Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T15:55:19.723Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

An analytical study of the oblique echo model for the topside upper hybrid resonance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2009

E. J. Parkes
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

Abstract

The oblique echo model for the resonance near the local upper hybrid frequency fT observed by topside sounders involves the propagation of slow waves away from the sounder, which later return as echoes after refiexion due to an electron density gradient. The model is investigated using the WKB technique introduced by Fejer & Yu. The resulting set of saddle-point equations is solved by a method which can, unlike previous work, be applied to both the ‘strong’ resonance (for which fT < 2fH where fH is the electron gyrofrequency) and to the ‘weak’ (fT 2fH) resonance. Throughout the calculations the validity of the approximations made is checked. It is found that the weak resonance solution is not valid for typical topside parameters. A condition is derived for the existence of intercepting ray paths and for the maximum time delay which occurs when they do exist. For the strong resonance the electric field of a small pulsed dipole is calculated. Expressions are found for the frequency of the two echoes which are received by the sounder and the frequency of the beating between them. Although they are only strictly valid for times longer than typical observation times, they yield results that agree well with the corresponding results from ray- trajectory computations.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1974

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bitoun, J., Graff, P. & Aubry, M. 1970 Radio Sci. 5, 1341.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calvert, W. & VanZandt, T. E. 1966 J. Geophys. Res. 71, 1799.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chako, N. 1965 J. Inst. Maths. Applics. 1, 372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deering, W. D. & Fejer, J. A. 1965 Phys. Fluids, 8, 2066.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dougherty, J. P. & Monaghan, J. J. 1965 Proc. Roy. Soc. A 289, 214.Google Scholar
Fejer, J. A. 1966 Radio Sci. 1, 447.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fejer, J. A. & Yu, W.-M. 1969 J. Plasma Phys. 3, 227.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fejer, J. A. & Yu, W.-M. 1970 J. Geophys. Res. 75, 1919.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feldstein, R. & Graff, P. 1972 J. Geophys. Res. 77, 1896.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graff, P. 1970 J. Geophys. Res. 75, 7193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graff, P. 1971a J. Geophys. Res. 76, 1060.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graff, P. 1971b J. Plasma Phys. 5, 427.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAfee, J. R. 1968 J. Geophys. Res. 73, 5577.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAfee, J. R. 1969a J. Geophys. Res. 74, 802.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAfee, J. R. 1969b J. Geophys. Res. 74, 6403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAfee, J. R. 1970 J. Geophys. Res. 75, 4287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAfee, J. R., Thompson, T. L., Calvert, W. & Warnock, J. M. 1972 J. Geophys. Res. 77, 5542.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muldrew, D. B. 1972 Radio Sci. 7, 779.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parkes, E. J. 1974a J. Plasma Phys. 12, 107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parkes, E. J. 1974b J. Plasma Phys. 12, 199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shkarofsky, I. P. 1970 Plasma Waves in Space and Laboratory (ed. Thomas, J. O. and Landmark, B. J.), vol. 2, p. 159. Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar