which provides the motivation to determine appropriate correction factors. In this work, we studied the light yield temperature dependency of four plastic scintillators, BCF-10, BCF-60, BC-404, RP-200A and two clear fibers, BCF-98 and SK-80. Measurements were made using a 50 kVp X-ray beam to produce the scintillation and/or radioluminescence signal. The 0 to 40 °C temperature range was scanned for each scintillator, and temperature coefficients were obtained.

High-symmetry organic scintillator systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Patrick L.

2018-03-13

An ionizing radiation detector or scintillator system includes a scintillating material comprising an organic crystalline compound selected to generate photons in response to the passage of ionizing radiation. The organic compound has a crystalline symmetry of higher order than monoclinic, for example an orthorhombic, trigonal, tetragonal, hexagonal, or cubic symmetry. A photodetector is optically coupled to the scintillating material, and configured to generate electronic signals having pulse shapes based on the photons generated in the scintillating material. A discriminator is coupled to the photon detector, and configured to discriminate between neutrons and gamma rays in the ionizing radiation based on the pulse shapes of the output signals.

High-symmetry organic scintillator systems

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Patrick L.

2018-02-06

An ionizing radiation detector or scintillator system includes a scintillating material comprising an organic crystalline compound selected to generate photons in response to the passage of ionizing radiation. The organic compound has a crystalline symmetry of higher order than monoclinic, for example an orthorhombic, trigonal, tetragonal, hexagonal, or cubic symmetry. A photodetector is optically coupled to the scintillating material, and configured to generate electronic signals having pulse shapes based on the photons generated in the scintillating material. A discriminator is coupled to the photon detector, and configured to discriminate between neutrons and gamma rays in the ionizing radiation based on the pulse shapes of the output signals.

The 136 MHZ/400 MHz earth station antenna-noise temperature prediction program for RAE-B

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, R. E.; Fee, J. J.; Chin, M.

1972-01-01

A simulation study was undertaken to determine the 136 MHz and 400 MHz noise temperature of the ground network antennas which will track the RAE-B satellite during data transmission periods. Since the noise temperature of the antenna effectively sets the signal-to-noise ratio of the received signal, a knowledge of SNR will be helpful in locating the optimum time windows for data transmission during low noise periods. Antenna noise temperatures will be predicted for selected earth-based ground stations which will support RAE-B. Telemetry data acquisition will be at 400 MHz; tracking support at 136 MHz will be provided by the Goddard Range and Range Rate (RARR) stations. The antenna-noise temperature predictions will include the effects of galactic-brightness temperature, the sun, and the brightest radio stars. Predictions will cover the ten-month period from March 1, 1973 to December 31, 1973.

Comparative ionospheres: Terrestrial and giant planets

Science.gov (United States)

Mendillo, Michael; Trovato, Jeffrey; Moore, Luke; Müller-Wodarg, Ingo

2018-03-01

The study of planetary ionospheres within our solar system offers a variety of settings to probe mechanisms of photo-ionization, chemical loss, and plasma transport. Ionospheres are a minor component of upper atmospheres, and thus their mix of ions observed depends on the neutral gas composition of their parent atmospheres. The same solar irradiance (x-rays and extreme-ultra-violet vs. wavelength) impinges upon each of these atmospheres, with solar flux magnitudes changed only by the inverse square of distance from the Sun. If all planets had the same neutral atmosphere-with ionospheres governed by photochemical equilibrium (production = loss)-their peak electron densities would decrease as the inverse of distance from the Sun, and any changes in solar output would exhibit coherent effects throughout the solar system. Here we examine the outer planet with the most observations of its ionosphere (Saturn) and compare its patterns of electron density with those at Earth under the same-day solar conditions. We show that, while the average magnitudes of the major layers of molecular ions at Earth and Saturn are approximately in accord with distance effects, only minor correlations exist between solar effects and day-to-day electron densities. This is in marked contrast to the strong correlations found between the ionospheres of Earth and Mars. Moreover, the variability observed for Saturn's ionosphere (maximum electron density and total electron content) is much larger than found at Earth and Mars. With solar irradiance changes far too small to cause such effects, we use model results to explore the roles of other agents. We find that water sources from Enceladus at low latitudes, and 'ring rain' at middle latitudes, contribute substantially to variability via water ion chemistry. Thermospheric winds and electrodynamics generated at auroral latitudes are suggested causes of high latitude ionospheric variability, but remain inconclusive due to the lack of relevant

Multi-technique investigations of storm-time ionospheric irregularities over the São Luís equatorial station in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. R. de Paula

2004-11-01

Full Text Available On 11 April 2001, a large magnetic storm occurred with SSC at 13:43 UT, and D_st reached below -200nT after two southward B_z excursions. The K_p index during this storm reached 8 and remained high (>4 for about 21h, and the São Luís magnetometer H component presented simultaneous oscillations and decreased substantially relative to the previous magnetically quiet days. This storm triggered strong ionospheric irregularities, as observed by a recently installed 30MHz coherent scatter radar, a digisonde, and a GPS scintillation receiver, all operating at the São Luís equatorial station (2.33° S, 44° W, dip latitude 1.3° S. The ionospheric conditions and the characteristics of the ionospheric irregularities observed by these instruments are presented and discussed. The VHF radar RTI (Range Time Intensity echoes and their power spectra and spectral width for the storm night 11-12 April 2001, were used to analyse the nature and dynamics of the plasma irregularities and revealed the coexistence of many structures in the altitudinal range of 400-1200km, some locally generated and others that drifted from other longitudinal sectors. The radar data also revealed that the plumes had periodic eastward and westward zonal velocities after 22:20 UT, when well-developed quiet-time plumes typically drift eastward. Another interesting new observation is that the F-layer remained anomalously high throughout the 11-12 April 2001 storm night (21:00 UT to 09:00 UT next day (the LT at São Luís is UT -3h, as indicated by the digisonde parameters hmF2 and h'F, which is a condition favourable for spread F generation and maintenance. The AE auroral index showed enhancements (followed by decreases that are indicative of magnetospheric convection enhancements at about 15:00 UT, 20:00 UT and 22:00 UT on 11 April 2001 and at 00:20 UT (small amplitude on 12 April 2001, associated with many

Investigation of Ionospheric Disturbances Using Radio and Optical Observations in South-East Asia -- The Initial Results of the ASI and FPI Observations in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Science.gov (United States)

Kubota, M.; Nagatsuma, T.; Otsuka, Y.; Shiokawa, K.; Komonjinda, S.; Komolmis, T.; Somboon, E.; Tsugawa, T.; Maruyama, T.; Murata, K. T.

2010-12-01

For the purpose of monitoring and forecasting equatorial ionospheric disturbances, SEALION (SouthEast Asia Low-latitude IOnospheric Network) has been developed since 2003 as a cooperation project by National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) in Thailand, Chiang Mai University (CMU) in Thailand, National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) in Indonesia, Hanoi Institute of Geophysics (HIG), Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology in Vietnam, Center for Space Science and Applied Research (CSSAR), Chinese Academy of Sciences in China, Kyoto University in Japan, and Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory (STEL), Nagoya University in Japan. SEALION consists of five ionosondes, four GPS receivers, two GPS scintillation monitors, and a magnetometer. As a part of this project, we newly installed an all-sky imager (ASI) and a Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) at Sirindhorn observatory in Chiang Mai (18.8N, 98.9E, Dip lat. 13.1), Thailand. This site is located near conjugate to EAR site in Kototabang, Indonesia. One of main targets of the ASI observation is the large-scale wave structure (LSWS) with wavelengths of 100-1000 km. The LSWS is thought to be connected to the generation mechanism of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPB). The optical observations in Chiang Mai started in February 2010, and we have detected several ionospheric disturbance events with these instruments In this paper, we will show the initial results of the optical observations from Sirindhorn observatory, and discuss the features of ionospheric disturbances in Southeast Asia.

Production of Ionospheric Perturbations by Cloud-to-Ground Lightning and the Recovery of the Lower Ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Ningyu; Dwyer, Joseph; Rassoul, Hamid

2013-04-01

The fact that lightning/thunderstorm activities can directly modify the lower ionosphere has long been established by observations of the perturbations of very low frequency (VLF) signals propagating in the earth-ionosphere waveguide. These perturbations are known as early VLF events [Inan et al., 2010, JGR, 115, A00E36, 2010]. More recently discovered transient luminous events caused by the lightning/thunderstorm activities only last ~1-100 ms, but studies of the early VLF events show that the lightning ionospheric effects can persist much longer, >10s min [Cotts and Inan, GRL, 34, L14809, 2007; Haldoupis et al., JGR, 39, L16801, 2012; Salut et al., JGR, 117, A08311, 2012]. It has been suggested that the long recovery is caused by long-lasting conductivity perturbations in the lower ionosphere, which can be created by sprites/sprite halos which in turn are triggered by cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning [Moore et al., JGR, 108, 1363, 2003; Haldoupis et al., 2012]. We recently developed a two-dimensional fluid model with simplified ionospheric chemistry for studying the quasi-electrostatic effects of lightning in the lower ionosphere [Liu, JGR, 117, A03308, 2012]. The model chemistry captures major ion species and reactions in the lower ionosphere. Additional important features of the model include self-consistent background ion density profiles and full description of electron and ion transport. In this talk, we present the simulation results on the dynamics of sprite halos caused by negative CG lightning. The modeling results indicate that electron density around 60 km altitude can be enhanced in a region as wide as 80 km. The enhancement reaches its full extent in ~1 s and recovers in 1-10 s, which are on the same orders as the durations of slow onset and post-onset peaks of some VLF events, respectively. In addition, long-lasting electron and ion density perturbations can occur around 80 km altitude due to negative halos as well as positive halos, which can explain

High-efficiency organic glass scintillators

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Patrick L.; Carlson, Joseph S.

2017-12-19

A new family of neutron/gamma discriminating scintillators is disclosed that comprises stable organic glasses that may be melt-cast into transparent monoliths. These materials have been shown to provide light yields greater than solution-grown trans-stilbene crystals and efficient PSD capabilities when combined with 0.01 to 0.05% by weight of the total composition of a wavelength-shifting fluorophore. Photoluminescence measurements reveal fluorescence quantum yields that are 2 to 5 times greater than conventional plastic or liquid scintillator matrices, which accounts for the superior light yield of these glasses. The unique combination of high scintillation light-yields, efficient neutron/gamma PSD, and straightforward scale-up via melt-casting distinguishes the developed organic glasses from existing scintillators.

Lower bounds on scintillation detector timing performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clinthorne, N.H.; Rogers, W.L.; Hero, A.O. III.; Petrick, N.A.

1990-01-01

Fundamental method-independent limits on the timing performance of scintillation detectors are useful for identifying regimes in which either present timing methods are nearly optimal or where a considerable performance gain might be realized using better pulse processing techniques. Several types of lower bounds on mean-squared timing error (MSE) performance have been developed and applied to scintillation detectors. The simple Cramer-Rao (CR) bound can be useful in determining the limiting MSE for scintillators having a relatively high rate of photon problction such as BaF 2 and NaI(Tl); however, it tends to overestimate the achievalbe performance for scintillators with lower rates such as BGO. For this reason, alternative bounds have been developed using rate-distortion theory or by assuming that the conversion of energy to scintillation light must pass through excited states which have exponential lifetime densities. The bounds are functions of the mean scintillation pulse shape, the scintillation intensity, and photodetector characteristics; they are simple to evaluate and can be used to conveniently assess the limiting timing performance of scintillation detectors. (orig.)

Using DORIS measurements for ionosphere modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Dettmering, Denise; Schmidt, Michael; Limberger, Marco

2013-04-01

Nowadays, most of the ionosphere models used in geodesy are based on terrestrial GNSS measurements and describe the Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) depending on longitude, latitude, and time. Since modeling the height distribution of the electrons is difficult due to the measurement geometry, the VTEC maps are based on the the assumption of a single-layer ionosphere. Moreover, the accuracy of the VTEC maps is different for different regions of the Earth, because the GNSS stations are unevenly distributed over the globe and some regions (especially the ocean areas) are not very well covered by observations. To overcome the unsatisfying measurement geometry of the terrestrial GNSS measurements and to take advantage of the different sensitivities of other space-geodetic observation techniques, we work on the development of multi-dimensional models of the ionosphere from the combination of modern space-geodetic satellite techniques. Our approach consists of a given background model and an unknown correction part expanded in terms of B-spline functions. Different space-geodetic measurements are used to estimate the unknown model coefficients. In order to take into account the different accuracy levels of the observations, a Variance Component Estimation (VCE) is applied. We already have proven the usefulness of radio occultation data from space-borne GPS receivers and of two-frequency altimetry data. Currently, we test the capability of DORIS observations to derive ionospheric parameters such as VTEC. Although DORIS was primarily designed for precise orbit computation of satellites, it can be used as a tool to study the Earth's ionosphere. The DORIS ground beacons are almost globally distributed and the system is on board of various Low Earth Orbiters (LEO) with different orbit heights, such as Jason-2, Cryosat-2, and HY-2. The last generation of DORIS receivers directly provides phase measurements on two frequencies. In this contribution, we test the DORIS

47 CFR 90.672 - Unacceptable interference to non-cellular 800 MHz licensees from 800 MHz cellular systems or part...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Unacceptable interference to non-cellular 800 MHz licensees from 800 MHz cellular systems or part 22 Cellular Radiotelephone systems, and within the... Procedures and Process-Unacceptable Interference § 90.672 Unacceptable interference to non-cellular 800 MHz...

