Measurement of the anisotropy of inhomogeneities in the auroral ionosphere by means of signals from satellites

The authors show how it is possible to determine the shapes of inhomogeneities by using a method of correlation analysis of the fluctuations in signals from orbiting satellites. The authors show that when this method is used, the finite thickness of the layer containing the inhomogeneity must be taken into accout. It is established that the inhomogeneities in the auroral ionosphere which are responsible for the amplitude fluctuations in the signals are extended along the lines of force of the geomagnetic field and that they have a shape which is close to being axially symmetric in the plane orthogonal to the geomagnetic field and that the fluctuations in the signals may be concentrated in localized regions