loading page

LOFAR observations of refractive scattering from substructure within a traveling ionospheric disturbance at mid-latitude.
  • +6
  • Gareth Dorrian,
  • Richard Andrew Fallows,
  • Alan George Wood,
  • David R. Themens,
  • Ben Boyde,
  • Andrzej Krankowski,
  • Mario Mark Bisi,
  • Bartosz Dabrowski,
  • Christian Vocks
Gareth Dorrian
University of Birmingham

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

Author Profile
Richard Andrew Fallows
RAL Space
Author Profile
Alan George Wood
University of Birmingham
Author Profile
David R. Themens
University of Birmingham
Author Profile
Ben Boyde
University of Birmingham
Author Profile
Andrzej Krankowski
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
Author Profile
Mario Mark Bisi
United Kingdom Research and Innovation - Science & Technology Facilities Council
Author Profile
Bartosz Dabrowski
University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn
Author Profile
Christian Vocks
Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP)
Author Profile

Abstract

The large scale morphology and finer sub-structure within a slowly propagating traveling ionospheric disturbance (TID) are studied using wide band trans-ionospheric radio observations with the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR: van Haarlem, et al., 2013). The observations were made under geomagnetically quiet conditions, between 0400-0800 UT on 7 January 2019, over the UK. In combination with ionograms and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Total Electron Content (TEC) anomaly data we estimate the TID velocity to ~65ms-1, in a NorthWesterly direction. Clearly defined substructures with oscillation periods of ~300 seconds were identified within the LOFAR observations of the TID, corresponding to scale sizes of ~ 20 km. At the geometries and observing wavelengths involved, the Fresnel scale is between 3-4 km, hence these substructures contribute significant refractive scattering to the received LOFAR signal. The refractive scattering is strongly coherent across the LOFAR bandwidth used here (25-64 MHz). The size of these structures distinguishes them from previously identified ionospheric scintillation with LOFAR in Fallows et al., 2020 where the scale sizes of the plasma structure varied from ~500 m – 5 km.