MRI: Development of a frequency agile multistatic radio system for geospace imaging

This project will develop a frequency-agile multistatic radio system to be deployed near the Jicamarca Radio Observatory (JRO) in Peru for geospace observations and studies. JRO is a facility of the Instituto Geofisico del Peru (IGP) operated with support from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) through an award to Cornell University. Jicamarca is a premier scientific facility in the world that operates and maintains the largest radar capable of 50 MHz incoherent scatter radar (ISR) observations of the geospace at low latitudes.

The multistatic radio system will allow Jicamarca to provide new breakthrough observations relevant to the space physics and aeronomy community and expand its contributions in adjacent research domains. All the standard observations provided by this new system will be made available to the scientific community. Additionally, the community will be invited to propose new types of observations and investigations with the system.

The instrumentation and expansion of the observational capabilities at Jicamarca are well-aligned with priorities highlighted by the community in the 2021 workshop “Strategic Vision for Incoherent Scatter Radar”. The workshop was convened by NSF to help guide the future of the facilities program of the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS).

The project will address an important component of space weather and issues of societal relevance. The project will also expand Jicamarca’s contribution to education through the creation of new research opportunities and student training. Finally, the project will expand the contribution of the Jicamarca to a wider range of research areas.

This is an MRI Track-2 instrument development project for a frequency-agile multistatic radio system for geospace observations and studies. The instrument will comprise two radio array receiving stations operating in the band between 10 and 88 MHz. Two sites suitable for the deployment of the stations are chosen to allow for perpendicular-to-B radar measurements and oblique observations.

Multistatic modes add wavenumber diversity to radar experiments and permit the unambiguous determination of vector Doppler velocity. The project will advance significant progress in at least five distinct research areas: (a) Mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) mesoscale dynamics, (b) Meteor science, (c) Ionopsheric irregularities, (d) Meteor radio afterglows, and (e) Multistatic incoherent scatter radar studies and observations of ionospheric plasma drifts.

Additionally, the stations can be used independently as passive systems (telescopes) for radio astronomy investigations that are complementary to those carried out by stations of the Long Wavelength Array (LWA) and LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR) projects. A team of experienced researchers committed with the advancement of radio and space sciences and the maintenance of Jicamarca in the frontier of observational capabilities has been assembled for this project.

The project’s broader impacts are Enhancement of JRO infrastructure for research, education and professional training, national and international partnerships, benefits to technological assets that are relevant to the society, increase in the participation of underrepresented groups in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), and advancement in discovery and understanding while promoting the training of a postdoctoral researcher.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.