Journal
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SPACE PHYSICS
Volume 122, Issue 8, Pages 8868-8882Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1002/2017JA023951
Keywords
V-shape shock acoustic waves; ionospheric disturbance waves; rocket exhaust; acoustic wave reflection; delayed disturbance waves
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Science and Technology [MOST 106-2111-M-006-001, 106-2811-M-006-031, 105-2111-M-006-008, 105-2111-M-006-003]
- MOST [105-2811-M-008-002]
- NiCT
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Observations and theoretical modeling of the ionospheric disturbance waves generated by rocket launches are investigated. During the rocket passage, time rate change of total electron content (rTEC) enhancement with the V-shape shock wave signature is commonly observed, followed by acoustic wave disturbances and region of negative rTEC centered along the trajectory. Ten to fifteen min after the rocket passage, delayed disturbance waves appeared and propagated along direction normal to the V-shape wavefronts. These observation features appeared most prominently in the 2016 North Korea rocket launch showing a very distinct V-shape rTEC enhancement over enormous areas along the southeast flight trajectory despite that it was also appeared in the 2009 North Korea rocket launch with the eastward flight trajectory. Numerical simulations using the physical-based nonlinear and nonhydrostatic coupled model of neutral atmosphere and ionosphere reproduce promised results in qualitative agreement with the characteristics of ionospheric disturbance waves observed in the 2009 event by considering the released energy of the rocket exhaust as the disturbance source. Simulations reproduce the shock wave signature of electron density enhancement, acoustic wave disturbances, the electron density depletion due to the rocket-induced pressure bulge, and the delayed disturbance waves. The pressure bulge results in outward neutral wind flows carrying neutrals and plasma away from it and leading to electron density depletions. Simulations further show, for the first time, that the delayed disturbance waves are produced by the surface reflection of the earlier arrival acoustic wave disturbances.
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