Intense dynamic optical auroral sub-structure as a proxy for ionospheric density irregularities

Abstract

When signals from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) propagate through the ionosphere, disruption to the phase and amplitude of the signals can occur due to the presence of plasma density irregularities. Several phenomena have previously been associated with the formation of ionospheric irregularities, auroral precipitation being one of them; however, the nature of this relationship is still uncertain. In this study we use a suite of instruments to investigate the relationship between scintillation and an intense, discrete, dynamic auroral display on 11th January 2016. We find a temporal correlation between auroral brightness and scintillation, consistently at and around zero lag. Moreover, our analysis suggests the E-region to be the dominant source of irregularities causing scintillation in this event. Using high-resolution, narrow field-of-view observations from the Auroral Structure and Kinetics (ASK) instrument and a novel algorithm for determining scale-dependent power in the aurora, we find evidence for a possible relationship between optical structure sizes and scintillation. The results from our analysis provide further insight into the relationship between the aurora and GNSS scintillation, and suggest a worthwhile direction for further research.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Nicholas William George Brindley: orcid.org/0009-0008-0743-8220

ORCID for Daniel Whiter: orcid.org/0000-0001-7130-232X

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