Auroral Scintillation Phase Analysis from a Short-Baseline GPS Array

Seebany Datta-Barua, Yang Su, Kshitija Deshpande, Gary S. Bust, Donald Hampton

Abstract:	Radio frequency scintillation is the rapid variation in received signal amplitude or phase. For trans-ionospheric signals such as those of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), scintillation of received GNSS signals can cause the receiver to lose lock on a satellite, reducing navigation performance. Scintillation is caused by irregularities in ionospheric density, and frequently occurs at high latitudes. At L-band frequencies the scale sizes of these density variations are a few hundred meters. To resolve some of the ground pattern of phase produced by irregularities of these sizes, an array of receivers should be spaced over comparable length baselines. We present the Scintillation Auroral GPS Array (SAGA) of scintillation monitors sited at Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska, for investigating phase variations over baselines of 200 m to 3 km horizontally. A database of the scintillation parameters and high-rate (100Hz) phase measurements from the array has been established for data sharing access through a web portal. Ongoing collection of scintillation indices and 100-Hz phase measurements from SAGA has required automation of the processing and inter-receiver cross-correlation techniques. Scintillation events are also examined in the context of auroral activity, through comparison to all-sky camera imagery and auroral geomagnetic activity indices. In certain cases closely spaced GNSS array of scintillation receivers can act as an alternative method for measuring plasma drift velocities. In other cases, coherence of received signal phase across the array does not allow for cross-correlation-based velocity estimation techniques. These cases indicate a lower rate of spatial decorrelation of small-scale structures in the ionosphere.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 27th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2014) September 8 - 12, 2014 Tampa Convention Center Tampa, Florida
Pages:	1101 - 1107
Cite this article:	Datta-Barua, Seebany, Su, Yang, Deshpande, Kshitija, Bust, Gary S., Hampton, Donald, "Auroral Scintillation Phase Analysis from a Short-Baseline GPS Array," Proceedings of the 27th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2014), Tampa, Florida, September 2014, pp. 1101-1107.
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