No abstract

We present the results of experimental studies of the spectra of the stimulated electromagnetic emission excited in the ionosphere by powerful radio waves during the pump wave frequency sweeping near the forth (n = 4) and fifth (n = 5) harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency nf ce . The frequency sweep was carried out for long (continuous) pumping in vertical and inclined directions (at 14 • and 18 • south of the zenith), as well as for the pulse diagnostic wave both with and without additional pumping far from the gyroharmonics. The dependences of the spectral features of the stimulated electromagnetic emission on the ratio between the pump-wave frequency f 0 (or on the diagnostic-wave frequency f DW ) and nf ce were analyzed. It is found that near the multiple gyroresonance, different spectral features of the stimulated emission are quenched at the same frequency for different pump-wave frequencies. For a sufficiently large inclination of the pump wave beam from the vertical direction, the intensity of the stimulated electromagnetic emission is notably decreased for f 0 nf ce as compared with f 0 > nf ce .

Alternative mechanisms of generation of the stimulated electromagnetic emission (SEE) excited in the ionosphere by high-power radio waves are analyzed on the basis of measurements of the SEE spectra obtained during the pump-wave frequency sweeping near the forth (n = 4) and fifth (n = 5) harmonics of the electron gyrofrequency nf ce [1] and their comparison with the existing physical models. A method for determination of the magnetic field strength and plasma density near the double-resonance region in the ionosphere is developed. It is shown that the generation of the broad upshifted maximum (BUM) feature in the SEE spectrum should occur several kilometers below the double-resonance altitude. A role of high-frequency plasma modes and small-scale magnetic field-aligned irregularities, excited under ionosphere pumping by a highpower radio wave, in the formation of SEE spectra is demonstrated. It is shown that the difference in the emission intensities for f 0 nf ce and f 0 > nf ce is related to different regions (altitudes) at which the plasma waves exist in these cases.