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Coupling Processes in the Equatorial Spread F/Plasma Bubble Irregularity Development

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Aeronomy of the Earth's Atmosphere and Ionosphere

Part of the book series: IAGA Special Sopron Book Series ((IAGA,volume 2))

Abstract

The plasma convection pattern of the evening sector equatorial ionosphere sets the condition for the plasma structuring through instability processes leading to the Equatorial Spread F (ESF)/plasma bubble irregularity development and evolution. Vertical coupling through upward propagating atmospheric waves controls/modifies the ionosphere-thermosphere interactive processes that eventually lead to the irregularity development. Instabilities grow by the Rayleigh-Taylor mechanism at the bottom side gradient region of a “rapidly” rising post sunset F layer in the presence of precursor conditions in terms of perturbations in plasma density, convection velocity and polarization electric fields. Field line integrated conductivity controlled by thermospheric meridional/trans-equatorial winds regulates the instability growth. The day-to-day and short term variabilities in the ESF are of major concern for space application and operational systems. Our efforts to understand such variabilities and to predict the ESF occurrence pose important scientific challenges especially because of the complexity of the diverse coupling processes that control them. There is convincing new evidences that during magnetically quiet conditions, the coupling processes due to upward propagating planetary waves and/or modulated tides, and gravity waves, with their highly variable propagation conditions, energy fluxes and periodicities control the ESF variability. Penetrating electric fields and disturbance dynamo electric fields from magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling processes also cause large degree of variability. This chapter provides a review of our current understanding of the ESF development processes and its day-to-day variability originating from the different coupling processes mentioned above.

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Acknowledgements

MAA wishes to acknowledge the supports received from the CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento) through the grant: 300883/2008-00. EAK wish to acknowledge the support from FAPESP through the grant 07/00104-0.

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  1. National Institute for Space Research, São Jose dos Campos, SP, Brazil

    Mangalathayil Ali Abdu & E. Alam Kherani

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  1. Mangalathayil Ali Abdu
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Correspondence to Mangalathayil Ali Abdu .

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  1. Espaciais (INPE), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas, Av. dos Astronautas 1758, São Jose dos Campos, 12227-010, São Paulo, Brazil

    Mangalathayil Ali Abdu

  2. Geophysical Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. Georgi Bonchev St., Sofia, 1113, Bulgaria

    Dora Pancheva

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Abdu, M.A., Kherani, E.A. (2011). Coupling Processes in the Equatorial Spread F/Plasma Bubble Irregularity Development. In: Abdu, M., Pancheva, D. (eds) Aeronomy of the Earth's Atmosphere and Ionosphere. IAGA Special Sopron Book Series, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0326-1_16

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