EGU23-3051, updated on 31 May 2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3051
EGU General Assembly 2023
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

A case study on multiple self-interactions of MSTID bands: New insights

Sumanta Sarkhel1, Dipjyoti Patgiri1, Rahul Rathi1, Virendra Yadav2, Dibyendu Chakrabarty3, Subarna Mondal3, Mallepulla Venkata Sunil Krishna1, Arun K. Upadhayaya4, Chiranjeevi G. Vivek5, Suresh Kannaujiya6, and Surendra Sunda7
Sumanta Sarkhel et al.
  • 1Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee-247667, India
  • 2Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital – 263001, Uttarakhand, India
  • 3Space and Atmospheric Sciences Division, Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 380009, Gujarat, India
  • 4Environmental Sciences and Biomedical Metrology Division, CSIR National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, India
  • 5CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute (Formerly CSIR-CMMACS), Wind Tunnel Road, Bengaluru, India.
  • 6Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, ISRO, Dehradun - 248001, India
  • 7GNSS Research Center for Ionospheric Studies & Navigation Application, Airports Authority of India, Ahmedabad, India

In this study, we report a special event of nighttime southwestward propagating medium scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) observed in O(1D) 630.0 nm airglow images from an all-sky imager at Hanle (32.7°N, 78.9°E; Mlat. ~24.1°N), Ladakh, India on a geomagnetically quiet (Ap = 7) night of 15 September 2018. The time sequence of airglow images unveiled two dynamic interactions between multiple dark bands of MSTID. Following the first interaction, one of the interacting bands decayed possibly due to the entrance of plasma from the ambient higher plasma density region. Shortly after this interaction, the other interacting dark band was involved in the second interaction with a third dark band which resulted in the co-alignment of the two interacting bands. Following this co-alignment, one of the bands started rotating prominently that led to further separation of these two co-aligned bands. These changes in the MSTID phase fronts (bands) are explained based on the development of the polarization electric fields arising out of the interactions. This investigation combines the all-sky 630.0 nm airglow imaging observations with TEC maps constructed, for the first time over the Indian sector, from 67 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements to capture the MSTID over this region. The investigation reveals a few important features of self-interactions of MSTID bands over the geomagnetic low-mid latitude transition region which is important to assess their impact over low latitudes. The highlights of these results will be discussed in the meeting.

How to cite: Sarkhel, S., Patgiri, D., Rathi, R., Yadav, V., Chakrabarty, D., Mondal, S., Sunil Krishna, M. V., K. Upadhayaya, A., G. Vivek, C., Kannaujiya, S., and Sunda, S.: A case study on multiple self-interactions of MSTID bands: New insights, EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-3051, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-3051, 2023.