Impulsive Alfven coupling between the magnetosphere and ionosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reddy, R.V.; Watanabe, K.; Sato, T.; Watanabe, T.H.

1994-04-01

Basic properties of the impulsive Alfven interaction between the magnetosphere and ionosphere have been studied by means of a three-dimensional self-consistent simulation of the coupled magnetosphere and ionosphere system. It is found that the duration time of an impulsive perturbation at the magnetospheric equator, the latitudinal distribution of the Alfven propagation time along the field lines, and the ratio between the magnetospheric impedance and the ionospheric resistance is the main key factors that determine the propagation dynamics and the ionospheric responses for an impulsive MHD perturbation in the magnetosphere. (author)

Designing an optimally proportional inorganic scintillator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Jai, E-mail: jai.singh@cdu.edu.au [School of Engineering and IT, B-Purple-12, Faculty of EHSE, Charles Darwin University, NT 0909 (Australia); Koblov, Alexander [School of Engineering and IT, B-Purple-12, Faculty of EHSE, Charles Darwin University, NT 0909 (Australia)

2012-09-01

The nonproportionality observed in the light yield of inorganic scintillators is studied theoretically as a function of the rates of bimolecular and Auger quenching processes occurring within the electron track initiated by a gamma- or X-ray photon incident on a scintillator. Assuming a cylindrical track, the influence of the track radius and concentration of excitations created within the track on the scintillator light yield is also studied. Analysing the calculated light yield a guideline for inventing an optimally proportional scintillator with optimal energy resolution is presented.

Designing an optimally proportional inorganic scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Jai; Koblov, Alexander

2012-01-01

The nonproportionality observed in the light yield of inorganic scintillators is studied theoretically as a function of the rates of bimolecular and Auger quenching processes occurring within the electron track initiated by a gamma- or X-ray photon incident on a scintillator. Assuming a cylindrical track, the influence of the track radius and concentration of excitations created within the track on the scintillator light yield is also studied. Analysing the calculated light yield a guideline for inventing an optimally proportional scintillator with optimal energy resolution is presented.

Random wave fields and scintillated beams

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Roux, FS

2009-01-01

Full Text Available F. Stef Roux CSIR National Laser Centre PO Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa CSIR National Laser Centre – p.1/29 Contents . Scintillated beams and adaptive optics . Detecting a vortex — Shack-Hartmann . Remove optical vortices . Random vortex... beam. CSIR National Laser Centre – p.3/29 Weak scintillation If the scintillation is weak the resulting phase function of the optical beam is still continuous. Such a weakly scintillated beam can be corrected by an adaptive optical system. CSIR National...

Detector construction for a scintillation camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashe, J.B.

1977-01-01

An improved transducer construction for a scintillation camera in which a light conducting element is equipped with a layer of moisture impervious material is described. A scintillation crystal is thereafter positioned in optical communication with the moisture impervious layer and the remaining surfaces of the scintillation crystal are encompassed by a moisture shield. Affixing the moisture impervious layer to the light conducting element prior to attachment of the scintillation crystal reduces the requirement for mechanical strength in the moisture impervious layer and thereby allows a layer of reduced thickness to be utilized. Preferably, photodetectors are also positioned in optical communication with the light conducting element prior to positioning the scintillation crystal in contact with the impervious layer. 13 claims, 4 figures

Characteristics of low latitude ionospheric E-region irregularities ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

154°E, dip angle = 37.3°, sub-ionospheric dip = 34°) have been analyzed to study the behaviour of ionospheric E-region irregularities during the active solar and magnetic periods. The autocorrelation functions, power spectral densities, signal de-correlation times are computed to study the temporal features of ionospheric ...

Inverse problem of radiofrequency sounding of ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Velichko, E. N.; Yu. Grishentsev, A.; Korobeynikov, A. G.

2016-01-01

An algorithm for the solution of the inverse problem of vertical ionosphere sounding and a mathematical model of noise filtering are presented. An automated system for processing and analysis of spectrograms of vertical ionosphere sounding based on our algorithm is described. It is shown that the algorithm we suggest has a rather high efficiency. This is supported by the data obtained at the ionospheric stations of the so-called “AIS-M” type.

A new plastic scintillator with large Stokes shift

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Destruel, P.; Taufer, M.

1989-01-01

We have developed a new plastic scintillator with the novel characteristic of highly localized light emission; scintillation and wavelength shifting take place within a few tens of micrometers of the primary ionization. The new scintillator consists of a scintillating polymer base [polyvinyl toluene (PVT) or polystyrene (PS)] doped with a single wavelength shifter, 1-phenyl-3-mesityl-2-pyrazoline (PMP), which has an exceptionally large Stokes shift and therefore a comparatively small self-absorption of its emitted light. In other characteristics (e.g. scintillation efficiency and decay time) the performance of the new scintillator is similar to a good quality commercial plastic scintillator such as NE110. (orig.)

Ionospheric Irregularities at Mars Probed by MARSIS Topside Sounding

Science.gov (United States)

Harada, Y.; Gurnett, D. A.; Kopf, A. J.; Halekas, J. S.; Ruhunusiri, S.

2018-01-01

The upper ionosphere of Mars contains a variety of perturbations driven by solar wind forcing from above and upward propagating atmospheric waves from below. Here we explore the global distribution and variability of ionospheric irregularities around the exobase at Mars by analyzing topside sounding data from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on board Mars Express. As irregular structure gives rise to off-vertical echoes with excess propagation time, the diffuseness of ionospheric echo traces can be used as a diagnostic tool for perturbed reflection surfaces. The observed properties of diffuse echoes above unmagnetized regions suggest that ionospheric irregularities with horizontal wavelengths of tens to hundreds of kilometers are particularly enhanced in the winter hemisphere and at high solar zenith angles. Given the known inverse dependence of neutral gravity wave amplitudes on the background atmospheric temperature, the ionospheric irregularities probed by MARSIS are most likely associated with plasma perturbations driven by atmospheric gravity waves. Though extreme events with unusually diffuse echoes are more frequently observed for high solar wind dynamic pressures during some time intervals, the vast majority of the diffuse echo events are unaffected by varying solar wind conditions, implying limited influence of solar wind forcing on the generation of ionospheric irregularities. Combination of remote and in situ measurements of ionospheric irregularities would offer the opportunity for a better understanding of the ionospheric dynamics at Mars.

Phosphor scintillator structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cusano, D.A.; Prener, J.S.

1980-01-01

A method of fabricating scintillators is described in which the phosphor is distributed within the structure in such a way as to enhance the escape of the visible wavelength radiation that would otherwise be dissipated within the scintillator body. Two embodiments of the present invention are disclosed: one in which the phosphor is distributed in a layered structure and another in which the phosphor is dispersed throughout a transparent matrix. (U.K.)

Ionospheric Modeling for Precise GNSS Applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Memarzadeh, Y.

2009-01-01

The main objective of this thesis is to develop a procedure for modeling and predicting ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) for high precision differential GNSS applications. As the ionosphere is a highly dynamic medium, we believe that to have a reliable procedure it is necessary to transfer

The 136 MHz/400 MHz earth station antenna-noise temperature prediction program documentation for RAE-B

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, M.

1972-01-01

A simulation study to determine the 136 MHz and 400 MHz noise temperature of the ground network antennas which will track the RAE-B satellite during data transmission periods is described. Since the noise temperature of the antenna effectively sets the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received signal, a knowledge of SNR will be helpful in locating the optimum time windows for data transmission during low-noise periods. Antenna-noise temperatures at 136 MHz and 400 MHz will be predicted for selected earth-based ground stations which will support RAE-B. The antenna-noise temperature predictions will include the effects of galactic-brightness temperature, the sun, and the brightest radio stars. Predictions will cover the ten-month period from March 1, 1973 to December 31, 1973. The RAE-B mission will be expecially susceptible to SNR degradation during the two eclipses of the Sun occurring in this period.

Ionospheric error analysis in gps measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Pugliano

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The results of an experiment aimed at evaluating the effects of the ionosphere on GPS positioning applications are presented in this paper. Specifically, the study, based upon a differential approach, was conducted utilizing GPS measurements acquired by various receivers located at increasing inter-distances. The experimental research was developed upon the basis of two groups of baselines: the first group is comprised of "short" baselines (less than 10 km; the second group is characterized by greater distances (up to 90 km. The obtained results were compared either upon the basis of the geometric characteristics, for six different baseline lengths, using 24 hours of data, or upon temporal variations, by examining two periods of varying intensity in ionospheric activity respectively coinciding with the maximum of the 23 solar cycle and in conditions of low ionospheric activity. The analysis revealed variations in terms of inter-distance as well as different performances primarily owing to temporal modifications in the state of the ionosphere.

Nanophosphor composite scintillator with a liquid matrix

Science.gov (United States)

McKigney, Edward Allen; Burrell, Anthony Keiran; Bennett, Bryan L.; Cooke, David Wayne; Ott, Kevin Curtis; Bacrania, Minesh Kantilal; Del Sesto, Rico Emilio; Gilbertson, Robert David; Muenchausen, Ross Edward; McCleskey, Thomas Mark

2010-03-16

An improved nanophosphor scintillator liquid comprises nanophosphor particles in a liquid matrix. The nanophosphor particles are optionally surface modified with an organic ligand. The surface modified nanophosphor particle is essentially surface charge neutral, thereby preventing agglomeration of the nanophosphor particles during dispersion in a liquid scintillator matrix. The improved nanophosphor scintillator liquid may be used in any conventional liquid scintillator application, including in a radiation detector.

A study of the ionospheric signature of ion supply from the ionosphere to the magnetosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loranc, M.A.P.

1988-01-01

Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of the ionosphere as a source of magnetospheric plasma; in particular, the observations of upwelling ions (UWI) by the DE-1 Retarding Ion Mass Spectrometer have illustrated the significance of low-energy ion supply to the magnetosphere. The composition of the UWI implies an ionospheric source, and the Dynamics Explorer dual satellite mission provides an opportunity to search for the ionospheric signature of UWI. Magnetometer data from both satellites are used to determine magnetic conjunctions of the satellites; these conjunctions are searched for correlated observations of UWI and upward flowing thermal ion (UFI) events. Four cases of correlated observations are presented as proof of that the UFI are indeed the ionospheric signature of UWI; it is found from these examples that the event are associated with intense field-aligned currents at both satellites and with anti-sunward convection, enhanced fluxes of low-energy precipitating electrons from the boundary plasma sheet, and upward thermal ion fluxes in excess of 10 9 cm -2 s -1 at DE-2. While USI are primarily a dayside phenomena, UFI are found in all local time sectors sampled by DE-2

Liquid scintillation counting of chlorophyll

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fric, F.; Horickova, B.; Haspel-Horvatovic, E.

1975-01-01

A precise and reproducible method of liquid scintillation counting was worked out for measuring the radioactivity of 14 C-labelled chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b solutions without previous bleaching. The spurious count rate caused by luminescence of the scintillant-chlorophyll system is eliminated by using a suitable scintillant and by measuring the radioactivity at 4 to 8 0 C after an appropriate time of dark adaptation. Bleaching of the chlorophyll solutions is necessary only for measuring of very low radioactivity. (author)

Scintillation counter based radiation dosimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Jeong Hyun

2009-02-01

The average human exposure per year is about 240mrem which is come from Radon and human body and terrestrial and cosmic radiation and man-made source. Specially radiation exposure through air from environmental radiation sources is 80mrem/yr(= 0.01mR/hr) which come from Terrestrial and cosmic radiation. Radiation dose is defined as energy deposit/mass. There are two major methods to detect radiation. First method is the energy integration using Air equivalent material like GM counter wall material. Second method is the spectrum to dose conversion method using NaI(Tl), HPGe. These two methods are using generally to detect radiation. But these methods are expensive. So we need new radiation detection method. The research purpose is the development of economical environmental radiation dosimeter. This system consists of Plastic/Inorganic scintillator and Si photo-diode based detector and counting based circuitry. So count rate(cps) can be convert to air exposure rate(R/hr). There are three major advantages in this system. First advantages is no high voltage power supply like GM counter. Second advantage is simple electronics. Simple electronics system can be achieved by Air-equivalent scintillation detector with Al filter for the same detection efficiency vs E curve. From former two advantages, we can know the most important advantages of the this system. Third advantage is economical system. The price of typical GM counter is about $1000. But the price of our system is below $100 because of plastic scintillator and simple electronics. The role of scintillation material is emitting scintillation which is the flash of light produced in certain materials when they absorb ionizing radiation. Plastic scintillator is organic scintillator which is kind of hydrocarbons. The special point are cheap price, large size production(∼ton), moderate light output, fast light emission(ns). And the role of Al filter is equalizing counting efficiency of air and scintillator for

Radiation Damage in Scintillating Crystals

CERN Document Server

Zhu Ren Yuan

1998-01-01

Crystal Calorimetry in future high energy physics experiments faces a new challenge to maintain its precision in a hostile radiation environment. This paper discusses the effects of radiation damage in scintillating crystals, and concludes that the predominant radiation damage effect in crystal scintillators is the radiation induced absorption, or color center formation, not the loss of the scintillation light yield. The importance of maintaining crystal's light response uniformity and the feasibility to build a precision crystal calorimeter under radiation are elaborated. The mechanism of the radiation damage in scintillating crystals is also discussed. While the damage in alkali halides is found to be caused by the oxygen or hydroxyl contamination, it is the structure defects, such as oxygen vacancies, cause damage in oxides. Material analysis methods used to reach these conclusions are presented in details.

The Earth's ionosphere plasma physics and electrodynamics

CERN Document Server

Kelley, Michael C

2007-01-01

Although interesting in its own right, due to the ever-increasing use of satellites for communication and navigation, weather in the ionosphere is of great concern. Every such system uses trans-ionospheric propagation of radio waves, waves which must traverse the commonly turbulent ionosphere. Understanding this turbulence and predicting it are one of the major goals of the National Space Weather program. Acquiring such a prediction capability will rest on understanding the very topics of this book, the plasma physics and electrodynamics of the system. Fully updated to reflect advances in the field in the 20 years since the first edition published Explores the buffeting of the ionosphere from above by the sun and from below by the lower atmosphere Unique text appropriate both as a reference and for coursework.

Measurements of ionospheric TEC in the direction of GPS satellites and comparison with three ionospheric models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Zuccheretti

1997-06-01

Full Text Available The IEN Galileo Ferraris uses GPS for time and frequency synchronization. To obtain high performance it is important to reduce the error due to the ionospheric time-delay in GPS measurements. Evaluations of TEC in the direction of GPS satellites, obtained from three different ionospheric models, have been compared with corresponding measurements by GPS signal.

Observation of total electron content and irregularities in electron density using GHz band radiowaves emitted from satellite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogawa, Tadahiko; Fujita, Masaharu; Awaka, Jun.

1978-01-01

The experiments to investigate the influence of troposphere on millimeter and sub-millimeter wave propagation were carried out, using the engineering test satellite -- 2 (ETS-2) which became the Japanese first stationary satellite and carries the transmitter emitting beacon waves of 1.7, 11.5 and 34.5 GHz coherent each other. By these experiments, it was found that the waves of 1.7 and 11.5 GHz were affected by the ionosphere. The measurement of total electron content using GHz band waves was the first trial in the world, and is capable of grasping its change with higher accuracy than conventional methods. Scintillation of 1.7 GHz is mainly the phenomenon during night, and it was revealed that it has a peak at 22.30 local time and occurred through the radiowave scattering owing to the irregularities of the ionosphere. It is also suggested that some plasma instability is generated in the place where electron density gradient in the ionosphere is large, and the irregularities of fine scale are produced, assuming from GHz band scintillations at the time of magnetic storm. The relations among wave number spectrum, scintillation frequency spectrum and S4 index (statistical quantity to give estimate for scintillation amplitude) can be derived by the weak scattering theory (Simple scattering theory). As seen above, the diagnosis of plasma disturbances in the ionosphere is feasible by the simultaneous observations of total electron content and scintillation. (Wakatsuki, Y.)

Shock-resistant scintillation detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novak, W.P.

1979-01-01

A unique scintillation detector unit is disclosed which employs a special light transfer and reflector means that encases and protects the scintillator crystal against high g forces. The light transfer means comprises a flexible silicon rubber optical material bonded between the crystal and the optical window and having an axial thickness sufficient to allow the scintillator to move axially inside the container under high g forces without destroying the bonds. The reflector means comprises a soft elastic silicone rubber sleeve having a multiplicity of closely arranged tapered protrusions radiating toward and engaging the periphery of the scintillator crystal to cushion shocks effectively and having a reflective material, such as aluminum oxide powder, in the spaces between the protrusions. The reflector means provides improved shock absorption because of the uniform support and cushioning action of the protrusions and also provides the detector with high efficiency. The silicon rubber composition is specially compounded to include a large amount of aluminum oxide which enables the rubber to function effectively as a light reflector

Space-polarization Collaborative Suppression Method for Ionospheric Clutter in HFSWR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Yunlong

2016-12-01

Full Text Available High Frequency Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR is able to receive surface target and low-flying aircraft echoes at a long-distance, but it suffers severely from ionospheric clutter. In this paper, a spacepolarization collaborative-based filter is introduced to mitigate ionospheric clutter. For parameter estimation on ionospheric clutter used for filters, a spatial parameter estimation algorithm based on compressive sensing is introduced to the DOA estimation of ionospheric clutter. In addition, a polarized parameter estimation algorithm based on statistical characteristics is proposed for ionospheric clutter in the range-Doppler spectrum. Higher estimation accuracy is achieved as a result of the range-Doppler spectrum; therefore, these two estimation algorithms enhance the performance of the space-polarization collaborative suppression method for ionospheric clutter. Experimental results of practical dual-polarized HFSWR data show the effectiveness of the two algorithms and the above mentioned filter for ionospheric clutter suppression.

Scintillating fiber detector performance, detector geometries, trigger, and electronics issues for scintillating fiber tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baumbaugh, A.E.

1994-06-01

Scintillating Fiber tracking technology has made great advances and has demonstrated great potential for high speed charged particle tracking and triggering. The small detector sizes and fast scintillation fluors available make them very promising for use at high luminosity experiments at today's and tomorrow's colliding and fixed target experiments where high rate capability is essential. This talk will discuss the current state of Scintillating fiber performance and current Visual Light Photon Counter (VLPC) characteristics. The primary topic will be some of the system design and integration issues which should be considered by anyone attempting to design a scintillating fiber tracking system which includes a high speed tracking trigger. Design. constraints placed upon the detector system by the electronics and mechanical sub-systems will be discussed. Seemingly simple and unrelated decisions can have far reaching effects on overall system performance. SDC and DO example system designs will be discussed

Ionospheric F-region response to the 26 September 2011 geomagnetic storm in the Antarctica American and Australian sectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Correia

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The ionospheric response at middle and high latitudes in the Antarctica American and Australian sectors to the 26–27 September 2011 moderately intense geomagnetic storm was investigated using instruments including an ionosonde, riometer, and GNSS receivers. The multi-instrument observations permitted us to characterize the ionospheric storm-enhanced density (SED and tongues of ionization (TOIs as a function of storm time and location, considering the effect of prompt penetration electric fields (PPEFs. During the main phase of the geomagnetic storm, dayside SEDs were observed at middle latitudes, and in the nightside only density depletions were observed from middle to high latitudes. Both the increase and decrease in ionospheric density at middle latitudes can be attributed to a combination of processes, including the PPEF effect just after the storm onset, dominated by disturbance dynamo processes during the evolution of the main phase. Two SEDs–TOIs were identified in the Southern Hemisphere, but only the first episode had a counterpart in the Northern Hemisphere. This difference can be explained by the interhemispheric asymmetry caused by the high-latitude coupling between solar wind and the magnetosphere, which drives the dawn-to-dusk component of the interplanetary magnetic field. The formation of polar TOI is a function of the SED plume location that might be near the dayside cusp from which it can enter the polar cap, which was the case in the Southern Hemisphere. Strong GNSS scintillations were observed at stations collocated with SED plumes at middle latitudes and cusp on the dayside and at polar cap TOIs on the nightside.

Experimental observations of the spatial structure of wave-like disturbances generated in midlatitude ionosphere by high power radio waves

Science.gov (United States)

Kunitsyn, V.; Andreeva, E.; Padokhin, A. M.; Nazarenko, M.; Frolov, V.; Komrakov, G.; Bolotin, I.

2012-12-01

with a square wave modulation of the ERP at a frequency lower than or of the order of the Brunt-Vaisala frequency of the neutral atmosphere. The observed wavelike structures, which are possibly AGWs, diverge from the heated area of the ionosphere (observed like a narrow trough with dimensions corresponding to the diagram pattern of the Sura heater), the spatial period of these disturbances is 200-250 km and they are easily traced up to a distance of 700-800 km from the heated region. These observations are in good agreement with complimentary GPS/GLONASS data. We also present the examples of amplitude scintillations of the signals of low-orbital radio beacons corresponding to small-scale field-aligned irregularities in the heated area of ionosphere. The possibility of generation of electromagnetic waves by moving wave-like structures in ionosphere (like AGWs induced by HF-heating observed in our experiments) is also addressed in this work. The authors are grateful to the staff of the Sura facility for their help in conducting the experiments and acknowledge the support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grants 10-05-01126, 11-02-00374, 11-05-01157, 12-02-31839, 12-05-33065, 12-05-10068), grant of the President of Russian Federation MK-2544.2012.5 and Lomonosov Moscow State University Program of Development.

Set of counts by scintillations for atmospheric samplings; Ensemble de comptages par scintillations pour prelevements atmospheriques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Appriou, D.; Doury, A.

1962-07-01

The author reports the development of a scintillation-based counting assembly with the following characteristics: a photo-multiplier with a wide photo-cathode, a thin plastic scintillator for the counting of beta + alpha (and possibility of mounting an alpha scintillator), a relatively small own motion with respect to activities to be counted, a weakly varying efficiency. The authors discuss the counting objective, present equipment tests (counter, proportional amplifier and pre-amplifier, input drawer). They describe the apparatus operation, discuss the selection of scintillators, report the study of the own movement (electron-based background noise, total background noise, background noise reduction), discuss counts (influence of the external source, sensitivity to alpha radiations, counting homogeneity, minimum detectable activity) and efficiencies.

Ionospheric plasma by VHF waves

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The amplitude scintillations of very high frequency electromagnetic wave ... Scintillations at low latitude are known to occur in discrete patches [5,6] and are part .... weakly ionized plasma with a density gradient and a relative drift of ions and ...

Low-Frequency Waves in HF Heating of the Ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, A. S.; Eliasson, B.; Milikh, G. M.; Najmi, A.; Papadopoulos, K.; Shao, X.; Vartanyan, A.

2016-02-01

Ionospheric heating experiments have enabled an exploration of the ionosphere as a large-scale natural laboratory for the study of many plasma processes. These experiments inject high-frequency (HF) radio waves using high-power transmitters and an array of ground- and space-based diagnostics. This chapter discusses the excitation and propagation of low-frequency waves in HF heating of the ionosphere. The theoretical aspects and the associated models and simulations, and the results from experiments, mostly from the HAARP facility, are presented together to provide a comprehensive interpretation of the relevant plasma processes. The chapter presents the plasma model of the ionosphere for describing the physical processes during HF heating, the numerical code, and the simulations of the excitation of low-frequency waves by HF heating. It then gives the simulations of the high-latitude ionosphere and mid-latitude ionosphere. The chapter also briefly discusses the role of kinetic processes associated with wave generation.

Luminescence and scintillation properties of rare-earth-doped LuF.sub.3./sub. scintillation crystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pejchal, Jan; Fukuda, K.; Kurosawa, S.; Yokota, Y.; Yoshikawa, A.

2015-01-01

Roč. 41, Mar SI (2015), s. 58-62 ISSN 0925-3467 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : lutetium fluoride * scintillator * scintillator * VUV luminescence Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.183, year: 2015

Scintillator plate calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, L.E.

