Physics Commons^™

Observationsof Inner-Plasmasphere Irregularities With A Satellite Beacon Interferometer Array, A. R. Jacobsen, G. Hogeveen, R. C. Carlos, G. Wu, Bela G. Fejer, M. C. Kelley

Bela G. Fejer

A radio-interferometer array illuminated by 136-MHz beacons of several geosynchronous satellites has been used to study small (≥ 1013 m−2) transient disturbances in the total electron content along the lines of sight to the satellites. High-frequency (ƒ> 3 mHz) electron content oscillations are persistently observed, particularly during night and particularly during geomagnetically disturbed periods. The oscillations move across the array plane at speeds in the range 200–2000 m/s, with propagation azimuths that are strongly peaked in lobes toward the western half-plane. Detailed analysis of this azimuth behavior, involving comparison between observations on various satellite positions, indicates compellingly that the phase …