OBSERVATION AND ANALYSIS OF POLAR MESOSPHERIC WINTER ECHOES MODULATED BY ARTIFICIAL ELECTRON HEATING

• Main Authors: O Havnes, C La Hoz, M T Rietveld, M Kassa, G Baroni, A Biebricher
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Morro; EISCAT
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.1052.8798; http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/pac-symposium2009/proceedings/papers/s2_18havn.pdf

ABSTRACT Observations and analysis of Polar Mesospheric Winter Echoes (PMWE) modulated by the EISCAT Heating Facility are presented. The PMWE were observed with a collocated new 56 MHz radar (MORRO). The analysis is based on that small dust particles are present in the PMWE. The increase in electron temperature when the heating was switched on, measured by its effect on the PMWE signal, was found to be up by a factor 3-3.5. The height profile of the heating agree with model heating calculations and a high electron density in the PMWE region consistent with that the PMWEs were observed during disturbed magnetospheric conditions. Deviations from the theoretical curve indicate that in some regions the dust density is large enough to reduce the electron density substantially. The PMWE show small but clear overshoot effects indicating small nanometer sized dust particles.