1990-01-01

Calorimetry using scintillator plates or tiles alternated with sheets of (usually heavy) passive absorber has been proven over multiple generations of collider detectors. Recent detectors including UA1, CDF, and ZEUS have shown good results from such calorimeters. The advantages offered by scintillator calorimetry for the SSC environment, in particular, are speed (<10 nsec), excellent energy resolution, low noise, and ease of achieving compensation and hence linearity. On the negative side of the ledger can be placed the historical sensitivity of plastic scintillators to radiation damage, the possibility of nonuniform response because of light attenuation, and the presence of cracks for light collection via wavelength shifting plastic (traditionally in sheet form). This approach to calorimetry is being investigated for SSC use by a collaboration of Ames Laboratory/Iowa State University, Argonne National Laboratory, Bicron Corporation, Florida State University, Louisiana State University, University of Mississippi, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and University of Wisconsin

The VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE)

Science.gov (United States)

Clarke, Tracy; Peters, Wendy; Brisken, Walter; Giacintucci, Simona; Kassim, Namir; Polisensky, Emil; Helmboldt, Joseph; Richards, Emily E.; Erickson, Alan; Ray, Paul S.; Kerr, Matthew T.; Deneva, Julia; Coburn, William; Huber, Robert; Long, Jeff

2018-01-01

The VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE, http://vlite.nrao.edu/ ) is a commensal low-frequency observing system that has been operational on the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) since late 2014. The separate optical paths of the prime-focus sub-GHz dipole feeds and the Cassegrain-focus 1-50 GHz feeds allow both systems to operate simultaneously with independent correlators. The initial 2.5 years of VLITE operation provided real-time correlation of 10 antennas across the 320-384 MHz band with a total observing time approaching 12,000 hours. During the summer of 2017, VLITE was upgraded to a total of 16 antennas (more than doubling the number of baselines) with enhanced correlator capabilities to enable correlation of the on-the-fly observing mode being used for the new NRAO VLA Sky Survey (VLASS).We present an overview of the VLITE system, including highlights of the complexities of a commensal observing program, sparse-array challenges, and scientific capabilities from our science-ready data pipeline. In the longer term, we seek a path to broadband expansion across all VLA antennas to develop a powerful new LOw Band Observatory (LOBO).

Considering the potential of IAR emissions for ionospheric sounding

Science.gov (United States)

Potapov, A. S.; Polyushkina, T. N.; Tsegmed, B.; Oinats, A. V.; Pashinin, A. Yu.; Edemskiy, I. K.; Mylnikova, A. A.; Ratovsky, K. G.

2017-11-01

Knowledge of the ionospheric state allows us to adjust the forecasts of radio wave propagation, specify the environment models, and follow the changes of space weather. At present, probing of the ionosphere is produced by radio sounding with ground ionosondes, as well as by raying signals from satellites. We want to draw attention to the possibility of the diagnosis of the ionospheric parameters by detecting ultra-low frequency (ULF) electromagnetic emission generated in the so-called ionospheric Alfvén resonator (IAR). To do this, we present observations of the IAR emission made simultaneously for the first time at three stations using identical induction magnetometers. The stations are within one-hour difference of local time, two of them are mid-latitudinal; the third one is situated in the auroral zone. We compare frequency and frequency difference between adjacent harmonics of the observed multi-band emission with ionospheric parameters measured at the stations using ionosondes and GPS-observations. Diurnal variations of the ionospheric and ULF emission characteristics are also compared. The results show that there is quite a stable correlation between the resonant frequencies of the resonator bands and the critical frequency of the F2 layer of the ionosphere, namely, the frequency of the IAR emission varies inversely as the critical frequency of the ionosphere. This is due to the fact that the frequency of oscillation captured in the resonator is primarily determined by the Alfvén velocity (which depends on the plasma density) in the ionospheric F2 layer. The correlation is high; it varies at different stations, but is observed distinctly along the whole meridian. However, coefficients of a regression equation that connects the ionosphere critical frequency with DSB frequency vary significantly from day to day at all stations. The reason for such a big spread of the regression parameters is not clear and needs further investigation before we are able to

Analysis of ionospheric structure influences on residual ionospheric errors in GNSS radio occultation bending angles based on ray tracing simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Congliang; Kirchengast, Gottfried; Sun, Yueqiang; Zhang, Kefei; Norman, Robert; Schwaerz, Marc; Bai, Weihua; Du, Qifei; Li, Ying

2018-04-01

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) technique is widely used to observe the atmosphere for applications such as numerical weather prediction and global climate monitoring. The ionosphere is a major error source to RO at upper stratospheric altitudes, and a linear dual-frequency bending angle correction is commonly used to remove the first-order ionospheric effect. However, the higher-order residual ionospheric error (RIE) can still be significant, so it needs to be further mitigated for high-accuracy applications, especially from 35 km altitude upward, where the RIE is most relevant compared to the decreasing magnitude of the atmospheric bending angle. In a previous study we quantified RIEs using an ensemble of about 700 quasi-realistic end-to-end simulated RO events, finding typical RIEs at the 0.1 to 0.5 µrad noise level, but were left with 26 exceptional events with anomalous RIEs at the 1 to 10 µrad level that remained unexplained. In this study, we focused on investigating the causes of the high RIE of these exceptional events, employing detailed along-ray-path analyses of atmospheric and ionospheric refractivities, impact parameter changes, and bending angles and RIEs under asymmetric and symmetric ionospheric structures. We found that the main causes of the high RIEs are a combination of physics-based effects - where asymmetric ionospheric conditions play the primary role, more than the ionization level driven by solar activity - and technical ray tracer effects due to occasions of imperfect smoothness in ionospheric refractivity model derivatives. We also found that along-ray impact parameter variations of more than 10 to 20 m are possible due to ionospheric asymmetries and, depending on prevailing horizontal refractivity gradients, are positive or negative relative to the initial impact parameter at the GNSS transmitter. Furthermore, mesospheric RIEs are found generally higher than upper-stratospheric ones, likely due to

Effect of Ionosphere on Geostationary Communication Satellite Signals

Science.gov (United States)

Erdem, Esra; Arikan, Feza; Gulgonul, Senol

2016-07-01

Geostationary orbit (GEO) communications satellites allow radio, television, and telephone transmissions to be sent live anywhere in the world. They are extremely important in daily life and also for military applications. Since, satellite communication is an expensive technology addressing crowd of people, it is critical to improve the performance of this technology. GEO satellites are at 35,786 kilometres from Earth's surface situated directly over the equator. A satellite in a geostationary orbit (GEO) appears to stand still in the sky, in a fixed position with respect to an observer on the earth, because the satellite's orbital period is the same as the rotation rate of the Earth. The advantage of this orbit is that ground antennas can be fixed to point towards to satellite without their having to track the satellite's motion. Radio frequency ranges used in satellite communications are C, X, Ku, Ka and even EHG and V-band. Satellite signals are disturbed by atmospheric effects on the path between the satellite and the receiver antenna. These effects are mostly rain, cloud and gaseous attenuation. It is expected that ionosphere has a minor effect on the satellite signals when the ionosphere is quiet. But there are anomalies and perturbations on the structure of ionosphere with respect to geomagnetic field and solar activity and these conditions may cause further affects on the satellite signals. In this study IONOLAB-RAY algorithm is adopted to examine the effect of ionosphere on satellite signals. IONOLAB-RAY is developed to calculate propagation path and characteristics of high frequency signals. The algorithm does not have any frequency limitation and models the plasmasphere up to 20,200 km altitude, so that propagation between a GEO satellite and antenna on Earth can be simulated. The algorithm models inhomogeneous, anisotropic and time dependent structure of the ionosphere with a 3-D spherical grid geometry and calculates physical parameters of the

Physics of scintillation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novotny, R.

1991-01-01

The general concept of a radiation detector is based on three fundamental principles: sensitivity of the device to the radiation of interest which requires a large cross-section in the detector material, detector response function to the physical properties of the radiation. As an example, a scintillation detector for charged particles should allow to identify the charge of the particle, its kinetic energy and the time of impact combined with optimum resolutions. Optimum conversion of the detector response (like luminescence of a scintillator) into electronical signals for further processing. The following article will concentrate on the various aspects of the first two listed principles as far as they appear to be relevant for photon and charged particle detection using organic and inorganic scintillation detectors. (orig.)

Phase height measurements on the ionosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joyner, K.H.

1974-01-01

Phase height measurements have been taken on 2.5 MHz E-region reflection over two paths during the day. The two paths have equivalent vertical frequencies of 2.4 MHz and 1.8 MHz. Vertical pulse measurements on 2.4 MHz have also been recorded. Results and discussion on comparisons between these measurements are presented. Phase and amplitude measurements using 4.5 MHz O and E rays have also been taken at night, F-region reflection. In particular, spectral analysis of these results is discussed. (author)

Low ionospheric reactions on tropical depressions prior hurricanes

Science.gov (United States)

Nina, Aleksandra; Radovanović, Milan; Milovanović, Boško; Kovačević, Andjelka; Bajčetić, Jovan; Popović, Luka Č.

2017-10-01

We study the reactions of the low ionosphere during tropical depressions (TDs) which have been detected before the hurricane appearances in the Atlantic Ocean. We explore 41 TD events using very low frequency (VLF) radio signals emitted by NAA transmitter located in the USA and recorded by VLF receiver located in Belgrade (Serbia). We found VLF signal deviations (caused ionospheric turbulence) in the case of 36 out of 41 TD events (88%). Additionally, we explore 27 TDs which have not been developed in hurricanes and found similar low ionospheric reactions. However, in the sample of 41 TDs which are followed by hurricanes the typical low ionosphere perturbations seem to be more frequent than other TDs.

Liquid scintillation counting system with automatic gain correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, R.B.

1976-01-01

An automatic liquid scintillation counting apparatus is described including a scintillating medium in the elevator ram of the sample changing apparatus. An appropriate source of radiation, which may be the external source for standardizing samples, produces reference scintillations in the scintillating medium which may be used for correction of the gain of the counting system

Ion induced scintillation in organic solids: development of an average track model,degradation of the scintillation intensity and dosimetric applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broggio, D.

2004-12-01

This work deals with a specific aspect of the ion-matter interaction: the scintillation induced by ions in organic materials. In the first chapter we tackle the issue in a theoretical way by proposing a method to compute the radial doses within the framework of the mean track model. We have developed a model based on the Lewis transport equation and on the Spencer distribution of the loss energy in order to take into account the transport of secondary electrons in a more realistic way. In the second chapter we study the physical mechanisms that trigger ion-induced scintillation. Ion-induced scintillation is featured by the dependence in charge number of the intensity of scintillation for ions with same energy loss and by the saturation of the scintillation efficiency for ions with high stopping-power. We have applied our model of radial doses to ion-induced scintillation. In the third chapter we study the gradual degradation of the scintillation intensity and ion-induced chemical damages. In the last chapter we propose a prototype of dosimeters based on the combination of scintillators and optical fibers that allows the real-time measurement of the dose delivered by a carbon ion beam in therapeutical use conditions. This dosimeter gives the relationship between the dose and the scintillation intensity but its accuracy is not yet sufficient for uses in radiotherapy. (A.C.)

Liquid-helium scintillation detection with germanium photodiodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luke, P.N.; Haller, E.E.; Steiner, H.M.

1982-05-01

Special high-purity germanium photodiodes have been developed for the direct detection of vacuum ultraviolet scintillations in liquid helium. The photodiodes are immersed in the liquid helium, and scintillations are detected through one of the bare sides of the photodiodes. Test results with scintillation photons produced by 5.3-MeV α particles are presented. The use of these photodiodes as liquid-helium scintillation detectors may offer substantial improvements over the alternate detection method requiring the use of wavelength shifters and photomultiplier tubes

Performance Analysis of Different NeQuick Ionospheric Model Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WANG Ningbo

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Galileo adopts NeQuick model for single-frequency ionospheric delay corrections. For the standard operation of Galileo, NeQuick model is driven by the effective ionization level parameter Az instead of the solar activity level index, and the three broadcast ionospheric coefficients are determined by a second-polynomial through fitting the Az values estimated from globally distributed Galileo Sensor Stations (GSS. In this study, the processing strategies for the estimation of NeQuick ionospheric coefficients are discussed and the characteristics of the NeQuick coefficients are also analyzed. The accuracy of Global Position System (GPS broadcast Klobuchar, original NeQuick2 and fitted NeQuickC as well as Galileo broadcast NeQuickG models is evaluated over the continental and oceanic regions, respectively, in comparison with the ionospheric total electron content (TEC provided by global ionospheric maps (GIM, GPS test stations and JASON-2 altimeter. The results show that NeQuickG can mitigate ionospheric delay by 54.2%~65.8% on a global scale, and NeQuickC can correct for 71.1%~74.2% of the ionospheric delay. NeQuick2 performs at the same level with NeQuickG, which is a bit better than that of GPS broadcast Klobuchar model.

Scintillation light transport and detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabriel, T.A.; Lillie, R.A.

1986-08-01

The MORSE neutron gamma-ray transport code has been modified to allow for the transport of scintillation light. This modified code is used to analyze the light collection characteristics of a large liquid scintillator module (18 x 18 x 350 cm 3 )

Morphology of auroral zone radio wave scintillation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rino, C.L.; Matthews, S.J.

