EAGER: Collaboration for the Development of an Advanced Geospace Radar

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Principal Investigator of this award will collaborate with colleagues of the European Incoherent Scatter Association (EISCAT) in the development of an advanced radar system called EISCAT-3D. EISCAT 3D will be located in Scandinavia and will be the first all-digital radar system, capable of three dimensional volumetric imaging of the geospace environment. The PI will be the chair of the EISCAT 3D Technical Advisory Committee and will contribute to the system architecture and design. The advanced radar technology to be developed will enable new research in space plasma physics, magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling, long-term climate trends, and space weather. The EISCAT 3D design builds from the successful development of the Advance Modular Incoherent Scatter Radar (AMISR) originally funded by NSF. AMISR systems in Alaska and Arctic Canada have demonstrated the merits of solid-state, phased array incoherent scatter radars in terms of measurement capabilities, versatility of operations, and ease of deployment. The PI will serve as Chair of EISCAT 3D Technical Advisory Committee. His involvement in the development of EISCAT 3D will provide many opportunities for technological and intellectual exchange between the U. S. and Europe. This effort will advance the state of the art in geospace radar systems, enable a host of transformative scientific research, and will help reduce cost and risk. The technology to be developed will be state of the art and pave the way for future instrumentation for space and astronomical research.