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Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
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SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
electrons, mimicking auroral processes; and modify plasma density and electron and ion temperatures
and enhance the plasma and ion lines observed by incoherent scatter. Because of this, heaters are most
productive when located close to incoherent scatter radars.
The Department of Defense (DOD) operates and maintains the world’s largest ionospheric modification facility, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), near Gakona, Alaska.
HAARP, which became fully operational during the past decade, is powerful, modular, and flexible and
is especially well suited for studying ionospheric modification phenomena under different beam-pointing,
emission frequency, and modulation conditions. HAARP is not co-located with an incoherent scatter radar,
however, and its potential has therefore not been fully realized, since the phenomena it creates cannot
be fully diagnosed.
Another ionospheric modification facility is currently under construction at the site of the Arecibo
Radio Observatory. While this facility will be modest in power compared to HAARP, its co-location with
Arecibo, the world’s most sensitive incoherent scatter radar, raises the prospect of discovery science in
the areas of artificial and naturally occurring ionospheric phenomena. The Arecibo heater came about
through close collaboration between DOD and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The collaboration
included community support and involvement from the beginning that will continue through the planning
and execution of heating campaigns. The committee regards this kind of interagency cooperation as a
model to be followed for the utilization of existing ionospheric modification facilities as well as the planning and development of new ones.
Another recent, important development is the emergence of Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter
Radar (AMISR)-class incoherent scatter radars, which were supported by the 2003 National Research
Council (NRC) decadal survey, The Sun to the Earth and Beyond. 2 These are ultrahigh-frequency phasedarray radars that can be electrically steered from pulse to pulse. AMISR-class incoherent scatter radars are
currently deployed near Poker Flat, Alaska, and Resolute Bay, Canada. The latter of these includes two full
radar faces and came about through international collaboration with Canada. Plans are being developed
to deploy at least one additional radar in Antarctica. These facilities represent the current state of the art
in high-power, large-aperture radars used for aeronomy and space physics.
An important hallmark of AMISR-class radars is their portability. These radars have been designed to
be disassembled, shipped, and reassembled. The permanent infrastructure required for an AMISR is modest compared to the relocatable components, and shipping costs are expected to be modest compared to
production costs. The objective of relocation is to enable discovery science through temporary deployments in geophysically interesting or under-instrumented regions. Additional benefits can accrue when
relocation brings an AMISR-class radar into collaborative arrangements with other scientific assets, such
as optical instruments, rocket ranges, or other radars. For example, current plans call for the redeployment
of the radar near Poker Flat, Alaska, to La Plata, Argentina, where it could support an investigation into
magnetic conjugacy effects with Arecibo pertaining to natural and heater-induced ionospheric phenomena.
This particular relocation would also entail extensive collaborations with Argentine universities, faculty,
and students, which are very welcome.
NSF also sponsored an NRC study on a distributed array of small instruments (DASI), 3 which could
have major impact for future measurements. Due to the near omnipresence of wireless or phone connectivity, sensors can be distributed and worked as an integrated whole. The instruments in question could
include ground-based imagers, optical interferometers, and spectrometers, magnetometers, radio beacon
2 National Research Council, The Sun to the Earth and Beyond—A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics, The
National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2003.
3 National Research Council, Distributed Arrays of Small Instruments for Solar-Terrestrial Research: Report of a Workshop, The
National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2006.
Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society
344
SOLAR AND SPACE PHYSICS: A SCIENCE FOR A TECHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY
electrons, mimicking auroral processes; and modify plasma density and electron and ion temperatures
and enhance the plasma and ion lines observed by incoherent scatter. Because of this, heaters are most
productive when located close to incoherent scatter radars.
The Department of Defense (DOD) operates and maintains the world’s largest ionospheric modification facility, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP), near Gakona, Alaska.
HAARP, which became fully operational during the past decade, is powerful, modular, and flexible and
is especially well suited for studying ionospheric modification phenomena under different beam-pointing,
emission frequency, and modulation conditions. HAARP is not co-located with an incoherent scatter radar,
however, and its potential has therefore not been fully realized, since the phenomena it creates cannot
be fully diagnosed.
Another ionospheric modification facility is currently under construction at the site of the Arecibo
Radio Observatory. While this facility will be modest in power compared to HAARP, its co-location with
Arecibo, the world’s most sensitive incoherent scatter radar, raises the prospect of discovery science in
the areas of artificial and naturally occurring ionospheric phenomena. The Arecibo heater came about
through close collaboration between DOD and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The collaboration
included community support and involvement from the beginning that will continue through the planning
and execution of heating campaigns. The committee regards this kind of interagency cooperation as a
model to be followed for the utilization of existing ionospheric modification facilities as well as the planning and development of new ones.
Another recent, important development is the emergence of Advanced Modular Incoherent Scatter
Radar (AMISR)-class incoherent scatter radars, which were supported by the 2003 National Research
Council (NRC) decadal survey, The Sun to the Earth and Beyond. 2 These are ultrahigh-frequency phasedarray radars that can be electrically steered from pulse to pulse. AMISR-class incoherent scatter radars are
currently deployed near Poker Flat, Alaska, and Resolute Bay, Canada. The latter of these includes two full
radar faces and came about through international collaboration with Canada. Plans are being developed
to deploy at least one additional radar in Antarctica. These facilities represent the current state of the art
in high-power, large-aperture radars used for aeronomy and space physics.
An important hallmark of AMISR-class radars is their portability. These radars have been designed to
be disassembled, shipped, and reassembled. The permanent infrastructure required for an AMISR is modest compared to the relocatable components, and shipping costs are expected to be modest compared to
production costs. The objective of relocation is to enable discovery science through temporary deployments in geophysically interesting or under-instrumented regions. Additional benefits can accrue when
relocation brings an AMISR-class radar into collaborative arrangements with other scientific assets, such
as optical instruments, rocket ranges, or other radars. For example, current plans call for the redeployment
of the radar near Poker Flat, Alaska, to La Plata, Argentina, where it could support an investigation into
magnetic conjugacy effects with Arecibo pertaining to natural and heater-induced ionospheric phenomena.
This particular relocation would also entail extensive collaborations with Argentine universities, faculty,
and students, which are very welcome.
NSF also sponsored an NRC study on a distributed array of small instruments (DASI), 3 which could
have major impact for future measurements. Due to the near omnipresence of wireless or phone connectivity, sensors can be distributed and worked as an integrated whole. The instruments in question could
include ground-based imagers, optical interferometers, and spectrometers, magnetometers, radio beacon
2 National Research Council, The Sun to the Earth and Beyond—A Decadal Research Strategy in Solar and Space Physics, The
National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2003.
3 National Research Council, Distributed Arrays of Small Instruments for Solar-Terrestrial Research: Report of a Workshop, The
National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2006.