Investigation of doppler perturbations in ground based satellite observations
Investigate unknown ionospheric phenomena which affect the accuracy of ground-based satellite observations. Develop signal processing techniques to detect Doppler perturbations, and develop a spatio-temporal climatology of the Doppler perturbations.
This project will use a radar north of Adelaide to investigate unknown ionospheric phenomena which affect the accuracy of ground-based satellite observations.
The Buckland Park stratosphere-troposphere (BPST) VHF radar is located 40 km North of Adelaide. The radar is typically used to measure stratosphere-troposphere winds and observe meteors in the upper atmosphere. Recently this radar has been used to detect low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites at altitudes from 300 and 2000 km[1]. On some occasions, rapid Doppler perturbations are observed in the satellite observations which affects the accuracy of the satellite measurements, and the source of these perturbations is presently not understood.
This project aims to develop an understanding of the phenomenology of the Doppler perturbations, whether they can be linked with effects observed by other ionospheric sensors (e.g. “Spread-F” observed in ionospheric sounder measurements)[2]. This will involve development of signal processing techniques to detect Doppler perturbations, and the development of a spatio-temporal climatology of the Doppler perturbations.
As the Doppler perturbations have not been reported in the open literature, students will be strongly encouraged to publish their results with the support of their supervisors.
References:
- Holdsworth, D. A., Spargo, A. J., Reid, I. M., & Adami, C. (2020). Low Earth Orbit object observations using the Buckland Park VHF radar, Radio Science, 55(2), 1-19.
- Bowman, G.G., (1990). A review of some recent work on mid-latitude spread-F occurrence as detected by ionosondes. Journal of geomagnetism and geoelectricity, 42(2), pp.109-138.
Supervisors
- Manuel Cervera | David Holdsworth | David Neudegg
- Research Area: Space and atmospheric physics
- Recommended honours enrolment: Honours in Physics