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Multi-frequency SuperDARN interferometer calibration
  • Evan G. Thomas,
  • Simon George Shepherd
Evan G. Thomas
Dartmouth College

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Simon George Shepherd
Dartmouth College
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Abstract

The ground-based, high-frequency radars of the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) observe backscatter from ionospheric field-aligned plasma irregularities and features on the Earth’s surface out to ranges of several thousand kilometers via over-the-horizon propagation of transmitted radio waves. Interferometric techniques can be applied to the received signals at the primary and secondary antenna arrays to measure the vertical angle of arrival, or elevation angle, for more accurate geolocation of SuperDARN observations. Calibration of SuperDARN interferometer measurements however remains challenging for several reasons, including a 2$\pi$ ambiguity in the phase correction factor needed to account for differences in the electrical path lengths between signals received at the two antenna arrays. We present a new technique using multi-frequency ionospheric and ground backscatter observations for the calibration of SuperDARN interferometer data, and demonstrate its application to both historical and recent data.
30 Jan 2024Submitted to ESS Open Archive
02 Feb 2024Published in ESS Open Archive
Jul 2024Published in Radio Science volume 59 issue 7. 10.1029/2024RS007957