The zonal motion of equatorial plasma bubbles relative to the background ionosphere

Abstract

The zonal motions of plasmas inside equatorial plasma bubbles are different from those in the background ionosphere. The difference was explained in terms of the tilt of bubbles by recent studies, but observational evidence of this hypothesis has not yet been provided. We examine this hypothesis and, at the same time, look for an alternative explanation on the basis of the coincident satellite and radar observations over Jicamarca (11.95°S, 76.87°W) in Peru. In the observations at premidnight by the first Republic of China satellite (altitude: 600 km, inclination: 35°), plasmas inside bubbles drift westward relative to ambient plasmas. The same phenomenon is identified by radar observations. However, the relative westward plasma motions inside bubbles occur regardless of the tilt of bubbles, and therefore, the tilt is not the primary cause of the deviation of the plasma motions inside bubbles. The zonal plasma motions in the topside are characterized by systematic eastward drifts, whereas the zonal motions of plasmas in the bottomside backscatter layer show a mixture of eastward and westward drifts. The zonal plasma motions inside backscatter plumes resemble those in the bottomside backscatter layer. These observations indicate that plasmas inside bubbles maintain the properties of the zonal plasma motions in the bottomside where the bubbles originate. With this assumption, the deviation of the zonal motions of plasmas inside bubbles from those of ambient plasmas is understood in terms of the difference of the zonal plasma flows in the bottomside and topside.