Power Spectra of Ionospheric Scintillations

Abstract

Second order statistical moments of the phase fluctuationsare obtained taking into account the boundary condition,diffraction effects and polarization coefficients of theordinary and extraordinary waves. The variance and thecorrelation function are calculated for arbitrary 3D spectralfunction of electron density fluctuations containing bothanisotropic Gaussian and power-law spectra; anisotropycoefficient and the orientation angle of elongated plasmairregularities. The phase scintillation index and thescintillation level are analyzed numerically. Maximum ofthe scintillation index for small-scale irregularities is in theinterval 0.2-0.3 corresponding to the moderate scintillationintensity, within the weak-scatter regime. Splashes arerevealed for different anisotropy factor of elongated largescaleirregularities varying orientation angle with respect tothe lines of force of geomagnetic field. Scintillation index iscalculated for small-scale irregularities using the “frozenin”assumption and taking into account movement of rigidirregularities. Log-log plots of the power spectrum of theintensity fluctuations have the same minimums satisfyingthe “standard relationship” of scattered ordinary andextraordinary waves. It was shown that the normalizedscintillation level growth in both non-fully-developeddiffraction pattern and in transition zone increasinganisotropy factor. Rising orientation angle scintillation leveldecreases and splashes arises in fully developedscintillation region.