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Absolute electron density measurements in the equatorial ionosphereAccurate measurement of the electron density profile and its variations is crucial to further progress in understanding the physics of the disturbed equatorial ionosphere. To accomplish this, a plasma frequency probe was included in the payload complement of two rockets flown during the Condor rocket campaign conducted from Peru in March 1983. This paper presents density profiles of the disturbed equatorial ionosphere from a night-time flight in which spread-F conditions were present and from a day-time flight during strong electrojet conditions. Results from both flights are in excellent agreement with simultaneous radar data in that the regions of highly disturbed plasma coincide with the radar signatures. The spread-F rocket penetrated a topside depletion during both the upleg and downleg. The electrojet measurements showed a profile peaking at 1.3 x 10 to the 5th per cu cm at 106 km, with large scale fluctuations having amplitudes of roughly 10 percent seen only in the upward gradient in electron density. This is in agreement with plasma instability theory. It is further shown that simultaneous measurements by fixed-bias Langmuir probes, when normalized at a single point to the altitude profile of electron density, are inadequate to correctly parameterize the observed enhancements and depletions.
Document ID
19860034342
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Baker, K. D.
(Utah State Univ. Logan, UT, United States)
Howlett, L. C.
(Utah State Univ. Logan, UT, United States)
Rao, N. B.
(Utah State Univ. Logan, UT, United States)
Ulwick, J. C.
(Utah State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, Logan, United States)
Labelle, J.
(Cornell University Ithaca, NY, United States)
Date Acquired
August 12, 2013
Publication Date
October 1, 1985
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics
Volume: 47
ISSN: 0021-9169
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
86A19080
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: N00014-81-K-0018
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-603
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSG-6020
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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