Date of Award:
5-1996
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Science (MS)
Department:
Physics
Committee Chair(s)
Jan J. Sojka
Committee
Jan J. Sojka
Committee
Lie Zhu
Committee
Abdullah Barakat
Abstract
Research over the years has established that the Gradient Drift Instability process causes small-scale irregularities, mostly along the edges of the high-latitude polar cap patches. Studying these irregularities will help in the development of a Global Scale Ionospheric model, which is a central part of a global space weather forecast system. Much theoretical work has been done with varying degrees of complexity to study this instability in the high latitude patches.
In this work we have used the Utah State University Time Dependent Ionospheric Model to model the high-latitude patches, calculate the growth rate of the instability, and perform a macro-scale study of the phenomenon. This is the first time that real ionospheric values have been used to calculate the growth rate and to provide two-dimensional maps identifying Gradient Drift Instability-caused irregularity regions in the polar cap. Our research shows that regions of intense instability occur along the edges of the tongue of ionization and its throat regions with strong growth rates along the borders of the cusp region.
Checksum
c0b91da4370fe591a2fb46b186ea36c6
Recommended Citation
Subramanium, Mahesh, "A Study of the Gradient Drift Instability in the High-Latitude Ionosphere Using the Utah State University Time Dependent Ionospheric Model" (1996). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023. 4869.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/4869
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