Acquisition of a Portable Interferometric Radio Imaging System \ for Ionospheric and Atmospheric Research and STEM Education
Abstract
We propose the acquisition (purchase, assembly, and test) of a portable 0.1 to 30-MHz interferometric radio imaging system for use in ionospheric and atmospheric research projects in Puerto Rico and worldwide. The proposed equipment will consist of thirteen radio receiving systems using crossed active electric dipole antennas. Key features of the proposed equipment are full polarization, high time resolution, wide frequency band, portability (transportability), flexibility, and cableless phase coherence. The components of the proposed equipment can be operated individually or together. When operated in pairs or groups, interferometric radio direction-finding and radio imaging measurements will be possible. For interferometric observations phase must be maintained. This can be done via cable for short separations between components, and, for short or long separations, each component will have a rubidium-GPS clock able to maintain phase between components without a cable connection. In both cases phase and polarization will be calibrated. The proposed equipment will have wide application in space weather research. The radar imaging capabilities of the proposed equipment can complement and unite separated observations by the Arecibo and Cayey radars, providing a 3-D view (in latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the 1-D altitude measurements of each radar alone. Radar imaging observations can also add to airglow imaging being done at Arecibo Observatory and on the island of Culebra off the east coast of Puerto Rico. Multiple bi-static radar observations can also provide information over a large area. This will add to our knowledge of space weather connections between the equator and mid-latitudes. In Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Norway, high-power high-frequency research transmitters drive ionospheric plasma turbulence, producing sideband radio emissions which can be imaged by the proposed equipment, something never done before. Imaging the emissions with respect to the geomagnetic field, and with full polarization, will lead to important breakthroughs in our understanding of the turbulence. Stimulated turbulence is directly related to natural ionospheric turbulence, which is part of the microphysics of space weather. In Norway the proposed equipment could be used to make the first images of radio emissions from natural turbulence in the aurora. The proposed equipment can also be used in Argentina, at the geomagnetic conjugate point to Puerto Rico, where high-power radio transmissions and electrons accelerated by stimulated turbulence arrive after ducting along the earthÕs magnetic field. The proposed equipment would image the conjugate radio emissions, adding to our knowledge of the physics of the geomagnetic field. Coordinated radar and radio observations of meteors with the proposed equipment will complement observations by the radars at Arecibo Observatory, improving our understanding of the physics of the interactions between meteors and the atmosphere, and the contributions of meteors to atmospheric composition. Observations of radio emissions from lightning by the proposed equipment can also be done in collaboration with the 430-MHz radar at Arecibo Observatory, which is located in the hills, exactly where many thunderclouds undergo electrical activity. The Bayam—n campus of Interamerican University of Puerto Rico is a private, primarily undergraduate institution with 99% Hispanic, mostly low-income students. This proposed equipment would support STEM undergraduate education and the development of graduate research programs. The proposed equipment would enhance existing infrastructure in Puerto Rico and at other potential locations. Areas of technological application include development of new remote sensing and communication techniques and improvements in space-based communication and navigation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 04, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1910486
Entities
People
- Brett Isham
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
- Office of the Secretary of Defense