The dependence of F-region electron heating on HF radio pump power: Measurements at EISCAT Tromso

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
• Main Authors: Senior, A., Rietveld, M. T., Yeoman, T. K., Kosch, M. J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: American Geophysical Union (AGU); Wiley 2012
• Subjects: Norway; Tromsø; Tromso; EISCAT
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2381/12755; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2011JA017267/abstract; https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JA017267

[1] Measurements of ionospheric electron temperature enhanced by the action of a powerful high-frequency radio wave on the F-region at the EISCAT facility near Tromsø, Norway are analyzed to obtain the electron heat source due to the radio wave as a function of transmitter power. The absorption of the wave in the D-region is accounted for and is found to have a significant influence on the F-region heating, especially due to variations in the D-region electron density during the experiment. It is found that the efficiency of F-region heating expressed in terms of the electron heating rate as a function of radio wave power flux is higher at higher transmitter powers. This behavior seems to be consistent with the development of geomagnetic field-aligned plasma density irregularities which are associated with the conversion of the radio wave to electrostatic upper-hybrid waves. At the highest power fluxes, the efficiency appears to be close to 100%. Peer-reviewed Publisher Version 111316