Collaborative Research: New Directions in Optical-Instrument-Driven Aeronomy at Arecibo Observatory

合作研究：阿雷西博天文台光学仪器驱动航空学的新方向

• 批准号: 1839012
• 负责人: Shikha Raizada
• 金额: $ 3.77万
• 依托单位: The University of Central Florida Board of Trustees
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-05-18 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1839012&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; New; Directions; Optical

The investigators will use the enhanced instrument cluster at Arecibo Observatory (AO) to gain new insight into the complex nature of the space-atmosphere interaction region (SAIR). The new High Frequency (HF) heating facility with the ISR (Incoherent Scatter Radar) and other instruments provides a unique opportunity to study heating-related aeronomic and plasma physics problems. This includes the rapidly-imaged observation of airglow at 557.7 nm, 630.0 nm and 427.8 nm during ionospheric "heating" campaigns to understand the role of HF-heating in generating plasma bubbles, or modulating them if already present, and to understand the role of secondary suprathermal electrons in producing airglow at different wavelengths. This research will also yield insight to the heating process, including locating ionospheric "hot-spots", yielding details of the electron collision process, elucidating the role of Langmuir and ion-acoustic waves in the strongly heated regions, and study of heating effects in Sporadic E. The latter study will include Ca+ metal-lidar observations as further defined by 555.7 nm imaging as well as ISR and HF radar results. HF heating of the ionosphere offers a unique opportunity to investigate the plasma heating process and its effects on the neutrals in a controlled (experimental) fashion. Outside of the heating campaigns, a database of 630 nm all-sky camera images from other locations will be assembled collaboratively to investigate the global context of the omnipresent ~1 hr period ionospheric waves, and associated dynamics, first identified with the AO ISR. This work will utilize other AO instruments, including the resonance and Rayleigh lidars, to investigate the role of wave coupling from lower atmospheric regions. Also, a proposed new CCD camera will allow high speed imaging to better understand HF heating effects and linking optical and radar meteors to study meteoroid aeronomy. The response of the SAIR to sudden changes in the environment caused by heating will be explored with the collaborative use of multiple instruments, thus informing numerous geophysical research areas. The multidisciplinary nature of this work will help to establish collaborations with plasma physicists, modelers, and space weather scientists. It will also advance the AO cluster capabilities with the addition of a User-Owned, Public Access (UOPA) high frame rate CCD to the current imager and help in establishing international collaborations. Students representing minorities from local universities in Puerto Rico will be encouraged to participate in observations and data analysis. They will be involved in the improvements of the optical systems including training on AO instrumentation and the application of these instruments to study aeronomy of the SAIR.

研究人员将使用阿雷西博天文台（AO）的增强型仪器群来深入了解空间-大气相互作用区域（SAIR）的复杂性质。配备 ISR（非相干散射雷达）和其他仪器的新型高频 (HF) 加热设施为研究与加热相关的航空和等离子体物理问题提供了独特的机会。这包括在电离层“加热”活动期间对 557.7 nm、630.0 nm 和 427.8 nm 处的气辉进行快速成像观察，以了解 HF 加热在产生等离子体气泡或调制等离子体气泡（如果已存在）方面的作用，并了解二次超热电子产生不同波长的气辉。 这项研究还将深入了解加热过程，包括定位电离层“热点”、提供电子碰撞过程的细节、阐明朗缪尔和离子声波在强加热区域中的作用，以及研究电离层中的加热效应。零星 E. 后一项研究将包括由 555.7 nm 成像以及 ISR 和 HF 雷达结果进一步定义的 Ca+ 金属激光雷达观测。电离层的高频加热提供了一个独特的机会，以受控（实验）方式研究等离子体加热过程及其对中性粒子的影响。在加热活动之外，来自其他地点的 630 nm 全天摄像机图像的数据库将被协作组装，以研究无处不在的约 1 小时周期电离层波的全球背景，以及相关的动力学，首先由 AO ISR 识别。这项工作将利用其他 AO 仪器，包括共振和瑞利激光雷达，来研究低层大气区域波耦合的作用。此外，拟议的新型 CCD 相机将允许高速成像，以更好地了解高频加热效应，并将光学流星和雷达流星连接起来，以研究流星体的航空学。将通过多种仪器的协作使用来探索 SAIR 对加热引起的环境突然变化的响应，从而为许多地球物理研究领域提供信息。这项工作的多学科性质将有助于与等离子体物理学家、建模师和空间气象科学家建立合作。它还将通过在当前成像仪中添加用户拥有的公共访问 (UOPA) 高帧率 CCD 来提升 AO 集群功能，并有助于建立国际合作。将鼓励波多黎各当地大学代表少数民族的学生参与观察和数据分析。他们将参与光学系统的改进，包括 AO 仪器的培训以及应用这些仪器研究 SAIR 的航空学。