Research over the years has established that the Gradient Drift Instability process causes small-scale irregularities, mostly along the edges of the high-latitude polar cap patches. Studying these irregularities will help in the development of a global Scale Ionospheric model, which is a central part of a global space weather forecast system. Much theoretical work has been done with varying degrees of complexity to study this instability in the high latitude patches. In this work we have used the Utah State University Time Dependent Ionospheric Model to model the high-latitude patches, calculate the growth rate of the instability, and perform a macro-scale study of the phenomenon. This is the first time that real ionospheric values have been used to calculate the growth rate and to provide two-dimensional maps identifying Gradient Drift Instability-caused irregularity regions in the polar cap. Our research shows that regions of intense instability occur along the edges of the tongue of ionization and its throat regions with strong rates along the borders of the cusp region.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第19507号 / 理博第4167号 / 新制||理||1598(附属図書館) / 32543 / 京都大学大学院理学研究科地球惑星科学専攻 / (主査)教授 家森 俊彦, 教授 田口 聡, 教授 余田 成男 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

Plasma turbulence associated with the creation of an artificial dust layer in the earth's ionosphere is investigated. The Charged Aerosol Release Experiment (CARE) aims to understand the mechanisms for enhanced radar scatter from plasma irregularities embedded in dusty plasmas in space. Plasma irregularities embedded in a artificial dusty plasma in space may shed light on understanding the mechanism for enhanced radar scatter in Noctilucent Clouds (NLCs) and Polar Mesospheric Summer Echoes (PMSEs) in the earth's mesosphere. Artificially created, charged-particulate layers also have strong impact on radar scatter as well as radio signal propagation in communication and surveillance systems. The sounding rocket experiment was designed to develop theories of radar scatter from artificially created plasma turbulence in charged dust particle environment. Understanding plasma irregularities embedded in a artificial dusty plasma in space will also contribute to addressing possible effects of combustion products in rocket/space shuttle exhaust in the ionosphere. In dusty space plasmas, plasma irregularities and instabilities can be generated during active dust aerosol release experiments. Small scale irregularities (several tens of centimeter to meters) and low frequency waves (in the ion/dust scale time in the order of second) are studied in this work, which can be measured by High Frequency (HF), Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radars. The existence of dust aerosol particles makes computational modeling of plasma irregularities extremely challenging not only because of multiple spatial and temporal scale issue but also due to complexity of dust aerosol particles. This work will provide theoretical and computational models to study plasma irregularities driven by dust aerosol release for the purpose of designing future experiments with combined ground radar, optical and in-situ measurement. In accordance with linear analysis, feasible hybrid computational models are developed to study nonlinear evolution of plasma instabilities in artificially created dusty space plasmas. First of all, the ion acoustic (IA) instability and dust acoustic (DA) instability in homogenous unmagnetized plasmas are investigated by a computational model using a Boltzmann electron assumption. Such acoustic-type instabilities are attributed to the charged dust and ion streaming along the geomagnetic field. Secondly, in a homogenous magnetized dusty plasma, lower-hybrid (LH) streaming instability will be generated by dust streaming perpendicular to the background geomagnetic field. The magnetic field effect on lower-hybrid streaming instabilities is investigated by including the ratio of electron plasma frequency and electron gyro frequency in this model. The instability in weakly magnetized circumstances agree well with that for the ion acoustic (IA) instability by a Boltzmann model. Finally, in an inhomogeneous unmagnetized/magnetized dust boundary layer, possible instabilities will be addressed, including dust acoustic (DA) wave due to flow along the boundary and lower-hybrid (LH) sheared instability due to flow cross the boundary. With applications to active rocket experiments, plasma irregularity features in a linear/nonlinear saturated stage are characterized and predicted. Important parameters of the dust aerosol clouds that impact the evolution of waves will be also discussed for upcoming dust payload generator design. These computational models, with the advantage of following nonlinear wave-particle interaction, could be used for space dusty plasmas as well as laboratory dusty plasmas. / Ph. D.

