Internal Gravity Waves in the Lower Thermosphere with Linear Temperature Profile: Theory and Experiment

Abstract

The problem of internal gravity waves in a medium with linear altitude profile of equilibrium temperature as applied to the experiments related to the creation of artificial periodic irregularities and diagnostics of the neutral atmosphere at the altitudes of the E region is considered. A solution to the initial linearized system of equations for weak disturbances of the thermospheric parameters, such as pressure, density, temperature, and velocity of the medium, is obtained. Among a large array of experimental data on the temperature profiles of the neutral component, the sessions in which the altitude dependence of the equilibrium temperature was well approximated by a linear function were selected. The characteristics of internal gravity waves obtained for such a temperature profile are compared with the results of measuring the atmospheric parameters. Satisfactory agreement between the theoretical and experimental values of the quantities being determined is established, which confirms the validity of the chosen model.