Ion gyroresonance observations at Jicamarca revisited

Abstract

This paper presents recent observations of the proton gyroresonance over Jicamarca. In October 2006, a single-polarization double-pulse experiment was set up to measure the first gyroresonance peak in the incoherent scatter (IS) auto-correlation function (ACF). Despite the clutter caused by Spread-F and artificial satellites, it was possible to measure the first proton gyroresonance peak of the ACF in the topside ionosphere. For the first time, least-squares fits of theoretical IS ACFs to gyroresonance measurements are reported. Theoretical ACFs that best fit the measurements were found using the H+ fraction and temperature (assuming Te = Ti) as fitting parameters. Uncertainties for the estimated fraction of H+ were as low as 12%, while uncertainties for estimated temperatures were around 30%. These are the first successful gyroresonance measurements since the early observations of Farley (1967), and it is the first time measurements of this type have been used to obtain least squares estimates of ion composition and temperatures.