Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate (Jan 2020)
A LOFAR observation of ionospheric scintillation from two simultaneous travelling ionospheric disturbances
- Fallows Richard A.,
- Forte Biagio,
- Astin Ivan,
- Allbrook Tom,
- Arnold Alex,
- Wood Alan,
- Dorrian Gareth,
- Mevius Maaijke,
- Rothkaehl Hanna,
- Matyjasiak Barbara,
- Krankowski Andrzej,
- Anderson James M.,
- Asgekar Ashish,
- Avruch I. Max,
- Bentum Mark,
- Bisi Mario M.,
- Butcher Harvey R.,
- Ciardi Benedetta,
- Dabrowski Bartosz,
- Damstra Sieds,
- de Gasperin Francesco,
- Duscha Sven,
- Eislöffel Jochen,
- Franzen Thomas M.O.,
- Garrett Michael A.,
- Grießmeier Jean-Matthias,
- Gunst André W.,
- Hoeft Matthias,
- Hörandel Jörg R.,
- Iacobelli Marco,
- Intema Huib T.,
- Koopmans Leon V.E.,
- Maat Peter,
- Mann Gottfried,
- Nelles Anna,
- Paas Harm,
- Pandey Vishambhar N.,
- Reich Wolfgang,
- Rowlinson Antonia,
- Ruiter Mark,
- Schwarz Dominik J.,
- Serylak Maciej,
- Shulevski Aleksander,
- Smirnov Oleg M.,
- Soida Marian,
- Steinmetz Matthias,
- Thoudam Satyendra,
- Toribio M. Carmen,
- van Ardenne Arnold,
- van Bemmel Ilse M.,
- van der Wiel Matthijs H.D.,
- van Haarlem Michiel P.,
- Vermeulen René C.,
- Vocks Christian,
- Wijers Ralph A.M.J.,
- Wucknitz Olaf,
- Zarka Philippe,
- Zucca Pietro
Affiliations
- Fallows Richard A.
- ORCiD
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Forte Biagio
- Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath
- Astin Ivan
- Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath
- Allbrook Tom
- Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath
- Arnold Alex
- ORCiD
- Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Bath
- Wood Alan
- ORCiD
- School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University
- Dorrian Gareth
- ORCiD
- Space Environment and Radio Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Birmingham
- Mevius Maaijke
- ORCiD
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Rothkaehl Hanna
- Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences
- Matyjasiak Barbara
- ORCiD
- Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences
- Krankowski Andrzej
- ORCiD
- Space Radio-Diagnostics Research Centre, University of Warmia and Mazury
- Anderson James M.
- Asgekar Ashish
- ORCiD
- Shell Technology Center
- Avruch I. Max
- ORCiD
- Science and Technology B.V.
- Bentum Mark
- ORCiD
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Bisi Mario M.
- RAL Space, UKRI STFC, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
- Butcher Harvey R.
- Mt Stromlo Observatory, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University
- Ciardi Benedetta
- ORCiD
- Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics
- Dabrowski Bartosz
- ORCiD
- Space Radio-Diagnostics Research Centre, University of Warmia and Mazury
- Damstra Sieds
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- de Gasperin Francesco
- ORCiD
- Hamburger Sternwarte, Universität Hamburg
- Duscha Sven
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Eislöffel Jochen
- ORCiD
- Thüringer Landessternwarte
- Franzen Thomas M.O.
- ORCiD
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Garrett Michael A.
- ORCiD
- Grießmeier Jean-Matthias
- ORCiD
- Gunst André W.
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Hoeft Matthias
- Thüringer Landessternwarte
- Hörandel Jörg R.
- Iacobelli Marco
- ORCiD
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Intema Huib T.
- ORCiD
- Leiden Observatory, Leiden University
- Koopmans Leon V.E.
- Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen
- Maat Peter
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Mann Gottfried
- Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam
- Nelles Anna
- ORCiD
- Paas Harm
- CIT, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
- Pandey Vishambhar N.
- Reich Wolfgang
- ORCiD
- Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
- Rowlinson Antonia
- ORCiD
- Ruiter Mark
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Schwarz Dominik J.
- ORCiD
- Fakultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld
- Serylak Maciej
- ORCiD
- Shulevski Aleksander
- ORCiD
- Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam
- Smirnov Oleg M.
- ORCiD
- Soida Marian
- ORCiD
- Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Astronomical Observatory
- Steinmetz Matthias
- ORCiD
- Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam
- Thoudam Satyendra
- ORCiD
- Department of Physics, Khalifa University
- Toribio M. Carmen
- ORCiD
- Department of Space, Earth and Environment, Chalmers University of Technology, Onsala Space Observatory
- van Ardenne Arnold
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- van Bemmel Ilse M.
- ORCiD
- Joint Institute for VLBI-ERIC (JIVE)
- van der Wiel Matthijs H.D.
- ORCiD
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- van Haarlem Michiel P.
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Vermeulen René C.
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- Vocks Christian
- ORCiD
- Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam
- Wijers Ralph A.M.J.
- Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam
- Wucknitz Olaf
- ORCiD
- Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
- Zarka Philippe
- ORCiD
- LESIA & USN, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, PSL, SU/UP/UO
- Zucca Pietro
- ORCiD
- ASTRON – The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2020010
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 10
p. 10
Abstract
This paper presents the results from one of the first observations of ionospheric scintillation taken using the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR). The observation was of the strong natural radio source Cassiopeia A, taken overnight on 18–19 August 2013, and exhibited moderately strong scattering effects in dynamic spectra of intensity received across an observing bandwidth of 10–80 MHz. Delay-Doppler spectra (the 2-D FFT of the dynamic spectrum) from the first hour of observation showed two discrete parabolic arcs, one with a steep curvature and the other shallow, which can be used to provide estimates of the distance to, and velocity of, the scattering plasma. A cross-correlation analysis of data received by the dense array of stations in the LOFAR “core” reveals two different velocities in the scintillation pattern: a primary velocity of ~20–40 ms−1 with a north-west to south-east direction, associated with the steep parabolic arc and a scattering altitude in the F-region or higher, and a secondary velocity of ~110 ms−1 with a north-east to south-west direction, associated with the shallow arc and a scattering altitude in the D-region. Geomagnetic activity was low in the mid-latitudes at the time, but a weak sub-storm at high latitudes reached its peak at the start of the observation. An analysis of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and ionosonde data from the time reveals a larger-scale travelling ionospheric disturbance (TID), possibly the result of the high-latitude activity, travelling in the north-west to south-east direction, and, simultaneously, a smaller-scale TID travelling in a north-east to south-west direction, which could be associated with atmospheric gravity wave activity. The LOFAR observation shows scattering from both TIDs, at different altitudes and propagating in different directions. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that such a phenomenon has been reported.
Keywords
