Accession Number:

AD0744948

Title:

Preliminary Investigation of Thomson Scatter Radar as an Aid to High-Frequency Direction Finding.

Descriptive Note:

Final rept.,

Corporate Author:

NAVAL RESEARCH LAB WASHINGTON D C

Personal Author(s):

• Goodman,John M.
• Gott,Edgar L.
• Morin,Kenneth W.
• Lehman,Melvin W.
• Piernik,Edward

Report Date:

1972-06-06

Pagination or Media Count:

56.0

Abstract:

During 1970-71, a set of experiments was carried out to determine the usefulness of Thomson scatter as an aid to direction finding. Twenty one experiments were conducted, and approximately 102 hours of radar operation were involved. Although the radar elevation angles employed were quite small between 10 and 20 degrees, useful Faraday-rotation data were obtained, and skeleton electron-density profiles were constructed. It is shown that Thomson scatter can detect traveling ionospheric disturbances over a highly oblique radar ray trajectory. The format chosen to display the disturbances is a plot of Faraday rotation isopleths which exhibit height fluctuations as a function of time. From a consideration of the theory of neutral gravity waves, it is possible to relate F-layer height fluctuations to electron-density gradients in the horizontal plane. The knowledge of such gradients may be used to predict bearing-angle fluctuations induced by traveling ionospheric disturbances. Author

Descriptors:

• (*IONOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES
• RADAR TRACKING)
• (*ATMOSPHERIC SOUNDING
• MAGNETOOPTICS)
• SCATTERING
• HIGH FREQUENCY
• ELECTRON DENSITY
• DIRECTION FINDING

Subject Categories:

• Atmospheric Physics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE