Intense spreading of radar echoes from ionospheric plasmas
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2005.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | eng |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2006
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32897 |
| _version_ | 1811084444892659712 |
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| author | Dorfman, Seth E |
| author2 | Min-Chang Lee and Richard Temkin. |
| author_facet | Min-Chang Lee and Richard Temkin. Dorfman, Seth E |
| author_sort | Dorfman, Seth E |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2005. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T12:50:49Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | mit-1721.1/32897 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T12:50:49Z |
| publishDate | 2006 |
| publisher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/328972019-04-11T07:14:14Z Intense spreading of radar echoes from ionospheric plasmas Dorfman, Seth E Min-Chang Lee and Richard Temkin. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Physics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Physics. Physics. Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics, 2005. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 41). On December 25, 2004, a large-scale ionospheric plasma bubble was observed over Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, inducing significant range spreading on ionograms. This phenomena may be explained by means of the E x B instability and gravitational Rayleigh-Taylor instability. A derivation of the dispersion relations for X and O mode waves transmitted from an ionosonde and an analysis of the collisional Rayleigh-Taylor instability leading to an expression for the growth rate are presented as background information. Ray tracing code developed by Nathan Dalrymple, a previous graduate student of Professor Min-Chang Lee, is extended, first to draw refractive index surfaces to illustrate a key principle in ray tracing and later to simulate range spreading due to depleted ionospheric ducts [1]. Data from Arecibo incoherent scatter radar and Arecibo's CADI digisonde is examined showing strong evidence for the development of a plasma bubble following a rise in the plasma layer and the appearance of a horizontal density gradient. In one portion of the ionosphere, this gradient is found to be at an angle of approximately 70 degrees to the Earth's magnetic field, a favorable condition for the excitation of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability over Arecibo. by Seth E. Dorfman. S.B. 2006-05-15T20:37:45Z 2006-05-15T20:37:45Z 2005 2005 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32897 62621611 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 59 leaves 2292344 bytes 2293745 bytes application/pdf application/pdf application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| spellingShingle | Physics. Dorfman, Seth E Intense spreading of radar echoes from ionospheric plasmas |
| title | Intense spreading of radar echoes from ionospheric plasmas |
| title_full | Intense spreading of radar echoes from ionospheric plasmas |
| title_fullStr | Intense spreading of radar echoes from ionospheric plasmas |
| title_full_unstemmed | Intense spreading of radar echoes from ionospheric plasmas |
| title_short | Intense spreading of radar echoes from ionospheric plasmas |
| title_sort | intense spreading of radar echoes from ionospheric plasmas |
| topic | Physics. |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32897 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dorfmansethe intensespreadingofradarechoesfromionosphericplasmas |