Future Developments in the Study of the Highlatitude Ionosphere

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A UK Perspective on the Future of EISCAT
UK PASS Meeting, Coseners House, 30 September,
2003

• Ian McCrea
• Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

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EISCAT
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UHF 933MHz ISR
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Tri-static data
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VHF 224MHz ISR
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Dual beam data
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HF transmitter
4 to 8 MHz
array 1
array 2
array 3
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HF Experiments Artificial Aurora
Kosch et al., 2003
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ESR 500MHz ISR
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Multi-radar dataPoleward Moving Forms4 October
2002
K.A. McWilliams, University of Saskatchewan
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Long runs..
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EISCAT Finance and resources
2003 budget 32.4 MSEK (3.5M)2002 operations
4000 hours
Expenditure
Income
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Cost per paper

• 500 kSEK/paper 60k
• Total 1400 papers
• Total cost 775MSEK 90M

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E-Prime facilities

• Phased array for continuous operation
• Extend (replace) VHF
• Phased array remote antennas
• Real 3D, 3D
• Better than mono-static
• Local receivers for interferometry
• (less-)Remote receivers for AGWs, etc.
• Another steerable antenna at the ESR
• Extend ESR building to support/encourage other
  instrumentation

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AMISR ISR
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User Survey on EISCATs Future

• Sent to all EISCAT users (7 countries)
• What are your research priorities ?
• How will they develop in next 10 years ?
• Rank existing EISCAT facilities
• Where is improvement needed ?
• Rank suggestions from E-Prime proposal
• Suggest other possible new facilities
• Any other comments and suggestions ?

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User Survey on EISCATs Future

• Five countries have responded so far
• 15 written replies from the UK
• 8 group submissions, 7 individual
• Strong support for EISCAT to continue beyond
  2006
• .and for continued UK involvement
• Wide range of views on the optimum form of the
  future facility !

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UK Science Priorities

• Fundamental Plasma Physics
• Heating (Tromso and SPEAR)
• Natural plasma phenomena
• Auroral Physics (small and large-scale)
• Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Coupling
• Solar Wind (scintillation studies)
• Ionosphere-atmosphere coupling
• Modelling the global coupled system

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Future EISCAT Facilities UK Perspective

• Maintain ESR and UHF
• Maintain (and upgrade?) Tromso heater
• UHF remotes vital for IPSS work
• Interferometer upgrade for ESR
• VHF least well-supported
• Remote phased arrays not strongly supported

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Future EISCAT OperationsUK Perspective

• Support for continuous operations
• Flexibility needed to accommodate
  condition-dependent experiments
• Support for space missions desirable
• Rapid data provision essential
• Support for multi-diagnostic data

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What happens next ?

• EISCAT SAC and Council discuss user input at
  their autumn meetings
• Plans formulated for what EISCAT can deliver for
  various levels of resource
• Discussions continue with research councils of
  new and existing members
• Watch this space

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