The ionospheric peak electron density NmF2, simulated with the Coupled Thermosphere Ionosphere Plasmasphere electrodynamics (CTIPe) model was used to study the ionospheric response to solar flux in years of low (2008) and high (2013) solar activity. The CTIPe NmF2 was compared to the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with Thermosphere and Ionosphere Extension (WACCM-X) and the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) NmF2 in March and July of 2008 and 2013. The comparison shows that the CTIPe NmF2 is lower than the COSMIC andWACCM-X NmF2. Both models successfully reproduce the semi-annual variations seen in the COSMIC observations. Analysis of the 27-day variations of the CTIPe NmF2 shows that the midnight NmF2 deviations are stronger than the midday deviations. In addition, at low solar activity, the 27-day variations of NmF2 are larger in the Southern Hemisphere, while at high solar activity, the 27-day variations of NmF2 are larger at the equator and in the Northern Hemisphere. An ionospheric delay was estimated with CTIPe simulated NmF2 at the 27-day solar rotation period during low and high solar activity. During low (high) solar activity, an ionospheric delay of about 12 (34) hours is predicted indicating an increasing ionospheric delay with solar activity. / Die maximale ionosphärische Elektronendichte NmF2, die mit dem Coupled Thermosphere Ionosphere Plasmasphere electrodynamics (CTIPe) Modell simuliert wurde, wurde zur Untersuchung der ionosphärischen Reaktion in Jahren mit geringer (2008) und hoher (2013) Sonnenaktivität verwendet. CTIPe vorhergesagte NmF2 wurde mit derjenigen des Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with Thermosphere and Ionosphere Extension (WACCM-X) und Messwerten des Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) im März und Juli der Jahre 2008 und 2013 verglichen. Der Vergleich zeigt, dass NmF2 aus CTIPe geringer ist als das COSMIC gemessene und von WACCM-X simulierte. Beide Modelle reproduzieren erfolgreich die von COSMIC beobachteten halbjährlichen Schwankungen. Die Analyse der 27-tägigen Schwankungen des CTIPe NmF2 zeigt, dass die mitternächtlichen NMF2-Abweichungen stärker sind als diejenigen am Mittag. Außerdem sind bei geringer Sonnenaktivität die 27-Tage-Abweichungen von NmF2 in der Südhemisphäre größer, während bei hoher Sonnenaktivität die 27-Tage-Abweichungen von NmF2 am Äquator und in der Nordhemisphäre größer sind. Die ionosphärische Verzögerung während geringer und hoher Sonnenaktivität wurde für die 27-tägige Sonnenrotation mit CTIPe simuliert. Bei geringer (hoher) Sonnenaktivität wird eine ionosphärische Verzögerung von etwa 12 (34) Stunden beobachtet, was auf eine zunehmende ionosphärische Verzögerung mit zunehmender Sonnenaktivität hinweist.

There is an increasing demand for higher precision when using Global Navigation Satellite Systems, GNSS, for positioning. The measurement uncertainty depends on multiple factors and one of them is the ionosphere. Due to the ionosphere being ionized and contains free electrons, satellite signals that propagates the ionosphere will be affected by the total electron content, TEC. There is no way to reduce the errors caused by the ionosphere for single frequency measuring, but it can be done for dual frequencies. The objective for this study was to compare different websites modeling results for disturbance on ground and ionospheric turbulence. Three websites were used in the comparison: Swedish SWEPOS, Norwegian seSolstorm and German IMPC. Due to different content on the websites, SWEPOS was compared with seSolstorm and IMPC was compared to seSolstorm on five different dates. In total 10 comparisons were made. The websites were evaluated on four criteria, designed from the point of view of a land surveyor: user friendliness, graphical representation, knowledge requirement and mobile website adaptation. Each criterion was graded on a scale from 1–5, where 5 was considered the best. The study showed that the modeling results from the websites differed and that the difference can not only be explained by different graphical representation or scales for measure. The results for the evaluation and grading of the websites where as follows: SWEPOS 16, seSolstorm 13 and IMPC 12. This makes SWEPOS the best suited website to use for a land surveyor. / Vid positionsbestämning finns det ett behov av högre precision vid användandet av Global Navigation Satellite Systems, GNSS. Mätosäkerheten beror av ett flertal faktorer och en av dem är jonosfären. Tack vare att jonosfären är joniserad och innehåller fria elektroner kommer satellitsignaler som färdas genom jonosfären att påverkas av det totala elektroninnehållet, TEC. Det finns idag inget sätt för enkel frekvensmätning att eliminera den mätosäkerhet som uppstår till följd av jonosfäriska störningar, däremot är det möjligt att modellera för dessa störningar då