Design and feasibility of an incoherent scatter radar experiment for the J-ARGUS system in Peru

The Jicamarca Augmented Radar for Geospace and Upper Atmosphere Studies (J-ARGUS) is a multi-static radar system under development in Peru to expand observational capabilities for the equatorial ionosphere. The system combines the Jicamarca radar transmitter with two remote receiving stations located at Huancayo and Santa María. Among its planned applications, J-ARGUS is expected to support incoherent scatter radar (ISR) experiments. In this work, we present the design of an ISR observing mode tailored to the J-ARGUS configuration aimed at measuring F-region plasma parameters, particularly plasma drifts. In the proposed experiment, pulsed RF signals transmitted from Jicamarca will be scattered by the ionosphere and received at the stations in Santa María and Huancayo. To evaluate the feasibility of the experiment for its purpose, we model the expected incoherent scatter spectrum, whose characteristics are determined by the geometry of the transmit and receive beam patterns with respect to the Earth’s magnetic field through the corresponding Bragg radar vector. Simulation results are then used to evaluate the sensitivity of the spectra to Doppler shifts which is relevant for plasma drift estimation. Special attention will be given to the Santa María link, since the observations with this link are expected to have the sensitivity required to measure meridional drifts.