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Space Plasma Exploration by Active Radar (SPEAR): an overview of a future radar facility

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journal contribution
posted on 2012-10-24, 08:55 authored by D. M. Wright, J. A. Davies, T. R. Robinson, P. J. Chapman, T. K. Yeoman, E. C. Thomas, Mark Lester, S. W. H. Cowley, A. J. Stocker, R. B. Horne, F. Honary
SPEAR is a new polar cap HF radar facility which is to be deployed on Svalbard. The principal capabilities of SPEAR will include the generation of artificial plasma irregularities, operation as an 'all-sky' HF radar, the excitation of ULF waves, and remote sounding of the magnetosphere. Operation of SPEAR in conjunction with the multitude of other instruments on Svalbard, including the EISCAT Svalbard radar, and the overlap of its extensive field-of-view with that of several of the HF radars in the SuperDARN network, will enable in-depth diagnosis of many geophysical and plasma phenomena associated with the cusp region and the substorm expansion phase. Moreover, its ability to produce artificial radar aurora will provide a means for the other instruments to undertake polar cap plasma physics experiments in a controlled manner. Another potential use of the facility is in 'field-line tagging' experiments, for coordinated ground-satellite experiments. Here the scientific objectives of SPEAR are detailed, along with the proposed technical specifications of the system.

History

Citation

ANNALES GEOPHYSICAE-ATMOSPHERES HYDROSPHERES AND SPACE SCIENCES, 2000, 18 (9), pp. 1248-1255

Published in

ANNALES GEOPHYSICAE-ATMOSPHERES HYDROSPHERES AND SPACE SCIENCES

Publisher

European Geosciences Union (EGU), Copernicus Publications, Springer Verlag (Germany)

issn

0992-7689

eissn

1432-0576

Copyright date

2000

Available date

2012-10-24

Publisher version

http://www.ann-geophys.net/18/1248/2000/angeo-18-1248-2000.html

Language

English