två frekvenser används. Målet för denna studie var att jämföra olika webbplatsers modelleringsresultat för störningar på marknivå och för jonosfärisk turbulens. Tre webbplatser användes i jämförelsen: svenska SWEPOS, norska seSolstorm och tyska IMPC. På grund av att hemsidorna hade olika innehåll gällande modelleringar jämfördes SWEPOS med seSolstorm, medan IMPC jämfördes med seSolstorm. Totalt gjordes 10 jämförelser för fem olika datum. Webbplatserna utvärderades utifrån fyra kriterier vilka var utformade utifrån en mätteknikers synvinkel: användarvänlighet, grafisk representation, kunskapsbehov och mobil webbplatsanpassning. Varje kriterium betygsattes på en skala från 1–5, där 5 ansågs vara det bästa. Studien visade att modelleringsresultaten från webbplatserna skilde sig åt och att skillnaden inte kunde förklaras med olika grafiska framställningar eller skalstorlek. Resultaten för utvärdering och betygsättning av webbplatserna var följande: SWEPOS 16, seSolstorm 13 och IMPC 12. Detta gjorde SWEPOS till den bäst lämpade webbplatsen att använda för en mättekniker.

The ionosphere is the conducting part of the upper atmosphere that plays a significant role in trans-ionospheric high frequency (HF, 3-30 MHz) radiowave propagation. Solar activities, such as solar flares, radiation storms, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), alter the state of the ionosphere, a phenomenon known as Sudden Ionospheric Disturbance (SID), that can severely disrupt HF radio communication links by enhancing radiowave absorption and altering signal frequency and phase. The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) is an international network of low-power HF coherent scatter radars distributed across the globe to probe the ionosphere and its relation to solar activities. In this study, we used SuperDARN HF radar measurements with coordinated spacecraft and riometer observations to investigate statistical characteristics and the driving mechanisms of various manifestations of solar flare-driven SIDs in HF observations. We begin in Chapter 2 with a statistical characterization of various effects of solar flares on SuperDARN observations. Simultaneous observations from GOES spacecraft and SuperDARN radars confirmed flare-driven HF absorption depends on solar zenith angle, operating frequency, and intensity of the solar flare. The study found flare-driven SID also affects the SuperDARN backscatter signal frequency, which produces a sudden rise in Doppler velocity observation, referred to as the ``Doppler flash'', which occurs before the HF absorption effect. In Chapter 3, we further investigate the HF absorption effect during successive solar flares and those co-occurring with other geomagnetic disturbances during the 2017 solar storm. We found successive solar flares can extend the ionospheric relaxation time and the variation of HF absorption with latitude is different depending on the type of disturbance. In Chapter 4, we looked into an inertial property of the ionosphere, sluggishness, its variations with solar flare intensity, and made some inferences about D-region ion-chemistry using a simulation study. Specifically, we found solar flares alter the D-region chemistry by enhancing the electron detachment rate due to a sudden rise in molecular vibrational and rotational energy under the influence of enhanced solar radiation. In Chapter 5, we describe a model framework that reproduces HF absorption observed by riometers. This chapter compares different model formulations for estimating HF absorption and discusses different driving influences of HF absorption. In Chapter 6, we have investigated different driving mechanisms of the Doppler flash observed by SuperDARN radars. We note two particular findings: (i) the Doppler flash is predominantly driven by a change in the F-region refractive index and (ii) a combination of solar flare-driven enhancement in photoionization, and changes in the zonal electric field and(or) ionospheric conductivity reduces upward ion-drift, which produces a lowering effect in the F-region HF radiowave reflection height. Collectively, these research findings provide a statistical characterization of various solar flare effects on the ionosphere seen in the HF observations, and insights into their driving mechanisms and impacts on ionospheric dynamics. / Doctor of Philosophy / The Earth's ionosphere, extending from about 60 km to 1000 km in altitude, is an electrically charged region of the upper atmosphere that exists primarily due to ionization by solar X-ray and extreme ultraviolet radiation. The ionosphere is an effective barrier to energetic electromagnetic (EM) radiation and charged particles originating from the Sun or any other extraterrestrial sources and protect us against harmful space radiation. High frequency (HF, 3-30 MHz) radio communication, broadly used for real-time medium and long-range