Transmitter-induced modulation of subionospheric VLF signals: Ionospheric heating rather than electron precipitation

Abstract

The controlled keying of ground-based VLF transmitters with periodic on/off sequences allows the detection of weak but measurable cross-modulation effects on other subionospheric VLF probe signals used for VLF remote sensing. In this paper, we reexamine previously published and additional cases of such events and determine that the initial interpretations of such cross modulation as being due to electron precipitation is likely incorrect. Rather, such events appear to be fully consistent with ionospheric heating caused by the keyed signal, even when the probe VLF signal path lies thousands of kilometers from the heating VLF transmitter. The 21.4 kHz transmitter NPM located in Lualualei, Hawaii, is keyed on/off in periodic sequences, and that same periodicity is observed on the subionospherically propagating probe signal generated by the 24.8 kHz transmitter NLK of Jim Creek, Washington. Previous initial conclusions published for these experiments do not hold under detailed review due to the lack of discernible onset delay and lag time in the observed perturbations, which eliminates transmitter-induced precipitation of electron radiation as a possible cause. Detailed testing of the receiver shows instrumental cross-modulation to not be a concern in these observations. It is thus concluded that the observed perturbations, despite occurring on a probe signal pathway that is 1750 km away from NPM at its point of closest approach, are due to direct ionospheric heating by the keyed VLF transmitter NPM. Results indicate that the VLF transmitter may affect the overlying ionosphere over much larger lateral regions than previously believed.