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Analysis of Global Ionospheric Response to Solar Flares Based on Total Electron Content and Very Low Frequency Signals | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

Analysis of Global Ionospheric Response to Solar Flares Based on Total Electron Content and Very Low Frequency Signals


Comparison of the DI of solar flares to VLF signals and TEC.

Abstract:

The response of the global ionosphere to solar flares is an important topic in the field of space weather. The global ionospheric response to solar flares is comprehensiv...Show More

Abstract:

The response of the global ionosphere to solar flares is an important topic in the field of space weather. The global ionospheric response to solar flares is comprehensively analyzed from the perspectives of total electron content (TEC) and very low frequency (VLF) signals by using solar flare data on the eruption days of X-class flares from 2006 to 2019, including flare level, flare duration, geographical location, and local time. In addition, the relationship between X-ray flux and VLF phase variation is studied through correlation analysis. The concepts of disturbance intensity (DI) and disturbance angle are defined, and a DI evaluation model is established to help detect the difference in sensitivity to solar flares between TEC and VLF signals. Results show the following. (1) The higher the flare level and the longer the duration, the greater the disturbance to the ionosphere. Simultaneously, a phenomenon exists in which the disturbance caused by low-level and long-lasting flares is greater than that caused by high-level flares. (2) VLF phase variation and flare level exhibit a good correlation, and they are also closely related to geographical location and local time. The disturbance degree of a station facing the sun is more evident than that of a station facing away from the sun. The TEC disturbance of stations in the morning (local time) is more obvious than that in the afternoon, and disturbance increases along the direction of Earth's rotation. (3) When DI is at the same level, the lowest flare level that causes TEC response is higher than the lowest flare level that causes VLF signal response. The disturbance angle of TEC is unevenly distributed within the interval [0°, 90°], and that of VLF signals is more than 85°. The sensitivity of VLF signals to flare response is considerably higher than that of TEC, and the difference between the two even stride across DI level.
Comparison of the DI of solar flares to VLF signals and TEC.
Published in: IEEE Access ( Volume: 9)
Page(s): 57618 - 57631
Date of Publication: 12 April 2021
Electronic ISSN: 2169-3536

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