Geometric Dependence of Electric Field Swelling in Simulation of HF Ionospheric Heating

Abstract:

The interaction between a high frequency (HF) ordinary mode electromagnetic wave and the ionosphere induces electrostatic turbulence near the critical layer which results in the acceleration of electrons and ionization of the neutral gas by energetic electrons. Due to the artificial plasma created by this process, the reflection point of the electromagnetic wave is shifted downwards, leading to descending artificial ionospheric layers (DAILs). This work studies the dependence of DAIL formation on the injection angle of the HF wave and on the related ionospheric conditions. The model is based on a combination of ray-tracing techniques and numerical solutions of the Försterling equations. A model based on the Försterling equations has been developed to calculate the enhancement (swelling) of the electric field near the reflection point. As the swelling exceeds a certain threshold, it excites Langmuir turbulence, which in turn accelerates electrons to high energies, resulting in DAIL formation. Previous full-wave simulations of ionospheric turbulence have been able to capture some of the 2D nature of ionospheric heating but at great computational cost. This works presents an approach to performing rapid calculations of the electric field swelling of the ordinary mode, in order to facilitate a more computationally efficient 2D study of DAIL formation. Results show maximum swelling of the electric field near the magnetic zenith, with an amplitude on the order of several tens of volts per meter for a pump voltage of 1-2 V/m, which is in agreement with previous computational models as well as experiment. Preliminary work to incorporate a model for Langmuir turbulence induced by electric field swelling into the overall algorithm is also presented.