LOW-FREQUENCY HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES IN THE IONOSPHERE,
Abstract
In this report, the propagation through the ionosphere of low-frequency (1 cps) hydromagnetic waves is studied. The ionosphere is assumed to extend infinitely far in the upward direction and to terminate abruptly 80 km above a perfectly conducting flat earth. The charged particle density is assumed to be constant throughout the iono sphere, and the neutral particle density to vary exponentially with altitude. The coupled hydrodynamic and electromagnetic equations for the medium are linearized, and, with the approximations valid for low-frequency waves, the resulting system is shown to reduce to a second-order wave equation. A solution of this equation is obtained for a disturbance which is initially localized high in the ionosphere (i.e., at an altitude at which collisions of ions with neutrals can be neglected). The effects of the model ionosphere on hydromagnetic disturbances are contained in a dispersion relation. In particular, the ionosphere is found to possess certain characteristic frequencies, which appear as the roots of this dispersion relation. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1964
- Accession Number
- AD0607253
Entities
People
- Carl Greifinger
- Phyllis Greifinger
Organizations
- RAND Corporation