Multi-static, common volume radar observations of meteors at Jicamarca

Abstract

Multi‐static, common volume radar (MSCVR) observations have long been considered necessary for meteor observations, especially for the study of Range Spread Trail Echoes (RSTE). We present preliminary results ‐ in the form of a case study ‐ from the first MSCVR observations that were carried out at the Jicamarca Radar Observatory (JRO) in June 2007. A second antenna array, of similar sensitivity to a single JRO receive module, was constructed and operated at Carapongo, approximately 5 kilometers geomagnetically south of JRO. The JRO main array was used for transmission. Receiving was done using sub‐arrays at JRO and with the array at Carapongo. The results provide new insights not only into the aspect sensitivity of RSTEs but also into the physical structure of the plasma giving rise to these echoes. These observations also establish a firmer basis for the modeling of the plasma processes that cause meteor trails to become field‐aligned.