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Observations of modifications of the electron temperature in the F-region produced by powerful high-frequency waves transmitted in X-mode are presented. The experiments were performed during quiet nighttime conditions with low ionospheric densities so no reflections occurred. Nevertheless temperature enhancements of the order of 300-400K were obtained. The modifications found can be well described by the theory of Ohmic heating by the pump wave and both temporal and spatial changes are reproduced.  A brief overview of several different experimental campaigns at EISCAT facilities in the period from October 2006 to February 2008 are also given pointing out some interesting features from the different experiments. The main focus is then on the campaign during October 2006 and modifications of the electron temperature in the F-region.

The use of High-Frequency (HF) radio-wave propagation in the ionosphere remains prevalent for applications such as long-range communication, target detection and commercial broadcasting. The ionosphere presents a challenging channel for radio-wave propagation as it is a varying medium dependent on a number of external factors. Of the many adverse effects of ionospheric propagation, signal fading is one of the most difficult to eliminate due to its unpredictable nature. Increase in the knowledge of how the ionospheric channel affects the propagating signals, in particular fading of the signals, will drive the continual improvements in the reliability and performance of modern wide-bandwidth HF systems. This is the underlying motivation for the study of signal fading of HF radio-waves propagating through the ionosphere, from both the theoretical and experimental perspectives, with the focus of application to modern wide bandwidth HF systems. Furthermore, it is the main objective of this investigation to address the lacking in the current literature of a simple analytical signal fading model for wideband HF systems that relates the physics of the ionospheric irregularities to the observable propagation effects due to the irregularities, and one that is verified by experimental observations. An original approach was taken in the theoretical investigation to develop an analytical model that combines the effects of signal fading and directly relating them to the ionospheric irregularities that are causing the fading. The polarisation fading model (PFM) is a combination of geometric optics, perturbation techniques and frequency offset techniques to derive expressions for the Faraday rotation of the radio-wave propagating in the ionosphere. Using the same notation as the PFM, the amplitude fading model (AFM) extends the Complex Amplitude concept using perturbation techniques and Green’s functions solution to arrive at a set of expressions that describes the focussing and defocussing effects of the wave. The PFM and AFM, together with expressions for combining the effects of multiple propagation paths, provide a simple analytic model that completely describes the fading of the signal propagating in the ionosphere. This theoretical model was implemented into an efficient ionospheric propagation simulator (IPS) from which simulations of wide bandwidth HF signals propagating through the ionosphere can be undertaken. As an example of the type of results produced by the IPS, for a typical 1200km path in the north-south direction with the ionospheric channel under the influence of a travelling ionospheric disturbance (TID), a 10 MHz radio-wave signal in one-hop path is shown to be affected by polarisation fading with fading periods in the order of minutes, and a fading bandwidth in the order of 100 kHz. Further results generated by the IPS have shown to be consistent with the results reported elsewhere in the literature. The experimental investigation involves the study of signal fading from observations of real signals propagating in the ionosphere, a major part of which is the development of a digital compact channel probe (CCP) capable of operating in dual-polarisation mode, and the characterisation of such systems to ensure that data collected are not compromised by the non-idealities of the individual devices contained within the system. The CCP was deployed in experiments to collect transmissions of HF frequency-modulated continuouswave (FMCW) radio signals from the Jindalee Over-the-Horizon radar (OTHR) in dualpolarisation. Analyses of the collected data showed the full anatomy of fading of signals propagating in the ionosphere for both horizontal and vertical polarisations, the results of which are consistent with that from the IPS and thus verifying the validity of the theoretical model of fading. Further experimental results showed that in majority of the observations polarisation fading is present but can be masked by multi-path fading, and confirming that periods of rapid signal fading are associated with rapid changes in the ionospheric channel. From the theoretical and experimental investigations, the major achievement is the successful development of an efficient propagation simulator IPS based on the simple analytical expressions derived in the PFM and AFM theoretical models of signal fading, which has produced sensible signal fading results that are verified by experimental observations. One of the many outcomes of this investigation is that polarisation diversity has the potential to bring improvements to the quality of wide-bandwidth HF signals in a fading susceptible propagation channel. The combination of an efficient propagation simulator IPS based on theoretical signal fading model and the experimental data collection by the dual-polarisation CCP is a major step in allowing one to fully understand the different aspects of fading of signals propagating in the ionosphere, which sets a solid foundation for further research into the design of wide bandwidth HF systems and the possible fading mitigation techniques. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 2008

Le radar haute fréquence (HF : 3 MHz à 30 MHz) à mode hybride est une solution prometteuse pour assurer la surveillance permanente, jusqu'à 2000 km, de zones maritimes et terrestres. Ce mode est une combinaison des modes de fonctionnement des radars à onde de ciel et à ondes de surface. Lorsque l'intégration du signal est effectuée sur une cible lente, les instabilités ionosphériques affectent les images Doppler-distance. Pour rendre compte de ce phénomène en simulation, un module logiciel basé sur des modèles probabilistes du fouillis ionosphérique a été développé dans le but de simuler le comportement spatial et temporel de l'ionosphère dans le traitement radar. La version finale de ce module est basée sur le profil de densité électronique de Booker, aléatoirement modifié en espace à partir de la fonction de densité spectrale de puissance de Shkarofsky. L'aspect temporel a été aussi pris en compte dans le traitement radar en appliquant aux chemins de phase aléatoires ainsi générés un filtrage passe-bas en prenant en considération les variations du TEC (Contenu Électronique Total). La sensibilité des étalements en décalage Doppler et en distance aux paramètres de la densité spectrale de puissance et à la valeur de la fréquence de coupure du filtre passe-bas, a également été étudiée. Enfin, les images synthétisées ont été comparées aux images réelles obtenues à partir d'un radar HF situé dans le Sud de la France. / High-frequency (HF: 3 MHz to 30 MHz) hybrid mode radar is a promising solution for continuous monitoring of sea and land areas up to 2000 km. This mode is a combination of the modes of operation of the sky wave and surface wave radars. When signal processing is performed on a slow target, the ionospheric irregularities degrade the Doppler-distance images. To take this phenomenon into account in simulation, a software module based on probabilistic models of the ionospheric clutter has been developed with the aim of simulating the spatial and temporal behavior of the ionosphere in radar processing.The final version of this module is based on Booker's electron density profile, randomly modified in space from the Shkarofsky power spectral density function. The temporal aspect has also been taken into account in the radar processing by applying to the random phase paths thus generated a low-pass filtering taking into consideration the TEC (Total Electron Content) variation. The sensitivity of the Doppler shift and distance spreading to the parameters of the power spectral density and the cut-off frequency of the low-pass filter has also been studied. Finally, the synthesized images have been compared with the actual images obtained from an HF radar located in the South of France.