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Full-Text Articles in Physics

Quiet Time Equatorial F Region Vertical Plasma Drift Model Derived From Rocsat-1 Observations, Bela G. Fejer, J. W. Jensen, S. Y. Su May 2008

Quiet Time Equatorial F Region Vertical Plasma Drift Model Derived From Rocsat-1 Observations, Bela G. Fejer, J. W. Jensen, S. Y. Su

Bela G. Fejer

[1] We have used five years of measurements on board the ROCSAT-1 satellite to develop a detailed quiet time global empirical model for equatorial F region vertical plasma drifts. This model describes the local time, seasonal and longitudinal dependence of the vertical drifts for an altitude of 600 km under moderate and high solar flux conditions. The model results are in excellent agreement with measurements from the Jicamarca radar and also from other ground-based and in situ probes. We show that the longitudinal dependence of the daytime and nighttime vertical drifts is much stronger than reported earlier, especially during December …


Climatology Of F Region Zonalplasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, J. R. Souza, A. S. Santos, A. E. Costa Pereira Dec 2005

Climatology Of F Region Zonalplasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, J. R. Souza, A. S. Santos, A. E. Costa Pereira

Bela G. Fejer

[1] We use extensive incoherent scatter radar observations made at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory between 1970 and 2003 to study and model empirically the equatorial zonal plasma drifts near the F region peak using Bernstein polynomials as base functions. Our quiet-time model results confirm that the daytime drifts are westward and are nearly season and solar cycle independent. The nighttime drifts are eastward, have larger magnitudes, and increase strongly with solar flux, particularly near equinox and December solstice. Enhanced geomagnetic activity drives small eastward perturbation drifts during the day and much larger westward disturbance drifts at night. The nighttime drift …


Average Nighttime F Region Disturbance Neutral Winds Measured By Windi Uars: Initial Results, J. T. Emmert, Bela G. Fejer, G. G. Shepard, B. H. Solheim Nov 2004

Average Nighttime F Region Disturbance Neutral Winds Measured By Windi Uars: Initial Results, J. T. Emmert, Bela G. Fejer, G. G. Shepard, B. H. Solheim

Bela G. Fejer

[1] We use low- and mid-latitude wind data from the Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) on board the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) to study the average response of nighttime upper thermospheric winds to geomagnetic activity. We calculate perturbation winds in magnetic coordinates and analyze them as a function of magnetic local time, latitude, geomagnetic activity, and solar EUV flux. The nighttime zonal disturbance winds are predominately westward, with the strongest effects extending from dusk at 70° to midnight at 45°. Westward disturbance winds are also observed throughout most of the night at low latitudes, where they change to eastward at …


Climatology Of Mid- And Low-Latitude F Region Disturbance Winds Measured By Windii, J. T. Emmert, Bela G. Fejer, C. G. Fesen, G. G. Shepherd, B. H. Solheim Nov 2001

Climatology Of Mid- And Low-Latitude F Region Disturbance Winds Measured By Windii, J. T. Emmert, Bela G. Fejer, C. G. Fesen, G. G. Shepherd, B. H. Solheim

Bela G. Fejer

No abstract provided.


The Lunar Tide In The Equatorial F Region Vertical Ion Drift Velocity, R. J. Stening, Bela G. Fejer Jan 2001

The Lunar Tide In The Equatorial F Region Vertical Ion Drift Velocity, R. J. Stening, Bela G. Fejer

Bela G. Fejer

Vertical ion drift velocity data from Jicamarca have been analyzed for a lunar semidiurnal tide using a least squares fitting method. Amplitudes of up to 6 m s−1 are obtained with phases in agreement with lunar tidal determinations of other associated physical parameters. Variations between season, solar activity, and day to night are also examined. Generally, amplitudes are larger in the southern summer. Much of the phase variation with season is very similar for solar maximum and minimum years. There is a summer to winter phase change that is most distinct at solar maximum nighttime. A day-to-night phase reversal can …


Radar And Satellite Global Equatorial F-Region Vertical Drift Model, L. Scherliess, Bela G. Fejer Apr 1999

Radar And Satellite Global Equatorial F-Region Vertical Drift Model, L. Scherliess, Bela G. Fejer

Bela G. Fejer

We present the first global empirical model for the quiet time F region equatorial vertical drifts based on combined incoherent scatter radar observations at Jicamarca and Ion Drift Meter observations on board the Atmospheric Explorer E satellite. This analytical model, based on products of cubic-B splines and with nearly conservative electric fields, describes the diurnal and seasonal variations of the equatorial vertical drifts for a continuous range of all longitudes and solar flux values. Our results indicate that during solar minimum, the evening prereversal velocity enhancement exhibits only small longitudinal variations during equinox with amplitudes of about 15–20 m/s, is …


