Accession Number:

AD0689662

Title:

MODIFICATION OF THE IONOSPHERE BY RADIOWAVES

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

RAND CORP SANTA MONICA CA

Personal Author(s):

• LeLevier, R. E.

Report Date:

1969-06-01

Pagination or Media Count:

29.0

Abstract:

A theoretical model is presented for calculating the heating and hydrodynamic expansion of the F-layer of the ionosphere due to an incident radiowave. We find that the greatest effects occur for transmitter frequencies just above the critical frequency of the F-layer. Using a power aperture product of 1,000 sq megawatt-meter, which corresponds to a projected experiment by ESSA at Boulder, Colorado, we find a maximum increase in the electron temperature at the peak of the F-layer of about thirty percent with a reduction in the electron density of about ten percent. The time scale for achieving the density changes is predicted to be about one-half hour to an hour.

Descriptors:

• *IONOSPHERE
• *ELECTRONS
• *RADIO WAVES
• INTERACTIONS
• PLASMAS(PHYSICS)
• RADIOFREQUENCY PULSES
• IONOSPHERIC PROPAGATION
• THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
• HEATING
• ELECTRON DENSITY
• COOLING

Subject Categories:

• Atmospheric Physics
• Electromagnetic Pulses

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE