Nonlinear Phenomena in the Ionosphere

Nonlinear effects in the ionosphere (cross modulation of radio waves) have been known since the 1930s. Only recently, however, has the rapid increase in the power and directivity of the radio transmitters made it possible to alter the properties of the ionosphere strongly and to modify it artificially by applying radio waves. This has revealed a variety of new physical phenomena. Their study is not only of scien­ tific interest but also undisputedly of practical interest, and is presently progressing very rapidly. This monograph is devoted to an exposition of the present status of theoretical research on this problem. Particular attention is paid, naturally, to problems in the development of which the author himself took part. It is my pleasant duty to thank V. L. Ginzburg, L. P. Pitaevskii, V. V. Vas'kov, E. E. Tsedilina, A. B. Shvartsburg, and Va. S. Dimant for useful discussions and for valuable remarks during various stages of the work on the problem considered in this book. Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 1.1 Data on the Structure of the Ionosphere.- 1.2 Features of Nonlinear Phenomena in the Ionosphere.- 1.2.1. Nonlinearity Mechanisms.- 1.2.2. Qualitative Character of Nonlinear Phenomena.- 1.2.3. Brief Historical Review.- 2. Plasma Kinetics in an Alternating Electric Field.- 2.1. Homogeneous Alternating Field in a Plasma (Elementary Theory).- 2.1.1.Electron Current-Electronic Conductivity and Dielectric Constant.- 2.1.2.Electron Temperature.- 2.1.3.Ion Current-Heating of Electrons and Ions.- 2.2. The Kinetic Equation.- 2.2.1. Simplification of the Kinetic Equation for Electrons.- 2.2.2. Transformation of the Electron Collision Integral.- 2.2.3. Inelastic Collisions.- 2.3. Electron Distribution Function.- 2.3.1. Strongly Ionized Plasma.- 2.3.2. Weakly Ionized Plasma.- 2.3.3. Arbitrary Degree of lonization-Concerning the Elementary Theory.- 2.4. Ion Distribution Function.- 2.4.1. Simplification of the Kinetic Equation.- 2.4.2. Distribution Function.- 2.4.3. Ion Temperature, Ion Current.- 2.5. Action of Radio Waves on the Ionosphere.- 2.5.1. lonization Balance in the Ionosphere.- 2.5.2. Effective Frequency of Electron and Ion Collisions-Fraction of Lost Energy.- 2.5.3. Electron and Ion Temperatures in the Ionosphere.- 2.5.4. Heating of the Ionosphere in an Alternating Electric Field.- 2.5.5.Perturbations of the Electron and Ion Concentrations.- 2.5.6. Artificial lonization of the Ionosphere-Heating of Neutral Gas.- 3. Self-Action of Plane Radio Waves.- 3.1. Simplification of Initial Equations.- 3.1.1. Nonlinear Wave Equation.- 3.1.2. Nonlinear Geometrical Optics of a Plane Wave.- 3.2. Effect of Nonlinearity on the Amplitude and Phase of the Wave.- 3.2.1. Self-Action of a Weak Wave.- 3.2.2. Self-Action of a Strong Wave.- 3.2.3. Self-Action of Waves in the Case of Artificial lionization.- 3.3. Change of Wave Modulation.- 3.3.1. Weak Wave.- 3.3.2. Change of Amplitude Modulation of Strong Wave.- 3.3.3. Phase Modulation.- 3.3.4. Nonlinear Distortion of Pulse Waveform.- 3.4. Generation of Harmonic Waves and Nonlinear Detection.- 3.4.1. Frequency Tripling.- 3.4.2. Nonlinear Detection.- 3.5. Self-Action of Radio Waves in the Lower Ionosphere.- 4. Interaction of Plane Radio Waves.- 4.1. Cross Modulation.- 4.1.1. Weak Waves.- 4.1.2. Strong Perturbing Wave.- 4.1.3. Resonance Effects near the Electron Gyrofrequency.- 4.2. Interaction of Unmodulated Waves.- 4.2.1. Interaction of Short Pulses.- 4.2.2. Change in the Absorption of a Wave Propagating in a Perturbed Plasma Region.- 4.2.3. Generation of Waves with Combination Frequencies.- 4.3. Radio Wave Interaction in the Lower Ionosphere.- 4.3.1. Cross Modulation.- 4.3.2. Fejer's Method.- 4.3.3. Nonstationary Processes in the Interaction of Strong Radio Waves.- 5. Self-Action and Interaction of Radio Waves in an Inhomogeneous Plasma.- 5.1. Inhomogeneous Electric Field in a Plasma.- 5.1.1. Fundamental Equations.- 5.1.2. Distribution of Density and Temperatures in Plasma.- 5.2. Kinetics of Inhomogeneous Plasma.- 5.2.1. Kinetic Coefficients. Elementary Theory.- 5.2.2. Kinetic Theory.- 5.2.3. Fully Ionized Plasma.- 5.3. Modification of the F Region of the Ionosphere by Radio Waves.- 5.3.1. Modification of the Electron Temperature and of the Plasma Concentration.- 5.3.2. Radio Wave Reflection Region.- 5.3.3. Growth and Relaxation of the Perturbations.- 5.4. Focusing and Defocusing of Radio Wave Beams.- 5.4.1. Nonlinear Geometrical Optics.- 5.4.2. Defocusing of Narrow Beams.- 5.4.3. Mutual Defocusing.- 5.4.4. Thermal Focusing in the Lower Ionosphere.- 6. Excitation of Ionosphere Instability.- 6.1. Self-Focusing Instability.- 6.1.1. Spatial Instability of a Homogeneous Plasma.- 6.1.2. Instability in the Wave-Reflection Region.- 6.2. Resonant Absorption and Resonance Instability.- 6.2.1. Langmuir Oscillations in an Inhomogeneous Plasma.- 6.2.2. Excitation of Plasma Waves.- 6.2.3. Resonance Instability.- 6.2.4. Absorption of Ordinary Radio Waves.- 6.3. Parametric Instability.- 6.3.1. Langmuir Oscillations of a Plasma in an Alternating Field.- 6.3.2. Parametric Excitation of Langmuir Oscillations.- 6.3.3. Parametric Instability in the Ionosphere.- 6.3.4. Dissipative Parametric Instability.