Full-scale simulation study of a generalized Zakharov model for the generation of topside ionospheric turbulence

Abstract

We present a full-scale simulation study of a generalized Zakharov model for the generation of the topside electrostatic turbulence due to the parametric instability during ionospheric heating experiments near the F region peak. The nonlinear tunneling of electromagnetic waves through the ionospheric layer is attributed to multiple-stage parametric decay and mode-conversion processes. At the bottomside of the F region, electrostatic turbulence excited by the parametric instability results in the conversion of the ordinary (O mode) wave into a large amplitude extraordinary (Z mode) wave tunneling through the F peak. At the topside interaction region, the Z mode undergoes parametric decay cascade process that results in the generation of the topside electrostatic turbulence and then conversion process yielding O waves that escape the plasma. This study may explain the observed topside ionospheric turbulence during ground based ionospheric heating experiments.