Modeling the effects of density structures produced by electron precipitation on auroral scintillation

The electron density irregularities are common in the E- and F-region ionosphere, modifying the satellite phase and amplitude known as “scintillations.” In the cusp and polar cap regions, scintillation is often associated with irregularities arising from density inhomogeneities and shearing. In the auroral regions, however, a strong correlation between the density structures generated from electron precipitation (arcs) and scintillation is observed. Our goal is to investigate the effects of electron precipitation on the formation of scintillation-producing density structures using a high-resolution (~250m) physics-based plasma model, the “Geospace Environment Model of Ion-Neutral Interactions” (GEMINI), coupled to a radio propagation model, the “Satellite-beacon Ionospheric-scintillation Global Model of the upper Atmosphere” (SIGMA). We highlight the effects of varying spatial and temporal content of the precipitation – specifically, the effects of electron total energy flux and characteristic energies on auroral scintillation. To emphasize the effects of small-scale structures, we use a power-law turbulence spectrum that induces short wavelength features sensitive to scintillation. We finally compare our simulation results against data from collocated scintillation auroral GPS array (SAGA), all-sky camera, and incoherent scatter radar at the Poker Flat Research Range, AK.