A Simulation Study of Artificial Heating of the Ionosphere by Powerful High Frequency Radio Waves

Results of numerical modeling of the behavior of the F-layer ionospheric plasma during the periods of
action of powerful high frequency radio waves, utilized for artificial heating experiments and pumped
into the ionosphere by ground-based ionospheric heaters, are presented and discussed. For obtaining
the presented simulation results, two distinct mathematical models were applied. The first
mathematical model is based on a numerical solution of the system of transport equations for
ionospheric plasma. This mathematical model allows us to simulate large-scale disturbances of the
spatial structure of the F-region ionosphere, caused by the absorbed energy of powerful high
frequency radio waves. The second mathematical model is based on a numerical solution of the
system of kinetic equations for ion and electron gases in the ionosphere. The latter mathematical
model allows us to investigate numerically kinetic processes in ionospheric plasma, in particular, the
behavior of magnetic field aligned super-small-scale irregularities in the concentration of charged
particles. Moreover, this model has allowed us to establish new details of the mechanism responsible
for artificial heating of ionospheric plasma by powerful high frequency radio waves, pumped into the
ionosphere by ground-based ionospheric heaters. These new details of the heating mechanism will be
presented and discussed in this study.
The results indicated that the presence of a standing high-power HF radio wave ought to influence
significantly on the behavior of the bulk flow velocities of electrons and positively charged ions. At the
levels of the loops of the wave, the vectors of the bulk flow velocities of the positive ions and electrons
rotate with the frequency equal to the frequency of the disturbing HF radio wave. It turned out that
considerable differences between modules of bulk flow velocities of electrons and positive ions take
place at the levels of the wave’s loops, whereas, mentioned velocities are equal and negligible at the
levels of the nodal points. As a consequence, intensive heating of the F-layer ionospheric plasma
ought to arise at the levels of the loops of a wave. On the contrary, at the levels of the nodal points,
the ionospheric plasma ought to stay undisturbed. The present study, revealed new details of the
mechanism responsible for artificial heating of ionospheric plasma by powerful HF radio waves,
pumped into the ionosphere by ground-based ionospheric heaters, have been submitted.