"DETECTION AND ANALYSIS OF PLASMA BUBBLES AT 20 MHz
RADIO FREQUENCY"
by Professors John C. Mannone and Wanda Diaz
Society of Amateur Radio Astronomers 2004 Conference
Tuesday June 29, 2004
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Green Bank, WV
ABSTRACT:
Charge deficient holes in the F-region, called plasma bubbles, are
typically detected above the equatorial zone. Some of the traditional techniques of detection involve sensitive receivers
called riometers tuned to 30 MHz to record time variations or rocket-borne Langmuir probes measure the fluctuation of electron
number density. In this work, the electron number density variations are recorded indirectly. Astrophysical radio waves are
modulated by these variations as they travel through the ionosphere. Spectral analysis of decametric radio signals acquired
with 20 MHz antennas will provide similar information about the ionosphere. The behavior of the radio noise floor will show
if radio light is scintillated. This technique is applied to data from Puerto Rico. Though just north of the magnetic equatorial
zone, power spectra disclose radio twinkling by the sudden post-sunset onset of plasma bubbles just before local midnight.
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Subsequent work was done and published, but
on a different aspect of the data:
Sun and Geosphere, 2008; 3(1): 42 - 45 ISSN 1819-0839
Sonification for the Analysis of Plasma Bubbles at 21 MHz, Wanda L. Diaz-Merced 1, Robert M. Candey 2, John C. Mannone 3, David Fields 3, Emilio Rodriguez 3
1 Glasgow Interactive Systems
Group, Department of Computing Science, University of Glasgow, UK
2 NASA, GSFC, Greenbelt, Maryland,
USA
3 Shirohisa Ikeda Project Gurabo, Puerto Rico
