Adding incoherent scatter mode to the Indian MST radar for upper atmospheric studies

Abstract

A powerful transmitter and a large transmitting-receiving antenna are the basic requirements of an incoherent scatter radar. The system specifications of the Indian MST radar located at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79°E) with peak power-aperture product of about 3 x 10¹⁰ Wm² meet these requirements. Although the operating frequency of 53 MHz is not ideal for incoherent scatter sounding (due to very large sky background noise at this frequency), the signal can be usefully processed to obtain some basic ionospheric parameters like electron density, electron temperature, ion temperature, ion composition, ion drifts and E-region collision frequency. This radar, being located a little away from the electrojet, will also be able to make measurements for heights below 200 km, where the Jicamarca radar cannot. An immediate contribution in the incoherent scatter mode would be electron density measurements in the E-F valley for which no information is available for an equatorial station. Further, the radar would also prove useful for studies of equatorial spread-F, winds and waves in the thermosphere and equatorial anomaly.