A comparison of plasma waves produced by ion accelerators in the F-region ionosphere

Ion beams injected into the ionosphere are known to produce waves related to the normal modes of the plasma. The spectra of plasma waves produced during four sounding rocket experiments are examined. The experimental conditions were somewhat different during each experiment. The accelerated ion was either Xe(+) or Ar(+) and the experimental geometry, described by the separation vector between the plasma wave receiver and the ion accelerator, was either parallel or perpendicular to the geomagnetic field.