Abstract Plasma instabilities, resulting from the presence of a powerful radio wave in ionospheric heating experiments, are reviewed. First the linear theories of the parametric decay instability and of the oscillating two-stream instability are considered. The saturation theories of these instabilities for weak pump waves are then outlined and their results are shown to be in reasonably good agreement with observations. Different theories are needed for excitation by strong pump waves. Such theories generally invoke the formation of cavitons. Observations suggesting the formation of cavitons are outlined. The differences between caviton properties derived from observations and the properties derived from existing theories are pointed out. The effect of plasma instabilities on the creation or modification of a population of energetic electrons in ionospheric heating experiments is demonstrated by indirect observations of the temporal evolution of energetic electron fluxes after the heating transmitter is switched on.
Physical processes of ionospheric heating experiments
Advances in Space Research ; 8 , 1 ; 261-270
1988-01-01
10 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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