Heating frequency optimization for artificial field-aligned scattering

In this study, we present a simulation study of artificial field-aligned irregularities (AFAI) to calculate the scattering coefficient considering a Gaussian autocorrelation function for the wave number spectrum of the density fluctuation. By analyzing variations in the scattering coefficient under different ionospheric backgrounds, the optimal range of the heating frequency was found, which is about 0.9–1 times the critical frequency of the F2 layer. This is especially noticeable as when the heating frequency varies from 0.5 times to 0.9 times of the critical frequency, the scattering coefficient increases by 6.8–16.2 dB. These results should be useful for optimizing the heating frequency in the future artificial field-aligned scattering (AFAS) transmission applications at middle and low latitudes. (paper)