In Situ Detection of Ionospheric Cavitons: Experimental Considerations

Space plasma wave experiments have been designed to detect ionospheric cavitons driven by large amplitude high frequency (HF) radiowaves. In this report, we discuss the small electric field HF double probes and the downconverter designed for in situ measurements. Small double probes (5.5 and 11 cm in length) are used because of the scale size expected for cavitons in the ionosphere. A downconverting receiver is needed to allow baseband sampling of the detected HF waveform. Both the in-phase and quadrature outputs of the downconverter are acquired to allow separation of the upper and lower sidebands. The wave spectra observed in the ionosphere suggest that in situ measurements can be a significant diagnostic of the effects of large amplitude wave interactions.

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Measurement Techniques in Space Plasmas: Particles, Volume 102