ELECTRON CONTENT OF BARIUM PLASMAS IN THE HIGH ATMOSPHERE
Abstract
At evening twilight on 4 October 1967 a rocket carrier released three barium clouds off Wallops Island, Virginia. The vehicle also carried a multifrequency VHF beacon for the observation of radio frequency dispersive phase and amplitude variations in signals propagated through the release clouds, and as a derived quantity, total electron content along the propagation paths. The first cloud, at 103 kilometers, introduced no measurable dispersive phase variations and only a brief decrease in signal strength. The other clouds at 187 and 226 kilometers produced large and unusual effects on both dispersive phase and signal strength data. Analysis of the dispersive phase data obtained during rocket descent, when the rocket had emerged from behind the release clouds, yielded a normal electron density profile. A preliminary attempt at interpreting the data relevant to the second release employed ray tracing through spherically symmetric, diffusing cloud models with a gaussian electron density distribution. By varying the parameters defining the cloud, a model was devised that closely duplicated both the dispersive phase and signal strength data.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0700960
Entities
People
- Raymond E. Prenatt
- Warren W. Berning
- William A. Dean
Organizations
- Ballistic Research Laboratory