The Ionosphere

A modern treatment of the physics and phenomena of the ionosphere, beginning with the basics of radio propagation and the use of radio techniques in ionospheric studies. Ample cross-referencing, chapter summaries and reference lists make this book an invaluable aid for graduate students, ionospheric physicists and radio engineers.

Nonlinear effects in the ionosphere (cross modulation of radio waves) have been known since the 1930s. Only recently, however, has the rapid increase in the power and directivity of the radio transmitters made it possible to alter the properties of the ionosphere strongly and to modify it artificially by applying radio waves. This has revealed a variety of new physical phenomena. Their study is not only of scien tific interest but also undisputedly of practical interest, and is presently progressing very rapidly. This monograph is devoted to an exposition of the present status of theoretical research on this problem. Particular attention is paid, naturally, to problems in the development of which the author himself took part. It is my pleasant duty to thank V. L. Ginzburg, L. P. Pitaevskii, V. V. Vas'kov, E. E. Tsedilina, A. B. Shvartsburg, and Va. S. Dimant for useful discussions and for valuable remarks during various stages of the work on the problem considered in this book. Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Earth's Ionosphere: Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics emphasizes the study of plasma physics and electrodynamics of the ionosphere, including many aeronomical influences. The ionosphere is somewhat of a battleground between the earth's neutral atmosphere and the sun's fully ionized atmosphere, in which the earth is embedded. One of the challenges of ionosphere research is to know enough about these two vast fields of research to make sense out of ionospheric phenomena. This book provides insights into how these competing sources of mass, momentum, and energy compete for control of the ionosphere. Some of the topics discussed include the fundamentals of ionospheric plasma dynamics; equatorial plasma instabilities; high-latitude electrodynamics; and instabilities and structure in the high-latitude ionosphere. Throughout this text only the region above 90 km are discussed, ignoring the D region entirely. This publication is a good source of information for students and individuals conducting research on earth’s ionosphere.

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of theGeophysical Monograph Series, Volume 201. Modeling the Ionosphere-Thermosphere System bringstogether for the first time a detailed description of the physicsof the IT system in conjunction with numerical techniques to solvethe complex system of equations that describe the system, as wellas issues of current interest. Volume highlights includediscussions of: Physics of the ionosphere and thermosphere IT system, and thenumerical methods to solve the basic equations of the ITsystem The physics and numerical methods to determine the globalelectrodynamics of the IT system The response of the IT system to forcings from below (i.e., thelower atmosphere) and from above (i.e., the magnetosphere) The physics and numerical methods to model ionosphericirregularities Data assimilation techniques, comparison of model results todata, climate variability studies, and applications to spaceweather Providing a clear description of the physics of this system inseveral tutorial-like articles, Modeling theIonosphere-Thermosphere System is of value to the upperatmosphere science community in general. Chapters describingdetails of the numerical methods used to solve the equations thatdescribe the IT system make the volume useful to both activeresearchers in the field and students.

This introductory text describes the ionosphere and its effects on systems which use it, giving special emphasis to HF communications. Further sections cover topics such as the single station location of HF transmitters and over-the-horizon radar.

In this book, the author draws on his broad experience to describe both the theory and the applications of wave propagations. The contents are presented in four parts and the sequence of these parts reflect the development of ionospheric and propagational research in areas such as space research geophysics and communications. The first part of the book presents an outline of the theory of electromagnetic waves propagating in a cold electron plasma. For reference, vector analysis, dyadics and eigenvalues introduced in this part are presented in the appendices. Practical aspects of radio wave propagation are the subject of the second part. The typical conditions in different frequency ranges are discussed and the irregular features of the ionospheric structure such as sound and gravity waves are also considered. Warm plasma and the effects of ions are considered in the third part, which includes a discussion of sound-like waves in electron and ion plasmas. Nonlinear effects and instabilities are described in the fourth part.

Annals of the International Geophysical Year, Volume III: The Ionosphere covers the main branches of ionospheric research, particularly the vertical-incidence sounding technique. This volume is composed of seven chapters and begins with an introduction to the basic technique of pulse-sounding for most ionospheric studies. The next chapters describe the elementary theory basic to the understanding of ionospheric soundings and their physical interpretation. This topic is followed by examination of the basic principles, antenna systems, and photographic processing of sounding equipment. Other chapters highlight the interpretation and reduction of ionograms. The last chapter provides guidelines to observers for the maintenance of high standards of performance of the ionosonde, of scaling and of reporting their observations. This book will be of useful to geophysicists, equipment designers, and researchers in the field.