Determination of the Ion Composition of the Outer Ionosphere from the Characteristics of ELF–VLF Waves Detected during the Operation of the Sura Facility

Abstract

The propagation characteristics and physical nature of low-frequency waves observed in the ionosphere during heating of the near-Earth plasma by a powerful short-wavelength radiation are investigated using the singular value decomposition method. The experimental results obtained with the Sura midlatitude heating facility and detected by the onboard equipment of the DEMETER satellite were used. The ion composition of the near-Earth plasma is estimated from the spectral characteristics of the observed radio waves. The method is verified using results of full-scale measurements performed at altitudes corresponding to the Earth’s outer ionosphere.