communication, is strongly dependent on the state of the ionosphere, which is susceptible to solar activities, such as solar flares, solar energetic particles (SEPs), and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Specifically, we are interested in the impacts of solar flares. In this study, we use Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) HF radars, ground-based riometers, and coordinated spacecraft observations to investigate the driving mechanisms of various space weather impacts on the ionosphere and radiowave propagation following solar flares. We begin in Chapter 2 with a characterization of various kinds of ionospheric disturbances manifested in SuperDARN backscattered signal following solar flares. Specifically, we characterized HF absorption effects and frequency anomalies experienced by traveling radiowaves, also known as Shortwave Fadeout (SWF) and Sudden Frequency Deviations (SFDs), respectively. In SuperDARN HF radar observations, SFDs are recorded as a sudden enhancement in Doppler velocity, which is referred to as the ``Doppler flash''. In Chapter 3, we investigate a special event study that elucidates the nonlinear physics behind HF absorption caused by multiple simultaneous solar flares and flares co-occurring with SEPs and CMEs. In Chapter 4, we explore an inertial property of the ionosphere, known as sluggishness, and its dependence on solar flares can provide important information about the chemical proprieties of the ionosphere. We found that the enhanced solar radiation during a solar flare increases the molecular vibrational and rotational energy that in turn enhances the electron detachment rate and reduces ionospheric sluggishness. In Chapter 5, we describe a framework to estimate HF absorption observed by riometers following solar flares. We analyze the influence of different physical parameters, such as collision frequency and electron temperature, on HF absorption. In Chapter 6, we delved into the physical processes that drive the Doppler flash in SuperDARN observations following solar flares. We find, (i) the Doppler flash is predominately driven by change in the F-region refractive index and (ii) a combination of solar flare-driven enhancement in photoionization, and change in zonal electric field and(or) ionospheric conductivity reduces upward ion-drift, which produces a lowering effect in the F-region HF radiowave reflection height. Taken together, these research findings provide new insights into solar flare impacts on the ionosphere and could be used to improve forecasting of ionospheric space weather disturbances following solar flares.

Atmospheric planetary waves play a role in introducing variability to the low-latitude ionosphere. To better understand this coupling, this study investigates times when oscillations seen in both atmospheric planetary waves and ionospheric data-sets have similar periodicity. The planetary wave data-set used are temperature observations made by Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER). These highlight periods during which 2-Day westward propagating wave-number 3 waves are evident in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The ionospheric data-set is Total Electron Content (TEC), which is used to identify periods during which the ionosphere appears to respond to the planetary waves. Data from KP and F10.7 indices are used to determine events that may be of external origin. A 17-year time-span from 2002 to 2018 is used for this analysis so that both times of solar minimum and maximum can be studied. To extract the periods of this collection of data a Morlet Wavelet analysis is used, along with thresholding to indicate events when similar periods are seen in each data-set. Trends are then determined, which can lead to verification of previous assumptions and new discoveries. / Master of Science / The thermosphere and ionosphere are impacted by many sources. The sun and the magnetosphere externally impact this system. Planetary waves, which originate in the lower atmosphere, internally impact this system. This interaction leads to periodic signatures in the ionosphere that reflect periodic signatures seen in the lower atmosphere, the sun and the magnetosphere. This study identifies these times of similar oscillations in the neutral atmosphere, the ionosphere, and the sun, in order to characterize these interactions. Events are cataloged through wavelet analysis and thresholding techniques. Using a time-span of 17 years, trends are identified using histograms and percentages. From these trends, the characteristics of this coupling can be concluded. This study is meant to confirm the theory and provide new insights that will hopefully lead to further investigation through modeling. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of the role that planetary waves have on the interaction of the atmosphere and the ionosphere.

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is significantly advantageous to absolute and relative navigation for spacecraft formation flying. Ionospheric remote sensing, such as Total Electron Content (TEC) measurements or ionospheric irregularity studies are important potential Low Earth Orbit (LEO) applications. A GNSS-based Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation testbed for LEO spacecraft formation flying has been developed and evaluated. The testbed infrastructure is composed of GNSS simulators, multi-constellation GNSS receiver(s), the Navigation & Control system and the Systems Tool Kit (STK) visualization system. A reference scenario of two LEO spacecraft is simulated with the initial in-track separation of 1000-m and targeted leader-follower configuration of 100-m along-track offset. Therefore, the feasibility and performance of the testbed have been demonstrated by benchmarking the simulation results with past work. For ionospheric remote sensing, multi-constellation multi-frequency GNSS receivers are used to develop the GNSS TEC measurement and model evaluation system. GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou constellations are considered in this work. Multi-constellation GNSS TEC measurements and the GNSS-based HIL simulation testbed were integrated and applied to design a LEO satellite formation flying mission for ionospheric remote sensing. A scenario of observing sporadic E is illustrated and adopted to demonstrate how to apply GNSS-based spacecraft formation flying to study the ionospheric irregularities using the HIL simulation testbed. The entire infrastructure of GNSS-based spacecraft formation flying simulation and ionospheric remote sensing developed at Virginia Tech is capable of supporting future ionospheric remote sensing mission design and validation. / Master of Science

The ionosphere is a constantly changing medium. From the sun to cosmic rays, the ionosphere proves to be a continually interesting area of study. The most notable change that occurs in the ionosphere is the day and night cycle. The ionosphere is not a singular medium, but rather made up of different sections. The day side of the ionosphere consists of a D, E, F1, and F2 layer. The night day of the ionosphere consists of an E and F layer. These layers all have different properties and characteristics associated with them. A notable interaction is how radio waves propagate through the ionosphere. A radio wave can either reflect, refract, or pass through a layer of the ionosphere depending on the frequency of the signal, among other sources of disturbance. The ability to have a radio wave reflected back downwards is a core principle of an ionosonde, which measures the height of the ionosphere. A solar eclipse presents a night side ionosphere condition during the day. The change in the ionosphere that the eclipse will cause is something not a lot of research has gone into. This thesis aims to elaborate on the design and development of an ionosonde along with eventual ionosphere readings during the August 2017 total solar eclipse. / Master of Science / The atmosphere that surrounds the earth is made up of various unique regions. The region of interest for this thesis is the ionosphere. The ionosphere plays an important role in wireless communication of radio waves. It follows that changes in the ionosphere are something of great interest and study. A notable change that the ionosphere undergoes on a daily basis is the shift from the day side to the night side. A solar eclipse serves not only as a spectacular sight, but also to bring a night side condition to the day side. This thesis aims to uncover the changes that will occur to the ionosphere during the August 2017 total solar eclipse.

