HAARP HF active auroral research program (1/6)
Sergey Kozlov
HF ACTIVE AURORAL RESEARCH PROGRAM
JOINT SERVICES PROGRAM PLANS AND ACTIVITIES
AIR FORCE
GEOPHYSICS LABORATORY
NAVY
OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH
FEBRUARY 1990
HF ACTIVE AURORAL RESEARCH PROGRAM (HAARP)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. INTRODUCTION
2. POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
2.1. Geophysical Probing
2.2. Generation of ELF/VLF Waves
2.3. Generation of Ionospheric Holes/Lens
2.4. Electron Acceleration
2.5. Generation of Field Aligned Ionization
2.6. Oblique HF Heating
2.7. Generation of Ionization Layers Below 90 Km
3. IONOSPHERIC ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH POWER RF
HEATING
3.1. Thresholds of Ionospheric Effects
3.2. General Ionospheric Issues
3.3. High Latitude Ionospheric Issues
4. DESIRED HF HEATING FACILITY
4.1 Heater Characteristics
4.1.1 Effective-Radiated-power (ERP]
4.1.2 Frequency Range of Operation
4.1.3 Scanning Capabilities
4.1.4. Modes of Operation
4.1.5 Wave Polarization
4.1.6 Agility in Changing Heater Parameters
4.2. Heater Diagnostics
4.2.1. Incoherent Scatter Radar Facility
4.2.2. Other Diagnostics
4.2.3. Additional Diagnostics for ELF Generation Experiments
4.3. HF Heater Location
4.4. Estimated Cost of the New Heating Facility
5. PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
6. PLANS FOR RESEARCH ON THE GENERATION OF ELF SIGNALS
IN THE IONOSPHERE
BY MODULATING THE POLAR ELECTROJET
6.1. Ionospheric Issues as They Relate to ELF Generation
6.1.1 Ionospheric Research Needs
6.1.2. Ionospheric Research Recommendations
6.2 HF to ELF Excitation Efficiency
6.2.1. Low-Altitude Heating Issues
6.2.2. Low-Altitude Heating Research Recommendations
6.2.3. High-Altitude Heating Issues
6.2.4. High-Altitude Heating Research Recommendations
6.3. Submarine Communication Issues Associated With Exploiting ELF
Signals
Generated in the Ionosphere by HF Heating
6.3.1. General Research Issues
6.3.2. Specific ELF Systems Issues
6.4. ELF System-Related Research Recommendations
7. SUMMARY OF HAARP INITIATION ACTIVITIES
7.1. HAARP Steering Group
7.2. Summary of HAARP Steering Group Activities and Schedule
APPENDIX A HF Heating Facilities
APPENDIX B Workshop on Ionospheric Modification and generation of ELF
Workshop Agenda
Workshop Attendance Roster
HAARP -- HF Active Auroral Research Program
Executive Summary
As described in the accompanying report, the HF Active Auroral
Ionospheric Research Program (HAARP) is especially attractive in that it
will insure that research in an emerging, revolutionary, technology area
will be focused towards identifying and exploiting techniques to greatly
enhance C3 capabilities. The heart of the program will be the
development of a unique high frequency (HF) ionospheric heating
capability to conduct the pioneering experiments required under the
program.
Applications
An exciting and challenging aspect of ionospheric enhancement is its
potential to control ionospheric processes in such a way as to greatly
improve the performance of C3 systems. A key goal of the program is the
identification and investigation of those ionospheric processes and
phenomena that can be exploited for DOD purposes, such as those outlined
below.
Generation of ELF waves in the 70-150 Hz band to provide
communications to deeply submerged submarines. A program to develop
efficient ELF generation techniques is planned under the DOD
ionospheric enhancement program.
Geophysical probing to identify and characterize natural ionospheric
processes that limit the performance of C3 systems, so that
techniques can be developed to mitigate or control them.
Generation of ionospheric lenses to focus large amounts of HF energy
at high altitudes in the ionosphere, thus providing a means for
triggering ionospheric processes that potentially could be exploited
for DOD purposes.
Electron acceleration for the generation of IR and other optical
emissions, and to create additional ionization in selected regions
of the ionosphere that could be used to control radio wave -
propagation properties.
Generation of geomagnetic-field aligned ionization to control the
reflection/scattering properties of radio waves.
Oblique heating to produce effects on radio wave propagation at
great distances from a HF heater, thus broadening the potential
military applications of ionospheric enhancement technology.
Generation of ionization layers below 90 km to provide, radio wave
reflectors (mirrors) which can be exploited for long range,
over-the-horizon, HF/VHF/UHF surveillance purposes, including the
detection of cruise missiles and other low observables.
Desired HF Heater Characteristics
A new, unique, HF heating facility is required to address the broad
range of issues identified above. However, in order to have a useful
facility at various stages of its development, it is important that the
heater be constructed in a modular manner, such that its
effective-radiated-power can be increased in an efficient, cost
effective manner as resources become available.
Effective-Radiated-Powers (ERP) in Excess of 1 Gigawatt
One gigawatt of effective-radiated-power represents an important
threshold power level, over which significant wave generation and
electron acceleration efficiencies can be achieved, and other
significant heating effects can be expected.
Broad HF Frequency Range
The desired heater would have a frequency range from around 1 MHz to
about 15 MHz, thereby allowing a wide range of ionospheric processes to
be investigated.
Scanning Capabilities
A heater that has rapid scanning capabilities is very desirable to
enlarge the size of heated regions in the ionosphere Continuous Wave CW)
and Pulse Modes of Operation. Flexibility in choosing heating modes of
operation will allow a wider variety of ionospheric enhancement
techniques and issues to be addressed.
Polarization
The facility should permit both X and O polarization in order to study
ionospheric processes over a range of altitudes.
Agility in Changing Heater Parameters
The ability to quickly change the heater parameters is important for
addressing such issues as enlarging the size of the heated region the
ionosphere and the development of techniques to insure that the energy
densities desired in the ionosphere can be delivered without
self-limiting effects setting-in.
HF Heating Diagnostics
In order to understand natural ionospheric processes as well as those
induced through active modification of the ionosphere, adequate
instrumentation is required to measure a wide range of ionospheric
.parameters on the appropriate- temporal and spatial scales. A key
diagnostic these measurements will be an incoherent scatter radar
facility to provide the means to monitor such background plasma
conditions as electron densities, electron and ion temperatures, and
electric fields, all as a function of altitude. The incoherent scatter
radar facility, envisioned to complement the planned new HF heater, is
currently being funded in a separate DOD program, as part of an upgrade
at the Poker Flat rocket range, in Alaska.
For ELF generation experiments, the diagnostics complement would include
a chain of ELF receivers, a digital HF ionosonde, a magnetometer chain,
photometers, a VLF sounder, and a VHF riometer. In other experiments, in
situ measurements of the heated region in the ionosphere, via
rocket-borne instrumentation, would also be very desirable. Other
diagnostics to be employed, depending on the nature of the ionospheric
modifications being implemented, will include HF receivers, HF/VHF
radars, optical imagers, and scintillation observations.
HF Heater Location
One of the major issues to be addressed under the program is the
generation of ELF waves in the ionosphere by HF heating. This requires
location the heater where there are strong ionospheric currents, either
at an equatorial location or a high latitude (auroral) location.
Additional factors to be considered in locating the heater include other
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Sergey Kozlov
29...@dialup.mplik.ru
29...@mail.ur.ru