Abstract
The dissipation of turbulent electric fields varying with time, which are associated with spread-F in equatorial regions, has been thought to cause significant heating of the neutral atmospheric gases at F-region altitudes and higher1. The time-varying electric fields have been shown to exist during spread-F at Jicamarca2, and the two phenomena are known to occur with high probability in a latitudinal belt about 30° wide centred on the magnetic equator3. The theory of formation of large-scale field-aligned irregularities1 from which small-scale irregularities, as in spread-F, may develop5 suggests that if spread-F occurs, it will happen all along the magnetic tube of force4. This inference is consistent with the observations3 of ‘turbulent’ electrostatic fields from satellite OVI-17. We describe here recent experimental measurements of neutral atmosphere temperatures at F-region heights at Mt Abu (24.6°N, 72.7°E geographic; 15.0° geomagnetic latitude) which agree with the theoretical prediction of very great atmospheric heating in equatorial spread-F events1.
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RAJARAMAN, T., DESAI, J., DEGAONKAR, S. et al. Joule dissipation in F-region and equatorial spread-F events. Nature 272, 516 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1038/272516a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/272516a0
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