Electrical and Magnetic Mapping of the Ionosphere by Applying Maxwell's Equations to the Ionisation Densification Surface

Abstract

This study maps the electrical and magnetic parameters of the ionosphere by applying Maxwell's equations to the ionisation densification surface. The method involved extracting several parameters, including electric and magnetic fields, and using them to deduce additional quantities, such as magnetic inclination and declination angles. As a result, expressions for more than 16 parameters, including inductance L and capacitance C, are established, and their spatiotemporal variability is presented in both absolute (geocentric) and relative reference frames for the following cities: Ankara (Lat. 39.92°N, Long. 32.85°E), Antananarivo (18.82°S, 47.5°E), Berlin (52.52°N, 13.4°E), Moscow (55.75°N, 37.62°E), Niamey (13.4°N, 2.1°E), Beijing (39.90°N, 116.38°E), and Washington (38.88°N, 77.03°E). The measurements vary spatially, temporally, and according to the observer's reference frame. The relative reference frame clearly highlights spatiotemporal variability, whereas, for many parameters, this variability is low in the absolute reference frame and may appear almost horizontal because of entrainment velocity. These variations support interpretations of ionospheric currents and related processes by considering the ionosphere as a series RLC electrical circuit under a forced sinusoidal regime and by analysing the applied forces. Studying this electric dipole through its impedances allows the variability of the vertical ionisation drift velocity to be deduced with greater precision and indicates that the ionosphere may be capacitive, inductive, or resistive. Furthermore, the dynamic study of the forces applied to the ionosphere provides an expression for the spatiotemporal variability of collision frequencies. Finally, this study may provide a basis for exploring the magnetosphere at the microscopic scale. Future prospects include extending this research to the ionosphere as a thermodynamic system and establishing its electric and magnetic potentials.