Electric field measurements in the
vicinity of noctilucent clouds and PMSE
We report mesospheric electric field structure in the vicinity of
noctilucent clouds (NLC) and polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSEs)
measured on the DECIMALS-B rocket payload launched during the
international rocket-radar campaign NLC-91 from Esrange, Sweden on
August 10, 1991. Unusually large vertical E-fields, Ez, about 100-300
mV/m on ascent and greater than 1 V/m on descent were detected at
82.5-84.5 km. The region of the large Ez was clearly limited by the
NLC layer on the bottom and by the distinctly separated PMSE layer on
the top. A narrow negative peak in the Ez height profile observed on
ascent in the lower part of the NLC layer was apparently caused by the
interaction of the field mill with impacting NLC particles possibly
carrying negative charge. If the impact signature is due to single
particles, their size is estimated to be at least 0.5 µm and
their concentration about 10-4/cc locally. Based on the
light-scattering properties of NLC such massive particles can only be
a minor part of the NLC population.
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