On Seeding the D-Region with Cesium
Abstract
If 1000 kg (7500 moles) of cesium were deposited over a 10-km height interval centered about 80-km altitude, the cloud would spread within 1/4 hour to a 50-km radius, leaving a mean density of (Cs) = 6 x 10 to the 7th power/cc. Chemical reactions with oxygen would consume about 25% of the cesium, but most of it would remain in atomic form. Solar ionization is very effective, and Cs(+) will not transfer its charge to atmospheric constituents, which leads to nearly 100% ionization of the free Cs and to free-electron densities of nearly 3 x 10 to the 7th power/cc in less than an hour after a daytime release. Although the ionization will decrease rapidly at night, it will reappear again at sunrise, with electron densities of the order of 100,000/cc persisting for days. Disturbed radio propagation in VHF, and especially HF, would be present for days, possibly over distances up to several thousand kilometers. Seeding the D region with substantial quantities of cesium would provide a valuable diagnostic tool for investigation of the local atmospheric dynamics, but it could also produre undesirable effects on normal radio communications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA029324
Entities
People
- J. W. Chamberlain
Organizations
- SRI International