Observation and simulation of the ionosphere disturbance waves triggered by rocket exhausts

Abstract

Observations and theoretical modeling of the ionospheric disturbance waves generated by rocket launches are investigated. During the rocket passage, time rate change of total electron content (rTEC) enhancement with the V‐shape shock wave signature is commonly observed, followed by acoustic wave disturbances and region of negative rTEC centered along the trajectory. Ten to fifteen min after the rocket passage, delayed disturbance waves appeared and propagated along direction normal to the V‐shape wavefronts. These observation features appeared most prominently in the 2016 North Korea rocket launch showing a very distinct V‐shape rTEC enhancement over enormous areas along the southeast flight trajectory despite that it was also appeared in the 2009 North Korea rocket launch with the eastward flight trajectory. Numerical simulations using the physical‐based nonlinear and nonhydrostatic coupled model of neutral atmosphere and ionosphere reproduce promised results in qualitative agreement with the characteristics of ionospheric disturbance waves observed in the 2009 event by considering the released energy of the rocket exhaust as the disturbance source. Simulations reproduce the shock wave signature of electron density enhancement, acoustic wave disturbances, the electron density depletion due to the rocket‐induced pressure bulge, and the delayed disturbance waves. The pressure bulge results in outward neutral wind flows carrying neutrals and plasma away from it and leading to electron density depletions. Simulations further show, for the first time, that the delayed disturbance waves are produced by the surface reflection of the earlier arrival acoustic wave disturbances.

Gigantic Circular Shock Acoustic Waves in the Ionosphere Triggered by the Launch of FORMOSAT‐5 Satellite

“…Various wave periods and horizontal phase velocities of rocket‐induced SAWs are reported in previous literature by Calais and Minster (), Bowling et al (), Ding et al (), Lin et al (), Lin, Shen, et al (), and Lin, Chen, et al (). The wave period (~10.28 min) in this study is longer than the previous events listed in Table , but it is still within the acoustic cutoff period shown in Figure b.…”

“…Theoretical studies and numerical model simulations on the effect of plume‐released reactive molecules in the ionosphere have been conducted (Bernhardt et al, ; Mendillo & Forbes, ). The passage of rocket‐triggered traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) associated with the shock acoustic waves (SAWs) were investigated and simulated (Arendt, ; Afraimovich, Kosogorov, & Plotnikov, ; Calais & Minster, ; Donn et al, ; Noble, ; Kakinami et al, ; Lin et al, , Lin, Chen, et al, ). Kakinami et al () observed the V‐shape SAWs in GPS total electron content (TEC) triggered by a missile launch from North Korea on 12 December 2012 by using the dense regional GPS networks in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.…”

Ionospheric Bow Wave Induced by the Moon Shadow Ship Over the Continent of United States on 21 August 2017

“…Li et al (1994) examined the TEC observation and reported the initial positive pressure perturbation induced by a space shuttle. Lin et al (2017) added additional energy in the energy equation of the model from Matsumura et al (2011) and simulated the shock wave induced by a rocket. The simulation of a rocketinduced shock wave is different from the simulation of a localized heat sink (moon shadow) traveling Geophysical Research Letters 10.1002/2017GL075926 through a gravitationally stratified atmosphere with a supersonic speed.…”

Analysis of Ionospheric Disturbances Caused by the 2018 Bering Sea Meteor Explosion Based on GPS Observations

“…Using the above detection techniques, changes of the TID are detected by analyzing the ionospheric parameters, including total electron content, and electron density, etc. [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Studies on large meteor explosions in the lower atmosphere are rare, and the current studies mainly focus on the ionospheric disturbances caused by the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor explosion.…”