HR: 0800h
AN: SA31A-1115 [Abstracts]
TI: Application of Electromagnetic Wave-Ionospheric Interactions to Global Warming in the Arctic
Region
AU: Rosenthal, G
EM: grosenthal@physics.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA Plasma Physics Laboratory, 405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90095-9000
United States
AU: Rosenthal, G
EM: grosenthal@physics.ucla.edu
AF: UCLA-HIPAS Observatory, 7795 Chena Hot Springs Rd, Fairbanks, AK 99712
United States
AU: * Wong, A Y
EM: nidllc@aol.com
AF: UCLA Plasma Physics Laboratory, 405 Hilgard Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90095-9000
United States
AU: * Wong, A Y
EM: nidllc@aol.com
AF: UCLA-HIPAS Observatory, 7795 Chena Hot Springs Rd, Fairbanks, AK 99712
United States
AU: Quon, B
EM: bquon1@msn.com
AF: IFSHE, Box 951547, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547
United States
AU: Pau, J
EM: pau@physics.ucla.edu
AF: IFSHE, Box 951547, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547
United States
AB:
An approach to expel pollutants which can contribute to global warming from the upper atmosphere by the use of HF
electromagnetic waves has been proposed [1]. Laboratory plasma experiments have shown significant gyro-resonance
acceleration of minority ion species in a plasma is possible. The separation of ions differing in mass by one unit has been
achieved. This method is applicable to the acceleration of selective ions perpendicular to the geomagnetic field in the
ionosphere and involves the modulation of the auroral electrojet current to excite ion cyclotron waves. On account of the
divergent geomagnetic field in the polar atmosphere the accelerated perpendicular ion velocity is converted into an upward
motion along open magnetic field lines. The ions thus removed will not return to the upper atmosphere.
Negatively charged particles move upward by the fair-weather electric field and by atmospheric convection. When these ions
reach above 120 km altitude where the ion gyro frequency is comparable to or greater than the ion-neutral collision
frequency, they can be accelerated by EM fields through the gyro resonance interaction. By modulating the auroral electrojet
in the gyro frequency range for important minority ion species, ion cyclotron waves can be excited which propagate nearly
along the magnetic field lines. Experimental evidence for this effect has been obtained with the HIPAS facility [1]. By
exciting ELF waves over a range of ion gyro frequencies of dominant ion species, dips were observed in the magnetometer data
at these frequencies. This suggests the ELF wave energy was absorbed by the ion species. Similar ion acceleration and
expelling phenomenon over the polar regions occurs naturally in so called ion conics as observed by high latitude satellites.
Field aligned currents might provide free energy needed to make this process practical.
Field experiments are designed to observe directly this selective ion acceleration using the HIPAS Lidar together with
ground-based and space-borne detectors.
1. Wong, A.Y. et al. AIP CIP 96-27719, Chap 3, pp 41-75, 1997
DE: 2403 Active experiments
DE: 2407 Auroral ionosphere (2704)
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2483 Wave/particle interactions
DE: 1512 Environmental magnetism
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting