On Joule heating of the equatorial electrojet E-region
Abstract
Simultaneous data on electron density, electron temperature and current density obtained from a rocket borne Langmuir probe, a glass-sealed Langmuir probe and a proton precession magnetometer flown from Thumba (geomag. lat. 0.99 deg S, geomag. long. 146.79 deg E, magnetic dip of 0 deg 47 min S) have been used to calculate the Joule heating in order to assess whether it contributes significantly to the thermal imbalance in the E-region. It is envisaged that the changes in electron temperature are partially brought about by changes in collision frequency and the energy loss factor. It is found that the Joule heating alone is not sufficient to explain the observed differences in electron and neutral gas temperatures. The inclusion of photoelectron heating and adjustments of profiles of the collision frequency and the energy loss factor bring the computed temperature differences closer to the observed differences.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics
- Pub Date:
- November 1981
- DOI:
- 10.1016/0021-9169(81)90034-9
- Bibcode:
- 1981JATP...43.1189J
- Keywords:
-
- E Region;
- Equatorial Electrojet;
- Ionospheric Electron Density;
- Ionospheric Heating;
- Ohmic Dissipation;
- Resistance Heating;
- Electron Energy;
- Electrostatic Probes;
- Ionospheric Conductivity;
- Ionospheric Currents