1980-01-01

This paper describes the morphology of midnight sector and morning sector auroral zone scintillation observations made over a two-year period using the Wideband satelite, which is in a sun-synchronous, low-altitude orbit. No definitive seasonal variation was found. The nighttime data showed the highest scintillation ocurrence levels, but significant amounts of morning scintillation were observed. For the most part the scintillation activity followed the general pattern of local magnetic activity. The most prominent feature in the nightime data is a localized amplitude and phase scintillation enhancement at the point where the propagation vector lies within an L shell. A geometrical effect due to a dynamic slab of sheetlike structures in the F region is hypothesized as the source of his enhancement. The data have been sorted by magnetic activity, proximity to local midnight, and season. The general features of the data are in agreement with the accepted morphology of auroral zone scintillation

Ionospheric Caustics in Solar Radio Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Koval, A.; Chen, Y.; Stanislavsky, A.

2016-12-01

The Earth ionosphere possesses by natural focusing and defocusing effects on radio waves due to presence of variable ionospheric irregularities which could act like convergent and divergent lenses on incident radiation. In particular, the focusing of emission from the Sun was firstly detected on the Nançay Decameter Array dynamic spectra in the 1980s. On time-frequency spectrograms the intensity variations form specific structures different from well-known solar radio bursts and clearly distinguishing on a background of solar radiation. Such structures have been identified as ionospheric caustics (ICs) and considered to be the result of radio waves refraction on medium scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs). Although nowadays the ICs are registered by different radio observatories due to augmentation of low-frequency radio telescopes, the most recent papers devoted to ICs in solar radio records date back to the 1980s. In this study, we revisit the ICs issue with some new results by conducting a statistical analysis of occurrence rate of ICs in solar dynamic spectra in meter-decameter wavelength range for long continuous period (15 years). The seasonal variations in ICs appearance have been found for the first time. Besides, we report the possible solar cycle dependence of ICs emergence. The radio waves propagation in the ionosphere comprising MSTIDs will be considered. The present research renews the subject of ICs in the low-frequency solar radio astronomy after about 35-year letup.

Uplift of Ionospheric Oxygen Ions During Extreme Magnetic Storms

Science.gov (United States)

Tsurutani, Bruce T.; Mannucci, Anthony J.; Verkhoglyadova, Olga P.; Huba, Joseph; Lakhina, Gurbax S.

2013-01-01

Research reported earlier in literature was conducted relating to estimation of the ionospheric electrical field, which may have occurred during the September 1859 Carrington geomagnetic storm event, with regard to modern-day consequences. In this research, the NRL SAMI2 ionospheric code has been modified and applied the estimated electric field to the dayside ionosphere. The modeling was done at 15-minute time increments to track the general ionospheric changes. Although it has been known that magnetospheric electric fields get down into the ionosphere, it has been only in the last ten years that scientists have discovered that intense magnetic storm electric fields do also. On the dayside, these dawn-to-dusk directed electric fields lift the plasma (electrons and ions) up to higher altitudes and latitudes. As plasma is removed from lower altitudes, solar UV creates new plasma, so the total plasma in the ionosphere is increased several-fold. Thus, this complex process creates super-dense plasmas at high altitudes (from 700 to 1,000 km and higher).

Ionospheric effects of rocket exhaust products: Skylab and HEAO-C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinn, J.; Sutherland, C.D.; Duncan, L.M.; Stone, S.N.

1981-01-01

This paper is about ionospheric F-layer depletions produced by chemical reactions with exhaust gases from large rockets. It describes a 2-dimensional computer model of the ionosphere, and it compares model results with experimental data on the structure and variability of the natural ionosphere, as well as data on ionospheric holes produced by the launches of Skylab (May, 1973) and HEAO-C (September, 1979). It also describes measurements made in conjunction with the HEAO-C launch. The computer model includes an approximate representation of thermospheric tidal winds and E fields in addition to vertical motions associated with diurnal changes in temperature. The computed ionospheric structure is sensitive to all the above. For a small number of cases, results are compared of computations of the normal diurnal variations of ionospheric structure with incoherent scatter and total electron content data. Computations of ionospheric depletions from the Skylab and HEAO-C launches are in satisfactory agreement with the observations. The winds appear to be essential for interpretation of the Skylab results

A gamma-ray discriminating neutron scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eschbach, P.A.; Miller, S.D.; Cole, M.C.

1994-01-01

A neutron scintillator has been developed at Pacific Northwest Laboratory which responds directly to as little as 10 mrem/hour dose equivalent rate fast neutron fields. The scintillator is composed of CaF 2 :Eu or of NaI grains within a silicone rubber or polystyrene matrix, respectively. Neutrons colliding with the plastic matrix provide knockon protons, which in turn deposit energy within the grains of phosphor to produce pulses of light. Neutron interactions are discriminated from gamma-ray events on the basis of pulse height. Unlike NE-213 liquid scintillators, this solid scintillator requires no pulseshape discrimination and therefore requires less hardware. Neutron events are anywhere from two to three times larger than the gamma-ray exposures are compared to 0.7 MeV gamma-ray exposures. The CaF 2 :Eu/silicone rubber scintillator is nearly optically transparent, and can be made into a very sizable detector (4 cm x 1.5 cm) without degrading pulse height. This CaF 2 :Eu scintillator has been observed to have an absolute efficiency of 0.1% when exposed to 5-MeV accelerator-generated neutrons (where the absolute efficiency is the ratio of observed neutron events divided by the number of fast neutrons striking the detector)

Survey meter using novel inorganic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshikawa, Akira; Fukuda, Kentaro; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Kamada, Kei; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yokota, Yuui; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Yanagida, Takayuki

2012-01-01

Single crystal scintillator materials are widely used for detection of high-energy photons and particles. There is continuous demand for new scintillator materials with higher performance because of increasing number of medical, industrial, security and other applications. This article presents the recent development of three novel inorganic scintillators; Pr-doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (Pr:LuAG), Ce doped Gd 3 (Al, Ga) 5 O 12 (Ce:GAGG) and Ce or Eu-doped 6 LiCaAlF 6 (Ce:LiCAF, Eu:LiCAF). Pr:LuAG shows very interesting scintillation properties including very fast decay time, high light yield and excellent energy resolution. Taking the advantage of these properties, positron emission mammography (PEM) equipped with Pr:LuAG were developed. Ce:GAGG shows very high light yield, which is much higher than that of Ce:LYSO. Survey meter using Ce:GAGG is developed using this scintillator. Ce:LiCAF and Eu:LiCAF were developed for neutron detection. The advantage and disadvantage are discussed comparing with halide scintillators. Eu-doped LiCAF indicated five times higher light yield than that of existing Li-glass. It is expected to be used as the alternative of 3 He. (author)

VLF/LF Radio Sounding of Ionospheric Perturbations Associated with Earthquakes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masashi Hayakawa

2007-07-01

Full Text Available It is recently recognized that the ionosphere is very sensitive to seismic effects,and the detection of ionospheric perturbations associated with earthquakes, seems to bevery promising for short-term earthquake prediction. We have proposed a possible use ofVLF/LF (very low frequency (3-30 kHz /low frequency (30-300 kHz radio sounding ofthe seismo-ionospheric perturbations. A brief history of the use of subionospheric VLF/LFpropagation for the short-term earthquake prediction is given, followed by a significantfinding of ionospheric perturbation for the Kobe earthquake in 1995. After showingprevious VLF/LF results, we present the latest VLF/LF findings; One is the statisticalcorrelation of the ionospheric perturbation with earthquakes and the second is a case studyfor the Sumatra earthquake in December, 2004, indicating the spatical scale and dynamicsof ionospheric perturbation for this earthquake.

LIFDAR: A Diagnostic Tool for the Ionosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Kia, O. E.; Rodgers, C. T.; Batholomew, J. L.

2011-12-01

ITT Corporation proposes a novel system to measure and monitor the ion species within the Earth's ionosphere called Laser Induced Fluorescence Detection and Ranging (LIFDAR). Unlike current ionosphere measurements that detect electrons and magnetic field, LIFDAR remotely measures the major contributing ion species to the electron plasma. The LIFDAR dataset has the added capability to demonstrate stratification and classification of the layers of the ionosphere to ultimately give a true tomographic view. We propose a proof of concept study using existing atmospheric LIDAR sensors combined with a mountaintop observatory for a single ion species that is prevalent in all layers of the atmosphere. We envision the LIFDAR concept will enable verification, validation, and exploration of the physics of the magneto-hydrodynamic models used in ionosphere forecasting community. The LIFDAR dataset will provide the necessary ion and electron density data for the system wide data gap. To begin a proof of concept, we present the science justification of the LIFDAR system based on the model photon budget. This analysis is based on the fluorescence of ionized oxygen within the ionosphere versus altitude. We use existing model abundance data of the ionosphere during normal and perturbed states. We propagate the photon uncertainties from the laser source through the atmosphere to the plasma and back to the collecting optics and detector. We calculate the expected photon budget to determine signal to noise estimates based on the targeted altitude and detection efficiency. Finally, we use these results to derive a LIFDAR observation strategy compatible with operational parameters.

Ionospheric disturbance dynamo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanc, M.; Richmond, A.D.

1980-01-01

A numerical simulation study of the thermospheric winds produced by auroral heating during magnetic storms, and of their global dynamo effects, establishes the main features of the ionospheric disturbanc dynamo. Driven by auroral heating, a Hadley cell is created with equatorward winds blowing above about 120 km at mid-latitudes. The transport of angular momentum by these winds produces a subrotation of the midlatitude thermosphere, or westward motion with respect to the earth. The westward winds in turn drive equatorward Pedersen currents which accumulate charge toward the equator, resulting in the generation of a poleward electric field, a westward E x B drift, and an eastward current. When realistic local time conductivity variations are simulated, the eastward mid-latitude current is found to close partly via lower latitudes, resulting in an 'anti-Sq' type of current vortex. Both electric field and current at low latitudes thus vary in opposition to their normal quiet-day behavior. This total pattern of distrubance winds, electric fields, and currents is superimposed upon the background quiet-day pattern. When the neutral winds are artificially confined on the nightside, the basic pattern of predominantly westward E x B plasma drifts still prevails on the nightside but no longer extends into the dayside. Considerable observational evidence exists, suggesting that the ionospheric disturbance dynamo has an appreciable influence on storm-time ionospheric electric fields at middle and low latitudes

Status of timing with plastic scintillation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moszynski, M.; Bengtson, B.

1979-01-01

Timing properties of scintillators and photomultipliers as well as theoretical and experimental studies of time resolution of scintillation counters are reviewed. Predictions of the theory of the scintillation pulse generation processes are compared with the data on the light pulse shape from small samples, in which the light pulse shape depends only on the composition of the scintillator. For larger samples the influence of the light collection process and the self-absorption process on the light pulse shape are discussed. The data on rise times, fwhm's, decay times and light yield of several commercial scintillators used in timing are collected. The next part of the paper deals with the properties of photomultipliers. The sources of time uncertainties in photomultipliers as a spread of the initial velocity of photoelectrons, emission of photoelectrons under different angles and from different points at the photocathode, the time spread and the gain dispersion introduced by electron photomultiplier are reviewed. The experimental data on the time jitter, single electron response and photoelectron yield of some fast photomultipliers are collected. As the time resolution of the timing systems with scintillation counters depends also on time pick-off units, a short presentation of the timing methods is given. The discussion of timing theories is followed by a review of experimental studies of the time resolution of scintillation counters. The paper is ended by an analysis of prospects on further progress of the subnanosecond timing with scintillation counters. (Auth.)

Ionospheric/protonospheric electron content studies using ATS-6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajeb-Hosseinieh, H.; Kersley, L.; Edwards, K.J.

1978-01-01

Measurements of ionospheric and protonospheric contents obtained at Aberystwyth from observations of the ATS-6 satellite radio beacon are reported. The monthly median diurnal behavior shows protonospheric contributions of approximately 15 to 20% to the total content along the ray path by day, rising to a predawn maximum of 35% in summer and more than 40% in winter. The protonospheric results are shown to be typical of those expected from other European stations and differences from earlier American measurements are explained in terms of ionospheric interactions in the conjugate hemisphere. The temporal gradients of protonospheric content provide information on the net integrated ionospheric/protonospheric plasma fluxes and the results obtained indicate the importance of plasma exchange with both local and conjugate ionospheres

Variations of the electron concentration in the polar ionosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chasovitin, Yu.K.; Shushkova, V.B.

