The EISCAT Radar Facilities

Ian McCreaSTFC RAL

What is EISCAT?• International Scientific Association• Established agreeement since 1975• First observations in 1981• HQ in Sweden

EISCAT’s Mission Statement

EISCAT aims to make available the necessary knowledge and techniques:

• To understand the various forms of coupling between the Sun, the terrestrial magnetosphere and the upper atmosphere of the high-latitude regions

• To understand the plasma physics and dynamics responsible for these interactions• To investigate the effects of natural and anthropogenic forcing on the upper

atmosphere• To facilitate the better monitoring and prediction of these processes

Incoherent Scatter

• Electrons re-radiate the radar signal with random phase

• Electron motion follows the thermal fluctuations in the ion gas.

• If the probing wavelength is longer than the Debye length, the fluctuations dominate the scatter.

• Radar pick outs towards and away propogating ion-acoustic waves satisfying the Bragg condition

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EISCAT Facilities: Mainland UHF• Three identical fully steerable dishes,

frequencies ~ 928 MHz.• Transmit at T, receive at T, K, S• Additional reception at 1.42 GHz• Increasing problems with mobile phones

at remotes• Tromsø guaranteed to end of 2013

EISCAT Facilities: Mainland VHF

• Frequency ~224 MHz.• Cylindrical paraboloid antenna 120m x 40m• Dish in four independent sections• Steerable in meridian plane• Limited beam-steering in zonal direction• Two very large klystrons, only one working

EISCAT Facilities: ESR• Frequency ~500 MHz.• Two dishes: one steerable, one

fixed field-aligned• Share common transmitter• Small “TV Tx” style klystrons• Third (Chinese) ESR dish by 2014?

EISCAT Facilities: Heater & Dynasondes• Heater Frequency 4-

8 MHz• Two Tx arrays• ERP up to 1.2 GW• Advanced

ionosondes at Tromsø and ESR

Rules of the Road

Original Science Motivation:“The Seven Wonders of EISCAT”

Seven initial objectives of EISCAT (as defined by EISCAT Scientific Advisory Committee, 1979)

• Detailed mapping of auroral arcs

• High-resolution D and E-region response to precipitation

• Understanding of association between auroral electrojets and gravity waves

• Clear detection of the polar wind

Original Science Motivation:“The Seven Wonders of EISCAT”

Seven initial objectives of EISCAT (as defined by EISCAT Scientific Advisory Committee, 1979)

• Measurement of polar cap convection patterns

• Ionospheric images of polar cleft, plasmapause and plasma sheet

• Detailed measurements of the polar mesosphere

Future Science:Whole Atmosphere Coupling

Future Science:Long-term trends and global change

Future Science:Energy flow and large-scale structure

Future Science:Wave-wave and wave-particle coupling

Future Science:Space Weather and Space Debris

Future Science:Solar System Physics

Future Systems: EISCAT_3D

Future Systems: MAISR

• Proposal of NSF Office of Polar Programs• Study differences between Northern and

Southern hemispheres• Different magnetic field, different

topography, different vortex• Could be ready for deployment in 2015• US will fund 80% of facility – looking for

international partners for the other 20%

The UK EISCAT Community

UK Synergy and Co-ordination

ESFRI Projects for Env. Sciences

LIFEWATCH

EMSO

IAGOS-ERI

AURORA BOREALIS

EUFAR-COPAL

ICOS

EURO-ARGO

EPOS

EISCAT-3D

SIOS

Status 2009