Measuring and Modelling the effects of Artificial Ionospheric Modification

Abstract:

Active ionospheric experiments allow the community to probe the ionosphere in novel ways to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying physical processes that can dominate the propagation environment. Understanding the physics is fundamental for ensuring that modern navigational and communication systems that penetrate or reflect off the ionosphere remain resilient.

The Heating EXperiment (HEX), is an ongoing campaign which started in March 2017. Utilizing the Arecibo HF facility in Puerto Rico, HEX is designed to help further our understanding of the effects of heating the ionosphere on both High Frequency (HF) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). To achieve this, as well as using the Arecibo HF facility, the effects of any such modification were measured through the deployment of sensors, including ground based HF sounders and dual band GPS receivers, which offer a convenient means of obtaining information about the ionosphere, including ionospheric disturbances through changes in the derived Total Electron Content (TEC) information.

Having measured various modifications to the ionosphere, from new propagation links to Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances, it was important to further understand how these effects can be modelled. This paper presents some of the results from the HEX campaign and compares them to those predicted by recently developed models.