1980-01-01

The possibility of constructing an empirical model of electron concentration in the polar ionosphere is considered. The results of rocket measurements carried out at Fort Churchill and on the Hays island at 70-210 km heights are used to analyse the distribution of electron concentration in the non-illuminated sector of the auroral oval, in the subauroral ionosphere and in the polar cap. Taking account of magnetospheric-ionospheric relationships and the geomagnetic environment, certain regularities in the distribution of electron concentration in the polar field, which may serve as a basis for constructing an empirical model of the polar ionosphere have been identified

Waveshifters and Scintillators for Ionizing Radiation Detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baumgaugh, B.; Bishop, J.; Karmgard, D.; Marchant, J.; McKenna, M.; Ruchti, R.; Vigneault, M.; Hernandez, L.; Hurlbut, C.

2007-01-01

Scintillation and waveshifter materials have been developed for the detection of ionizing radiation in an STTR program between Ludlum Measurements, Inc. and the University of Notre Dame. Several new waveshifter materials have been developed which are comparable in efficiency and faster in fluorescence decay than the standard material Y11 (K27) used in particle physics for several decades. Additionally, new scintillation materials useful for fiber tracking have been developed which have been compared to 3HF. Lastly, work was done on developing liquid scintillators and paint-on scintillators and waveshifters for high radiation environments

Solar cycle variations in the ionosphere of Mars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanchez-Cano, B.; Lester, M.; Witasse, Ol; Blelly, P.L.; Cartacci, M.; Radicella, S.M.; Herraiz, M.

2016-07-01

Solar cycle variations in solar radiation create notable changes in the Martian ionosphere, which have been analysed with Mars Express plasma datasets in this paper. In general, lower densities and temperatures of the ionosphere are found during the low solar activity phase, while higher densities and temperatures are found during the high solar activity phase. In this paper, we assess the degree of influence of the long term solar flux variations in the ionosphere of Mars. (Author)

A 70 MHz pulsing beam system for protons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An Shizhong; Zhang Tianjue; Wu Longcheng; Lv Yinlong; Song Guofang; Guan Fengping; Jia Xianlu

2008-01-01

A test beam line for pulsed beam generation for 10 MeV central region model (CRM) of a compact cyclotron is under construction as China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE). A 70 MHz continuous H - beam with the energy of dozens of keV or a hundred keV will be pulsed to pulse length of less than 10 ns with the repetition rate of 1-8 MHz. A 70.487 MHz buncher will be used to compress the DC beam into the RF phase acceptance of ±30° of the CRM cyclotron. The 2.2 MHz sine waveform will be used for the chopper. A pulse with the repetition rate to 4.4 MHz and pulse length less than 10 ns is expected after CRM cyclotron. (authors)

Observations of 50/60 Hz Power Line Radiation in the Low Latitude Ionosphere Detected by the Electric Field Instrument on the C/NOFS Satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Pfaff, R. F., Jr.; Freudenreich, H. T.; Simoes, F. A.; Liebrecht, M. C.; Farrell, W.

2017-12-01

One of the most ubiquitous forms of EM radiation emanating from the earth's surface is that of power line radiation. Associated with AC electric power generation, such emissions are typically launched along conducting power lines that may travel hundreds, or even thousands of km, from generating stations. The fundamental frequencies of such emissions are characteristically 50 Hz or 60 Hz, depending on the regional standards for power generation/consumption. The frequency of this radiation is well below that of the plasma frequency of the ionosphere (typically several MHz) and hence is expected to reflect back to the earth and propagate in the waveguide formed by the earth's surface and the bottom ledge of the ionosphere, typically near 100 km. Given that such power lines are widespread on the exposed lithosphere, the leakage of some ELF emissions associated with electric power generation might nevertheless be expected in the ionosphere, in the same manner in which a small fraction of the power associated with ELF Schumann resonances and lightning sferics have been shown to penetrate into the ionosphere. We present direct measurements of 50/60 Hz power line radiation detected by in situ probes on an orbiting satellite in the earth's ionosphere. The data were gathered by the Vector Electric Field Investigation (VEFI) tri-axial double probe detector flown on the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecast System (C/NOFS) satellite. C/NOFS was launched in April, 2008 into a low latitude (13 deg inclination) orbit with perigee and apogee of 400 km and 850 km, respectively. The electric field wave data were gathered by ELF receivers comprised of two orthogonal broadband channels sampled at 512 s/sec each, and digitized with 16 bit A/D converters. The data show distinct 60 Hz emissions while the satellite sampled within the Brazilian sector whereas distinct 50 Hz emissions were detected over India. Other, less distinct, emissions were observed over Africa and southeast Asia

Kriging with Unknown Variance Components for Regional Ionospheric Reconstruction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ling Huang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Ionospheric delay effect is a critical issue that limits the accuracy of precise Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS positioning and navigation for single-frequency users, especially in mid- and low-latitude regions where variations in the ionosphere are larger. Kriging spatial interpolation techniques have been recently introduced to model the spatial correlation and variability of ionosphere, which intrinsically assume that the ionosphere field is stochastically stationary but does not take the random observational errors into account. In this paper, by treating the spatial statistical information on ionosphere as prior knowledge and based on Total Electron Content (TEC semivariogram analysis, we use Kriging techniques to spatially interpolate TEC values. By assuming that the stochastic models of both the ionospheric signals and measurement errors are only known up to some unknown factors, we propose a new Kriging spatial interpolation method with unknown variance components for both the signals of ionosphere and TEC measurements. Variance component estimation has been integrated with Kriging to reconstruct regional ionospheric delays. The method has been applied to data from the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China (CMONOC and compared with the ordinary Kriging and polynomial interpolations with spherical cap harmonic functions, polynomial functions and low-degree spherical harmonic functions. The statistics of results indicate that the daily ionospheric variations during the experimental period characterized by the proposed approach have good agreement with the other methods, ranging from 10 to 80 TEC Unit (TECU, 1 TECU = 1 × 1016 electrons/m2 with an overall mean of 28.2 TECU. The proposed method can produce more appropriate estimations whose general TEC level is as smooth as the ordinary Kriging but with a smaller standard deviation around 3 TECU than others. The residual results show that the interpolation precision of the

Updated climatological model predictions of ionospheric and HF propagation parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reilly, M.H.; Rhoads, F.J.; Goodman, J.M.; Singh, M.

1991-01-01

The prediction performances of several climatological models, including the ionospheric conductivity and electron density model, RADAR C, and Ionospheric Communications Analysis and Predictions Program, are evaluated for different regions and sunspot number inputs. Particular attention is given to the near-real-time (NRT) predictions associated with single-station updates. It is shown that a dramatic improvement can be obtained by using single-station ionospheric data to update the driving parameters for an ionospheric model for NRT predictions of f(0)F2 and other ionospheric and HF circuit parameters. For middle latitudes, the improvement extends out thousands of kilometers from the update point to points of comparable corrected geomagnetic latitude. 10 refs

Characteristics of low-latitude ionospheric depletions and enhancements during solar minimum

Science.gov (United States)

Haaser, R. A.; Earle, G. D.; Heelis, R. A.; Klenzing, J.; Stoneback, R.; Coley, W. R.; Burrell, A. G.

2012-10-01

Under the waning solar minimum conditions during 2009 and 2010, the Ion Velocity Meter, part of the Coupled Ion Neutral Dynamics Investigation aboard the Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System satellite, is used to measure in situ nighttime ion densities and drifts at altitudes between 400 and 550 km during the hours 21:00-03:00 solar local time. A new approach to detecting and classifying well-formed ionospheric plasma depletions and enhancements (bubbles and blobs) with scale sizes between 50 and 500 km is used to develop geophysical statistics for the summer, winter, and equinox seasons during the quiet solar conditions. Some diurnal and seasonal geomagnetic distribution characteristics confirm previous work on equatorial irregularities and scintillations, while other elements reveal new behaviors that will require further investigation before they may be fully understood. Events identified in the study reveal very different and often opposite behaviors of bubbles and blobs during solar minimum. In particular, more bubbles demonstrating deeper density fluctuations and faster perturbation plasma drifts typically occur earlier near the magnetic equator, while blobs of similar magnitude occur more often far away from the geomagnetic equator closer to midnight.

(Alpha-) quenching temperature dependence in liquid scintillator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soerensen, Arnd; Lozza, Valentina; Krosigk, Belina von; Zuber, Kai [Institut fuer Kern- und Teilchenphysik, TU Dresden (Germany)

2015-07-01

Liquid scintillator (LS) is an effective and promising detector material, which is and will be used by many small and large scale experiments. In order to perform correct signal identification and background suppression, a very good knowledge of LS properties is crucial. One of those is the light yield from alpha particles in liquid scintillator. This light output strongly quenched, approx. 10 times compared to that of electrons, and has been precisely studied at room temperature for various LS. Big scintillator experiments, such as SNO+ and maybe future large scale detectors, will operate at different temperatures. While a strong temperature dependence is well known for solid state scintillators, due to the different scintillation process, a quenching temperature dependence in LS is usually assumed negligible. On the other hand, inconsistencies in between measurements are often explained by potential temperature effects. This study investigates LAB based liquid scintillator with an intrinsic, dissolved alpha emitter and its behaviour with temperature change. In a small, cooled and heated setup, a stabilized read-out with two PMTs is realised. First results are presented.

Systematic studies of small scintillators for new sampling calorimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacosalem, E.P.; Sanchez, A.L.C.; Bacala, A.M.; Iba, S.; Nakajima, N.; Ono, H.; Miyata, H.

2007-01-01

A new sampling calorimeter using very thin scintillators and the multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) has been proposed to produce better position resolution for the international linear collider (ILC) experiment. As part of this R and D study, small plastic scintillators of different sizes, thickness and wrapping reflectors are systematically studied. The scintillation light due to beta rays from a collimated 90 Sr source are collected from the scintillator by wavelength-shifting (WLS) fiber and converted into electrical signals at the PMT. The wrapped scintillator that gives the best light yield is determined by comparing the measured pulse height of each 10 x 40 x 2 mm strip scintillator covered with 3M reflective mirror film, teflon, white paint, black tape, gold, aluminum and white paint+teflon. The pulse height dependence on position, length and thickness of the 3M reflective mirror film and teflon wrapped scintillators are measured. Results show that the 3M radiant mirror film-wrapped scintillator has the greatest light yield with an average of 9.2 photoelectrons. It is observed that light yield slightly increases with scintillator length, but increases to about 100% when WLS fiber diameter is increased from 1.0 mm to 1.6 mm. The position dependence measurement along the strip scintillator showed the uniformity of light transmission from the sensor to the PMT. A dip across the strip is observed which is 40% of the maximum pulse height. The block type scintillator pulse height, on the other hand, is found to be almost proportional to scintillator thickness. (author)

Radiation damage in plastic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Majewski, S.

1990-01-01

Results of radiation damage studies in plastic scintillators are reviewed and critically analyzed from the point of view of applications of plastic scintillators in calorimetric detectors for the SSC. Damage to transmission and to fluorescent yield in different conditions is discussed. New directions in R ampersand D are outlined. Several examples are given of the most recent data on the new scintillating materials made with old and new plastics and fluors, which are exhibiting significantly improved radiation resistance. With a present rate of a vigorous R D programme, the survival limits in the vicinity of 100 MRad seem to be feasible within a couple of years

Applications of liquid scintillation tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broga, D.W.

1977-01-01

A new cocktail containing device for liquid scintillation counting, the scintillation tube, consists of a two-layered plastic bag which is heatsealed after the cocktail and sample have been placed in it. It is then placed in a carrying vial and counted in a conventional liquid scintillation counter. These tubes have proved to be a practical and economical alternative to vials. Some of their advantages are elimination of absorption problems, transparency, lower background and higher counting efficiency, low breakage danger and savings in waste disposal costs. Two applications for which the tubes are particularly suitable are the counting of laboratory swipes and urine analysis. (author)

BLAZAR SPECTRAL PROPERTIES AT 74 MHz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Massaro, F.; Funk, S. [SLAC National Laboratory and Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (United States); Giroletti, M. [INAF Istituto di Radioastronomia, via Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna (Italy); Paggi, A.; D' Abrusco, R. [Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Tosti, G. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Perugia, I-06123 Perugia (Italy)

2013-10-01

Blazars are the most extreme class of active galactic nuclei. Despite a previous investigation at 102 MHz for a small sample of BL Lac objects and our recent analysis of blazars detected in the Westerbork Northern Sky Survey, a systematic study of the blazar spectral properties at frequencies below 100 MHz has been never carried out. In this paper, we present the first analysis of the radio spectral behavior of blazars based on the recent Very Large Array Low-frequency Sky Survey (VLSS) at 74 MHz. We search for blazar counterparts in the VLSS catalog, confirming that they are detected at 74 MHz. We then show that blazars present radio-flat spectra (i.e., radio spectral indices of ∼0.5) when evaluated, which also about an order of magnitude in frequency lower than previous analyses. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings in the context of the blazars-radio galaxies connection since the low-frequency radio data provide a new diagnostic tool to verify the expectations of the unification scenario for radio-loud active galaxies.

