On the effects of scintillation of low‐latitude bubbles on transionospheric paths of propagation

Abstract

[1] A previously developed scintillation propagation model for L band signals on transionospheric paths has been further extended to describe the effects caused by the localized structure of plasma bubbles in the low-latitude ionosphere. This takes into account quasi-deterministic and random structures typical of bubbles. The model can produce signal statistical moments (power spectra, correlation functions, scintillation index, etc.) and generate random time series including the case of through bubble propagation. The simulated random time series of the field demonstrate the characteristic nonstationary behavior caused by the presence and motion of the bubble structures through the path of propagation, showing that strong enhancements of the scintillation index (S 4 ) can occur depending on the parameters of the bubble and the path. Modeling results are compared with scintillation records due to bubbles passing through GPS signal paths to a receiver at Douala, Cameroon. This shows good agreement providing validation for the bubble and propagation model.

Multiple phase screen modeling of ionospheric scintillation along radio occultation raypaths

“…This scenario is not consistent with the distribution of density fluctuations in our simple bubble model, which are not embedded within a depletion in the background density, and where the fluctuation intensity is largest at the center of the bubble. More sophisticated plasma bubble models have been used in other radio propagation studies in which the variance of density fluctuations attains its peak value near the walls of the depletion [Zernov et al, 2009]. Detailed propagation simulations, however, suggest that it is the total integrated phase variance which most strongly affects propagation through an extended random medium, more so than the exact distribution of irregularities along the propagation path [Kumagai, 1987;Booker et al, 1985].…”

Effects of diffraction by ionospheric electron density irregularities on the range error in GNSS dual‐frequency positioning and phase decorrelation

“…Additionally, a much more precise solution to the ray problem than that provided by the Rytov's approximation is required when treating high‐accuracy GNSS range measurements [ Gherm et al , 2006a] in an anisotropic ionosphere. To study diffraction effect contributions, modification of our previously developed scintillation propagation model [ Gherm et al , 2000, 2005; Maurits et al , 2008; Zernov et al , 2009], which enables the effect of electron density fluctuations on transionospheric raypaths at L band frequencies to be determined even for the case of strong scintillations, is required. This will be done in the present work.…”

A Novel Strategy for Topside Ionosphere Sounder Based on Spaceborne Mimo Radar With FDCD

“…By assuming that ionospheric electron density distribution satisfies the model of an irregular structure superimposed on the background electron density, it is given by [17]:…”

“…where h and x denote height and azimuth range, N (h) is the background electron density and it is assumed to satisfy IRI2007 model, and F (x, h) is a function for the depletion of an ionospheric irregular electron density structure as [17]:…”

“…x 1 and x 2 denote two azimuth positions of the satellite with the different maximum plasma frequencies f m1 and f m2 due to ionospheric disturbance caused by an irregular bubble structure [17] (see (15)- (18) in Section 5).…”