CEDAR: Model of Anomalous Electron Heating in High-Latitude Electrojet and Its Implications

University Of Maryland, College Park, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

The investigators will develop a model of anomalous electron heating in the E region during geomagnetically active periods. In the presence of large electric fields at altitudes between 100 and 130 km in the ionosphere, the electrojet current becomes unstable to the modified two-stream or Farley-Buneman instability, which may significantly affect the electron temperature and the influence the chemical equilibrium of the ionosphere-thermosphere system. This study will address the major implications of this heating, including the enhanced production of nitric oxide. Also, the non-Maxwellian nature of the electron distribution function affects the interpretation of incoherent scatter radar measurements. Furthermore, the modifications in the ionospheric conductivity due to the high electron temperatures will change the current structure in the ionosphere. The study requires a model for the electron cooling processes, as well as the turbulent electric fields that produce the heating. This is an interdisciplinary project involving plasma physics, atmospheric sciences, and computer modeling, and is important for understanding the energy budget of the upper atmosphere.