New liquid scintillators for fiber-optic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lutz, S.S.; Franks, L.A.; Flournoy, J.M.; Lyons, P.B.

1981-01-01

New long-wavelength-emitting, high-speed, liquid scintillators have been developed and tailored specifically for plasma diagnostic experiments employing fiber optics. These scintillators offer significant advantages over commercially available plastic scintillators in terms of sensitivity and bandwidth. FWHM response times as fast as 350 ps have been measured. Emission spectra, time response data, and relative sensitivity information are presented

Photonic crystal scintillators and methods of manufacture

Science.gov (United States)

Torres, Ricardo D.; Sexton, Lindsay T.; Fuentes, Roderick E.; Cortes-Concepcion, Jose

2015-08-11

Photonic crystal scintillators and their methods of manufacture are provided. Exemplary methods of manufacture include using a highly-ordered porous anodic alumina membrane as a pattern transfer mask for either the etching of underlying material or for the deposition of additional material onto the surface of a scintillator. Exemplary detectors utilizing such photonic crystal scintillators are also provided.

A Methodology to Assess Ionospheric Models for GNSS

Science.gov (United States)

Rovira-Garcia, Adria; Juan, José Miguel; Sanz, Jaume; González-Casado, Guillermo; Ibánez, Deimos

2015-04-01

Testing the accuracy of the ionospheric models used in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a long-standing issue. It is still a challenging problem due to the lack of accurate enough slant ionospheric determinations to be used as a reference. The present study proposes a methodology to assess any ionospheric model used in satellite-based applications and, in particular, GNSS ionospheric models. The methodology complements other analysis comparing the navigation based on different models to correct the code and carrier-phase observations. Specifically, the following ionospheric models are assessed: the operational models broadcast in the Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), the post-process Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs) from different analysis centers belonging to the International GNSS Service (IGS) and, finally, a new GIM computed by the gAGE/UPC research group. The methodology is based in the comparison between the predictions of the ionospheric model with actual unambiguous carrier-phase measurements from a global distribution of permanent receivers. The differences shall be separated into the hardware delays (a receiver constant plus a satellite constant) per data interval, e.g., a day. The condition that these Differential Code Biases (DCBs) are commonly shared throughout the world-wide network of receivers and satellites provides a global character to the assessment. This approach generalizes simple tests based on double differenced Slant Total Electron Contents (STECs) between pairs of satellites and receivers on a much local scale. The present study has been conducted during the entire 2014, i.e., the last Solar Maximum. The seasonal and latitudinal structures of the results clearly reflect the different strategies used by the different models. On one hand, ionospheric model corrections based on a grid (IGS-GIMs or EGNOS) are shown to be several times better than the models

Modeling the Ionosphere with GPS and Rotation Measure Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Malins, J. B.; Taylor, G. B.; White, S. M.; Dowell, J.

2017-12-01

Advances in digital processing have created new tools for looking at and examining the ionosphere. We have combined data from dual frequency GPSs, digital ionosondes and observations from The Long Wavelength Array (LWA), a 256 dipole low frequency radio telescope situated in central New Mexico in order to examine ionospheric profiles. By studying polarized pulsars, the LWA is able to very accurately determine the Faraday rotation caused by the ionosphere. By combining this data with the international geomagnetic reference field, the LWA can evaluate ionospheric profiles and how well they predict the actual Faraday rotation. Dual frequency GPS measurements of total electron content, as well as measurements from digisonde data were used to model the ionosphere, and to predict the Faraday rotation to with in 0.1 rad/m2. Additionally, it was discovered that the predicted topside profile of the digisonde data did not accurate predict faraday rotation measurements, suggesting a need to reexamine the methods for creating the topside predicted profile. I will discuss the methods used to measure rotation measure and ionosphere profiles as well as discuss possible corrections to the topside model.

Thermospheric/ionospheric disturbances under quiet and magneto-perturbed conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Zakharov, Ivan G.; Mozgovaya, O. L.

2003-04-01

The basic mechanisms of ionospheric storms (IS) are investigated sufficiently full. Despite of it a quantitative forecast of ionospheric disturbance is not always satisfactory. One of the possible causes can be related to the insufficient account of a background ionospheric. In particualr using electron concentration Ne in the peak of F2-region and total electron content are shown, that the amplitude of a IS positive phase for similar magnetic storms can differ by ~1,5 times. Hence a cause of distinction can be variations in the thermosphere conditions, not reflected by known activity indices. For further research we used the incoherent scatter radar data of the Institute of ionosphere in height range 200-1000 km in the very quiet periods coming to the geomagnetic disturbance. A steady periodic disturbance in Ne during quiet conditions in all heights is established, which can be identified as tidal moda m=6. The amplitude of wave is ~15%, the phase changes with a height. The storm onset leads to an increase of the amplitudes approximately twice without a change in the phase. An ionospheric disturbance in very quiet conditions can lead to additional complicating an ionosphere reaction to magnetic storm.

Investigation of organic liquid-scintillator optical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winter, Juergen; Feilitzsch, Franz von; Goeger-Neff, Marianne; Lewke, Timo; Meindl, Quirin; Oberauer, Lothar; Potzel, Walter; Todor, Sebastian; Wurm, Michael [Physik Department E15, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, James-Franck-Str., 85748 Garching (Germany); Marrodan Undagoitia, Teresa [Physik Department E15, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, James-Franck-Str., 85748 Garching (Germany); Physik-Institut, Universitaet Zuerich (Switzerland)

2009-07-01

The characterization of different organic liquid-scintillator mixtures is an important step towards the design of a large-scale detector such as LENA (Low Energy Neutrino Astronomy). Its physics goals, extending from particle and geological to astrophysical issues, set high demands on the optical properties of the liquid scintillator. Therefore, small-scale experiments are carried out in order to optimize the final scintillator mixture. PXE, LAB, and dodecane are under consideration as solvents. Setups for the determination of scintillator properties are presented, such as attenuation length, light yield, emission spectra, fluorescence decay times, and quenching factors. Furthermore, results are discussed.

Some adsorption characteristics of polysterene base scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seredenko, T.N.; Ehkkerman, V.M.; Solomonov, V.M.; Gen, N.S.

1980-01-01

It is necessary to account for the adsorption on the surface of a scintillator when measuring nuclide activity in solutions by submerging into these solutions plastic scintillators. Dependences of 144 Ce, 90 Y, 137 Cs adsorption on specific activities (α) and pH value of solution were investigated. It is shown that K-α ratio is described by the equation K=Casup(p), where K is the specific surface activity of the polystyrene scintillator. Values of C and p are presented for investigated nuclides. The criterion estimating the possibility for repeated usage of scintillator are considered

Radiation-induced chemical processes in polystyrene scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milinchuk, V.K.; Bolbit, N.M.; Klinshpont, E.R.; Tupikov, V.I.; Zhdanov, G.S.; Taraban, S.B.; Shelukhov, I.P.; Smoljanskii, A.S.

1999-01-01

The regularities established for macroradical accumulation and intensity of radioluminescence under γ-irradiation of a polystyrene scintillator prove benzyl macroradicals to be efficient quenchers of the excited scintillator molecules. Dissolved oxygen was determined to have a constant of the quenching rate 100 times lower than that of macroradicals. Oxygen is an efficient antirad because of participating in oxidation reactions and subsequent recombination of macroradicals. The method was developed to obtain a polymeric scintillator with a polystyrene matrix containing a dispersed system of pores and channels. Radiation resistance of such a scintillator is 5-10 times higher than that of standard types

Performance comparison of scintillators for alpha particle detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morishita, Yuki [Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 1-1-20 Daiko-Minami, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 461-8673 (Japan); Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Muramatsu 4-33, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1194 (Japan); Yamamoto, Seiichi [Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, 1-1-20 Daiko-Minami, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 461-8673 (Japan); Izaki, Kenji [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Muramatsu 4-33, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1194 (Japan); Kaneko, Junichi H.; Toui, Kohei; Tsubota, Youichi; Higuchi, Mikio [Graduate School of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628 (Japan)

2014-11-11

Scintillation detectors for alpha particles are often used in nuclear fuel facilities. Alpha particle detectors have also become important in the research field of radionuclide therapy using alpha emitters. ZnS(Ag) is the most often used scintillator for alpha particle detectors because its light output is high. However, the energy resolution of ZnS(Ag)-based scintillation detectors is poor because they are not transparent. A new ceramic sample, namely the cerium doped Gd{sub 2}Si{sub 2}O{sub 7} (GPS) scintillator, has been tested as alpha particle detector and its performances have been compared to that one of three different scintillating materials: ZnS(Ag), GAGG and a standard plastic scintillator. The different scintillating materials have been coupled to two different photodetectors, namely a photomultiplier tube (PMT) and a Silicon Photo-multiplier (Si-PM): the performances of each detection system have been compared. Promising results as far as the energy resolution performances (10% with PMT and 14% with Si-PM) have been obtained in the case of GPS and GAGG samples. Considering the quantum efficiencies of the photodetectors under test and their relation to the emission wavelength of the different scintillators, the best results were achieved coupling the GPS with the PMT and the GAGG with the Si-PM.

Development of scintillation materials for PET scanners

CERN Document Server

Korzhik, Mikhail; Annenkov, Alexander N; Borissevitch, Andrei; Dossovitski, Alexei; Missevitch, Oleg; Lecoq, Paul

2007-01-01

The growing demand on PET methodology for a variety of applications ranging from clinical use to fundamental studies triggers research and development of PET scanners providing better spatial resolution and sensitivity. These efforts are primarily focused on the development of advanced PET detector solutions and on the developments of new scintillation materials as well. However Lu containing scintillation materials introduced in the last century such as LSO, LYSO, LuAP, LuYAP crystals still remain the best PET species in spite of the recent developments of bright, fast but relatively low density lanthanum bromide scintillators. At the same time Lu based materials have several drawbacks which are high temperature of crystallization and relatively high cost compared to alkali-halide scintillation materials. Here we describe recent results in the development of new scintillation materials for PET application.

Variations of the ionospheric electron density during the Bhuj seismic event

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Trigunait

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Ionospheric perturbations by natural geophysical activity, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, have been studied since the great Alaskan earthquake in 1964. Measurements made from the ground show a variation of the critical frequency of the ionosphere layers before and after the shock. In this paper, we present an experimental investigation of the electron density variations around the time of the Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, India. Several experiments have been used to survey the ionosphere. Measurements of fluctuations in the integrated electron density or TEC (Total Electron Content between three satellites (TOPEX-POSEIDON, SPOT2, SPOT4 and the ground have been done using the DORIS beacons. TEC has been also evaluated from a ground-based station using GPS satellites, and finally, ionospheric data from a classical ionospheric sounder located close to the earthquake epicenter are utilized. Anomalous electron density variations are detected both in day and night times before the quake. The generation mechanism of these perturbations is explained by a modification of the electric field in the global electric circuit induced during the earthquake preparation. Key words. Ionosphere (ionospheric disturbances – Radio Science (ionospheric physics – History of geophysics (seismology

Comparison of plastic scintillating fibres and capillaries filled with liquid scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardini, A.; Cavasinni, V.; Girolamo, B. di; Flaminio, V.; Golovkin, S.V.; Gorin, A.M.; Kulichenko, A.V.; Kushnirenko, A.E.; Pyshev, A.I.; Manuilov, I.; Vasilchenko, V.G.

1994-01-01

A comparison is made between the light yield, attenuation length, time response and light propagation speed in plastic scintillating fibres (SCSF-38 and Kuraray-3HF) and quartz capillaries filled with liquid scintillator (LS) 1-methilnaphthalene (1MN) doped with new dyes R45 and R39. The inner diameter of capillaries and diameter of plastic fibres is 0.5 mm. The number of photoelectrons detected at the far end (2 m) was 2.9 for capillaries filled with 1MN+3 g/l R45 while it was 1.8 times smaller in the case of SCSF-38 and 3 times smaller in the case of Kuraray 3HF plastic fibres. Taking into account the quantum efficiency of the photodetector used these reduction factors became 3.0 and 2.0, respectively. Good attenuation length, high light output and also excellent radiation resistance of capillaries filled with LS (>60 Mrad, measured elsewhere) show that they are a very promising alternative to plastic scintillating fibres for future applications in tracking detectors and calorimeters. ((orig.))

Scintillation proximity assay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hart, H.