Incoherent Scatter Radar, Ionosonde,And Satellite Measurements Of Equatorial F Region Vertical Plasma Drifts In The Evening Sector, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, L. Scherliess, I. S. Batista Jul 1996

Incoherent Scatter Radar, Ionosonde,And Satellite Measurements Of Equatorial F Region Vertical Plasma Drifts In The Evening Sector, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, L. Scherliess, I. S. Batista

Bela G. Fejer

Studies of equatorial F region evening vertical plasma drifts using different measurement techniques have produced conflicting results. We examine the relationship of incoherent scatter radar and ionosonde drift observations over the Peruvian equatorial region, and AE-E satellite drifts for different geophysical conditions. Our data show that there is large day-to-day variability on the ratios of radar and ionosonde drifts, but on the average the measurements from these two techniques are in fair agreement during low and moderate solar flux conditions. For high solar activity, however, the Jicamarca evening drifts during equinox and December solstice are significantly larger than the ionosonde …


Comparison Between Calculatedand Observed F-Region Density Profiles At Jicamarca, Peru, A. J. Preble, D. N. Anderson, Bela G. Fejer, P. H. Doherty Jan 1994

Comparison Between Calculatedand Observed F-Region Density Profiles At Jicamarca, Peru, A. J. Preble, D. N. Anderson, Bela G. Fejer, P. H. Doherty

Bela G. Fejer

Electron density profiles and isodensity contours derived from Jicamarca incoherent scatter radar observations in Peru for October 1–2, 1970, are compared in detail with results from the Phillips Laboratory global theoretical ionospheric model. This model solves the ion continuity equation for O+ concentration through production, loss, and transport of ionization. The primary factor controlling the peak plasma density at Jicamarca is the vertical E×B drift, which drives the ionization upward during the day and downward at night. When we use the measured drift in the model, we achieve excellent results with the measured electron density profiles. We illustrate the sensitivity …


Solar Cycle And Seasonal Variationsin F Region Electrodynamics At Millstone Hill, M. J. Buonsanto, M. E. Hagan, J. E. Salah, Bela G. Fejer Sep 1993

Solar Cycle And Seasonal Variationsin F Region Electrodynamics At Millstone Hill, M. J. Buonsanto, M. E. Hagan, J. E. Salah, Bela G. Fejer

Bela G. Fejer

Incoherent scatter radar observations of ion drifts taken at Millstone Hill (42.6°N, 288.5°E) during 73 experiments in the period February 1984 to February 1992 are used to construct, for the first time at this station, average quiet-time E×B drift patterns for both solar cycle maximum and minimum, for the summer, winter, and equinox seasons. The daily variation of V⊥N shows a reversal from northward to southward drifts near noon, and a return to northward drifts in the premidnight hours. The weaker southward drift in the afternoon in summer noted by Wand and Evans (1981) is shown to occur only at …


F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Arecibo: Solar Cycle, Seasonal And Magnetic Activityeffects, Bela G. Fejer Jan 1993

F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Arecibo: Solar Cycle, Seasonal And Magnetic Activityeffects, Bela G. Fejer

Bela G. Fejer

We have used Arecibo incoherent scatter measurements from 1981 to 1990 to determine the characteristics of low-latitude F region plasma drifts. The measurements show large day-to-day variability even during magnetically quiet periods. The average poleward/perpendicular plasma drifts do not change significantly with season and solar cycle except in the midnight-morning sector. The zonal drifts show clear solar cycle and seasonal effects. The afternoon-nighttime eastward drifts increase with solar flux; the westward drifts in the early morning-afternoon sector show a large increase from summer to winter but are independent of solar activity. The two perpendicular velocity components also respond differently to …


Average Vertical And Zonal F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, S. Gonzalez, R. F. Woodman Aug 1991

Average Vertical And Zonal F-Region Plasma Drifts Over Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, S. Gonzalez, R. F. Woodman

Bela G. Fejer

The seasonal averages of the equatorial F region vertical and zonal plasma drifts are determined using extensive incoherent scatter radar observations from Jicamarca during 1968–1988. The late afternoon and nighttime vertical and zonal drifts are strongly dependent on the 10.7-cm solar flux. We show that the evening prereversal enhancement of vertical drifts increases linearly with solar flux during equinox but tends to saturate for large fluxes during southern hemisphere winter. We examine in detail, for the first time, the seasonal variation of the zonal plasma drifts and their dependence on solar flux and magnetic activity. The seasonal effects on the …


Equatorial F-Regionvertical Plasma Drifts During Solar Maxima, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, I. S. Batista, E. Bonelli, R. F. Woodman Sep 1989

Equatorial F-Regionvertical Plasma Drifts During Solar Maxima, Bela G. Fejer, E. R. De Paula, I. S. Batista, E. Bonelli, R. F. Woodman

