THE ROLE OF NATURAL E-REGION PLASMA TURBULENCE IN THE ENHANCED ABSORPTION OF HF RADIO-WAVES IN THE AURORAL IONOSPHERE - IMPLICATIONS FOR RFHEATING OF THE AURORAL ELECTROJET
Tr. Robinson, THE ROLE OF NATURAL E-REGION PLASMA TURBULENCE IN THE ENHANCED ABSORPTION OF HF RADIO-WAVES IN THE AURORAL IONOSPHERE - IMPLICATIONS FOR RFHEATING OF THE AURORAL ELECTROJET, Annales geophysicae, 12(4), 1994, pp. 316-332
Physical processes which affect the absorption of radio waves passing
through the auroral E-region when Farley-Buneman irregularities are pr
esent are examined. In particular, the question of whether or not it i
s legitimate to include the anomalous wave-enhanced collision frequenc
y, which has been used successfully to account for the heating effects
of Farley-Buneman waves in the auroral E-region, in the usual express
ion for the radio-wave absorption coefficient is addressed. Effects al
so considered are those due to wave coupling between electromagnetic w
aves and high-frequency electrostatic waves in the presence of Farley-
Buneman irregularities. The implications for radio-wave heating of the
auroral electrojet of these processes are also discussed. In particul
ar, a new theoretical model for calculating the effects of high-power
radio-wave heating on the electron temperature in an electrojet contai
ning Farley-Buneman turbulence is presented.