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- ICAR flight : super antenna for space weather research to be built in Russia
ICAR flight : super antenna for space weather research to be built in Russia
Russian scientists have developed a project of a heating stand - an antenna complex to influence the Earth's ionosphere by powerful radio radiation. The installation will be placed in the south of the Irkutsk Region, where other large-scale instruments for astrophysical research are concentrated. With the help of the stand, scientists will be able to simulate space weather, make radio astronomical observations of objects in the solar system and deep space and study seismic activity of the Earth's crust. The project is at the stage of state expertise. Commissioning of the installation is scheduled for 2030.
Why heat the ionosphere
Scientists from the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed a project of a new radiophysical complex ICAR-AI, which belongs to the class of heating stands. This is the name of scientific mega-installations designed to influence the ionosphere (upper layer of the atmosphere) by strong radio radiation. Heating stands help researchers understand the properties of this region of space, as well as the impact of space weather on it.
As the developers explained, the complex is a huge superantenna - an antenna field placed on 60 masts in an area of 700 by 700 meters. The facility will be built in Eastern Siberia near Irkutsk. It will be one of the megasciences-class scientific facilities of the National Heliogeophysical Complex of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Currently, the ICAR-AI project has been sent for state expertise. Experts expect the new stand to be put into operation in 2030.
- The effective capacity of the complex will be about 900 MW. It will generate radio waves in the range from 2.5 to 6.0 MHz. Such radiation effectively transfers energy to electrons of ionospheric plasma. In doing so, part of the waves are reflected and part of the energy is dissipated in the upper atmosphere. This process is called plasma heating," Roman Vasiliev, deputy director for research work of ISPP SB RAS, told Izvestia.
He added that as a result of scattering there is a redistribution of plasma concentration in space and a number of plasma and plasma-chemical phenomena arise. Among other things, scientists get the opportunity to create artificial perturbations of the ionosphere and model its properties.
According to the scientist, the ionosphere plays a key role in the propagation of radio waves, satellite communications and navigation. At the same time, it is subject to the influence of solar activity and other cosmic factors, which causes geomagnetic storms and failures in radio communications and satellite systems. Modification of the ionosphere using high-power short-wave radiation makes it possible to study its properties under controlled conditions. Thus, heating stands help to better understand the processes in the upper atmosphere and develop methods of space weather forecasting.
What heating stands are operating in the world
Roman Vasiliev specified that there are three heating stands operating in the world now. Abroad they are polar EISCAT-Heating in Northern Norway and circumpolar HAARP in the USA, in Alaska. Their effective capacity is 1.2 GW and 3.6 GW, respectively. At the same time, Russia has a medium-latitude SURA facility in the Nizhny Novgorod region. After a recent modernization, its capacity is about 600 MW.
EISCAT-Heating station in Northern Norway
As the specialist explained, the stand to be built in Eastern Siberia was named ICAR-AI - Irkutsk short-wave antenna array with active radiators. The last two words in the name reflect that each element of the antenna array is equipped with its own transmitter. At the same time, they all operate synchronously under the control of a single computer center that determines the radiation characteristics of the entire device.
- Thanks to this configuration, the heating stand will be able to direct the radiation not only upward, but also with a deviation from the vertical up to 30 degrees in any direction. This will enable a more flexible influence on the ionosphere. In addition, the active elements will make it possible to perform several studies simultaneously," Roman Vasiliev said.
He added that the uniqueness of the Irkutsk stand is that it can solve the tasks facing researchers in fairly calm and stable geomagnetic conditions, which are inherent in the upper atmosphere in the middle latitudes. Another feature of the installation is in its modular design. At the first stage, the antenna network will be placed on 60 masts, but in the future it can be expanded almost without limitations.
In addition, the scientist explained, as part of the National Heliogeophysical Complex, the stand will be surrounded by a set of unique diagnostic instruments that are designed to study the physics of natural phenomena on the Sun, on Earth and in near-Earth space. This will enable complex studies of the interaction between the ionosphere and the neutral upper atmosphere, which are not available at other similar facilities.
Study of Space and Earth's Crust
As Roman Vasiliev noted, in addition to studying the ionosphere, ICAR-AI will contribute to solving a number of other fundamental problems. For example, by means of a powerful antenna field scientists will be able to perform radio astronomical studies of objects in the solar system and deep space.
At the same time, the installation may be in demand for the study of seismic activity on our planet and the influence of the lithosphere on the upper atmosphere. This can be realized by means of ultra-long-wave radiation generated by the heating stand in the ionosphere. Such radiation is capable of penetrating through the Earth's crust and detecting anomalies in the conductivity and density of rocks, which can be harbingers of natural phenomena.
- The disadvantage of ICAR-AI is that its power is more than 3.5 times less than HAARP. Accordingly, scientists will not be able to achieve a number of parameters that are available on the American installation. At the same time, a big plus of the Irkutsk heating stand is that it will work surrounded by a large number of diagnostic tools. They will make it possible to study the perturbed region up and down and see those phenomena that cannot be studied at other installations," Alexey Kalishin, a leading researcher at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, shared his opinion.
On the other hand, he noted, the design of ICAR-AI will be modular. This will allow to build up the antenna array, thanks to which the effective power of the installation will increase.
At the same time, said the expert, the ionosphere can be considered as a huge natural laboratory. It provides opportunities for experiments with plasma in controlled conditions, which allows scientists to study this state of matter in interaction with various external factors.
Thus, suggested Alexei Klishin, scientists will be able to learn to better understand the processes in plasma and learn how to control them. This knowledge could lead to breakthroughs in the field of controlled thermonuclear fusion - a reaction in which light atomic nuclei combine into heavier ones, releasing energy comparable to that which powers the stars. Mastering the fusion reaction could provide humanity with a virtually inexhaustible source of energy.
- The scientific facilities that will work in conjunction with the projected heating bench include, among others, an incoherent scattering radar located near Irkutsk and a geophysical observatory at Tory near the southern coast of Lake Baikal. These devices will scan short-term changes in the Earth's ionosphere in the shortwave and optical bands, respectively. "The second reason that influenced the choice of location for ICAR-AI is the availability of infrastructure from the Angarsk Transmission Center," commented Pavel Nikiforov, chairman of the Irkutsk Regional Astronomical Society and author of the Irkutsk Astronomer channel.
He explained that the new research complex with the help of heating stand will allow to conduct experiments, affecting the Earth's magnetosphere, and study the development of emerging inhomogeneities. Moreover, during the experiment it is possible to change the parameters of impact on the ionosphere in a controlled point-by-point manner. Such research is a significant step in understanding space weather, which is critical for space-based navigation and communications infrastructure.
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