1980-01-01

In a method of immunological assay two different classes of particles which interact at short distances to produce characteristic detectable signals are employed in a modification of the usual latex fixation test. In one embodiment an aqueous suspension of antigen coated tritiated latex particles (LH) and antigen coated polystyrene scintillant particles (L*) is employed to assay antibody in the aqueous medium. The amount of (LH) (L*) dimer formation and higher order aggregation induced and therefore the concentration of antibody (or antigen) present which caused the aggregation can be determined by using standard liquid scintillation counting equipment. (author)

Microfluidic Scintillation Detectors

CERN Multimedia

Microfluidic scintillation detectors are devices of recent introduction for the detection of high energy particles, developed within the EP-DT group at CERN. Most of the interest for such technology comes from the use of liquid scintillators, which entails the possibility of changing the active material in the detector, leading to an increased radiation resistance. This feature, together with the high spatial resolution and low thickness deriving from the microfabrication techniques used to manufacture such devices, is desirable not only in instrumentation for high energy physics experiments but also in medical detectors such as beam monitors for hadron therapy.

Estimation of Fano factor in inorganic scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bora, Vaibhav, E-mail: bora.vaibhav@gmail.com [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Barrett, Harrison H., E-mail: barrett@radiology.arizona.edu [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Fastje, David, E-mail: dfastje@gmail.com [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Clarkson, Eric, E-mail: clarkson@radiology.arizona.edu [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Furenlid, Lars, E-mail: furen@radiology.arizona.edu [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Bousselham, Abdelkader, E-mail: abousselham@qf.org.qa [Qatar Foundation, QEERI, P.O. Box 5825, Doha (Qatar); Shah, Kanai S., E-mail: kanaishah@yahoo.com [Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., Watertown, MA 02472 (United States); Glodo, Jarek, E-mail: jglodo@rmdinc.com [Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., Watertown, MA 02472 (United States)

2016-01-01

The Fano factor of an integer-valued random variable is defined as the ratio of its variance to its mean. Correlation between the outputs of two photomultiplier tubes on opposite faces of a scintillation crystal was used to estimate the Fano factor of photoelectrons and scintillation photons. Correlations between the integrals of the detector outputs were used to estimate the photoelectron and photon Fano factor for YAP:Ce, SrI{sub 2}:Eu and CsI:Na scintillator crystals. At 662 keV, SrI{sub 2}:Eu was found to be sub-Poisson, while CsI:Na and YAP:Ce were found to be super-Poisson. An experiment setup inspired from the Hanbury Brown and Twiss experiment was used to measure the correlations as a function of time between the outputs of two photomultiplier tubes looking at the same scintillation event. A model of the scintillation and the detection processes was used to generate simulated detector outputs as a function of time for different values of Fano factor. The simulated outputs from the model for different Fano factors was compared to the experimentally measured detector outputs to estimate the Fano factor of the scintillation photons for YAP:Ce, LaBr{sub 3}:Ce scintillator crystals. At 662 keV, LaBr{sub 3}:Ce was found to be sub-Poisson, while YAP:Ce was found to be close to Poisson.

Conference on Engineering of Scintillation Materials and Radiation Technologies

CERN Document Server

Gektin, Alexander

2017-01-01

This volume provides a broad overview of the latest achievements in scintillator development, from theory to applications, and aiming for a deeper understanding of fundamental processes, as well as the discovery and availability of components for the production of new generations of scintillation materials. It includes papers on the microtheory of scintillation and the initial phase of luminescence development, applications of the various materials, and development and characterization of ionizing radiation detection equipment. The book also touches upon the increased demand for cryogenic scintillators, the renaissance of  garnet materials for scintillator applications, nano-structuring in scintillator development, development and applications for security, and exploration of hydrocarbons and ecological monitoring.

Measurements of energy resolution with hemispheric scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendonca, A.C.S.; Binns, D.A.C.; Tauhata, L.; Poledna, R.

1980-01-01

The hemispheric configuration is used for plastic scintillators type NE 102 with the aiming to optimize the light collect. Scintillators at this configuration, with radii of 3,81 cm and 2,54 cm, are showing improvement about 16-17% in the energy resolution, on cilyndric scintillators with the same volume, for gamma rays of 511-1275 KeV. (E.G.) [pt

Time resolution research in liquid scintillating detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Hongkun; Shi Haoshan

2006-01-01

The signal processing design method is introduced into liquid scintillating detection system design. By analyzing the signal of liquid scintillating detection, improving time resolution is propitious to upgrade efficiency of detecting. The scheme of realization and satisfactory experiment data is demonstrated. Besides other types of liquid scintillating detection is the same, just using more high speed data signal processing techniques and elements. (authors)

Composite scintillators for detection of ionizing radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Sheng [Knoxville, TN; Stephan, Andrew Curtis [Knoxville, TN; Brown, Suree S [Knoxville, TN; Wallace, Steven A [Knoxville, TN; Rondinone, Adam J [Knoxville, TN

2010-12-28

Applicant's present invention is a composite scintillator having enhanced transparency for detecting ionizing radiation comprising a material having optical transparency wherein said material comprises nano-sized objects having a size in at least one dimension that is less than the wavelength of light emitted by the composite scintillator wherein the composite scintillator is designed to have selected properties suitable for a particular application.

Novel scintillating material 2-(4-styrylphenyl)benzoxazole for the fully digital and MRI compatible J-PET tomograph based on plastic scintillators.

Science.gov (United States)

Wieczorek, Anna; Dulski, Kamil; Niedźwiecki, Szymon; Alfs, Dominika; Białas, Piotr; Curceanu, Catalina; Czerwiński, Eryk; Danel, Andrzej; Gajos, Aleksander; Głowacz, Bartosz; Gorgol, Marek; Hiesmayr, Beatrix; Jasińska, Bożena; Kacprzak, Krzysztof; Kamińska, Daria; Kapłon, Łukasz; Kochanowski, Andrzej; Korcyl, Grzegorz; Kowalski, Paweł; Kozik, Tomasz; Krzemień, Wojciech; Kubicz, Ewelina; Kucharek, Mateusz; Mohammed, Muhsin; Pawlik-Niedźwiecka, Monika; Pałka, Marek; Raczyński, Lech; Rudy, Zbigniew; Rundel, Oleksandr; Sharma, Neha G; Silarski, Michał; Uchacz, Tomasz; Wiślicki, Wojciech; Zgardzińska, Bożena; Zieliński, Marcin; Moskal, Paweł

2017-01-01

A novel plastic scintillator is developed for the application in the digital positron emission tomography (PET). The novelty of the concept lies in application of the 2-(4-styrylphenyl)benzoxazole as a wavelength shifter. The substance has not been used as scintillator dopant before. A dopant shifts the scintillation spectrum towards longer wavelengths making it more suitable for applications in scintillators of long strips geometry and light detection with digital silicon photomultipliers. These features open perspectives for the construction of the cost-effective and MRI-compatible PET scanner with the large field of view. In this article we present the synthesis method and characterize performance of the elaborated scintillator by determining its light emission spectrum, light emission efficiency, rising and decay time of the scintillation pulses and resulting timing resolution when applied in the positron emission tomography. The optimal concentration of the novel wavelength shifter was established by maximizing the light output and it was found to be 0.05 ‰ for cuboidal scintillator with dimensions of 14 mm x 14 mm x 20 mm.

47 CFR 101.82 - Reimbursement and relocation expenses in the 2110-2150 MHz and 2160-2200 MHz bands.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Reimbursement and relocation expenses in the... License Transfers, Modifications, Conditions and Forfeitures § 101.82 Reimbursement and relocation expenses in the 2110-2150 MHz and 2160-2200 MHz bands. (a) Reimbursement and relocation expenses for the...

Formation of dipole vortex in the ionosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shukla, P.K.; Yu, M.Y.

1985-01-01

It is shown that isolated dipole vortices can exist in the F-region of the ionosphere. These are associated with the Rayleigh-Taylor and E x B 0 gradient drift instabilities. The vortices may be responsible for the rapid structuring of barium clouds as well as other phenomena observed in the upper ionosphere

The F-Region Equatorial Ionospheric Electrodynamics Drifts ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The ionospheric plasma drift is one of the most essential parameters for understanding the dynamics of ionospheric F-region. F-region electromagnetic drifts are calculated for three seasonal conditions from ionosonde observations acquired during quiet period of a typical year of high and low solar activity at Ibadan (7.4oN, ...

Scintillator structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cusano, D.A.; Prener, J.S.

1979-01-01

A scintillator structure comprises at least one layer of transparent fused quartz with a phosphor coating on one or both sides adjacent to at least one transparent layer of epoxy resin which directs light from the phosphor to a detector. The phosphor layer may be formed from a powder optionally with a binder, a single crystal or a melt, or by evaporation or sintering. A plurality of multiple layers may be used or the structure tilted for greater absorption. The structure may be surrounded by another such structure optionally operating in cascade with the first. Many phosphors are specified. A scintillator structure comprises phosphor particles dispersed in epoxy resin or copoly imide-silicone and cast in a multi-compartment box with long sides transparent to X-rays and dividers opaque to X-rays. (UK)

Inversion of the OH 1720-MHz line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elitzur, M.

1975-01-01

It is shown that the OH 1720-MHz line can be strongly inverted by collisions which excite the rotation states. It is also argued that radiative pumps (of any wave length) can invert strongly only the 1612-MHz line. (author)

Upconverting nanoparticles for optimizing scintillator based detection systems

Science.gov (United States)

Kross, Brian; McKisson, John E; McKisson, John; Weisenberger, Andrew; Xi, Wenze; Zom, Carl

2013-09-17

An upconverting device for a scintillation detection system is provided. The detection system comprises a scintillator material, a sensor, a light transmission path between the scintillator material and the sensor, and a plurality of upconverting nanoparticles particles positioned in the light transmission path.

Ionospheric threats to the integrity of airborne GPS users

Science.gov (United States)

Datta-Barua, Seebany

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has both revolutionized and entwined the worlds of aviation and atmospheric science. As the largest and most unpredictable source of GPS positioning error, the ionospheric layer of the atmosphere, if left unchecked, can endanger the safety, or "integrity," of the single frequency airborne user. An augmentation system is a differential-GPS-based navigation system that provides integrity through independent ionospheric monitoring by reference stations. However, the monitor stations are not in general colocated with the user's GPS receiver. The augmentation system must protect users from possible ionosphere density variations occurring between its measurements and the user's. This study analyzes observations from ionospherically active periods to identify what types of ionospheric disturbances may cause threats to user safety if left unmitigated. This work identifies when such disturbances may occur using a geomagnetic measure of activity and then considers two disturbances as case studies. The first case study indicates the need for a non-trivial threat model for the Federal Aviation Administration's Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) that was not known prior to the work. The second case study uses ground- and space-based data to model an ionospheric disturbance of interest to the Federal Aviation Administration's Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). This work is a step in the justification for, and possible future refinement of, one of the WAAS integrity algorithms. For both WAAS and LAAS, integrity threats are basically caused by events that may be occurring but are unobservable. Prior to the data available in this solar cycle, events of such magnitude were not known to be possible. This work serves as evidence that the ionospheric threat models developed for WARS and LAAS are warranted and that they are sufficiently conservative to maintain user integrity even under extreme ionospheric behavior.

High Resolution Reconstruction of the Ionosphere for SAR Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Minkwitz, David; Gerzen, Tatjana; Hoque, Mainul

2014-05-01

Caused by ionosphere's strong impact on radio signal propagation, high resolution and highly accurate reconstructions of the ionosphere's electron density distribution are demanded for a large number of applications, e.g. to contribute to the mitigation of ionospheric effects on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) measurements. As a new generation of remote sensing satellites the TanDEM-L radar mission is planned to improve the understanding and modelling ability of global environmental processes and ecosystem change. TanDEM-L will operate in L-band with a wavelength of approximately 24 cm enabling a stronger penetration capability compared to X-band (3 cm) or C-band (5 cm). But accompanied by the lower frequency of the TanDEM-L signals the influence of the ionosphere will increase. In particular small scale irregularities of the ionosphere might lead to electron density variations within the synthetic aperture length of the TanDEM-L satellite and in turn might result into blurring and azimuth pixel shifts. Hence the quality of the radar image worsens if the ionospheric effects are not mitigated. The Helmholtz Alliance project "Remote Sensing and Earth System Dynamics" (EDA) aims in the preparation of the HGF centres and the science community for the utilisation and integration of the TanDEM-L products into the study of the Earth's system. One significant point thereby is to cope with the mentioned ionospheric effects. Therefore different strategies towards achieving this objective are pursued: the mitigation of the ionospheric effects based on the radar data itself, the mitigation based on external information like global Total Electron Content (TEC) maps or reconstructions of the ionosphere and the combination of external information and radar data. In this presentation we describe the geostatistical approach chosen to analyse the behaviour of the ionosphere and to provide a high resolution 3D electron density reconstruction. As first step the horizontal structure of