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PhD Project: Volumetric imaging of small-scale ionospheric structures in the polar cap using radio telescope observations

The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is seeking applications from students interested in conducting a PhD in Physics Engineering in collaboration with McGill University and focused on using observations from the Array of Long Baseline Antennas for Taking Radio Observations from the Subantarctic (ALBATROS) radio telescope (now located in the Arctic) and sounding systems from UNB’s Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN) to examine the structure and dynamics of the polar cap ionosphere and its corresponding interactions with radio waves in the High Frequency (HF, 3-30MHz) band.

The high latitude ionosphere is a highly dynamic plasma environment embedded in the Earth’s upper atmosphere and riddled with small scale structures produced through a wide variety of turbulence mechanisms Radio waves in the HF band that propagate within this medium are slowed down and bent by the plasma, such that they will reflect off of the ionosphere at low frequencies. The ionospheric impact on these signals poses a challenge for radio telescope observations within this band, causing signals from distant radio sources or the Cosmic Dawn to be reflected back out to space, to be attenuated, or to be warped. To make use of the signals that make it through the ionosphere, one must have an accurate model of the ionospheric plasma environment to correct these impacts.

Using sounders, which transmit signals across the entire HF band, we can generate profiles of the vertical structure of the ionosphere. By also leveraging signals from these sounders that are received at ALBATROS, we can furthermore reconstruct complete 3D representations of the plasma environment in which these signals propagate; thereby, we can produce high-resolution reconstructions of the ionosphere above ALBATROS to enable radio astronomy applications and study plasma dynamics at small scales.

The selected student will develop skills and conduct research in the following areas:

1. The student will work with radio scientists within the group to develop interferometry tools to track and characterize signals transmitted from CHAIN sounders, bounced off of the ionosphere, and received at ALBATROS.
2. The student will use these signals to reconstruct the structure of the ionosphere above ALBATROS and compare their results to nearby Incoherent Scatter Radar Observations.
3. The student will finally develop ionospheric corrections to support the McGill team’s use of ALBATROS to study the radio emissions from the Cosmic Dawn.

Interested students should either have experience in or be interested in developing skills in the following areas:

1. Interferometry and Signal Processing
2. Ionospheric Physics
3. Radio Propagation
4. Tomography or other data assimilation techniques

This work is part of a New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) project in close collaboration with McGill University and will involve some travel to McGill and possibly the Arctic.

Supervisors: David R. Themens and Torsten Reuschel, P.Eng.
Apply: Send a copy of your transcripts and a one- or two-page expression of interest to david.themens@unb.ca and torsten.reuschel@unb.ca.

Projects

Space Debris Detection

(Detailed information are available from within the UNB network at this time.)

In collaboration with UNB Radio and Space Physics Laboratory, University of Alaska Fairbanks

On-Orbit Reconfiguration of Satellite for Experiments in Ionospheric Observation

(Detailed information are available from within the UNB network at this time.)

Timing Reference and Distribution

(Detailed information are available from within the UNB network at this time.)

In collaboration with UNB Quantum Sensing & Ultracold Matter Lab

CAVEAT – an Open-Source Framework for Context-Aware Verification, Emulation, and Training

(Detailed information are available from within the UNB network at this time.)

In-Situ Simulation of Measurement Instrumentation for Model-Based Hardware Design and Ionospheric Research

(Detailed information are available from within the UNB network at this time.)

In collaboration with UNB Radio and Space Physics Laboratory