Abstract

Space weather phenomena can threaten space technologies. A hazard among these is the population of relativistic electrons in the Van Allen radiation belts. To reduce the threat, artificial processes can be introduced by transmitting very-low-frequency (VLF) waves into the belts. The resulting wave-particle interactions may deplete these harmful electrons. However, when transmitting VLF waves in space plasma, the antenna, plasma, and waves interact in a manner that is not well-understood. We conducted a series of VLF transmission experiments in the radiation belts and measured the power and radiation impedance under various frequencies and conditions. The results demonstrate the critical role played by the plasma-antenna-wave interaction around high-voltage space antennae and open the possibility to transmit high power in space. The physical insight obtained in this study can provide guidance to future high-power space-borne VLF transmitter developments, laboratory whistler-mode wave injection experiments, and the interpretation of various astrophysical and optical phenomena.

Details

Title
Discovery and insights from DSX mission’s high-power VLF wave transmission experiments in the radiation belts
Author
Song, P. 1 ; Tu, J. 1 ; Galkin, I. A. 1 ; McCollough, J. P. 2 ; Ginet, G. P. 3 ; Johnston, W. R. 4 ; Su, Y.-J. 4 ; Starks, M. J. 4 ; Reinisch, B. W. 5 ; Inan, U. S. 6 ; Lauben, D. S. 7 ; Linscott, I. R. 6 ; Farrell, W. M. 8 ; Allgeier, S. 3 ; Lambour, R. 3 ; Schoenberg, J. 3 ; Gillespie, W. 3 ; Stelmash, S. 5 ; Roche, K. 5 ; Sinclair, A. J. 4 ; Sanchez, J. C. 4 

 University of Massachusetts Lowell, Space Science Laboratory, Lowell, USA (GRID:grid.225262.3) (ISNI:0000 0000 9620 1122); University of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, Lowell, USA (GRID:grid.225262.3) (ISNI:0000 0000 9620 1122) 
 Kirtland AFB, Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Albuquerque, USA (GRID:grid.417730.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 0543 4035); Department of Energy, Albuquerque, USA (GRID:grid.417730.6) 
 MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, USA (GRID:grid.504876.8) (ISNI:0000 0001 0684 1626) 
 Kirtland AFB, Space Vehicles Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Albuquerque, USA (GRID:grid.417730.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 0543 4035) 
 University of Massachusetts Lowell, Space Science Laboratory, Lowell, USA (GRID:grid.225262.3) (ISNI:0000 0000 9620 1122) 
 Stanford University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Palo Alto, USA (GRID:grid.168010.e) (ISNI:0000000419368956) 
 Stanford University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Palo Alto, USA (GRID:grid.168010.e) (ISNI:0000000419368956); Koç University, Department of Electrical Engineering, Istanbul, Turkey (GRID:grid.15876.3d) (ISNI:0000000106887552) 
 Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, Greenbelt, USA (GRID:grid.133275.1) (ISNI:0000 0004 0637 6666) 
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2705224038
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.