Radar backscatter from plasma irregularities of the lower E region induced by neutral turbulence

Abstract. Recently, one of the authors (A. V. G.) developed a theory of low-frequency plasma irregularities which are created as a consequence of neutral turbulence in the D and lower E regions. In the following this theory will be applied to coherent backscatter experiments with radars in a frequency range between 5 and 150 MHz. We discuss the dependence of the backscatter cross-section on ionospheric as well as on turbulence parameters. The backscatter increases strongly with decreasing radar frequency. Above 15 MHz the effects discussed here can probably only be detected by very powerful radars with large antenna arrays.