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Utah State University

1982

Electrojet

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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Long Wavelength Irregularities In The Equatorial Electrojet, E. Kudeki, D. T. Farley, Bela G. Fejer Jun 1982

Long Wavelength Irregularities In The Equatorial Electrojet, E. Kudeki, D. T. Farley, Bela G. Fejer

Bela G. Fejer

We have used the radar interferometer technique at Jicamarca to study in detail irregularities with wavelengths of a few kilometers generated in the unstable equatorial electrojet plasma during strong type 1 conditions. In-situ rocket observations of the same instability process are discussed in a companion paper. These large scale primary waves travel essentially horizontally and have large amplitudes. The vertical electron drift velocities driven by the horizontal wave electric fields reach or exceed the ion-acoustic velocity even though the horizontal phase velocity of the wave is considerably smaller. A straightforward extension to the long wavelength regime of the usual linear …


In-Situ Measurements Ofwave Electric Fields In The Equatorial Electrojet, R. C. Pfaff, M. C. Kelley, Bela G. Fejer, N. C. Maynard, K. D. Baker Jun 1982

In-Situ Measurements Ofwave Electric Fields In The Equatorial Electrojet, R. C. Pfaff, M. C. Kelley, Bela G. Fejer, N. C. Maynard, K. D. Baker

Bela G. Fejer

Electric field wave measurements have been performed on two sounding rockets in the equatorial ionosphere. During a daytime flight from Chilca, Peru, intense electrostatic waves were detected on the upward directed electron density gradient. During a nighttime flight from Kwajalein Atoll, similar waves were detected on a downward directed gradient. These results are in agreement with a gradient drift instability explanation of the generation of the waves. The wave amplitudes were as high as 5 mV/m implying perturbation drifts comparable to the driving drift velocities. Power spectra from the turbulent region show a peak at long wavelengths, followed by a …