The ionosphere carries a substantial portion of the electrical current flowing in Earth's space environment. Currents and electric fields in the ionosphere are generated through (1) the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere, i.e. magnetic reconnection and (2) the collision of neutral molecules with ions leading to charged particle motions across the geomagnetic field, i.e. neutral wind dynamo. In this study we applied statistical and deep learning techniques to various datasets to investigate the driving influences of ionospheric electrodynamics at mid- and high-latitudes. In Chapter 2, we analyzed an interval on 12 September 2014 which provided a rare opportunity to examine dynamic variations in the dayside convection throat measured by the RISR-N radar as the IMF transitioned from strong By+ to strong Bz+. We found that the high-latitude plasma convection can have dual flow responses with different lag times to strong dynamic IMF conditions that involve IMF By rotation. We proposed a dual reconnection scenario, one poleward of the cusp and the other at the magnetopause nose, to explain the observed flow behavior. In Chapters 3 and 4, we investigated the driving influences of nightside subauroral convection. We developed new statistical models of nightside subauroral (52 - 60 degree) convection under quiet (Kp <= 2+) to moderately disturbed (Kp = 3) conditions using data from six mid-latitude SuperDARN radars across the continential United States. Our analysis suggests that the quiet-time subauroral flows are due to the combined effects of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling leading to penetration electric field and neutral wind dynamo with the ionospheric conductivity modulating their relative dominance. In Chapter 5, we examined the external drivers of magnetic substorms using machine learning. We presented the first deep learning based approach to directly predict the onset of a magnetic substorm. The model has been trained and tested on a comprehensive list of onsets compiled between 1997 and 2017 and achieves 72 +/- 2% precision and 77 +/- 4% recall rates. Our analysis revealed that the external factors, such as the solar wind and IMF, alone are not sufficient to forecast all substorms, and preconditioning of the magnetotail may be an important factor. / Doctor of Philosophy / The Earth's ionosphere, ranging from about 60 km to 1000 km in altitude, is an electrically conducting region of the upper atmosphere that exists primarily due to ionization by solar ultraviolet radiation. The Earth's magnetosphere is the region of space surrounding the Earth that is dominated by the Earth's magnetic field. The magnetosphere and ionosphere are tightly coupled to each other through the magnetic field lines which act as highly conductive wires. The sun constantly releases a stream of plasma (i.e., gases of ions and free electrons) known as the solar wind, which carries the solar magnetic field known as the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). The solar wind interacts with the Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere through a process called magnetic reconnection, which drives currents and electric fields in the coupled magnetosphere and ionosphere. The ionosphere carries a substantial portion of the electrical currents flowing in the Earth's space environment. The interaction of the ionospheric currents and electric fields with plasma and neutral particles is called ionospheric electrodynamics. In this study we utilized statistical and machine learning techniques to study ionospheric electrodynamics in three distinct regions. First, we studied the influence of duskward IMF on plasma convection in the polar region using measurements from the Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radar – North (RISR-N). Specifically, we analyzed an interval on Sep. 12, 2014 when the RISR-N radar made measurements in the high latitude noon sector while the IMF turned from duskward to strongly northward. We found that the high latitude plasma convection can have flow responses with different lag times during strong IMF conditions that involve IMF By rotation. Such phenomena are rarely observed and are not predicted by the antiparallel or the component reconnection models applied to quasi‐static conditions. We propose a dual reconnection scenario, with reconnection occurring poleward of the cusp and also at the dayside subsolar point on the magnetopause, to explain the rarely observed flow behavior. Next, we used measurements from six mid-latitude Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radars distributed across the continental United States to investigate the driving influences of plasma convection in the subauroral region, which is equatorward of the region where aurora is normally observed. Previous studies have suggested that plasma motions in the subaruroral region were mainly due to the neutral winds blowing the ions, i.e. the neutral wind dynamo. However, our analysis suggests that subauroral plasma flows are due to the combined effects of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling and neutral wind dynamo with the ionospheric conductivity modulating their relative importance. Finally, we utilized the latest machine learning techniques to examine the external drivers (i.e., solar wind and IMF) of magnetic substorms, which is a physical phenomenon that occurs in the auroral region and causes explosive brightening of the aurora. We developed the first machine learning model that forecasts the onset of a magnetic substorm over the next one hour. The model has been trained and tested on a comprehensive list of onsets compiled between 1997 and 2017 and correctly identify substorm onset ~75% of the time. In contrast, an earlier prediction algorithm correctly identified only ~21% of the substorm onsets in the same dataset. Our analysis revealed that external factors alone are not sufficient to forecast all substorms, and preconditioning of the nightside magnetosphere may be an important factor.