Bela G. Fejer

Incoherent scatter radar measurements at Jicamarca are used to study the effects of large solar fluxes and magnetic activity on the F region vertical plasma drifts. The average drifts from the two last solar maxima are almost identical except in the late afternoon-early evening sector where their variations with solar flux and magnetic activity are strongly season dependent. The average evening winter (May-August) drifts appear to remain almost constant after a certain solar flux level is reached but increase with magnetic activity. The equinoctial evening drifts increase systematically with solar-flux but decrease with magnetic activity. Very large prereversal enhancement velocities, …


On The Height Variation Of The Equatorial F-Region Vertical Plasmadrifts, J. E. Pingree, Bela G. Fejer May 1987

On The Height Variation Of The Equatorial F-Region Vertical Plasmadrifts, J. E. Pingree, Bela G. Fejer

Bela G. Fejer

We have used improved incoherent scatter radar measurements at the Jicamarca Radio Observatory to study the height variation of the F region vertical plasma drift velocity (driven by the zonal electric field) during moderately quiet conditions. Preliminary results indicate a nearly linear change of the vertical drift velocity with altitude between 200 and 700 km, but with considerable day-to-day variations in the value of the slope. On the average, the velocity gradients are positive in the late night and morning periods and negative during the afternoon and evening hours. Simultaneous vertical and zonal drift measurements confirm that the measured height …


Gigahertz Scintillations And Spaced Receiver Drift Measurements During Project Condorequatorial F-Region Rocket Campaign In Peru, S. Basu, Sa. Basu, J. Labelle, E. Kudeki, Bela G. Fejer, M. C. Kelley, H. E. Whitney May 1986

Gigahertz Scintillations And Spaced Receiver Drift Measurements During Project Condorequatorial F-Region Rocket Campaign In Peru, S. Basu, Sa. Basu, J. Labelle, E. Kudeki, Bela G. Fejer, M. C. Kelley, H. E. Whitney

Bela G. Fejer

Radar backscatter at 50 MHz, rocket, and VHF/GHz scintillation measurements of spread F irregularities at the magnetic equator in Peru were made during the Project Condor campaign in March 1983. The paper discusses the coordinated set of observations on two evenings, March 1 and March 14, 1983, when the altitude of the F region peak differed by more than 150 km. The full complement of equatorial spread F phenomena, namely, the occurrence of 3-m plume structures and VHF/GHz scintillations, were recorded on both these evenings. It was found that the radar backscatter with extended plumes occurs in association with maximum …


Equatorial F-Region Zonal Plasma Drifts, Bela G. Fejer, E. Kudeki, D. T. Farley Dec 1985

Equatorial F-Region Zonal Plasma Drifts, Bela G. Fejer, E. Kudeki, D. T. Farley

Bela G. Fejer

We have examined in detail the F region plasma drifts measured at Jicamarca, Peru, during 1978–1981, a period of high solar activity, and compared these drifts with Jicamarca data taken during periods of lower activity, as well as with other equatorial zonal neutral wind and plasma drift measurements. The increase in solar activity causes larger nighttime eastward plasma drifts at Jicamarca and delays the morning reversal time from eastward nighttime to westward daytime drifts. The radar data seem to be in good agreement with nighttime neutral wind measurements made by the DE-2 satellite, but are systematically smaller than spaced receiver …


Interferometer Studies Of Equatorial Fregion Irregularities And Drifts, E. Kudeki, Bela G. Fejer, D. T. Farley, H. M. Ierkic Apr 1981

Interferometer Studies Of Equatorial Fregion Irregularities And Drifts, E. Kudeki, Bela G. Fejer, D. T. Farley, H. M. Ierkic

Bela G. Fejer

A radar interferometer technique developed at Jicamarca, Peru and first used to study electrojet irregularities has now been used successfully to study plasma turbulence in the equatorial F region. Our first results have shown that the most ‘turbulent’ echoes appear to come from a region that extends for tens of kilometers in altitude but for only a kilometer or less in the east-west direction. This slab may very well be the wall of a depleted region, a plasma ‘bubble’. Sometimes the irregularities can be tracked as they move eastward or westward. Velocity profiles for the evening period obtained in this …


F-Region East-Westdrifts At Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, D. T. Farley, C. A. Gonzales, R. F. Woodman, C. Calderson Jan 1981

F-Region East-Westdrifts At Jicamarca, Bela G. Fejer, D. T. Farley, C. A. Gonzales, R. F. Woodman, C. Calderson

Bela G. Fejer

F region east-west drifts have been measured at Jicamarca for almost 10 years, using incoherent scatter. The drifts are westward during the day and eastward at night. The daytime drift velocities are about 50 m/s and change very little with season or solar cycle. The evening reversal occurs at about 1600 local time throughout the solar cycle. The maximum nighttime eastward drifts are about 105 and 130 m/s during solar minimum and maximum, respectively. The daytime and nighttime drifts show very litle variation with magnetic activity. These Jicamarca incoherent scatter results (especially the reversal times) differ appreciably from results obtained …