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%0 Journal Article
%4 sid.inpe.br/iris@1905/2005/07.29.22.00.40
%2 sid.inpe.br/iris@1905/2005/07.29.22.00.45
%@issn 2324-9250
%F 8718
%T Plasma drifts inferred from thermospheric neutral winds and temperature gradienta observed at low latitude
%D 1996
%A Fagundes, Paulo Roberto,
%A Sahai, Yogeshwar,
%A Bittencourt, José Augusto,
%A Takahashi, Hisao,
%B EOS Transactions
%V 58
%N 11
%P 1219-1228
%K AERONOMIA, TERMOSFERA, PALSMA IONOSFERICO, IONOSFERA, TEMPERATURA DOPPLER, INTERFEROMETRO FABRY-PEROT.
%X Low-latitude plasma drifts (zonal and meridional) in the F-region are inferred from the observed night-time thermospheric neutral wind velocities and temperature gradients, together with models for the neutral density (MSIS-86 model) and the electron density (IRI model). The thermospheric neutral winds and temperatures are derived from measurements of Doppler shifts and widths of the 01630.0 nm airglow emission line, respectively, using a Fabry-Perot interferometer at Cachoeira Paulista (23 degree S, 45 degree W), Brazil. The equations considered are the ideal gas law and the momentum equation for the thermosphere, which includes the time variation of the neutral wind, the pressure gradient which is related to the temperature and density gradients and the ion drag force. The present method to infer the night-time plasma drift using observed neutral parameters (6me variation of neutral wind velocities and temperature gradient) showed results 29 am in reasonable agreement with our calculated plasma drifts and those observed in other low-latitude locations. On the other hand, it is surprising that sometimes the winds flow from the observed coldest sector to the hottest part of the thermosphere during many hours, suggesting that plasma drift can drive the neutral winds at low latitudes for a period of time.
%3 1996_fagundes.pdf


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